Six-hitting Sajj wins battle of the big hitters as duel in the sun goes Cincers' way

Vis, Croatia:
They say it doesn't rain here much in the summer.
Well, yesterday it did - except substitute rain drops for cricket balls.
Cincinnati kicked off the 2013 Tour yesterday with a deluge of sixes from big-hitters Sajj and Jilesh.
Hosts Sir William Hoste CC, the Vis club, also merrily cleared the boundaries.
But after a day under the boiling hot Croatian sun, it was the Cincers' big guns who prevailed.
Winning the toss (for once), the Skip opted to bat with the Chairman and Dee opening up.
Dee got the ball rolling.
First ball of the second over, he smashed a full toss over the mid-wicket (where else?) for six.
Sadly, that was the highlight of the Dee day.
Trying to repeat the maximum, he played across a low full toss and was bowled.
He wandered off fuming that the Skip, umpiring, had not given a no ball (that'll teach him to trigger the Captain lbw a couple of games back).
Enter left-hander Jilesh to join Tim R.
The partnership prospered despite some fine bowling from Vis opener Lenko.
The Chairman hit a couple of boundaries while Jilesh went for just about every single going (and some that weren't).
it was going swimmingly until Tim, on 20, hammered a ball to midwicket.....and stood in astonishment as the fielder (a Scotsman on his honeymoon) took an extraordinary catch.
The ball struck him full on the leg before somehow ending up in his hands.
The Vis fielders could not believe their luck.
But their celebrations were not to last. What followed was a deluge of boundaries.
Sajj, Dee's son and our potent number four, started with a single.
Thereafter, he traded mostly in boundaries - six fours and six sixes.
At the other end, Jilesh also put the hosts to the sword.
Vis looked dazed as the blitz took Cincers racing past 100 and making it look certain we would double it by the end of our allotted 30 overs.
On 69, Sajj eventually fell - caught on the long-on boundary.
Oh, off a girl bowler as it happened!
Thereafter, the Cincers slowed but the damage had been done.
Jilesh sportingly retired two short of his 50 to give others a go.
There were cameos from Stephen Hall (27 before retiring), 28 n/o from Frank and 18 from new recruit Nick R (the scorebook says 10 but he insists it was 18 and he's a barrister. Don't want this to end in court).
Oh and there was a minuet of an innings from Westie who reckons these days he should be opening the innings.
First, he walked to a bump ball catch before being called back by Vis skip Craig.
Next ball, he was given LB by Dee.
TV replays suggest it pitched outside off but hit in front.
Richard H and his Very Big Bat only faced a couple of balls but he wanted a mention for his 3.5lb railway sleeper so here it is.
We finished on a impressive 247 for 5.
After a beer-fuelled lunch at Oliver Roki's restaurant nearby, we took the field.
With all those runs in the bank, we could afford to take it easy.
But initially, it was over to birthday boy Chris (31 yesterday) to open up.
He was desperately unlucky not to snaffle a couple of wickets.
Frank, at the other end, did bag a wicket and would have had another if it wasn't for a no-ball.
With the rate climbing towards 10 an over, offspinner Richard came on to immediate effect - a wicket first ball smartly pouched by Tim at first slip.
it turned into a wicket maiden.
At the other end, Stephen H - ever the reluctant bowler - produced a rapid but wild spell that, byes apart, yielded just four runs off four overs.
Mission impossible for a batting side?
Well, time then surely for the Skip to change that by introducing his own flighted filth of non-spinning leggies and deceptively straight-oners.
Needless to say, most of them got what they deserved - fours or sixes.
In fact, so heavy was the leather raining down on his vineyard next door - especially when Vis's Craig was batting - that winegrower Oliver Roki must have been worried about this year's harvest.
'Hmm..this year, the reds have a funny, leathery, seamy bouquet..'
Eventually, the skip finally got one to turn a fraction and Sajj at fine leg took a brilliant catch before the ball crossed the boundary.
With Craig gone, any faint hopes of a Vis victory went too.
There was time for Sajj to enter the fray with his leggies and for his dad to pull off a very smart stumping - one of two; he also had one off Richard.
By the way, Richard has asked that his one over which got hammered for 19 is barely mentioned in the match report sso there's just this one little mention of it.
Vis ended up at 191 for seven - 56 short.
Many thanks to Craig, Oliver and all at the Vis club for their fine hospitality.