WEEKEND REVIEW - JULY 26-27
By Simon Heaney and Phil Bush
Saturday 26 July 2014
MIDDLESEX CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Bessborough 1st XI 211-3 (28.5 overs)
Alexandra Park 1st XI 208 all out (52.3 overs)
Bessborough won by 7 wickets
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Enfield 2nd XI 230-5 dec (53 overs)
Bessborough 2nd XI 116-9 (49 overs)
Winning draw for Enfield
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Bessborough 3rd XI 232-3 (34 overs)
Perivale Phoencians 3rd XI 228-7 (46 overs)
Bessborough won by 7 wickets
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE
West Harrow 3rd XI 68-3 (14.5 overs)
Bessborough 4th XI 67 all out (19.5 overs)
West Harrow won by 7 wickets
Sunday 27 July 2014
DUKES CHESS VALLEY SUNDAY LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Chipperfield Clarendon 206 all out (41 overs)
Bessborough 208-4 (31.2 overs)
Bessborough won by 6 wickets
Bessborough back to winnings ways
Bessborough got back in to the winning grove with a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Alexandra Park at Headstone Manor on Saturday.
In sweltering conditions, the opposition captain Derick Cordy elected to bat first on another perfect batting strip. He probably regretted that decision when Vivek Patel (1-24) found the edge of his bat on one, safely pouched by keeper Jigar Shah in the third over. Neal Patel (1-32) repeated the trick in the ninth over, getting Andrew Lovell (18) to nick behind.
There followed a 55-run third wicket partnership between Alexandra Park’s overseas player Darren Smith (42) and Iqbal Ahmad (61), which was only ended when spinner Nitin Modha (4-33) bowled the dangerous Smith in the 19th over. Ahmed and Andrew Jackett (46) added another 52 for the fourth wicket before skipper Rohan Karkhanis (4-33) had Ahmed caught by Hemmen Jutla.
With both spinners working in tandem the runs dried up and wickets tumbled; the last six falling for only 49 runs as Alexandra Park were skittled for a well below par 208.
The platform set up by the bowlers gave the openers Ishan and Jigar Shah the confidence to play their shots. The pair put on 59 in eight overs when Ishan was caught out for 19, but the arrival of Ramesh Gunalan to the crease only continued the fluency.
Jigar reached 61 – his fourth league half-century this season – before offering a sharp catch to Cordy, while Gunalan soon followed him to the milestone with 51 of his own – his third of the league campaign. The pair are now the side’s leading runs scorers in the league with 355 and 291 respectively.
Sherrick Chavda (29 not out) and Jutla (32 not out) added more quick runs to wrap up the game inside 29 overs.
The 10 points keep Bessborough in second place in the Middlesex Championship, four points behind leaders Osterley who won against Birkbeck College. The two sides are now starting to stretch away at the top with third-place Wycombe House nine points down on Bessborough.
Next week Bessborough travel to Crouch End, who held us to a winning draw in the previous encounter at the end of May. The week after is the big top of the table clash with Osterley at Headstone Manor.
The second eleven dug in for a losing draw away to Enfield. The home side won the toss and batted first on a cracking looking wicket. Spinner Mitesh Vyas bowled unchanged from one end and ended with 1 for 102 off 27. Kibreeth Rameez and Talah Junaid got a couple of wickets each and Bessborough were pleased to keep Enfield to 230-5 off 53 overs.
Early wickets killed the chase as only Will Grogan built any sort of innings. But when he was out, Bessborough had little choice but to shut up shop. Due to so much spin being bowled Enfield actually got 49 overs back, but the last 23 overs were seen out without too much bother, Jay Chavda looking in fine batting form on his return to competitive cricket, comfortably seeing out the final overs with last wicket partner captain Phil Bush.
The third eleven smashed Perivale Phoencians by seven wickets thanks in large part to an astounding 148 not out by new player Tade Carmichael (pictured) – the first century by any Bessborough player this season.
Carmichael’s innings included 20 fours and six huge sixes, which helped the thirds reach the target with thirteen overs remaining. Earlier, Perivale had declared on 228-7 from 46 overs. Mallid Tharanga with 3-10 from two late innings overs and colt Ajan Sivakumar with 2-46 were the pick of the bowlers.
The thirds remain in the relegation zone of the Middlesex 1987 League Division 1 but are getting closer to safety as they now sit 13 points behind Old Actonians in eighth place with six games remaining.
It was a nightmare day at the office for the 4s who were rolled out by West Harrow 3’s inside 20 overs for a measly 67. On an admittedly unpredictable surface at Harrow Recreation Ground only William Gill with a characteristic innings of 30 from 12 balls and Ian Ridley with a more patient 19 could manage double figures.
West Harrow were less troubled by the strip as they lost just three wickets – all claimed by Eddie Idrees (3-22) - on their way to a victory that puts a huge dent in Bessborough’s fading promotion hopes.
On Sunday, despite playing with 10 players Bessborough managed a comfortable win over Chipperfield Clarendon in the Dukes Chess Valley League Division 3.
First team captain Rohan Karkhanis helped himself to a five-fer (5-30), bringing his season’s total in all competitions to 33 at an average of 13.03. Under 13s captain Jamie Young and part-time bowler Hemmen Jutla had identical figures of 2-53 as Chipperfield were all out for 206.
In reply, Ishan Shah went big with a fine 91, while Jutla added 49. Richard Ward (23) and captain Alex Irani (27 not out) also contributed as Bessborough finished the job inside 32 overs.