Cricket round-up June 30 - Poor Olney bowled over by Shenley
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Four Counties League
Division Two
SHENLEY Church End have announced themselves as potential title contenders in Division Two thanks to a highly impressive six-wicket beating of an Olney Town side now starting to look over their shoulder at the wrong end of the table.
With leaders Milton Keynes winning at Cranfield University and second placed Old Bradwell taking the points as bottom side Stewkley Vicarage conceded, Richard Fletcher's men were desperate to keep in touch and maintain the sort of form which saw them give third placed Caddington a beating seven day prior.
Captain Fletcher won the toss and gave the visiting Olney side an opportunity to set a decent target on one of the hottest days of the year so far. Tight bowling from opening bowlers Richard and brother Jay Fletcher made sure that runs were hard to come by in the early exchanges.
Richard bagged the first two wickets of Bates and Hacking and ended his spell of eight overs with five maidens, two wickets and for only six runs, although by this time opener Hallem was still going along nicely. But Will Green then came on to bowl and saw to that, the Olney man instantly caught behind to leave his side on 77-3.
The middle order offered hope for Olney though, particularly in the shape of Galyoj (52) and Jeffrey (46). And Small (42) was just hitting top form when the overs dried up, although by then the trio had led their side to a reasonable 210-8. Church End run machine Anton DeBeer had found himself on a hat-trick late on after seeing off Jeffrey and Wright, but his lbw shout against Small fell on deaf ears.
DeBeer would star in his normal role with the bat though as Shenley cruised home by six wickets. Against most other teams Olney would probably have stood a chance but few sides can score runs as freely as Shenley.
Opening pair Dave Rosier (29) and Nick Rogers (19) got the ball rolling in typically fine fashion, although when Jeffrey (2-19) brought their time at the crease to an end the away side smelt blood.
But enter DeBeer at number three to fire off a match winning 80, well supported by Richard Fletcher (31) until Bates claimed both of their wickets. That came too late to alter the outcome though and it was left to Shaun Fox (18) and Green (13) to blast off the winning runs as Shenley secured the points on 212-4.
The win leaves Shenley well positioned in fourth place in the second tier, with a mouth watering trip to Old Bradwell this weekend likely to determine just how far they can go.
Milton Keynes look like they are going to take some catching though after they saw off Cranfield in the most emphatic style. A devastating spell of bowling from Kaushik Sunkara (5-12) helped topple the hosts to a score of just 85 as only three batsmen hit double figures.
And the inevitable followed courtesy of Dharmesh Mistry (53) and Rob Codrington (29) hitting the decisive runs to make it seven wins from nine games this season.
Division One
LEADERS New Bradwell were on the end of a shock - and massive - defeat to North Crawley but remain well clear at the top. An incredible 116 not out from opener Matt Goss set the tone for the afternoon as his side raced to 293-5 - a mighty task even for a side as powerful with the bat as New Bradwell. Goss was supported in style by Glenn Young (63) and Alex Walker who fired 55 not out off just 21 deliveries, equalling a club record.
A brave effort saw Bradwell reach 126, but in search of runs only three batsmen hit double figures, most notably Faheem Aftab (47) as Richard Braybrook (3-1) and Richard Bryce (3-29) saw Crawley to an unexpected but welcome win to move them third.
Mark Page's brilliant 103 not out was not enough for Newport Pagnell (173-8) to beat Eaton Bray (247-6) while MK City (254-9) were comfortable winners over Biddenham (142) by 112 runs, keeping them sitting pretty in mid table.
Division Three
MK CITY 2nds were the big winners in the third tier as they emerged victorious from a thriller against rivals New Bradwell 2nds. After winning the toss and putting City in to bat, Bradwell will have thought they made the correct decision as they reduced the visitors to 144-6. A superb bowling show saw City hit back though and after a nail biting conclusion Bradwell fell agonisingly short on 143, giving City victory by four wickets.
Open University (217-4) took most of the points from their tie against Wilden (155-9) and Stoke Hammond (200) held on to beat Drayton Parslow (197) by three runs.
Division Four
OLD Bradwell (232-8) recorded a 122-run triumph over Whitchurch (110) while Eaton Bray (234-9) beat Harlington (233-4) by one wicket and Printers (209-8) edged out Totternhoe (208-7) by two wickets.
Division Five
OLNEY Town (125-5) are back on top of the pile thanks to a five wicket success over Stony Stratford (123) while Milton Keynes 2nds (244-5) took a share of the spoils in their game with Winslow Town (270-7) and Milton Bryan (273-5) and Elstow (286-3) played out a draw.
