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 – 17 June 2017
Beckenham 250-7 beat Hartley 226-7 by 24 runs
Bexley 256-8 beat Blackheath 206-10 by 46 runs
Holmesdale 165-10 lost to Lordswood 183-10 by 18 runs
Sandwich Town 261-8 beat Tunbridge Wells 161-9 by 100 runs
Sevenoaks Vine 191-3 beat Tenterden 187-10 by 7 wickets
No change at the top as all the top three win again and open the gap on the mid table sides. After their slight hiccough last week Sandwich Town returned to winning ways as they soundly defeated visitors Tunbridge Wells by 100 runs. Zack Fagg 57 and Grant Stewart 50 were the two most significant contributors and with a handy 47 by Tom Chapman and an unbeaten 33 by Ashleigh Cox, Sandwich posted what was to be a good score at half way of 261-8. The Tunbridge Wells reply was very disappointing against a steady Sandwich attack. Charlie Russell-Vick was top scorer with 27 as wickets fell regularly in the chase with the visitors just reaching 161-9 at the close. Alex Smith with 3-34 produced the best figures of the match.
A similar total of 256-8 was posted at Manor Way by the home side as Bexley entertained Blackheath. Christopher Laas top scored with 66 and there was a useful half century by Aryan Jain and a handy 44 by Callum Basey. Tanweer Sikander took 3-42. The Bexley bowling was tidy with five of their six bowlers all taking two wickets apiece as Blackheath searched for runs. Sikander also led the way in this department with 51 and had some decent support from Dipyan Paul 44 and Chris Willetts 31 but as the run rate climbed wickets fell steadily, Blackheath bowled out for 206 and a 46 run win for second placed Bexley.
In an absorbing game at Foxgrove and a game that ebbed and flowed all afternoon, Beckenham retained third place in the table with a win over Hartley. On a very hot afternoon Alex Senn had little hesitation in electing to bat when the coin fell in his favour. The skipper then made 37 himself as Chris Isles and he added 100 for the first wicket at five an over. Alex Blake joined Isles but the partnership was not to last long as Isles fell for a useful 67. Oliver Robinson then joined Blake and the two batted sensibly adding 90 for the fourth wicket before Blake fell for a well-made 70 and then Robinson for 39. The lower middle order chipped in a few and the Beckenham innings closed at exactly five an over on 250-7. With the powerful Hartley batting line-up many considered this was not enough to defend although runs were on the board. Special mention must be given to 14 year old Mark McClean making his Premier debut. A young spinner with great potential and whose 10 overs 2-34 were a huge credit to him and Hartley for both selecting him and for handling him so well.
Hartley chose to vary their batting line up with Richard Selvey-Cinton elevated to open the innings and the prolific James Hockey on the card at No.5. At the fall of the first wicket with the score on 13 Dominic Hendrick joined Clinton and the two batted steadily at four an over adding 129 for the second wicket when Clinton edged one to the keeper for 69. James Thomson joined Hendricks with Beckenham bowling tightly and with well-placed fields fast runs were had to come by. The turning point came at 190-2 when the returning Tabish Khan bowled Hendricks with a quick Yorker for an excellent 82. By this stage the run rate had climbed to just over six an over, not out of sight but the early dismissal of Hockley made it tricky for the incoming batsmen against the returning opening attack, held back for this stage. James Thomson made 43 but also found six an over hard to maintain. Thompson was sixth to depart on 223 by which time the rate had become impossible with just a few overs to go. The 24 run winning margin ended looking quite flattering in a game that was very much alive with six over remaining. It was a very close match, Beckenham battling hard in the field for 50 overs, Hartley just losing wickets and momentum at the wrong times. A game of great credit to both sides and both captains.
Holmesdale must have had their eyes on their first win of the season when they bowled Lordswood out for 183, Rupert Harbig and Dom May both returning figures of 3-29, Fahad Mahmood top scoring with 32. Sadly for them Michael Davidson apart with 62, their top order was blown away by the Lordswood attack to leave them at 100-7, a position from which they could not quite recover and ended 18 runs short in the chase. Chris Piesley ended with excellent figures of 4-25.
Sevenoaks Vine grabbed their much needed second win of the season and they defeated visitors Tenterden by the comfortable margin of seven wickets. Electing to bat first, Jacobus du Plooy apart with 62 the Tenterden batting line up struggled against a disciplined bowling performance from the Vine who shared the ten wickets between themselves as they bowled Tenterden out for187. An unbeaten 80 by Harrison Smyth, 38 from Zak Crawley and 30 not out by Michael Barber ensured the Vine romped safely home in the 46th over.