There was a shock result in the Kent Cricket League Premier Division when leaders, Minster, were defeated at bottom placed Bickley Park.

They were asked to bat first and found themselves in trouble on 26 for 4 with Ismail Baharami claiming 3 for 45. Quinn Sunde then scored 38 before becoming Elliot Hooper’s first wicket on his way to 3 for 35. Kai Appleby, who had scored back-to-back quick centuries had to be more circumspect in the circumstances and put on 105 with Haider Zaidi for the seventh wicket before the latter was dismissed for 52. Appleby ended on 82 not out as the innings closed on 218 for 9.

Cam Hawkins led the response scoring 74 and his team-mates chipped in before they surpassed their target with seven balls to spare and three wickets in hand. Although David Masters took 3 for 36, Minster fell to just their third defeat of the season. They are still well placed at the summit while the win for the hosts moved them up a place to improve their chances of beating the drop.

Second placed St Lawrence & Highland Court hosted in-form Bexley and closed the gap with a last ball victory. The visitors chose to bat first and Varun Anand batted well before being dismissed for 46. Ben Aldred weighed in with 55 not out and Jamie Batten 42 before the innings closed on 258 for 7. Josh Julan returned figures of 3 for 49.

Shineyun Anand scored 70 in the reply before Sudesh Thakur struck 49 at faster than a run a ball. When both were out, the hosts got the jitters and they lost their eighth wicket with the scores level and one ball remaining. However, they scrambled a single off the final delivery to close the gap on the leaders.

Having lost their last two to drop down to third, Hayes travelled to Canterbury who had not won a league game since June. The hosts chose to bat first and set a target of 245. Billy Amaouche top scored with 82, Anthony Mosca hit 65, and Ben Marsh 37. Alfie Peck extended his leading league wicket taker haul with 4 for 45, and Alex Blake returned 3 for 52.

Hopes that it was enough were soon dashed as the away teams opening pair racked up a partnership of 173 from 26 overs before Gareth Severin departed for 86. No further wickets fell and Finnan Bryan finished on 112 not out as they reached their target with over ten overs in hand.

Starting the day in fourth place, Blackheath travelled to Lordswood and won a low scoring match. Having elected to bat first they were dismissed for just 108. Adeel Hussein started the damage with 3 for 24 before Hugh Scott mopped up the lower order with 3 for 6.

None of Lordswood’s top six reached double figures but Jack Laraman gave them hope with a quick-fire 38. Nobody else made a meaningful contribution and they were bowled out for 88. Wickets were shared with Tejpal Birdi claiming the best figures of 3 for 14.

Finally, Sandwich Town entertained Tunbridge Wells in another game that had a tense finish. The hosts were asked to bat first and were indebted to 45 from Zack Fagg, Roshan Jayatissa’s 40, and Kit Keay’s 37 as they reached 201 with all six Wells bowlers taking wickets.

Chris Williams scored 79 from just 59 balls as the visitors looked to be cruising, and Will Stickler scored 32. Wickets fell regularly, though, and it could have gone either way at 194 for 9. The last pair held their nerves and scored the winning run with just two balls to spare. Alex Smith took 3 for 37, sadly for him, in vain.

Images courtesy of Keith Gillard