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Big hitters can’t fire Hampstead
Middlesex County Cricket League
Division One
Hampstead 292-7 dec
Ealing 279-8
BIG hitters Mohammed Akhtar and Sumeet Sharma couldn’t prevent Hampstead from dropping vital points against their title rivals on Saturday.
Having lost the toss and been put into bat, openers Ben Moore and Brandon Buckley got hosts Hampstead off to a shaky start after managing just 25 and 13 runs respectively.
Akhtar arrived to steady the ship with a well-crafted 75 off 113 balls, including nine fours and a six. Team-mate Sharma put in an even more ruthless display when he scored 87 not out off 59 balls, smashing five fours and six sixes along the way.
Paul Weekes and Shaun Levy both passed the 30-run mark to help bolster Hampstead’s bid for victory as the home side
declared on 292-7 after 63 overs.
League leaders Ealing showed their steel as they chased the testing target. Luke Stoughton hit a patient 64, while Manjot Singh and Hassan Khan added scores of 59 and 42.
Their combined efforts helped the visitors clinch a winning-draw with 279-8 earning four points courtesy of their faster run-rate. Hampstead were forced to settle for just a point, which leaves them 12 points off the pace.
North Midd click at last
Division Two
North Middlesex 232-7
Twickenham 230 ao
NORTH Middlesex brought an end to a run of frustrating results on Saturday when they travelled south to face Twickenham.
Skipper Alex Hill won the toss and chose to put Twickenham into bat. The home side made a positive opening, taking advantage of the lightning fast outfield to maintain a steady run-rate.
After a handful of boundaries, Will Wootton made the breakthrough when Clint McCabe edged his delivery to Matt Drew at first slip. Warwick Paull joined David Russel at the crease, and with both batsmen looking in confident mood, Twickenham moved towards three figures with no further losses.
Ben Honour came into the attack and quickly changed the game with a devastating display that saw the left-arm spinner claim four wickets at the expense of 70 runs.
Jaron Semper also benefited from some excellent fielding to grab 3-38 as Twickenham finished on 230 in the 50th over.
The Midd set about the run chase in a confident manner, with openers Hill and Evan Flowers showing good shot selection on their way to scores of 30 and 31 respectively.
Greg Arnold chipped in with 35, but it was Shahin Khan who stole the show when he capped off his first appearance of the season with a quick-fire 67 before being run out.
In a nail-biting finish, Wootton and Nick Brand guided North Middlesex home with seven off the final over for a three-wicket win.
• NORTH London’s relegation fears took a turn for the worse on Saturday when they suffered a three-wicket defeat against rivals South Hampstead.
The side, who are now bottom of the table, managed just 154 runs before being dismissed after 54 overs.
South Hampstead were far from convincing with their reply, managing their
155-7 off 40 overs.
Highgate go so close
Division Three
Highgate 228-6
Kenton 194-9
HIGHGATE were narrowly denied their third win on the spin on Saturday at Shepherd’s Cot.
Despite dominating for most of the afternoon, they were prevented from claiming all 10 points by a stubborn Kenton tail, which saw Craig Gourlay’s men forced to settle for a winning draw.
Gourlay won the toss and had no hesitation in choosing to bat first, grabbing the chance to send in a new-look opening partnership of Zac Curtis and Leigh Wooldridge.
The pairing proved unfruitful as they quickly found themselves back in the dressing room with the score on a paltry 16. Nicholas Brunner and Christopher Fletcher offered vital stability as they both recorded patient half-centuries, scoring 52 and 53 runs respectively. Mixing sensible running with occasional lusty hitting, Graeme Jenkins and David Benton chipped in with scores of 24 and 35, while Gourlay led by example with 41 not out.
In the end Highgate finished up on 228-6 off 55 overs, a score they were confident would secure their third win of the season.
Phil Brown did his best to restrict Kenton’s reply as he claimed 3-57, while Tony Duckett and Andrew Browne took two wickets apiece. Highgate were to be denied the win, however, as Kenton held on to their final wicket to snatch a point, ending play on 194-9 after 52 overs. |
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