Bessborough Cricket Club

Captain Phil Bush won the toss and had no hesitation and he opted to bat on a wicket that looked great to bat on. The pitch was hard and true and it looked to reward proper cricket shots and would probably take spin.

Bush and James Wheeler opening the batting for the seniors were sure to have their technique tested by a very good Colts bowling attack that included Neal Patel and Mitesh Vyas who have both been regulars in our first eleven this season. The pair carefully played out the opening overs from Vikek Patel and Vyas before Wheeler got the innings going by taking 10 off Patel’s second over which included a pull shot and a thumping cover drive.

The pair continued to play intelligent attacking cricket by nudging and nurdling the good balls into gaps and putting the bad balls away with the pair putting on 52 in the first 10 overs without playing a shot in anger. Bush who has a had tremendous season with bat, started slowly scoring 2 runs off his 15 balls, but he showed what he has been doing all season with a tremendous attack on the Colts attack. Bush, as per usual was incredibly strong through the offside and he struck some piercing cover drives and lofted strokes down the ground. After he was given a life when he was dropped by Mitesh Vyas off the bowling of the impressive Tahla Junaid, he scored even faster and eventually brought up his ninth 50 of the season and thus passed 700 runs for the season.

First team seamer Neal Patel came into the attack and he picked up the first wicket off only his 4th ball when he had Bush caught by Ezaz Mohammed for an action packed 68 off only 58 balls which left the seniors on 106-1 off 17.4 overs. Ian Barrie replaced Bush at the crease and he looked set for a big score after striking two crushing boundaries, however he got a decent delivery from Neal Patel and was well caught by wicket-keeper Ray Maloney.

Wheeler in the meantime was playing the classic anchorman role at the top of the order, giving Bush and later Barrie the strike by working the spinners into gaps in the legside and using the sweep well. Wicket-keeper Adil Parker joined Wheeler at the crease needing ust 2 runs to reach a landmark 500 runs for the season and if he was nervous he showed no sign of it scoring 12 runs off his first 5 balls and he looked in great touch.

The pair put on 61 in only 7 overs with Parker being particularly brutal on Neal Patel with three crushing boundaries and Wheeler looked to raise his run rate bringing up his second 50 of the season in the 25th over. Parker was playing so well it was a surprise when he misjudged a delivery from off spinner Nandesh Patel and offered a simple catch that was taken one handed by Tahla Junaid at midwicket.

Middle order dasher Andy Carr joined Wheeler at the crease and the pair started to increase the runrate as they looked to dominate the bucket load of spin bowlers that Colts captain Tharshan Kanagaraj had at his disposal.  Wheeler was really looking in good touch as he galloped towards a century by using some excellent nudges and deflections off the spinner as well as using the slop sweep to good effect and he also hit two brilliant cover drives off talented left arm spinners.

As the Bessborough innings neared completion, Carr selflessly batted for his partner Wheeler looking to give him the strike as often as possible. Carr was dismissed in the penultimate over LBW by Vyas for a well complied 30 runs with Wheeler stuck on 94 at the non strikers end. New batsman Steve Kimsey Junior couldn’t get Wheeler on strike in the remaining three deliveries so the opener needed 6 runs off the final over to reach a well deserved ton.

Leg spinner Kunal Mehta bowled the final over and the first two balls with Wheeler unable to get the ball away for more than a single so he declined the runs. On the third ball a flick through midwicket brought him two more runs and only four short of a ton. The fourth ball was flighted and Wheeler managed to get out his favoured slog sweep which saw the ball fly into the bike track bringing up his second century for the Borough and his first in 10 years. A single on the penultimate ball gave Kimsey Junior strike on the final ball and he was stumped by Ray Maloney.

The seniors finished on 271-5 off their 40 overs with Wheeler carrying his bat and Bush, Carr and Parker all going past season milestones in the process.

Bush had his hands full in the field with Wheeler struggling to move after his innings while Bush himself was struggling to walk after being struck full on the boot while batting.

The Colts started brightly in their reply with openers Kunal Mehta and Tharshan Kanagaraj both striking some excellent boundaries off the opening bowlers Kimsey Junior and Praekash Balendra before Kimsey Junior produced a ball that spat off the wicket and forced Kanagaraj to offer a catch to Barrie at cover. Dillon Maloney was then run out two overs later by an excellent throw from midwicket by captain Bush.

With the Colts innings stalling at 47-2 off 9 overs, Bush brought on the expreince of Steve Kimsey Senior and Nitin Modha and the pair started to build up some pressure on Mehta and new batsman Tahla Junaid. Junaid had some struggles early in his innings but he then started to show what he was about striking some huge blows off both bowlers including a massive 6 into the car park off the bowling of Kimsey Senior.

Mehta who played well in his innings off 44 was then clean bowled by Kimsey Senior and Junaid fell a few overs later for a brilliant 47 which included 6 fours and 3 sixes when he was stumped by Parker off the bowling of Modha. Nandesh Patel and Ezaz Mohammed were dismissed in quick succession by Modha.

The Colts were really struggling to find a batsman who was able to support talented wicket-keeper batsman Ray Maloney who was quietly building a nice innings. He scored a well organised 35 before Ian Barrie who was bowling his leg breaks had him caught and bowled.

With the match effectively lost Vivek Patel and Fazuak Kilbreeth struck some late blows as the pair looked to put the seniors under pressure but the returning Balendra picked up the final two wickets with Patel being the final wicket dismissed in the final over with the Colts falling just 33 runs short.

After the game, Cricket and Colts Chairman, Raj Kanagaraj presented seniors captain Phil Bush with the ‘Colin Horsley Trophy’ which was awarded for the first time this season. James Wheeler was named Seniors man of the match for his innings of 105 not out and Tahla Junaid was named Colts man of the match for his 47.

Phil Bush collecting the 'Colin Horsley' Trophy from Raj Kanagaraj
James Wheeler collecting his Man of the Match Award