Edgy Hampstead slip to worst defeat in Middlesex County League

Published: August 11, 2011
CRICKET with STEVE BARNETT

Middlesex County League
Premier Division
Teddington  271-8 dec / Hampstead 99

HAMPSTEAD were restricted to their lowest score of the season on Saturday as they lost by 172 runs at Teddington.

Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Joe Cotterell’s side patiently set about making the all-important breakthrough.

After almost 13 tentative overs, the game exploded into life when Zac Khan took three wickets in quick succession to leave Teddington struggling on 67-3. The home side managed to regain their composure, however, as Dawid Malan and Will Clough took the score to almost 200 before the loss of another wicket.

Their fourth-wicket partnership proved vital as Malan top-scored with 70 off 98 balls, while Clough chipped in with 56 off 85 balls.

Teddington dec­lared on 271-8 after 53 overs, a target that Hampstead have only bettered twice this season. Khan was the pick of the Hampstead bowlers with 3-42 off 11 overs, while Tom Smith and Tom Forsdike took two wickets each.

Hampstead’s reply got off to the worst possible start with Robert Tidey and Brandon Buckley both losing their wicket within the opening six overs.

The visitors were struggling on 18-2, and things only got worse as Mubasher Hassan scored just nine runs, while George Leadbetter and Jon Lombard came and went without scoring. On a dismal day of batting Tom Smith was Hampstead’s top-scorer with a patient 32 off 81 balls. His resilience could not stop Hampstead from slipping to their biggest defeat of the season after scoring just 99 runs all out.

Eckford blitz sinks leaders

Second Division
Southgate 156 ao / N Middlesex 160-7

DARREN Eckford stunned league leaders Southgate on Saturday as he bagged a mighty seven-wicket haul to help North Middlesex stretch their unbeaten league run to nine games.

The bowler put in a tremendous workrate as he grabbed figures of 7-72 in an energy-sapping 26.5-over spell. It’s the second time this season that the New Zealander has taken seven wickets.

Jaron Semper added the finishing touches to the innings as he took 3-44 off 18 overs as Southgate were bowled out for 156.

The table-toppers were never going to just surrender the points and made a positive start with the ball as they removed openers Adam Holmes and Alex Hill for seven and five runs respectively.

With North Midd struggling on 15-2, Maxwell Crease offered some much-needed resilience as he scored 40 runs, during which time both Joe Hewton and Dexter Thomas surrendered their wickets for just 12 runs between them.

It was a stand of 46 not out from Anthony Holloway that saw North Midd over the winning line as they reached 160-7 off 46.2 overs to seal a three-wicket victory.