Division Six
GREAT Brickhill (218-5) continue to move in the right direction but will have been left frustrated by a Caddington (143-6) side who held on to share the points.
Wolverton Town (220) remain top of the table but tied their game against Cublington 3rds (220-8) as Bletchley Town 3rds (202-4) fell just short of a much needed win against Totternhoe 2nds (144-8) and Crawley Green (234-8) and Stoke Hammond 2nds (172-8) shared the spoils.
Northants League
Premier Division
STONY Stratford bounced back from their nightmare at Peterborough by putting in their best performance of the season at home to Old Northamptonians.
Despite dominating the match from the first ball to the last, Stony were unable to finish their opponents off and had to settle for a winning draw - but a draw which has lifted them off the foot of the table.
Visiting captain Ross McLean won the toss and with the wicket and the weather ideal for batting, chose to bowl first - and It was to prove a costly error of judgement as Stony made hay in the sunshine. Stony's batters have struggled in general so far this season, but the top three all hit form in the same week to notch up a huge score. Openers Garth Davson and Mihir Choksi got them off the best possible start, smashing 71 from the first 10 overs and going on to put on 162 for the first wicket inside 25 overs.
Davson was particularly brutal on anything short or wide and having nicked one through the slips in the first over off McLean he didn't give him another chance as he raced to a first 100 for Stony off just 93 balls. And to save running on what was a boiling hot day, Davson decided to smash 75 of his runs in boundaries.
The elation of getting to his first 100 for the club saw him lose concentration and played a lazy sweep on 103 to be dismissed lbw. Choksi's innings was more sedate but he supported Davson superbly by rotating the strike and also dispatching anything loose to the boundary. Joined by the in form Dion Ebrahim at the crease, the pair put on 85 for the second wicket, taking the score up to 247 in quick time.
After three seasons at the club, Choksi finally chalked up a fine maiden century and one that with his talent he should be able to add to on a regular basis. Like Davson before him, he fell almost immediately after reaching three figures, caught in the deep off the bowling of McLean for 101.
Whilst all this was going on around him, the experienced Ebrahim had crept to a half century of his own almost unnoticed. With ONs wilting in the heat and chasing a lot of leather, Ebrahim cashed in as the innings drew to a close.
He played his usual array of shots all around the wicket, including a couple of brilliant reverse paddle shots and got to 91 from 90 balls before perishing to a catch in the deep by Martyn Cory. With the score on 319-5 and with Ebrahim short of his century, skipper Steve Bellew called his side in three overs early.
Any plans ONs had of chasing down the monster total were all but over inside the first 10 overs as Stony bowled and fielded excellently in what were still very favourable batting conditions.
Habib Ullah produced his best display in a Stony shirt, taking 4-47 in 17 hostile overs. He started by removing dangerman, former Glamorgan opener Richard Kaufmann for four, beating him for pace and removing his off stump. Chris Guy replaced Bellew at the Bowls Club end after five overs and was rewarded with the wicket of Bedfordshire keeper batsman George Arblaster for 21, caught by Nick Allen in the gully.
When Tom Webb flashed at a quick ball from Ullah, he could only edge it to Bellew who took a straightforward catch at second slip to leave ON's in trouble on 44-3. The wickets continued to tumble as Stony stepped on the gas searching for that elusive first victory. Cory chipped a simple catch to Choksi for eight, giving Ullah a third wicket.
Bellew replaced Guy (1-27) and opted for the spin of Simon Myatt. After being clubbed for a couple of boundaries by Richard Afford, Myatt responded by taking a fantastic diving return catch low down off his own bowling to leave the visitors in real trouble on 67-5.
Then, as so often happens in games like this, there was a partnership which slowed Stony's progress down. Kiwi Rory Darkins (32) and youngster Mobushar Khawaja (26) put on 48 for the sixth wicket and used up valuable overs for their side who only had survival in mind.
Khawaja looked comfortable despite the pressure of the situation but lost concentration when Myatt served up a half tracker and instead of smashing it for six, he only managed to find Nick Allen at mid on. ON's were in block mode now and skipper McLean was blocker in chief, not giving a chance as he steered his side home.
ON's lost one more wicket along the way, with Afaq Babbar getting bored with blocking and having a huge mow at Myatt to be bowled for 14. Stony had a couple of very tough chances in the field along the way but could not have done much more to get the win. But in the end they had to settle for 14 points which at least moves them above next week's opponents Wellingborough.
