WEEKEND REVIEW - JULY 12
By Simon Heaney
Saturday 12 July 2014
MIDDLESEX CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Bessborough 1st XI 184-2 (21.3 overs)
Edmonton 1st XI 181-9 dec (49.3 overs)
Bessborough won by 8 wickets
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Kenton 2nd XI 248-9 dec (53 overs)
Bessborough 2nd XI 231-8 (47 overs)
Winning draw for Bessborough
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Bessborough 3rd XI 213-3 (39.5 overs)
South Hampstead 4th XI 212-5 dec (48 overs)
Bessborough won by 7 wickets
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE
North Middlesex 5th XI 242-5 dec (45 overs)
Bessborough 4th XI 179 all out (40 overs)
North Middlesex won by 63 runs
Bessborough in a hurry with quick win over Edmonton
Bessborough’s First Eleven made short work of Edmonton on Saturday at Headstone Manor, winning by 8 wickets after a blistering 138 run partnership between Jigar Shah (79 not out) and Ian Barrie (73 not out) in just 14 overs.
Captain Rohan Karkhanis (pictured) won the toss and opted to trust his attack by putting the opposition in on an excellent batting strip and was rewarded early on as pace bowler Neal Patel (3-43) got rid of Edmonton’s top three by the 13th over.
From 51-3, Edmonton’s middle-order mounted something of a comeback as Corbin (36) and Noel (52) added 73 for the fourth wicket, but their resistance was eventually snuffed out by spinners Karkhanis (4-32) and Sherrick Chavda (2-49) with the former mopping up the tail cheaply.
Edmonton declared on 181-9 from 49.3 overs, which with Bessborough’s powerful line-up was never likely to be enough. Despite the early losses of Ramesh Gunalan (9) and Kushal Patel (16), both to Cornwall (2-54), neither Shah nor Barrie took their foot of the pedal. Shah’s innings lasted 53 balls with 15 fours, while Barrie’s 49-ball knock had 13 fours and one six.
The win sees Bessborough consolidate their position at the top of the Middlesex Championship although the margin remains just five points as second-placed Osterley won against Crouch End.
Bessborough 2s came back from their short trip to Kenton with four points from a winning draw. The hosts put up a challenging 248-9 dec from 53 overs, but despite a middle-order wobble Bessborough’s batsmen did enough to get above the required rate of 4.7 runs per over. Leading scorers were Kibreeth Rameez (48), Alex Irani (43 not out), and Sanil Shah (41), while stand-in skipper Adil Parker (32) and fellow opener Ishan Shah (31) also chipped in.
The draw moved the 2s up to fifth in the Middlesex County Cricket League Division 3, 30 points behind leaders Osterley and 12 behind Enfield in second.
The third eleven won for the first time this season in their Middlesex 1987 League Division 1 relegation tussle with bottom of the league South Hampstead.
South Hampstead posted 212-5 dec from 48 overs, but thanks to an unbeaten 76 from opener Richard Edmands and 54 from debutant Tade Carmichael (who also took three catches and forced a run out in the first innings) batting at number three, plus another solid contribution from Dillon Maloney (33), Bessborough coasted home in just under 40 overs.
Bessborough 4s were Hollman’d as North Middlesex’s talented colt Luke Hollman produced a fine display with both bat and ball to lead his side to a relatively comfortable 63-run victory in the Middlesex 1987 League Division 5.
As opener, the Middlesex County under-13 captain scored a chanceless 76 as Bessborough’s bowlers struggled to find the correct length. Ravi Vyas was the pick with 3-38 as North Middlesex put on 242-5 dec from 45 overs.
In reply, Bessborough lost early wickets but were still in touch with the run rate thanks to a fine 41 from skipper Sahil Hathi and were even contemplating pulling off an unlikely victory while Ian Ridley (22) and Majid Abbasi (33) were at the crease, but it was Hollman again who squashed those hopes with a final three-wicket maiden over to finish with 5-37.