Sport: Local cricket - Middlesex County League
Published: 02 June 2011
by STEVE BARNETT
Premier Division: Hampstead 179 Finchley 157
BRANDON Buckley grabbed a five-wicket haul at Finchley on Saturday as Hampstead successfully managed to protect a slender lead at Arden Field.
Having been put into bat first, the visitors made a stuttering start with Francois Vainker surrendering his wicket without scoring.
Fellow opener Robert Tidey did slightly better to post a score of 17 runs, but it was Buckley’s quickfire 43 and a commanding knock of 58 from Tom Smith that reignited Hampstead’s hopes of taking something from the game.
Joe Cotterell chipped in with 22 runs as Hampstead reached 179 before the fall of their final wicket in the 64th over.
Finchley opener Steve Selwood looked set to lead the home team to a comfortable victory as he scored almost a run a ball in a blistering start. Supported well by Fred Deache-Marshall, Finchley raced beyond 60 runs before losing a wicket.
The breakthrough finally came when Zac Khan removed Deache-Marshall for 21, before Buckley caught and bowled danger man Selwood for 51. On another day Selwood’s replacement Jake Milton could have proved a match-winner as he finished on 43 off 95 balls with his wicket intact. But with wickets falling all around him Hampstead managed to dismiss their opponents for 157 to snatch a narrow 22 run victory.
Buckley led the charge with 5-36 in a dominant 17.4-over spell that included three maidens, while Smith took 3-54 in 21 overs.
Division Two: Harrow 191-9 North Middlesex 158-7
NORTH Middlesex continued their improving form on Saturday after securing their second successive four-point draw at Harrow.
Having lost the toss, the visitors started brightly as a last-minute change to the bowling saw Dexter Thomas open up with the returning James Nightingale.
The pair started brilliantly, with Nightingale holding up one end with pace and bounce, and Thomas attacking the stumps downhill with aggression and variation.
The tactic brought early rewards with Thomas taking two wickets in two balls, including Harrow’s top scorer Dave Walker. The tiring Thomas was replaced by Darren Eckford, who soon took two more wickets as Harrow slipped to 78-5.
Harrow knew they had to up their game. Suk Bhupal hit 45 and Darren Crook scored 16 as the hosts put on 50 for the sixth wicket. But the unfathomable Umar Malik bowled both of them to take 2-32 in seven overs.
Harrow continued to battle and managed to score 191-9 off 55 overs. Eckford was the pick of the Midd bowlers with 4-40 off 14 overs.
Needing less than four an over for victory the Midd began their reply in confident mood. But as the rain kicked in, the first 11 overs yielded just 21 runs before the umpires called the players off.
When the action resumed Zulfi Azom quickly went lbw for just five runs, bringing Evan Flowers to the crease. The skipper is one of the league’s stars this season having hit two centuries and a 50 in his last three games.
But he was cruelly run out at the non-strikers end after a deflected drive from Adam Holmes. Flowers left the field for just five runs, leaving the Midd struggling on 48-2 in the 19th over.
The powerful Maxwell Creese quickly settled in alongside Holmes, smashing a series of big fours and sixes, before going for 29 runs.
A solid display from Holmes kept North Middlesex in the game as he showed great shot selection to score a patient 60 before being trapped lbw. It was left to Eckford to get the visitors beyond the four-point mark as he finished on 37 not out, with the Midd finishing on 158-7 off 43 overs to take the winning-draw courtesy of their faster run-rate.