Hampstead crash to third County Cricket defeat
Published: 03 June 2010
by STEVE BARNETT
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE
DIVISION ONE
Hampstead 159 ao
Stanmore 160-4
HAMPSTEAD’S disastrous start to the season continued on Saturday when they suffered their third defeat in four games at home to Stanmore.
Another lacklustre batting performance saw the home side post a score of just 159 runs off 40 overs before the fall of their final wicket.
The only real resistance came from opener Ross Antrobus and Sumeet Sharma. Antrobus hit seven fours as he raced to a competitive score of 42 off 48 balls, while Sharma scored 69 off
101 balls in a knock that included eights fours and two sixes.
Bowler Zac Khan did his best to turn Hampstead’s slender score into a match-winning one as he took 3-79 in a testing 20 over spell.
In the end, however, Stanmore sailed towards their winning target with six wickets to spare, needing less than 39 overs to score 160-4 and take all 10 points.
North Midd secure four points in the rain
DIVISION TWO
Richmond 129 ao
North Middlesex 112-6
RAIN restrictions hampered Saturday’s match between potential title rivals North Middlesex and Richmond at Park Road.
Skipper Evan Flowers elected to send his North Midd team into bowl first after the late start saw the game restricted to just 65 overs. The opening partnership of Brad Sculley (pictured bowling) and Darren Eckford quickly fine-tuned their accuracy to take two wickets apiece and remove Richmond’s top order.
Fit-again Jaron Semper returned from a shoulder injury to bolster the North Midd attack. The paceman made an instant impact as he claimed 4-17 from 6.3 overs to help bowl the visitors out for just 129 runs.
The hosts were confident that they could reach their winning target of 130 runs off 29 overs, even against an attack that featured Middlesex medium-fast bowler Robbie Williams.
Openers Flowers and Maxwell Creese made a stuttering start and just about put a combined score of 20 on the board before both falling victim to Neil Hemstalk.
Williams then took centre-stage as he tore into the North Midd batting order, claiming four-wickets at the expense of 52 runs in a devastating 13-over spell.
Greg Arnold gave the home side a glimmer of hope as he scored 48 off 43 balls, including four fours and a six, without surrendering his wicket.
In the end it proved too little, too late as time got the better of North Midd, who ended play on 112-6 to take a four-point draw with a faster run-rate.
DIVISION THREE
North London 194-9 dec
Highgate 112-7
JAKE Sharland and David Benton helped Highgate gain an unlikely four-point draw from rivals North London on Saturday.
Byron Hackshall topped the run charts with a mighty stand of 77 for North London, who scored 194-9 off 38 overs before declaring.
In response Sharland scored 41 and Benton hit 43 as Highgate managed 112-7 from the remaining 21 overs to earn a winning-draw courtesy of their faster run-rate.
Range smashes 82 to fire first victory this campaign
Kenton 157 ao
Hampstead 162-3
A SOLID batting display from Alex Range helped South Hampstead secure their first win in four attempts on Saturday with a seven-wicket victory away at Kenton.
Range smashed 10 fours on his way to hitting 82 off 72 balls, with fellow opener Zeeshan Sialvi chipping in with 38 in a commanding all round performance. Needing just 158 for their first win of the season, the visitors secured a welcomed 10-point haul with wickets to spare as they scored 162-3 off 25.3 overs.
Bowlers James McMahon and Amjad Iqbal had given South Hampstead the perfect platform for their victory.
McMahon took 3-53 to help dismantle the top order, while Iqbal recorded figures of 3-16 as Kenton were easily dismissed for 157.