| MALLORCA TRIUMPH IN 20/20 ROUND ROBIN IN NAIL BITING FINISH AGAINST LURGAN CC |
Posted by: wendypeters, on 21/04/2008, in category "Match Reports"
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When Waltham Cross Rosedale CC from Hertfordshire and Northern Ireland’s Lurgan CC met in a twenty twenty round robin tournament on Saturday it proved to be a pretty one sided affair. Lurgan posted over 190 runs which Waltham Cross Rosedale failed to reach by some fifty odd runs. On the plus side the matches were played in glorious sunshine.
In Lurgan’s encounter with Mallorca the tourists batted first. Peter Haire and Nicky McCollum had posted 17 when Hijazy Yaseen bowled Haire for 10. McCollum demonstrated his talent during a stand of 32 in tandem with Callum Grieve; Grieve was involved in a run out for 11. Neil Anderson soon found his form, hitting a couple of cracking sixes, as he and McCollum forged an impressive partnership taking the score to 93 from 13 overs; however, Babar Qamar-Shahzad, bowling from the mountain end, put a stop to their run fest in the following over bowling Anderson for 45 attained in just twenty nine minutes at the crease; impressive stuff. McCollum continued apace and was also in touching distance of his half century when Qamar-Shahzad struck again bowling him for 42 with the score at 131. Michael Sloan was no slouch; he finished things off with a whopping six in his unbeaten innings of 38 in a mere twenty five minutes. David Haire was not out for 2 and Lurgan’s final tally 162 for 4 from their twenty overs.
Mallorca had a battle on their hands and they knew it. Babar Qamar-Shahzad opened his innings with a boundary as he and Paul Heaton set about their task; the pair had 20 on the board by the third over when Heaton was out caught behind by ‘keeper Nick Anderson off Sloan for 6. There was to be little respite for the Lurgan bowling attack as Steve Bell and Qamar-Shahzad forged ahead constructing a tremendous second wicket partnership of 92; Qamar-Shahzad had just notched up his half century when Chris Courtney bowled him for 52 with the score on 112. A boundary brought up Bell’s half century soon afterwards as he and Bodsworth edged ever closer to their target. Bell hit a massive six off Peter Maxwell, but was caught on the boundary by Mark Anderson as he attempted the same feat bringing his exemplary innings of 66 to an end with the score on 144 with two overs remaining. Jon Barratt’s innings was but brief; he was out for 2, caught by Peter Haire off Courtney. The homeside 146 for 4 and ten balls remaining…a truly nail biting situation with everyone on the edge of their seats. Bodsworth scored a couple, plus a boundary from Courtney’s remaining four deliveries bringing the score to 152. Yaseen hit a single off the first ball of the following over; Bodsworth smacked a massive six off a Maxwell no ball, followed by a single; then Yaseen called for another single. There was a deep collective intake of breath from the spectators as Maxwell made his run up then a swift relieved exhalation from the home supporters as Bodsworth dispatched the ball to the boundary to take Mallorca’s score to 166 surpassing that of the tourists in a truly dramatic conclusion.
Waltham Cross Rosedale’s innings began in stuttering fashion when Mallorca’s opening attack of Bodsworth and Hilton caused havoc. ‘Paris’ Hilton’s first over split opening pair Paul Fuller and Steve Briggs with just 3 scored when Jon Barratt held a catch to dismiss Fuller for 2. Paul Beverstock scored two before he fell to a catch off Bodsworth with just 6 added to the score, and when Briggs was out caught and bowled by Hilton things weren’t looking too rosy for the Stag Weekend tourists; three wickets down with 10 runs on the board. Jim Storey and Clive Wilkinson shared a stand of 13 before Hilton bowled Storey for 8 and Hilton continued to get his name in the scorebook when he took a catch off Roshan Goonesekera to send Lee Sheldrake back to the dressing room for 1. The scoreboard read 31 for 5 from 10 overs. Someone was going to have to step up to the plate! Wilkinson stood his ground as wickets continued to tumble and Tom Nicholls hit a cracking six off Goonesekera but was out to a catch by Mal Leggett off Bodsworth for 9; then Goonesekera made a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Wilkinson for 20 with the score at 49. Goonesekera was plainly enjoying his day in the sun when he had Richard Lewis trapped LBW for 1. Waltham’s number 9 bat Ben Phillips did his best to restore some respectability to his side’s performance as he dispatched a couple of Goonesekera deliveries to the boundary. Hijazy Yaseen bowled Mark Ronsley for a duck and finished things off by bowling Mark Warmerdam for 7. The tourists’ final score: all out for a modest 87 runs in twenty overs. Phillips top scored with an unbeaten 25.
Mallorca’s bowling figures: Hilton, 4-1-11-3: Bodsworth, 4-0-13-1: Leggett, 4-0-14-2: Goonesekera, 4-0-26-3.
Mallorca’s Andrew Clemence and Babar Qamar-Shahzad got off to a flyer; by the fifth over the pair had posted 34 runs when Clemence was bowled by Sheldrake for 17. Goonesekera and Qamar-Shahzad continued to pile on the runs sharing a second wicket partnership of 44 before Fuller had Goonesekera caught and bowled for a 15 with the score standing at 78. Qamar-Shahzad’s exemplary innings of 36 proved to be the match winner; he finished unbeaten and Hilton not out 2 as Mallorca had it all wrapped up by the fourteenth over.
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