Catch up with all the latest from the Shepherd Neame Kent Cricket League from the weekend.

 

SHEPHERD NEAME KENT CRICKET LEAGUE

PREMIER LEAGUE

WEEK 7 – 18 June 2016

 

 

Beckenham 202-9 beat Tunbridge Wells 201-9 by one wicket

Bexley 158-9 beat Tenterden 126-10 by 32 runs (35 overs)

Blackheath 173-7 beat Lordswood 172-10 by 3 wickets

Hartley 127-7 beat Bromley 101-9 by 26 runs (20vers)

Sevenoaks Vine v Dartford match abandoned.

 

Tunbridge Wells appeared to be heading for a regulation victory over Beckenham at Foxgrove Road until the game took a dramatic turn in the last 45 minutes or so, especially the final over. Beckenham invited their visitors to make first use of the bat and Tunbridge Wells batted steadily throughout their innings with wickets falling at regular intervals. Alex Williams top scored for them with 43 but assisted with some fine catching left arm spinner Peter Walters ended with 5-32 and Tunbridge Wells on a par 201-9.

 

In reply Chris Isles began with a breezy 50 but wickets were tumbling at the other end to leave Beckenham floundering and seemingly out of the game at 137-7 after 40 overs; Raza Ali Dar was at the crease and the required rate 6.5 an over. This was to worsen to 149-8 with only six remaining – a rate now of 8.83. At the end of the 49th over it was 188-9.

 

Now suddenly 14 runs were needed of the final over with just one wicket in hand but fortunately Dar was on strike. He flicked the first ball of the over off his legs to the fine leg boundary for four. He played and missed the second. A fortuitous four of the edge to fine third man followed. Six to win from three. His partner Nadir took off for a single off the next. He was rightly sent back – the throw came in, off came the bails. It looked close but the umpires finger stayed in his pocket. Another dot ball followed. Six from the final ball required. Dar lofted to long on. The Tunbridge Wells fielder looked under it in the murky light and the pavilion silenced. Somehow the ball crept just over his uplifted hands. The umpires arms raised and a large crowd erupted. A fine knock by Dar; a bitter pill for Tunbridge Wells to swallow after dominating most of the game. They held their heads high, deserving of great credit, as the teams shook hands. Cricket the undoubted winner.

 

In a match reduced to 20 overs per side due to a delayed start because of a wet outfield at the start, James Hockley with 3-16 and Calvin Savage 3-18 were instrumental in Hartley picking up 18 points as they defeated Bromley by 26 runs at Culvey Close. Invited to bat by their visitors Hartley struggled for quick runs with only Scott McKechnie 29, both James Thomson and Calvin Savage both 24 and Jake Benfield 21 passing 20 as they could only manage 127-7 from their allotment. Imran Qayyum with figures of 3-10 the leading wicket taker for Bromley. Bromley too struggled for runs with only Matt Smit 30 and Mahi Mahfuzul 26 making any meaningful contribution as Savage and Thompson totally devastated their middle order to leave them well short. Hartley now head the table by seven points with Blackheath heading the rest of the closely bunched pack.

 

Linden Lockhart 53 and James Anyon 32 were the backbone of the Lordswood innings as they elected to bat on their travels to the Rectory Field. Warren Lee, 4-28, was the pick of the Blackheath attack as the home side bowled Lordswood out for 172. Daniel Smith took 3-34 in reply but innings of 47 by Tanweer Siknader, 44 from Warren Lee and 29 each by Chris Willetts and George Wells saw Blackheath home to win by three wickets with just over three overs in hand.

 

A delayed start at Bexley and a match reduced to 35 overs a side, saw Bexley emerge victors by 32 runs over Tenterden. Invited to bat the home side struggled for quick runs. Christopher Lass battled hard for his 42 and only Daniel Haley was the only other batman to pass twenty with 25 as Bexley posted a seeming modest 158-9, Sam Weller perhaps the pick of the bowling crop with 3-26. In reply Jason Benn 3-20 and Michael Stevenson 3-31 with the others chipping in tore through the top and middle order to leave Tenterden all at sea at 64-8. Sam Weller scored a breezy 44 and Tim Curteis a determined 19 and added sixty for the ninth wicket but both departed in quick succession thereafter to leave Tenterden all out for 126 in their final over.

 

No play was possible at Sevenoaks Vine where both they and Dartford had to settle for eight points.