WEEKEND REVIEW - AUGUST 31-SEPT 1
By Simon Heaney
Saturday 31 August 2013
MIDDLESEX CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Old Actonians 1st XI 207 all out (54.5 overs)
Bessborough 1st XI 101 all out (37.5 overs)
Old Actonians won by 106 runs
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Bessborough 2nd XI 192-7 (45 overs)
Wycombe House 2nd XI 221-6 dec (54.1 overs)
Winning draw for Bessborough
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Indian Gymkhana 4th XI 286-9 (50 overs)
Bessborough 3rd XI 133-9 (42 overs)
Winning draw for Indian Gymkhana
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE
Bessborough 4th XI 226 all out (41 overs)
Turnham Green & Polytechnic 4th XI 254-5 (50 overs)
Turnham Green won by 28 runs
Sunday 1 September 2013
CHESS VALLEY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Bessborough 197-9 (45 overs)
Amersham 199-1 (27 overs)
Amersham won by 9 wickets
Battle for survival goes to the wire
Bessborough’s relegation threatened second team live to fight for their Middlesex County Cricket League Division 3 lives for another week thanks to a gutsy late order partnership of 89 runs between club stalwarts Alex Irani (pictured) and Phil Bush that helped claim a winning draw against Wycombe House on Saturday.
On a beautiful sunny day skipper Bush won the toss and elected to chase knowing that anything less than a win would take Bessborough’s destiny out of their own hands and at worst could send them down.
Pace bowler Akshay Hirani (2-44) made the perfect start when in the first over he induced Wycombe House opener R. Sehmi to hole out to Rohan Desai, the only player in front of square on the leg side, for a duck.
Unfortunately for Bessborough, that wicket was not the start of a collapse as Wycombe House dug in on a good surface, although they never really got away from the home side. Desai in particular bowled well, picking up 2-16 with an exceptional economy rate of 1.23 from his 13 overs as Wycombe House declared on 221 for 6 after 54.1 overs.
Having only once got above 200 this season, Bessborough knew they had to take some risks and their reply got off to a flyer with opener Adil Parker taking his cue from Australia’s Aaron Finch by hitting a flurry of early boundaries.
However, Parker’s attacking intent backfired as when attempting to pull a ball off one of the opening bowlers he missed the ball which somehow got through the defence of his helmet’s grill and forced him to A&E.
That incident seemed to shake the confidence of the rest of the Bessborough line-up as the side slumped to 80-6 with four ducks at the hands of K. Hafiz (4-33).
It was at that stage that Bush joined Irani in the middle, the latter having entrenched himself at the crease in the style that made him the club’s player of the month for July. Bush, usually an opener, was batting at number nine due to jet lag, but showed no signs of fatigue as he and Irani fought back under severe pressure with a sterling 89-run partnership to get the side to within 50 runs of victory.
With around 9 runs per over required in the final five overs, Bush attempted one blow too many and was caught in the covers for 46. With Parker’s absence the side was effectively down to its last two wickets so Irani (59 not out) and Mitesh Vyas (3 not out) reigned in their strokes to pick up the four points from the winning draw.
Fortunately, the form guide proved accurate as the second-bottom side Edmonton were beaten at home to title-chasing Ickenham, meaning that the gap between the two bottom sides narrowed to 3 points.
Bessborough will therefore need at least a winning draw in their final match away to sixth-placed South Hampstead to stay up and hope that Edmonton lose away to seventh-placed North London.
If the two sides are tied on the same points, Edmonton will stay up by virtue of winning more games this season.
The first team’s season is ending on a flat note as they surrendered meekly away at Old Actonians, slumping to 101 all out chasing a target of 208.
Paul Jarvis (46) and William Grogan (16) were the only batsmen to get into double figures after bowlers Rohan Karkhanis (3-75), Nirav Ghantiwala (2-25) and Alexander Haniff (2-45) had given them a good platform.
The third eleven need a win from their final game next week at home to title winners M.T.S.S.C. to ensure survival following a losing draw away at Indian Gymkhana.
The result followed an appeal to the 1987 League Committee that ruled that Indian Gymkhana's wicket-keeper broke Law of Cricket 40; 4.Movement by wicket-keeper when he stumped last man Stephen Kimsey Sr. and hence Bessborough were deemed not all out.
The fourth eleven blew their chances of promotion with an abject fielding display against Turnham Green and Polytechnic .
The opposition piled on 254-5 in their 50 overs as wayward bowling and numerous fielding errors contributing over 50 to the extras column. Turnham Green’s danger man Rodney Lagie, who scored an unbeaten 147 in the sides’ previous encounter, was dropped five times on his way to 95 not out, while veteran opener Norman Dugdale was also given a reprieve mid-way through his innings of 63.
Bessborough’s reply started off slowly and a heavy defeat looked on the cards until Richard Willson and Tom Newland started to take the attack to Turnham Green with a partnership of 49 before Wilson (19) missed a straight one from Dugdale (2-55).
That’s when the fireworks started as new batsman William Gill proceeded to smash the ball to all part of the ground with an amazing innings of 59 from only 24 balls. Newland was also getting in on the act as the pair put on a rapid 92 for the sixth wicket before Gill was finally caught in the deep off the bowling of Turnham Green’s captain Jon Wood (5-58).
Newland carried on the fight and passed his half-century, but succumbed shortly after caught and bowled by Wood for a classy 61 from 47 balls.
Bessborough then lost momentum and a couple of quick wickets, but some strong hitting by number ten batsman Akash Patel (16) got the side over the total required for a winning draw before Wood trapped him lbw with the final ball of the penultimate over to grab the win for Turnham Green.
Rounding off a fairly disappointing weekend of results, the Sunday team was relegated from the Chess Valley Division 3 after losing by 9 wickets at home to league winners Amersham.
Bessborough put up a reasonable total of 197-5 from 45 overs with former colt James Corbett top scoring with 51, while Rohan Desai (27) and captain Nirav Ghantiwala (25) added some quick runs late in the innings.
Showing the confidence of league leaders, Amersham tee'd off from the start and only lost one wicket on their way to 199 in 27 overs.