Hampstead hold out for a point while Highgate head for top spot

Middlesex County

Cricket League

Premier Division
Teddington 325-3

Hampstead 270-8

HAMPSTEAD held out for a point on Saturday in an entertaining encounter against Teddington. Teddington put in a commanding batting display as they hit a mammoth score of 325-3 off 61 overs. In a resilient reply, Hampstead moved within 56 runs of victory as they finished their innings on 270-8 off the remaining 59 overs to earn a point, leaving them sixth out of 10 in the table.

Division Two
South Hampstead 242-7 Southgate 198-8

SOUTH Hampstead were left with a frustrating point following their testing match against title-chasing Southgate on Saturday when they came within two wickets of victory. Batting first, South Hampstead looked to be in a match-winning position when they knocked-up a lead of 242-7 from a patient 56 over innings. But second placed Southgate struggled to 198-8 in a restricting 44 over reply, earning a four-point winning-draw courtesy of a faster run-rate.

Division Three
Twickenham 138 All Out Highgate 142-4

HIGHGATE moved within four points of the top of the table with a resounding six-wicket victory over current league leaders Twickenham. Skipper Dave Benton won the toss and decided to start his attack in the field despite the absence of leading bowler Syed Karrar. Opening bowlers Tony Duckett and Andy Browne found the going tough early on as the Twickenham batsmen picked up a series of steady runs. Browne finally made the breakthrough thanks to a smart catch from Tim Vanderpump, but the home side still pushed forward at five runs an over. Browne continued to impress as he went on to claim his second wicket, triggering a telling collapse in the Twickenham batting order. Sam Joseph, Will Clarke and Chris Fletcher all picked up good catches as Twickenham finished on 138 all out, with Browne taking five wickets for 47 runs and Captain Benton picking up 5-51. Highgate’s reply got off to the worst possible start, with Jake Sharland run out for a single in the first over. But Chris Wilson and Justin Lampard used the gaps in the field to maximum effect as they took the score to 67 before Wilson was adjudged lbw for 29. Clarke continued where Wilson left off, taking the score past the 100 mark. But it was Lampard who drove Highgate to victory as he hit an unbeaten score of 72, powering his team to 142-4 off the best part of 40 overs to seal an impressive 10 points. Afterwards skipper Benton was full of praise for his troops: “That was probably our best team performance of the season so far. We knew we would have to work extra hard without Syed Karrar in the side, but everyone was up for it and we played really well as a unit.”

Friendly
Hetairoi 218-5 Dec Washington 220-6

A KEY partnership between Chris Davies and Tony Burt led Washington to victory on Sunday when they sealed a narrow win over Hetairoi in Oxford. Chasing a target of 219 for victory, Wash looked to be heading for defeat as they struggled to 64-3 off the opening 20 overs.  But an unbeaten score of 69 from man of the match Tony Burt and a well-crafted 61 from Davies saved the game as Washington claimed the win with four overs to spare. Starting in the field, skipper Shawn Hill was the pick of the bowlers picking up 2-35. Matthew Holt, Burt and Taran Persaud also claimed a wicket each as Hetairoi declared at tea on 218-5. Hetairoi unleashed Jamie Oliver, 13, on Washington’s top order and the talented youngster didn’t disappoint as he claimed the wickets of Donald Campbell, Paul Irons and Matthew Cragoe in a devastating three over spell. But Wash regrouped, and a partnership of 52 between Davies, who batted brilliantly for 61, and Grattan McCoach gave the visitors a narrow edge, before Burt came in to lead his team to victory.