Scorecard

Chingford v Oakfield Parkonians Cricket Club 3rd XI on Sat 01 Aug 2026 at 12
Match was Drawn

Match report A timed fixture against Chingford ended in a draw, but the day's dominant narrative was one of agonising near-misses — none more so than Umesh Jinka's 98, which fell tantalisingly short of what would have been a quite extraordinary fourth consecutive century.

Chingford won the toss and elected to bowl first, perhaps hoping to exploit any early conditions — a decision that almost immediately looked questionable as Umesh Jinka took centre stage. After three consecutive centuries against Harold Wood, Westcliff-on-Sea, and Buckhurst Hill, the cricketing world — or at least this corner of Essex — held its breath as Jinka once again imposed himself on proceedings. And for 93 balls, it looked like history would be made yet again. Jinka was fluent, authoritative and utterly dominant, striking 17 fours in a display that bore all the hallmarks of his recent purple patch. Then, on 98, Micky Driver struck with an lbw decision to end one of the most remarkable sequences of batting this club has ever witnessed.

Two runs short. The dressing room will have been simultaneously devastated and proud in equal measure. Four consecutive centuries would have been the stuff of legend, but let nobody diminish what Jinka has produced over the past month — 115, 116, 123, and now 98. That is 452 runs in four innings. Extraordinary does not cover it.

Ali Khan and Venkata Jinka provided excellent support — Ali Khan contributing a purposeful 41 off 50 balls, and Venkata Jinka producing an eye-catching 37 off just 29 balls including 3 sixes to immediately announce himself as an exciting talent. Nikhith Poddutoori finished unbeaten on 31 and Upender Sanga crashed a late 23 off 20 balls to help Parkonians close on a challenging 285 for 7. Paul Adshead was Chingford's standout bowler with 3 for 61 from 9 overs.

Faced with 285 to chase in the overs remaining, Chingford batted with enough resolve to deny Parkonians the outright win. Micky Driver — the man who had dismissed Jinka — led their resistance with a dogged 78 off 107 balls, including 10 fours and a six, to keep his side afloat deep into the reply. Paul Adshead contributed a patient 47 and Freddie Cox gave Chingford an explosive start with 40 off just 28 balls, but wickets at regular intervals ensured Parkonians always had the upper hand without ever quite delivering the killer blow.

Upender Sanga was once again imperious with the ball, returning 2 for 41 from 16 overs including 5 maidens — a spell of immaculate control that dried up the run rate precisely when Chingford needed to accelerate. Samay Bhattacharjee was excellent in support with a tidy 0 for 33 from 10 overs, and Aren Parmar removed the dangerous Freddie Cox early to give Parkonians the initiative. A sharp run out from Parmar to dismiss Driver was the decisive moment of the innings, ending Chingford's most threatening partnership, but the remaining batters held firm. Chingford closed on 239 for 5 from 50 overs, denying Parkonians what their batting had deserved.

A draw, when victory felt within reach, will frustrate — but there remains plenty to take from this performance. The day ultimately belonged to Umesh Jinka, even in falling two runs short of the unthinkable. The bowling, led magnificently by Upender Sanga's now customary excellence, created chances throughout. With promotion still in sight, Parkonians will need to find ways to push for outright wins in these timed fixtures — but the quality is clearly there.

Oakfield Parkonians Cricket Club 3rd XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 8w 6b 1lb 
for 7 wickets
16
285		        
Umesh Jinka lbw M Driver 98 93 17 105.38
Ayaan Usman b A Waseem 10 8 2 125.00
Ali Khan b G Singh 41 50 8 82.00
Venkata Jinka ct G Singh b P Adshead 37 29 2 3 127.59
Fazan Habib ct G Singh b P Adshead 3 13 23.08
Nikhith Poddutoori Not Out  31 36 4 86.11
Janeban Selvamohan ct M Driver b P Adshead 19 17 1 1 111.76
Upender Sanga b J Chaudhry 23 20 2 1 115.00
Aren Parmar Not Out  7 6 116.67
Samay Bhattacharjee  
Praven Sureshen  

Chingford Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Adiyan Waseem5.0038138.007.60
Stuart Cox4.002800.007.00
Qasim Dar5.002900.005.80
Govind Singh9.0049149.005.44
Ben Williams6.003400.005.67
Paul Adshead9.0061320.336.78
Micky Driver3.0021121.007.00
Jamal Chaudhry4.1018118.004.32

Chingford Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
2w 13b 1lb 
for 5 wickets
16
239 (50.0 overs)		     
Stuart Cox b J Selvamohan 9 20 2 45.00
Freddie Cox b A Parmar 40 28 8 142.86
Jamal Chaudhry b U Sanga 11 16 2 68.75
Paul Adshead lbw U Sanga 47 67 7 1 70.15
Micky Driver run out  (A Parmar) 78 107 10 1 72.90
Adiyan Waseem Not Out  38 62 5 61.29
Carl Rix Not Out  0
Ben Williams  
Aj Shazad  
Govind Singh  
Qasim Dar  

Oakfield Parkonians Cricket Club 3rd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Janeban Selvamohan7.0035135.005.00
Aren Parmar8.0056156.007.00
Samay Bhattacharjee10.013300.003.30
Upender Sanga16.0541220.502.56
Fazan Habib2.001300.006.50
Praven Sureshen2.001800.009.00
Ali Khan3.001000.003.33
Venkata Jinka2.001900.009.50