WEEKEND REVIEW
By Simon Heaney & Phil Bush
Saturday 26 April 2014
Friendly
Old Actonians 2nd XI 56 all out (23 overs)
Bessborough 2nd XI 154-9 (40 overs)
Bessborough won by 98 runs
Sunday 27 April 2014
ECB National Club Championship – Round One
Ickenham 1st XI 120-9 (44.6 overs)
Bessborough 1st XI 119-9 (45 overs)
Ickenham won by 1 wicket
Last over agony for Bessborough
Bessborough were knocked out of the ECB National Club Championship at the first hurdle on Sunday in a dramatic match at Ickenham that went to the wire.
Despite the grey clouds and damp outfield play got underway on time with the only concession to the conditions being a shortened boundary in one corner of the Oak Avenue ground.
Ickenham won the toss and asked Bessborough to bat first. Returning former club captain Sherrick Chavda (1) didn’t last long caught behind off Steve Gibson’s bowling. Another returning former player Ian Barrie made a breezy 25, but when he and Talah Junaid (8) were sent back, Bessborough were in a tight spot at 53 for 3 after 14 overs.
Alex Irani joined opener Phil Bush and the pair attempted to drag Bessborough into contention. Bush, who was dropped early on, started to find his range with a few well struck boundaries while Irani played a vital supporting role. The pair added 74 before Irani departed for 9, bringing in-form youngster Vivek Patel to the crease.
Bush, having passed 50 was well into his stride striking three 6’s in consecutive overs, but one big shot too many saw him depart for 81 with 14 over remaining. From there Patel picked up the mantle and despite losing partners at regular intervals, continued to play in a positive manor on his way to 56.
A final ball 6 from skipper Rohan Karkhanis (10 not out) meant Ickenham would need 220 to progress to the next round.
In reply, Ickenham’s openers were both castled by opening bowler Nirav Ghantiwala (3-49) while at the other end, Nitin Modha (1-23) proved there was no substitute for experience as he bowled unchanged and kept the scoring rate in check during the fielding restrictions, and when Karkhanis (2-56) took a wicket in his first over, the match was very evenly poised with Ickenham 73 for 4 after 20 overs.
Ickenham then began to mount a comeback, with the Bensted brothers, Sam and George, combining to add 79 in 11 overs. However, Eranda Jayasinghe (2-26) then swung the game back in the visitor’s favour by removing George Bensted (38) smartly stumped by makeshift wicket keeper Irani, and then trapping the dangerous Vrushant Patel (2) lbw in his next over.
A batting mix-up then saw Paul Sims (0) run out, leaving Ickenham on 164 for 7 with 12 overs left. Bessborough pressed hard for wickets and captain Karkhanis retuned to remove Gibson (5), but not before he and Bensted had added 21 further runs.
Ickenham’s number 10 Rishi Soni (14) looked to have taken Ickenham home, but he was dismissed in the 42nd over with 10 runs still required. Sam Bensted managed to farm the strike as best he could, and the game went into the final over with 1 run still needed. It took four balls, but Bensted managed to hold his nerve and squeeze the ball through the packed infield to give Ickenham the 1 wicket victory and a place in the next round where they will face Stanmore.
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Bessborough will look at this match as an excellent warm up for the Middlesex Championship league season, which begins 10 May.
Only one of the two friendly matches versus Old Actonians could be played on Saturday due to the weather and it was Bessborough who came back with the victory.
Fielding a mixture of players from the 2s, 3s, 4s as well as a few newcomers Bessborough laboured to 154-9 from the 40 overs. Star of the batting show was undoubtedly Sharuban “KP” Kanthasamy who scored his best innings for the club with 42. New colt Hamish Jeyacumar did well on debut scoring 35 in a partnership of 79 with KP. Eranda Jayasinghe was the only other player to reach double digits with 23.
After tea, Bessborough tore into the Old Actionians line-up with early wickets for openers KP (2-19) and another new face Wasi Ali (1-13). The change bowlers didn’t ease up on their hosts with wickets for Ravi Vyas (1-10) and Stephen Kimsey (3-8). All of Stephen’s wickets were bowled and the Old Actonians’ difficulties with the straight ball continued as Kibreeth Rameez (3-1) castled three more in his only over to end the contest with Bessborough winning by a comfortable 98 runs.