16-YEAR-OLD FATEH SMASHES CLUB BATTING RECORD
By Simon Heaney
Who needs Joe Root? Sixteen-year-old Fateh Singh (pictured) did what England’s young tyro couldn't in the Lord’s Ashes Test Match by converting a huge double-century for Bessborough Cricket Club on Sunday, breaking the club’s long-standing batting record in the process.
Fateh’s mammoth innings of 223 (32 fours and five sixes) against Darji in a friendly at Headstone Manor beats the previous club batting record held by David Fell for nearly three decades.
Fell, also a teenager at the time, scored 200 not out in a first team league match against Evershed back in 1984, which remains the club’s highest competitive score.
Fateh joined the club this season and is one of many talented young players that Bessborough’s successful colts system is developing. The club most famously nurtured the precocious talent of Mark Ramprakash and more recently its under 17s were winners of the Middlesex County League and runners-up in the Middlesex County Cup last season.
"Fateh has settled in nicely in the U17 team. He is a quite but determined cricketer who has contributed well with both bat and ball,” said Bessborough Colts Chairman Raj Kanagaraj.
“His double hundred is truly amazing. It shows his concentration, mental toughness and cricketing talent. His innings will give confidence to other players, especially the colts and help them perform well.”
Kanagaraj said that the club provides its young players with the opportunity to play senior cricket from the age of 13 to help develop their skills and give them valuable experience. So far this year around 25 current or recent colts have had game time alongside their older club team mates.
Fateh himself has played a mixture of senior cricket with Bessborough’s second and third elevens this year. He opened the batting for the 3s on Saturday in a win against Twickenham, although there was little in his innings of 8 to give any indication of the heroics that would follow. His previous high score for the club was 71 in a friendly versus Paddington in April.
Bessborough caters for colts players aged 9 to 17 and are always on the lookout for new players. Any enquiries should be emailed to Manish Popat, colts secretary, at bessborough.manish@gmail.com .