Match Report

Saturday 20 August 2011, at Cavendish Sports Ground, Field End Road, Eastcote - Drawn (Ref. 201120)

Although rain began to fall as the match was due to start, conditions improved in time to stage a completed time game after a delay of 80 minutes. Positive batting from Corinthians, aided by a large number of extras, enabled them to score at more than 5 an over, whilst a scorebook error discovered after the match denied them another 5 runs - their total should have been 187 rather the 182 declared at tea. An exciting finish, set up by a hard-hitting fifty from opener Laloo, saw Priory Park needing 9 to win off the last over, which Hitesh reduced to 5 from 5 balls. Then Kayur Patel rounded off a fine spell by ensuring only two more singles were scored, to earn both sides an honourable draw. Earlier, when put in to bat on a green pitch, Corinthians scored fluently following the early loss of Raj Meswani for 110 fewer than he scored in the same fixture last season. Andy Naylor anchored the innings before being last out with the score on 147. The highest partnership then followed in the 4 overs prior to the declaration, when Rohan Meswani and Ankit Patel added 40 and both finished unbeaten on 21. For Rohan it was his highest score so far for Corinthians. Priory Park lost two early wickets, but a 3rd wicket stand of 61 took them halfway to their target at the start of the last 20 overs. Once this was broken Corinthians gradually increased the rate required, despite a few fielding lapses, and in the end a 6th wicket partnership of 41 between Sinclair and Lee was not quite enough to take Priory Park to victory.

Corinthians 187-7 dec (33 overs), A Naylor 48 (88 balls), D Shah 23 (21 balls), Rohan Meswani 21* (13 balls), A Patel 21* (18 balls), Extras 39

Corinthians got off the mark with an early leg bye but lost Raj Meswani for a third ball duck when an excellent inswinger from Hitesh clipped the outside of his off stump. Andy Naylor punished Himanshu's first two deliveries, which were too short, by pulling them for 4, and Dharmik Shah got off the mark in the next over with a boundary off Hitesh. He then cut and drove the same bowler for two more, and raced to 23 with consecutive fours off Himanshu before getting a touch over-confident when caught at cover next ball. Naylor drove Hitesh for 4 to prompt a double change at 47-2 after 9 overs, though Dhaivat struggled to control the damp ball and was withdrawn after three expensive overs. He did have Naylor dropped on 21, a simple chance put down at square leg, and also bowled Chris Brown for 7 after he had swiped Sid to the mid wicket boundary. A bright and breezy knock from Malcolm Turness ended controversially when he was given out for 11 after appearing to edge the spinner Laloo to the keeper, though it was probably a bump ball. Kayur Patel also started well, but like Dharmik he was caught the ball after hitting a boundary. He put Sid past mid on before skying to cover to make it 106-5. Next to go was Chris Brosnan, who had tried to build an innings, only to swing and miss one that turned and kept a touch low from Laloo. Left-armer Hitesh returned and had Andy Naylor caught at full stretch by the cover fielder, when the batsman toed his attempt to reach 50. Earlier in the over he had ignored the applause for the milestone after putting a full toss away through the covers, knowing that he hadn't yet reached it. Rohan Meswani and Ankit Patel then swung the bat delightfully, each hitting a boundary off Himanshu and Dhaivat in the last two overs that cost 10 and 16. The total of 24 wides partly accounted for the slow over rate of under 14 an hour, whilst a superb tea from Mr & Mrs Turness also failed to help make up for the time lost earlier in the match.

Priory Park 180-7 (34 overs), A Patel 2-35, K Patel 2-38, D Shah 1-44, Rohan Meswani 1-37

If their bowling had lacked depth the Priory Park batting didn't, and although Ankit Patel hit the stumps in the 4th and 6th overs the visitors already had 36 runs on the board by then. Like Dhaivat, Steve Brown couldn't find his usual control and took himself off after bowling two leg side wides and conceding 12 in his second over. Ankit then bowled Sabi with an inswinger and repeated the delivery to dismiss Dilip. Himanshu got off the mark with a 6 over mid wicket when Ankit dropped a touch short, and kept pace with Laloo who also hit seven boundaries. Drinks were taken at 92-2 after 14 overs, with no more success for Ankit or Dharmik Shah. Following the resumption Laloo completed his 50 off Rohan Meswani but was then trapped LBW by a full-pitched delivery that kept low. Himanshu sliced Kayur Patel to Dharmik at point, and after reaching 11 Sid played on to the same bowler to make it 120-5 after 20 overs. The familiar 6th wicket pair, with a combined age in the region of 102, were less liable to taking quick singles but still hit four sweet boundaries apiece. Chris Brown damaged a finger when the gathering gloom made a catch at long off more difficult than usual, Chris Clark put one down at cover and Ankit Patel gave Andy Lee 4 overthrows with a narrowly missed run out attempt. This left just 12 to win from 11 balls. Dharmik, who bowled well in his second spell and yorked Paul Sinclair for 24, kept the rest of his over to 3 runs, and although Hitesh slammed Kayur past long on only two singles came before the last ball, when Lee was run out for a valiant 22. Fortunately the conundrum didn't arise of what the result would have been had Priory Park scored between 183 and 186, but the importance of accurate scoring in cricket cannot be overemphasised!

Man of the Match: Andy Naylor