Division Three
STONY 2nds' mid-season slump continued with a 51-run defeat at Great Oakley. Chris Swain won the toss for Stony and early on his bowlers did a great job, reducing the home side to 139-6. Dave Avery's excellent season continued as he claimed 4-57 while there were three wickets for Harsh Jethra. But the Oakley tail wagged and Dale Jones' 46 took his side up to a competitive 225 all out.
Stony's batting has really struggled of late and although most of the top order got starts, no-one was able to go on and produce a match winning innings. Openers Steve Underdown (33) and John Lambe (24) putt on 44 for the first wicket and Chris Swain and Mike Avery both got going with 17.
But it was 15-year-old Tom Moore who was most impressive for Stony. His 40 came from 62 balls and gave his side hope, but he received little support from the lower order none of whom reached double figures as Stony were all out for 174. They are still in the promotion shake up at this stage, but are going to have to seriously improve over the coming weeks if they want to remain in contention to go up.
Division Six
STONY 3rds were involved in an incredible game away at Kempston Hammers 2nds. Batting firsts, Stony got off to a good start thanks to captain Andy Preston's 32 and at 94-2 the visitors seemed to be heading for a decent total.
But an incredible slump saw them fall to 109 all out and when the home side raced to 61-1 in reply off just 19 overs, Stony were dead and buried. However, they tore up the script with an incredible comeback which saw Kempston lose their last nine wickets for just 46 runs.
Neil Fewtrell took four wickets for Stony and captain Preston took a juggling catch at Gully off the bowling of Andrew Ellemore to spark the celebrations and move Stony up to mid-table and back towards the promotion places.
MK Midweek League
Premier Division
SHENLEY Church End remain rooted to the foot of the table after losing a sixth game in seven to second placed Azad by 10 wickets. The hosts made 186-5 as Anton DeBeer hit 118 of them, but Azad came storming back as Naeem Shahzad's 122 not out saw them to a winning total of 190, supported by Subhan Shafiq (50no) as the pair built a league record partnership.
MK City (131-4) lost to leaders Speedline Warrior (135-4) by six wickets while over in Division One leaders Abbey National (127-6) beat nearest rivals Eversholt (77) by 50 runs to go 16 points clear at the top.
Cherwell League
Division One
BLETCHLEY Town suffered an agonising one wicket loss at home to Shipton, their second of the season in a topsy-turvy clash at Manor Fields as their struggle against the drop goes on.
Despite being in the bottom two, there are few points between the sides in the bottom half, but this was a cruel and unlucky defeat against a Shipton team riding high at the other end of the table.
Bletchley lost the toss and were asked to bat first, and despite a cautious start they seemed to be acquitting themselves well before they lost Ed Fountaine lbw for nine to Chris Panter and Kevin Hollis quickly for eight to leave them in trouble on 30-2.
A stand of 46 between Graham Simpson (33) and Tom Joraslafsky built the platform for Bletchley until Simpson top-edged a pull and was caught for 33. Amir Hussain went cheaply for five and the hosts were 98-4 with only 20 overs left to bat.
Joraslafsky, in partnership with skipper James Clark, put on a stand of 50 before the Australian was bowled by Shipton's left arm spinner Shaun Miller. Joraslafsky top scored with an excellent 63 and played with calm assurance. Clark continued his recent form with 25 before he was bowled trying to cut one, Town now 157-6.
There was a late charge though, with 50 coming from the last nine overs as Darren Turner (16) and in particular Dave Warwick (20 not out from eight balls) saw Bletchley set up a competitive 206-8 in their 53 overs - a much improved batting display after last week's disappointing total of 152 at Oxford.
Shipton's batsmen have been in fine form all season, in particular opener Andy Hemming. With James Sprittles injured and Mark Roberts on holiday, Town's attack was a bit threadbare. However, Turner bowled a good spell from the football ground end to probe away, and it was off his bowling that Bletchley got their breakthrough. Hemming, attempting a leg bye, was brilliantly run out by wicketkeeper James Ward for 13. When Packard accounted for Charlie Brain for 11, things looked good for Bletchley.
The visitors had started at a quick pace, and were well up with the required rate. A turning point in the match occurred in the 18th over when Clark felt he had the dangerous Steve Bates caught behind by Ward, only to see the umpire decline the vociferous appeals.
This proved to be the signal for Bates to go on the offensive as he smashed his way to 75 in no time. And with Shipton captain Simon Hole (35) playing a supportive role at the other end, the visitors looked set to waltz to victory.
