WEEKEND REVIEW - AUGUST 8
By Simon Heaney
Saturday 8 August 2015
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE - FIRST TEAMS
Highgate CC 1st XI 179 all out (55 overs)
Bessborough CC 1st XI 127 all out (41.2 overs)
Highgate won by 52 runs
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE - SECOND TEAMS
Bessborough CC 2nd XI 238-4 (55 overs)
Wembley CC 2nd XI 129-8 (45 overs)
Winning draw for Bessborough
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION TWO
Indian Gymkhana CC 4th XI 224-9 (46 overs)
Bessborough CC 3rd XI 260-4 dec (46 overs)
Winning draw for Bessborough
MIDDLESEX 1987 CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE
Bessborough CC 4th XI 262-6 (46 overs)
Alexandra Park CC 4th XI 133-4 (46 overs)
Winning draw for Bessborough
Batting lets Bessborough down yet again
Bessborough’s batting once again let them down as they failed to chase down a low target, this time being rolled for 127 chasing 180 against Middlesex County Cricket League Division 3 leaders Highgate.
The bowlers had set things up by restricting Highgate to 179 all out in 55 overs, their lowest complete innings total of the season. Spinners Sherrick Chavda (4-32) and Kibreeth Rameez (4-62) caused the most havoc to Highgate, who at stages were 26 for 4 and 54 for 5 before a sixth-wicket stand of 61 between Will Brookes (36) and Craig Gourlay (39) put them back on the road to respectability and some useful lower order knocks added what proved to be the extra winning runs.
Bessborough’s reply got off to a horrible start with Ishan Shah perishing in the first over without scoring, but Kushal Patel (22) and Rishi Patel (4) dug in to add 37 for the second wicket. Sadly, that was the best partnership Bessborough could muster as wickets tumbled with monotonous regularity. Only three other players made it to double figures with Jigar Shah top scoring with 28 as the side meekly surrendered to 127 all out in 41.2 overs (bizarrely, the exact same number of balls they lasted the week before posting 133).
Fortunately, bottom-placed North London didn’t capitalise as they narrowly lost by 1 wicket to Barnes so the gap between them and us remains at 3 points with four games remaining.
Next up, Bessborough entertain fourth-placed Winchmore Hill at Headstone Manor and will be looking to avenge previous heavy away defeats in the Middlesex Cup and MCCL this season.
The second XI arguably produced one of their best performances of the season in their home game against league leaders Wembley but it wasn’t quite enough to capture the maximum 10 points.
Batting first on the Headstone Manor road, Bessborough scored 238 for 4 from the full 55 overs with Adil Parker (60), Urooj Ahmed (55 not out) and Mitesh Vyas (66) responsible for the bulk of the runs.
Another inspired bowling performance by Nitin Modha (5-29) – his sixth 5fer of the year - nearly brought victory but Wembley’s lower order clung on at 129 for 8, leaving Bessborough to make do with four points from a winning draw.
Despite not winning Bessborough were lifted off the bottom of the league due to South Hampstead being docked 30 points for repeatedly fielding an illegible player. Their penalty means that they are now 8 points below us, while we are 4 points behind Harrow, who lost on Saturday and who we visit next Saturday in what will be a very tense relegation tussle.
The Third XI had to settle for their third winning draw on the trot away to Indian Gymkhana in Division 2 of the Middlesex 1987 Cricket League. Captain Ian Ridley once again lost the toss and was put in to bat on an uncut strip. The Bessborough batsmen did well not to let their dissatisfaction of the conditions and poor facilities (no changing rooms or toilets) affect their game as they posted another daunting total – 260 for 4 declared off 46 overs.
The runs came from Vidoosha Jayawardena (75) – his best ever for a senior Bessborough team; Richard Clarke (55), Sanil Shah (41) and Vinay Bhudia (50 not out).
Gymkhana’s opener Shakeel (75) was a tough nut to crack but Bessborough were able to take the wickets of his team-mates more easily. Despite having six or so overs at the last-wicket pair the home side just about held on to restrict us to four points.
Bessborough slip to fourth-place after this result, but remain very much in touching distance of the second automatic promotion spot being only two points behind current incumbents Twickenham, who they take on at Headstone Manor next Saturday.
North London were gifted a big advantage in the title race after picking up a win without having to play when Teddington conceded, meaning they lead by 16 points with four games to go.
The 4s delivered one of their best batting performances of the season at home to Alexandra Park, scoring 262-6 declared in 46 overs. Opener Beavan Fernando went off like a train with 30 in just five overs before he was caught at mid-on mistiming a full-toss. After the dismissal of Beavan and No. 3 Harris Malik (0), Bessborough’s stand-in skipper and opener Simon Heaney continued the bludgeoning of the AP attack. Heaney and Praekash Balendra put on 91 for the third wicket before Heaney was caught at first slip in the 21st over for 71.
Balendra continued to provide a steady influence at one end as Aman Maan (38) launched into the ball, eventually edging behind after scoring a well-crafted 54. Colt Jamie Young (36) and Bharat Vyas (14 not out) added some quick runs at the end allowing Heaney to declare after 46 overs with a formidable target of 263.
Fidel Ragbeer (7) showed some early intent with a huge six to cow corner but once he was out the away side seemed to give up the notion of going for the win and were content to block out for the majority of their innings. A couple of routine dropped chances didn’t help Bessborough’s cause but it was another abject lesson that bowling first is imperative in this league to have the best chance of winning.
AP’s negative approach was all the more odd as the 1987 League had announced that due to teams from higher divisions pulling out the number of promoted sides from Division 5 has been increased to three, which both sides had outside chances of attaining before the game. It’s not quite all over for the 4s but they will probably have to win every one of their remaining four games to pip Old Actonians to third place.
On Tuesday evening a very strong West Harrow side flayed the Barbarians around their pitch at Headstone Manor, comfortably winning the final T20 friendly of the season by 73 runs.
Bessborough CC 2015 Fantasy League - Week 17 MVPs
- Richard Clarke 130 points
- Urooj Ahmed 125 points
- Nitin Modha 105 points