WEEKEND REVIEW - AUGUST 17
By Simon Heaney
Saturday 17 August 2013
MIDDLESEX CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Crouch End 1st XI 199-8 dec (51 overs)
Bessborough 1st XI 132-9 (49 overs)
Winning draw for Crouch End
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Bessborough 2nd XI 161-9 dec (51 overs)
North London 2nd XI 134-7 (49 overs)
Winning draw for Bessborough
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Teddington 4th XI 224-3 (38.5 overs)
Bessborough 3rd XI 220-8 dec (42.3 overs)
Teddington won by 7 wickets
FRIENDLY
Bessborough 4th XI 210-9 (40 overs)
Harrow Town 4th XI 212-8 (40 overs)
Harrow Town won by 2 runs
Bessborough’s title dreams extinguished
Bessborough’s flickering hopes of promotion were extinguished on Saturday as they could only salvage a losing draw away to new Middlesex Championship leaders Crouch End.
The home side elected to bat after winning the toss and were in some trouble early on at 37-3, but a steady 62-run partnership between opener S. Ross (63) and number five S. Patel (25) held Bessborough’s momentum in check.
Once that partnership was ended Bessborough picked up wickets regularly and did well to restrict Crouch End to 199-8 declared after 51 overs. Pace bowler Akshay Hirani with 3-48 was the pick of Bessborough’s attack, while Talha Junaid deserved more than his tidy figures of 1-13 from six overs.
In reply, Bessborough were rocked by the early dismissals of openers Dan Hawes (12) and Adil Parker (14) and things got worse as overseas player Alex Haniff (15) had a rare failure.
Bessborough were in serious danger of coming home empty handed on 82-6, but a fine 47-run seventh-wicket partnership between Richard Edmands (37, pictured) and Hirani (16) looked to have saved the team from defeat.
However, a flurry of late wickets meant that Mitesh Vyas (3 not out) and Rohan Karkhanis (0 not out) needed to block out for six nervy overs to collect the solitary point.
The result drops Bessborough down to sixth in the Middlesex Championship, 30 points behind Crouch End with three games to go. The league leaders’ better head-to-head record means that even if Bessborough were miraculously able to make up the points difference they cannot now overtake them.
The relegation threatened second eleven picked up a vital four points haul from a winning draw at home to North London.
Batting first, Bessborough put up what looked like a below-par 161-9 declared from their 51 overs. Rishi Patel top scored with 38, while Ishan Shah (24) and Nirav Ghantiwala (23) also made useful contributions.
North London were seemingly coasting towards the target on 86-2, but a quick burst of wickets and some tidy bowling from Nitin Modha (2-41), Ghantiwala (2-21) and Eranda Jayasinghe (2-41), who all went for less than three-runs-per-over, as well as a superb run-out by Stephen Kimsey from mid-wicket, put the visitors on the back foot.
Bessborough could have claimed the maximum points but for a couple of dropped chances, but in the end North Middlesex closed their innings on 134-7.
The 2s are still bottom of the Middlesex County Cricket League Division 3 but have closed the gap to their nearest rivals Edmonton to seven points with three games left.
The third eleven were crushed by bottom club Teddington by seven wickets as their bowling proved toothless despite posting a competitive target.
Bessborough scored a rapid 220-8 dec from 42.3 overs with half-centuries by Cecil Dinesh (61) and Dillon Maloney (50 not out). The early declaration was forced on skipper Dinesh as talented left-handed batsmen Ray Maloney was struck down by illness.
Unfortunately, the extra overs allowed Teddington to take their time and their batsmen were rarely troubled as they coasted to victory in 39 overs for the loss of only three wickets.
That result drags the side into a relegation battle and they are now only nine points clear of danger in the Middlesex 1987 Cricket League Division 1.
The 4s lost by two runs in a nail-biting 40-over friendly at home to Harrow Town. The visitors posted 212-9 from their overs with most of the runs off the bat coming from captain Shenal Daniel (50) and number seven Rinay Patel (51).
Bessborough shot themselves in the foot with some wayward change bowling – extras top scored with 57 – while captain Simon Heaney made an expensive error when he completely misjudged a skier from Daniel when he was just starting his innings.
On the plus side, opening bowlers William Gill (4-35) and Tom Newland (1-10) were incisive and economical in their eight overs, while debutant pace bowler Prashant Dhayal (2-32) made a very promising start to his Bessborough career.
In reply, Bessborough openers Heaney (38) and Praekash Balendra (26) put on a solid 73 for the first wicket at a decent rate. Newland then added a quick 17 before under-13s Fernando twins Stefan (24) and Bevan (13) showed a glimpse of the future with a classy 40-run fourth-wicket partnership.
Bessborough slipped just behind the required run-rate and despite some big-hitting from Richard Willson (18) Ray Conboy (9 not out) they fell just short as Willson was run out when needing four from the last ball.
Sunday’s scheduled Chess Valley League match with Edmonton was cancelled as we couldn't raise a team.