However, with the score on 126, Hole was deceived by Joraslafsky and caught in the covers for 35. Senior went shortly afterwards to Wasim Fayyaz and Town's hopes were raised when Joraslafsky finally accounted for Bates for a match-winning 75, Shipton now 159-5. Joraslafsky was in a groove, bowling with excellent rhythm and bite, and he accounted for Wood and Barrett to leave the match firmly in the balance.
Bletchley turned to the effervescent Simpson for inspiration at the other end, and he quickly dismissed Cross and then with the score on 197, he bowled veteran John Hartley who hit a valuable 25. Shipton still needed 10 just though and Chris Panter held his nerve and smashed boundaries off both bowlers to take the visitors home by the narrowest of margins in a tense finale.
For Bletchley, Joraslafsky followed up his batting with 4-57 in 18 superb overs, and Graham Simpson's 2-14 set up an exciting finish. Bletchley know they have to find more consistency in their game, and if they do so some of these close finishes could swing in their favour.
The side travel to Great and Little Tew on Saturday knowing that they need to start picking up a few wins to move away from the relegation zone. The signs are certainly there, and there have been encouraging performances, but Town need a few breaks to go their way and need to play better for more sustained periods of the game.
Cherwell League Cup
BLETCHLEY booked their place in the last four of the Cherwell Cup with a tremendous 52-run victory over Shipton on Sunday. With both teams fielding almost completely the same sides as they did for their league clash the day before, this was sweet revenge for that narrow Town defeat.
Bletchley now await the winners of the match between Bourton Vale and Wolverton in September and will be hoping their near neighbours pull off a shock to set up what would be a pulsating local derby.
Clark won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first on a pretty good looking track at Shipton. Fountaine (30) looked in scintillating form as he hit seven boundaries as Bletchley raced along at six an over before he nicked Cross to the 'keeper for 30. Ed Packard succumbed to Shaun Miller's first delivery for nine and worse was to follow when the usually reliable Simpson was bowled for 15 to leave Town on 66-3.
Joraslafsky (22) looked in good touch again before he was out, and Town seemed to get stuck in a rut as Clark and Ward were both dismissed cheaply to John Hartley's off-spin.
With the score on 121-6, Town were looking doomed, until Hollis - in partnership with Stuart Cooper (20) - put on a stand worth 57 in nine overs to put their side into a good position. Hollis played some excellent shots on his way to 53, Cooper was run out by Premnath, and Town closed on 189 all out which seemed a bit below par.
Shipton's reply got off to a blistering start as Packard's first over went for 15. However, on the third ball of the second over, captain Clark nipped one through Andy Hemming's defences for 10, Bletchley were now up and running.
Simon Hole (27) and Charlie Brain (33) were looking comfortable as the visitors were desperate for a breakthrough. It wasn't until Town introduced Joraslafsky into the attack, when Hole hit his first ball to Stuart Cooper at mid-on, that he - in tandem with Wasim Fayyaz - started to turn the match back in Bletchley's favour. First Fayyaz accounted for Brain with a nick behind, and when Wood was out shortly afterwards, the home side were in a bit of trouble at 84-4.
The two spinners continued to bowl with purpose and both were rewarded as Shipton's middle order had no answer to Joraslafsky (3-13 in seven overs). Fayyaz continued to impress, and he made the breakthrough to dismiss Barrett for 12 to leave the hosts staring down the barrel.
Fayyaz took 3-27 from his nine overs in an excellent spell. Ed Packard was reintroduced to the attack, keen to forget his start, and he took the key wicket of Paul Hemming for 24. With Cross out to Packard (2-44) in the next over,
Town were close to victory, which was confirmed when Clark touched on off his own bowling to run out Miller for a duck. Shipton were all out for 137, and it was a fabulous effort from Bletchley. Now the challenge will be for them to turn their cup form into league points this weekend.
Division Two
RELEGATION troubled Wolverton headed for second bottom Twyford knowing that only a win would do in their battle to try and pull off a dramatic escape - and they got it.
The hosts won the toss and decided to bat first, and their openers pushed and prodded at the ball, but some very tight bowling from Wolves made life difficult.
Although he didn't actually pick up a wicket, Haroon Malik's six overs proved to be valuable, going for only seven runs, and when Atif Akhlaq made the breakthrough in the 13th over Twyford were 16-1.
