Merstham first team suffer defeat again: Saturday round-up
Merstham’s first team heeded the warning of their captain Nav Saeed to complete 50 overs with the bat, but it still wasn’t enough as they suffered another defeat – this time to Old Emmanuel at Quality Street.
The new boys to the Surrey Championships could only manage 166-7 in their allotted overs, opener Laurie Nicholson leading the way scoring a sensible 29 before being the fifth wicket to fall on 75.
Noman Javed managed a couple of big hits before being caught for 14 at mid off, before Razi Khan batted sensibly for 44 not out with the tail which included Radhul Madhok’s quick 27, sarting with a six, to make the score respectible.
In reply, Sajjad Ahmed used all his years of experience to open the batting and finished with 67 not out. The visitors’ overseas player Kashif Nizami had to retire hurt for 30 after going forward to a full length ball which popped up and hit him across the forehead. Qumber Naqvi, the Old Emmanuel skipper, added 30 to put the visitors over the winning line with four wickets (and one retirement) down.
With a number of regular first teamers unavailable, several players had been called up from the seconds, including Safyan Aslam who finished with 1-37, while Radhul Madhok finished with 2-11 off five overs and Javed with a run out as Old Emmanuel won by five wickets in the 38th over.
After losing three of the opening four games, Saeed reflected: “I believe we can turn this around – I still have faith in my team.”
The second team suffered defeat, too, in the Surrey Championship 2nd XI Division Four – the highest division in the club’s history – giving them two losses and two wins so far.
It was a tight game at Stoke D’Abernon, who were asked to bat and scored 264-9, with Steve Wade notching 98 before becoming one of two run out victims. Ameer Pasha took 2-32 and Will Preston 2-51, while club captain Richard Feist, Imran Aslam and Justin David also took a wicket each.
Merstham nearly reached the target. Jason Drewett opened with 39, Liam Powell (16) and Pasha (130 both made starts while Feist top scored with 41 in the middle order, putting on 75 with Preston (34) for the fifth wicket. Imran Aslam contributed 36 and Avinash Malhotra was left six not out when Neil Maplesden (4) was caught with the total a tantalising four runs short of victory with one over left.
In contrast, the third team snatched a last gasp victory, having been asked to field at The Ring.
Syed Bary opened the bowling with 3-43, alongside Oliver Hartley (3-31) as SinjunGrammarians were dismissed for 153 in 33 overs.
Merstham’s reply got off to a bad start with early wicket falls, before Struan Clark notched 29 and partnered Asim Ashraf (67) to set up a tight finish for Zeeshan Murtaza’s side. In the end, Tony Rickards and Syed Bary steered the hosts over the winning line after 35 overs, with the score 154-9.
A youthful looking 4th team, with 10 players after one of four teenagers pulled out ill on the day, couldn’t chase the target set by an equally youth-led Dorking team down at Westhumble Playing Fields, where the hosts set a target of 195-3.
Dorking, deciding to bat, combined old hand David Spackman (44) and teen Cameron Homewood to compile 76 for the first wicket before Josh Young, age 14, held a fine catch to dismiss Homewood for 40 off the bowling of John Young (no relation, 1-53).
Spinner Josh Young bowled an impressive 0-6 with a maiden off five overs on his Saturday debut, while fellow teen Jamie Harrison took 0-24 from six overs. Another teenager, a regular Hamza Ali, had opened the bowling and finished with 0-30, while fellow opener Khan Mohamed posted 0-21.
Spackman was eventually run out with a direct hit by James Nolan off Ian Lamont’s bowling and skipper Gopa Nair took the only other wicket, bowling Tharindu Karunaratne as the left hander attacked late on, having bene 28 off 14 overs and 75 at drinks (22 overs). Dom Kenway was 60 not out at the finish.
In reply, with Josh Young proving a knowledgeable umpire, Lamont again used up many of a cat’s nine lives while patiently accumulating 30, then was eventually caught at 46-3 trying to force the pace just before drinks. The pace had been too slow to really set a firm platform for the team to kick on towards the target, although John Young (24), Hamza Ali (21), Harrison (22) and Mohamed (18) all did their best to push towards the bonus point target of 150. Josh Young was left unbeaten on 11 at the end on an impressive debut, as the visitors mustered 145.