Basingstoke cricketers ended their season on a sour note losing heavily to Maidenhead/Bray Cricket Club on Saturday, September 4.
Coming into the match with two consecutive victories under their belt, the Bountymen were looking to end the Thames Valley Cricket League Division One on a high against the league bottom side.
Playing away at Maidenhead the Bountymen were humbled with a 152 run loss to the home side.
Maidenhead/Bray won the toss and elected to open the batting.
Basingstoke's bowling hero Martyn James, who has notched up 15 wickets in the last two games, was unable to make any impact against the home side who were fighting relegation.
Maidenhead/Bray batting hero was number three Najeeb Bashir (114- not out) who, off the back of openers Vish Arjun (25) and Zin Adin (25) who provided a stable opening for the home side.
Jon Bradley (2-60) drew first blood, dismissing Adin off a Matt Thankachan catch.
For the rest of the 48 overs played, the Bountymen could do nothing to stop the onslaught of Bashir who notched up his century with the help of five sixes.
The partnership of Bashir and fourth batsman Saad Khan (29) bolstered the home side to 91 runs before Bradley clean bowled Khan.
Charles Jacobson steadied the batting with a strong 42, providing a partnership with Bashir of 104 in 20 overs.
Martyn James was able to end the century partnership, bowling Jacobson when the home side had already smacked 202 runs.
Sixth wicket, Sharoze Raja (31- not out), ended proceedings with Bashir with a partnership of 78. The home side declared on 278, with 12 extras bolstering their strong batting performance.
The visitors were unable to gain any momentum up a very steep slope as play resumed with a disappointing start from Basingstoke.
Opening batsmen, Captain Russell Droy (0) received a golden duck, being caught off the first ball and Nigel Williamson (1) faced six balls before being caught by batting hero Bashir.
With a century under his belt, Maidenhead/Bray's Bashir was responsible for dismissing six 'Stoke players, bowling 4-56 and two safely catching two.
Only Thankachan (19), Chris Froud (27) and James (53) made double figures with the bat. James' half century off 35 balls, with two sixes, was the highlight of the Bountymen's batting.
The Bountymen ended with 126 all out after 32 overs bringing the match and the season to the close. They ended their season placed second in the league behind Cove.