A long spell from Andrew Gosling saw one end tied up for the entire innings and despite some good starts from Perna (35), Nadeem (26), and Shafaqat (46 not out) no batsman made it to 50. Gosling returned figures of 4-69 from his 26 overs and there were two wickets apiece for Akhlaq and Rehman while Raja picked up 1-33.
At the end of the 53rd over Twyford were 210-9 which left the chase on for Wolverton. They opened with Bob Ford and Sean Potter who worked hard to keep the runs adding up nicely and some solid play saw the score rising as the run rate accelerated. It took Twyford until the 21st over to make the breakthrough removing Ford for 18, but by this time his side were 67-1 in good shape.
Raja joined Potter at the crease but was dismissed for 14 in the 32nd over. Aky Hussain batted aggressively and really accelerated the run rate for Wolves. Potter batted brilliantly and was unlucky not to reach three figures when dismissed by Adam Bone for 95.
A few overs later Aky Hussain had to retire hurt after being hit by a freak delivery from Bone. Charlie Maw and Kieran Lampard finished the innings off though and gave Wolves some much needed points. Despite the win they are still 32 adrift at the bottom, but confidence should now be high going into this Saturday's game with Tiddington.
Division Six
WOLVES 2nds won the battle of mid-table at Osborne Street as they had too much for Bourton Vale 2nds. The hosts batted first and made 144 with Matt Chammings scoring 57 and Ashley Dawson 21 while Davies took 4-40 from 20 overs and captain Langley 6-62 in 13.4 overs.
In reply Bourton were 113 all out, Arthurs and Langley both scoring 20 and Gaplin 21. Glenn Dickinson took 6-30 off nine overs and Richard Hogston 2-26. Iqy Mahmood chipped in with 1-23 off 6.4 overs.
Also in Division Six Bletchley Town 2nds lost out to Oxford by 54 runs. The hosts set Town a target of 212-6, but the reply fell too short on 158, despite the efforts of Grass who hit a decent 45.
Division Three
GREAT Brickhill continued their push for promotion with a crushing 151-run win over league leaders Dinton 2nds to bridge the gap between first and third to just 15 points, with Aston Rowant sandwiched in between.
Having lost the toss Brickhill were asked to bat first - a decision which backfired as the runs started to flow on a good bouncy wicket. The innings suffered one minor set back with Liam Rice falling for 11, but this brought Graeme Carter to the crease who - in partnership with Arran Aris - started to build an excellent platform for a big total.
Aris was next to fall for a solid 30 and was replaced by younger brother Doug Aris. This next partnership produced over 100 runs as Carter passed 50, and as Brickhill looked to up the run rate Doug Aris fell for a well made 44.
But this triggered an awesome display from Carter as he started to smash the ball to all parts, including several reverse sweeps for four. He was offered good support from Adam Boad, John Cook and Greg MacDonald as he raced to a superb 100. Carter finally fell for 132 and Brickhill declared on 288-5 from 51 overs.
Brickhill took to the field in confident mood and with Hastings swinging the ball at good pace the Dinton batsmen started to struggle. Hastings struck early as the opener was caught behind and he then removed the number three - and with Tweed chipping in at the other end, Dinton were three down and in trouble.
The pair continued to bowl superbly and after 20 overs Dinton were on 68-5. Tweed (4-51) was still running in at the other end and finally came off after 16 straight overs with four wickets to his name.
By now Dinton had started to bat out for the draw but Morgan picked up a wicket in his first over, Dinton now eight down and Brickhill could sense victory. Hastings came back on to help finish the job, and with Morgan (2-12) picking up his second wicket, Hastings (4-62) obliged as he had their last man caught by Doug Aris at first slip. It was a great all round display which sees Brickhill close the gap at the top and remain the only undefeated in the division.
Other cricket
Wolverton KO Cup semi final
NEW Bradwell booked their place in the last four of the Knockout Cup by beating New City MK at Osborne Street, Wolverton. City batted first and made 143-9 in 15 overs, Dhrov Pankhania (54no) leading their charge while Nadeem Aftab bowled 3-30 as the pick of the bowlers, with help in the shape of James McMillan (2-29) and Harry Singh (2-36).
In reply Bradwell cruised home making 144-1 thanks mainly to Asim Hussain's superb 72 not out, with Temoor Alam (60no) helping them win by nine wickets. They will now meet Castlethorpe or MK City in the final in August.
>> In the Milton Keynes Sunday League an incredible spell of bowling from Philip Gammage (8-23) helped Wolverton 2nds (52-1) thrash MK City 2nds (51) by nine wickets.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -6 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 5 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
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