Match Report

Saturday 18 July 2008, at Cow Roast, Hertfordshire - Won by 114 runs (D/L method) (Ref. 200916)

Despite an indifferent start to both innings Wealdstone Corinthians recovered to emerge comfortable winners when this 40 overs match was ended early by rain, requiring a first ever consultation with the Duckworth Lewis tables to establish the margin. As Berkhamsted would have needed to beat 202 after 34 overs, with 8 wickets down, the verdict was 114 runs. The loss of three early wickets forced the visitors to dig deeper than expected into their batting line-up, with Ian Windsor hitting his highest Corinthians score for 8 years and masterminding a 6th wicket partnership of 104 in 11 overs. This turned out to be a club record, shared with Ayyaz Baangi, who recorded his career best score, as did Elliott Phillips in an unbroken stand of 40 with Ayyaz in the last 4 overs. Although Berkhamsted didn't lose a wicket until the 20th over their mainly youthful side had little joy against a very tight bowling attack, limping to 35-1 at the halfway point and not accelerating a great deal thereafter. Phil Cundy and Steve Stratford were rewarded for bowling straight with four wickets apiece.

Corinthians 226-6 (40 overs), I Windsor 97 (67 balls), A Baangi 26* (40 balls), A Clark 23 (45 balls), E Phillips 22* (16 balls), K Preedy 3-15

The visitors chose to bat first and Andy Naylor got off the mark with a single second ball off K Preedy, but faced with a lifting delivery on his second ball Steve Stratford could only glove to the keeper G Preedy. In his next over Preedy dug a ball in short and Naylor was tempted to hook but top edged to Chambers at fine leg. Although John Wakeling pulled Pratt to the square leg boundary he was bowled in the 9th over for just 5 and the score was 12-3. Andy Clark got the board moving by driving Preedy for two fours, and Chris Brown did the same to Atkins at the other end. The youngster was replaced after 5 overs by Holderness, who bowled Brown for 10 in his first over. A distinctly unpromising 37-4 after 19 overs was improved to 48-4 at the halfway point when Ian Windsor drove Holderness straight for 4 and 6, the first of his 14 boundaries. The partnership moved to 48 when Andy Clark made room to loft Chambers over long on, but he was caught behind next ball. Windsor passed 30 with 4 and 3 off Holderness, and Ayyaz Baangi hit his first four with a lovely cover drive off Chambers. The partnership really took off when Bourke's first over went for 17, including three no balls each followed by a Windsor boundary. The next three overs cost 6,7 and 16, the 50 partnership arrived in 6 overs and Ian's 50 in 41 balls. Anything short was despatched in his favourite arc from mid wicket to long on, and anything pitched up tended to be driven through the covers. Ayyaz was more of a revelation, with some pleasing attacking shots that had been lacking in his earlier appearances. Ian was missed three times, on 60 by an attempted run out that gave him 4 overthrows, then on 83 and 96 by dropped catches. He was finally removed LBW by an all too rare straight ball from Holderness. The assault continued until the end, with Elliott Phillips launching a Jake full toss for 6 over mid wicket in the last over to surpass his previous career best. The last two partnerships produced 103 runs in the last 10 overs for the loss of just one wicket.

Berkhamsted V 88-8 (34 overs), S Stratford 4-14, P Cundy 4-16, M Barnett 25

Berkhamsted opened with two of their more experienced batsmen, M Barnett and G Preedy. Although they were sometimes beaten by the the leg spin of Ayyaz Baangi and the pace and movement of Steve Brown, followed by Akshay Samarth, they survived until almost the halfway point. The problem was they found it difficult to score runs against one of the more agile sides Corinthians could field. The breakthrough came in the 20th over when Phil Cundy bowled Preedy for 6, and repeated the feat with a slower ball in his next over to dismiss the other opener. Akshay ended a good but unrewarded spell of 8 overs for 16 runs and Steve Stratford replaced him. In the now overcast conditions, with the threat of rain, the slow pitch somehow made him more of a challenge and he was instantly rewarded by bowling Cocozza for a duck with his second ball. He hit the stumps in each of his next three overs to remove Lewis, Holderness and Bourke. In between, in his last over, Phil Cundy doubled his tally by bowling Atkins for 7 and having Chambers caught first ball prodding forward to Chris Brown at silly mid off. Allegedly one of the younger Berkhamsted players had left early to play tennis with his girlfriend, so Corinthians were only one wicket short of ending the match when the rain did so prematurely. As the home side had chosen to make it a limited overs game it had long since been game, set and match.