KEMPTON CRICKET CLUB MATCH REPORT

DATE :                                      14th MAY 2011.

TEAM                                       3rd XI

OPPONENTS                          ADDISCOMBE

TYPE OF MATCH                  LEAGUE

VENUE                                     KEMPTON 

RESULT                                   WINNING DRAW

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The second round of league matches saw Kempton play hosts to Addiscombe, with both teams victorious in their opening game. The home side lost the toss for the second successive week and again found themselves batting first. The Kempton openers started off well, steadily rotating the strike on what was quickly identified to be a difficult pitch. Addiscombe made an early break through, ‘trapping’ home skipper Si Arscott LBW for 12 to one that kept a shade low. This brought Martin Watts, in his first game of the season, to the crease as he and David Maidment laid the foundations for a solid partnership. Both were watchful, but Watts in particular was severe on anything short, hitting two hooked sixes. The partnership moved the score past the hundred mark as both men, allied with a healthy supply of extras, found runs easier to come by.

With Kempton 122-1 at drinks, and looking to move the score on to a total closer to 250, wickets began to fall. Watts was first to go, LBW for 48, and was quickly followed back by Trevor Warne for a rare blob. Bellal Aziz, also in his first match, and David Maidment consolidated before falling in quick succession to slow-bowler Luffingham. David’s patient innings of 41 helped anchor the innings and laid a platform from an end-of-innings assault. Mo Sandhu and Dave Miah were brought together at 159-5, initially watchful in their first few overs as they played themselves in on the difficult pitch. What followed was a fantastic display of controlled hitting as they quickly began to put Kempton back in control. Both hit balls to the boundary with great regularity as the score rocketed past the 200. They continued to collect runs at will, including the odd ‘quick’ single, as the declaration approached. Time was called with the score on 247-5, a score in excess of par thanks to the rapid stand of 88 unbeaten between Sandhu and Miah.

With an excellent score on the board, and 50 overs remaining to bowl out Addiscombe, the home side took the field confident of gaining a second victory. And the K’s were rewarded with the early wicket of Cave for a duck, before number three Parera launched some early blows to the short boundary. His brief innings ended when he was bowled by Warne for 20, who then saw two of his remaining deliveries in the over launched for 6 by Taylor. These proved to be his only scoring shots as he was bowled next over by Jonny Mason, who then followed the dismissal up with the wicket of skipper Naraine before Bateson bowled Aman Dhanapal to leave the visitors 94-5.

Despite the regular wickets, standing firm at the other end was Hasler, desperate to form a partnership to halt the slide. But he quickly saw Godfrey (15) and Luffingham (5) fall to leave Addiscombe on 126-7 with 18 overs of the innings still remaining. Number nine Chhatre joined Hasler, with a substantial stand needed to rescue the Addiscombe innings. His innings started with a flurry leg side hits to the short boundary, before following the example of Hasler and settling down to play a calm and responsible innings. Quick bowlers Mason and Bateson returned to try and break the partnership, but were met at both ends by sound technique and resolute defence. Hasler passed 50 later in the innings as Kempton ran out of overs and the match ended in a draw. Credit must go to Hasler and Chhatre for the way they applied themselves in the face of some hostile, and indifferent, bowling to secure a draw for their side.