WEEKEND REVIEW - AUGUST 23
By Simon Heaney
Saturday 23 August 2014
MIDDLESEX CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Bessborough 1st XI 154-1 (19 overs)
S.K.L.P. 1st XI 152 all out (49.2 overs)
Bessborough won by 9 wickets
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Osterley 2nd XI 168 all out (46 overs)
Bessborough 2nd XI 81 all out (32 overs)
Osterley won by 87 runs
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Bessborough 3rd XI 277-8 dec (41 overs)
Alexandra Park 3rd XI 123-8 (51 overs)
Alexandra Park won by 5 wickets
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE
Southgate 4th XI 149 all out (49 overs)
Bessborough 4th XI 118 all out (24 overs)
Southgate won by 31 runs
Bessborough win puts title within reach
Victory for Bessborough’s first eleven on Saturday took them within touching distance of the Middlesex Championship title, but defeats for all three other sides effectively ends their season with two weeks remaining.
The first team travelled to relegation battlers S.K.L.P. wary of the fact they pulled off a surprise win against promotion chasing Osterley in week 13. Having won the toss and put the home side into bat, Bessborough’s new ball attack for once lacked penetration with S.K.L.P. openers R. Bhanderi (54) and Koshik Kerai (40) ticking along comfortably.
It took the introduction of spinners Rohan Karkhanis (3-37) and Mitesh Vyas (3-41) to change the course of the game. Vyas removed Kerai with a smart caught and bowled in the 22nd over, which triggered a flurry of five more wickets in eight overs for the deadly spin duo.
From 103-6 after 30 overs S.K.L.P. added 30 more runs without loss in the next 10 before the reintroduction of fast bowlers Neal Patel (1-48) and Menesh Gunalan (2-22) brought three quick wickets. Ramesh Gunalan (1-0) wrapped up the tail with the final wicket to end the S.K.L.P. innings on 152 in the 50th over.
In reply, openers Ramesh Gunalan (68) and Jigar Shah (77 not out) were in brutal form, knocking the rotating S.K.L.P. attack around at 8 runs per over in a stand of 116. Shah and Rishi Patel (7 not out) added another 38 runs without loss to seal the victory in just 19 overs.
With two weeks to go Bessborough remain 7 points ahead of Wycombe House meaning that a win next week against Perivale and anything other than 10 points for Wycombe House, who play Osterley, will seal promotion back to the Middlesex County league for Bessborough after a three-year exile.
A dramatic batting collapse against top of the table Osterley killed off the second eleven’s promotion challenge in the Middlesex County Cricket League Division 3.
The first part of the day went well as Bessborough dismissed Osterley for 168 in 46 overs. Overseas spinner Urooj Ahmed (4-33) and paceman Rohan Desai (3-46) did most of the damage with good support from Sharuban Kanthasamy (2-39) and Eranda Jayasinghe (1-25).
Despite the loss of openers Ishan Shah and Tharshan Kanagaraj, both for 14, and captain Phil Bush for a duck, Bessborough were in a reasonable position of 60-3 with big-hitting Talha Junaid (22) looking solid. From that point on it was a horror show as Bessborough were quickly reduced to 61-9 at the hands of Osterley’s Asad Shah (7-40). Late order resistance from Desai (17 not out) was in vain as Bessborough were skittled for 81 in 32 overs.
The defeat leaves Bessborough in fourth place on 67 points with only a mathematical chance of catching second place Enfield who have 83 points.
The third eleven were beaten by 5 wickets at home to Alexandra Park, which depending on other results will probably mean the end of their tenure in Middlesex 1987 League Division 1.
Bessborough were dismissed for 106 in 26 overs with only Vidoosha Jayawardena (39) and Peter Doole (28) able to reach double-digits. Early wickets for Ian Ridley (3-57) had Alexandra Park in some trouble but a half-century from Andrew Laferla (53) and unbeaten 33 from skipper Mark Campbell was enough to secure the points.
Continuing the theme of good bowling being let down by woeful batting, the fourth eleven surrendered a winning position away to Southgate to all but end their own promotion hopes.
An excellent opening spell from Ravi Vyas had Southgate on the ropes and but for a costly no-ball that bowled number three batsman Mcloughlin who went on to score a half century, the home side would have been all out for much less than the 149 they reached.
In reply, Bessborough struggled to build any meaningful partnerships and were guilty of gifting wickets with only William Gill (29) and Akash Patel showing anything like the form from the previous three wins. In the end Bessborough were all out for 118 and now must win the two remaining games against promotion contenders Old Actonians and S.K.L.P. to stand any chance of getting out of the Middlesex 1987 League Division 5.