Match Report

Saturday 29 August 2009, at West Harrow Recreation Ground, Wilson Gardens, West Harrow - Won by 3 wickets (Ref. 200924)

Debut: Albert Mason

Wealdstone Corinthians extended their winning run in limited overs cricket to seven matches with an amazing batting performance that resulted in their highest ever successful run chase. Lankians had built their large total around a rapid century from newcomer Chanaka, who completed his hundred with a big six over mid wicket off Raj Meswani. He was intending to retire at the end of the over but by then had been stumped. The lower order lost wickets in the pursuit of quick runs, adding 50 in the last 5 overs, but the real damage had been done between overs 20 and 30 when the score more than doubled from 86 to 173. Corinthians brushed aside the daunting target, never looking back from the whirlwind start they had when Andy Naylor hit five boundaries in the first two overs. He later shared a 4th wicket partnership of 82 in 9 overs with Akhtar Khan, whose powerful hitting put the home side on the back foot. Both players reached 50 but when two wickets fell with 75 runs still needed it was a question of whether Corinthians would run out of batsmen rather than overs. For once Wakeel Shah and Dharmik Shah fulfilled their batting potential, outgunning the Lankians bowling at the rate of 10 an over in their stand of 68. Before demolishing the target with 8 overs to spare Wakeel became the third player to score a fifty, a feat never known to have been achieved previously in a Corinthians innings.

Lankians 252-8 (40 overs), A Khan 3-55, Raj Meswani 2-18, D Shah 2-26, W Shah 1-33, Chanaka 101

The match started inauspiciously with 4 byes from a Dharmik Shah delivery down the leg side that kept low. There was some variable bounce but a quick outfield and fairly short boundary on one side meant a high scoring match was promised. By the end of the over Dharmik had dismissed last year's top scorer Don for a duck, LBW to a ball that would have hit middle. The only doubt was whether he may have got outside the line of off stump to the left-arm round bowler. Wakeel Shah also bowled well at the other end and dismissed Jee by holding a return catch off the leading edge. The pair restricted the score to 34-2 after 10 overs. This brought in Chanaka, who got off the mark in Chris Clark's first over by flicking him past the (short) long leg boundary for 6. Rohan Meswani had little margin for error as the right-handers could play him with the spin through what was a short off side boundary - with hindsight these two should have swapped ends. The opener Ram silenced his critics with a delightful cover drive for 4, and developed an effective partnership with Chanaka, who upped the rate when Chris Brown and Akhtar Khan entered the attack. Though he often hit in the air his only chance came early on when he mis-hit towards short mid wicket off Rohan, but Chris Brown couldn't quite reach forward. At 149-2 from 25 overs Ram retired on 24 to make way for a quicker scorer, Aron, who hit three fours and a six in his 28. In the 31st over Chanaka completed his century out of 180 before missing a ball from Raj Meswani and was stumped. This lifted the visitors and Akhtar took three quick wickets, bowling Patrick for 0, having Iga caught behind for 4 and Jit held at mid off by Wakeel for 0. Raj also had Aron caught behind, but was taken off after 3 overs that had regained control, in order to give debutant Albert Mason an opportunity. His over went for 12 and Akhtar was then assaulted for 24, mainly by Ravi, so the opening bowlers were brought back to share the last 4 overs. These went for 26 and Dharmik bowled Indika, and though last man Ranjit hit two boundaries the final total was not as high as it once threatened to be.

Corinthians 254-7 (32 overs), Akhtar Khan 76 (45 balls), Andy Naylor 57 (58 balls), Wakeel Shah 56* (35 balls)

Lankians employed an attacking field from the start and Andy Naylor was twice able to push Jit through the covers for 4, then was lucky enough to play a good ball for 4 between keeper and slip. Raj clipped a single off Ravi and Naylor pushed him to the short mid wicket fence and steered another boundary to third man, so with some wides the score had raced to 25 after 2 overs. Ravi caused a wobble in the 4th over when Raj drove him straight to Aron at mid off, and Andy Barrons was adjudged caught behind by Don as one of the two noises sounded like the bat. Chris Brown made 12 and helped add 29 in 7 overs, including a cracking off drive for 4. He was bowled by Chanaka, but this brought in the Destroyer - Akhtar Khan. He started gently, with a four off each bowler, then hit both out of the attack with 17 off Ravi (including two sixes over long on that took some finding) and 15 off Chanaka. Jit returned for three expensive overs and although Iga began with just three singles from 10 balls he ended up as the most expensive bowler with 1-64. For the second time this season Akhtar reached 50 from 28 balls and soon after Naylor completed his 50 from 55 balls. Later in the Iga over he was over-eager, being well held by Jit at short mid wicket trying to repeat the shot. This ended the stand worth 82 in under 9 overs. Akhtar continued to demonstrate his amazing power until holing out to Chanaka at long on off Aron for his best Corinthians score of 76. Next ball it became 178-6 when Aron produced the best ball of the match to york Chris Brosnan. Fortunately Wakeel Shah had begun fluently, with three fours including his favourite dab to third man. Apart from one aberration, where a skier dropped safely, he batted sensibly with Dharmik Shah, who hit two fours of his own. Wakeel reached his 50 from 32 balls with 4,4,3 off Aron who then sent a wide to the boundary in an over costing 17. At 240-6 the final fling was to bring back Chanaka, and although with his second ball Dharmik was stumped making no effort to get back, he had by then reduced the target to 7 runs with a superb straight 6. Rohan Meswani hinted that the father/son batsmen/bowler roles should be reversed with a glorious cover drive first ball, and the remarkable match was won when the last ball of the over slid down the leg side for 4 byes. The winning score comfortably passed the record for the previous highest chase of 234-9, which had occurred on the same ground two years earlier.