Scorecard

WLCC v St Albans Cricket Club 4XI on Sat 11 May 2024 at 12:30
St Albans Cricket Club Won by 181 runs

Match report

The 4XI had an anticlimactic start to the season when their opening league game was cancelled due to the oppositions failure to raise a team. 30 points in the bag without bowling a ball but disappointing nonetheless .

A friendly against an itinerant Northholt based side was hastily arranged and the 4s schlepped round the M25 to Northwest London to be greeted by possibly the worst ‘square’ and ‘outfield’ most of us had seen for a long time - if ever.

4 inch high grass, a bizarre ring of mown hay around the boundary and a batting strip seemingly cut using garden shears promised an interesting game.

Winning his first toss of the season skipper Saunders elected to put the opposition into field secure in the knowledge that he had , for once, a strong batting line-up . This theory was however tested after the recently-returned-from-Pakistan Manny Nisar chopped onto his own stumps after three balls and Ashish Dean was run out early in proceedings .

Opener Imran Ahmed was coping well with the ‘tricky’ bounce and moving along nicely however, partnered by debutante Jithin Balan who smashed 31 off nine balls including three enormous sixes, before eventually skied one . Imran played well before retiring not out on 56.

Najin Khan narrowly missed out on his first half century of the season being bowled on 49 after a typically elegant knock and was partnered by a second league debutant Guru Damle whose 45 not out was a lovely blend of finesse and fury.

The remaining batsmen swung wildly at the smorgasbord of bowling on offer (8 bowlers having chanced their arms) and after a couple of comical run out the innings concluded on 228-9 after 35 overs , which would surely have been over 300 on a proper outfield.

Sam Davey and the prodigal Jamie Telkman opened the bowling for Saints and both were frugal – Sam finishing with 1-9 and Jamie with 3-11 off their respective 5 overs each.

The veteran pair of Andy Saunders and Andrew Walker were next up to exploit the Demons in the pitch and they too found joy with Andy taking 2-9 and Andrew finishing with 4-9 off 4 overs.

All out for 47 with extras easily top scoring for the opposition and a win by a remarkable 181 runs .

It was when all was said and done a pleasant game of cricket against nice guys in the sunshine – there will be tougher tests ahead however when the league season starts properly for the 4s next Saturday.



St Albans Cricket Club 4XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 20w 1b 4lb 
for 9 wickets
27
181		        
Nauman Nisar Bowled  0
Ashish Dean Run out  9
Imran Ahmed Retired Not Out  56
Jithin Balan Caught  31
Najib Khan Bowled  49
Gurudatta Damle Not Out  45
Hugo Thomas Bowled  5
Sam Davey Run out  1
Andrew Walker Run out  0
Jamie Telkman Bowled  5
Andy Saunders Not Out  0

WLCC Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

WLCC Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 7w 6b  
for 10 wickets
14
47 (199.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

St Albans Cricket Club 4XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Sam Davey5.001133.672.20
Jamie Telkman5.00919.001.80
Andy Saunders5.001125.502.20
Andrew Walker4.00942.252.25