WEEKEND REVIEW - AUGUST 3-4
By Simon Heaney
Saturday 3 August 2013
MIDDLESEX CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
S.K.L.P. 1st XI 114 all out (36.4 overs)
Bessborough 1st XI 115-4 (44 overs)
Bessborough won by 6 wickets
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Bessborough 2nd XI 104 all out (29.5 overs)
Southgate 2nd XI 168-9 dec (50 overs)
Southgate won by 64 runs
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Southgate 3rd XI 164-3 (46 overs)
Bessborough 3rd XI 224-6 dec (46 overs)
Winning draw for Bessborough
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE
Bessborough 4th XI 198 all out (42.2 overs)
North Middlesex 5th XI 158 all out (45.5 overs)
Bessborough won by 40 runs
Sunday 4 August 2013
CHESS VALLEY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Highgate 193-6 (29 overs)
Bessborough 187 all out (34.5 overs)
Highgate won by 4 wickets
Vyas’ five-fer helps Bessborough to victory
Despite only having 10 players, due to a combination of late drop-outs and a lack of available registered players, Bessborough ended their three-game losing streak in the Middlesex Championship with a comprehensive win over S.K.L.P.
S.K.L.P. opted to bat first after winning the toss and were ticking along at a fairly brisk 4.7 runs per over when Bessborough made the breakthrough in the eighth over, spinner Mitesh Vyas (pictured) picking up the wicket of Anup Kerai (15) in his first over.
The floodgates opened after Vyas caught and bowled SK.L.P.’s other opener Rashil Bhanderi (25) as the home side proceeded to lose the next eight wickets for only 70 runs to finish on a lowly 114 all out.
Vyas, making his first start for the first eleven this season after promotion from the 2’s, finished with 5-28 from 14 overs, while the club’s leading wicket taker Rohan Karkhanis added to his tally with 3-30.
Bessborough never looked in trouble when it came to their turn at the crease with Captain Daniel Hawes hitting a nerve-calming 56 as his side passed the target in 44 overs for the loss of four wickets.
The win keeps alive Bessborough’s slim hopes of winning the Middlesex Championship, moving them up three spots to fifth place, 21 points behind new leaders M.T.S.S.C.
The 2s remain glued to the bottom of the Middlesex County Cricket League Division 3 following a dispiriting home defeat to Southgate.
Bessborough’s restricted Southgate to a very chaseable 168-9 after 50 overs, only to lose two wickets to the first two balls of their reply. The home side were soon four down with only 13 runs on the board and but for a 53-run partnership between debutant Simon Peck (30) and Eranda Jayasinghe (33) the margin of defeat would have been far greater than the 64 runs it was.
The third eleven came back with four points from Southgate after securing a winning draw. Bessborough declared on 224-6 after 46 overs with half-centuries for Fateh Singh (54), Sanjeevan (74) and Cecil Dinesh (54).
Southgate weren’t able to overtake the required run-rate but never looked in danger of losing as they finished on 164-3 after 46 overs. Sugeevan Sriskandarajah with 2-37 was the pick of the Bessborough attack.
The fourth eleven picked up 10 points against North Middlesex 5’s in a keenly contested encounter at Headstone Manor.
Captain Simon Heaney (17) opted to bat after winning the toss and he and young Vidoosha Jayawardena (16) put on 31 for the opening wicket. Despite that promising start, a flurry of wickets left Bessborough in trouble on 69-4.
Into the breach stepped club veteran Dipak Chavda, playing only his second game for the side this season, who rolled back the years with a classy half-century.
Dipak (53) was involved in crucial partnerships of 40 with Sammy Hawes (16) and 60 with William Gill (31) that pushed Bessborough’s total up towards the 200 mark although they fell just short on 198 as North Middlesex’s talented young spinner Luke Hollman pegged them back with a hat-trick.
In reply, Bessborough made early in roads with opening seam bowlers Ravi Vyas (1-20) and Sahil Hathi (3-40) causing the opposition all sorts of problems. Wickets fell regularly as Bessborough rotated the attack, although they encountered some late order resistance from number eight Alex Thomas (22) and the wily number ten Peter Hollman (32).
Bessborough wrapped up the victory with just over four overs remaining as Hathi pulled off a sharp caught and bowled from Hollman.
The win moves the side up to third place in the Middlesex 1987 Cricket League Division 5 .
The Sunday side went down by four wickets at Highgate in their Chess Valley League Division 3 game.
Captain Nirav Ghantiwala won the toss and had no hesitation to bat at postage stamp of a ground in North London. Fast Bowler Rohan Desai showed he is no mug with the bat, hitting his first fifty for the club with a rapid 65, which came off only 40 balls and included seven fours and three sixes.
Loz Horsley (30), Fateh Singh (30) and James Wheeler (23) also made valuable contributions as Bessborough scored what looked like a competitive 187 all out in just over 34 overs.
Highgate got off to a frantic and fast start and lost a couple early wickets to Desai (1-26) and Ghantiwala (1-48).
Highgate then stuttered to 85-5 with fourth team colt Ravi Vyas (2-18) picking up a couple wickets and Fateh Singh (1-33) picking up the other. However, the Highgate pair of James Savundra (61 not out) and Rohan Francis (47) put on a century stand to lead their team to a comfortable victory with 16 overs to spare.