1st XI Match Report: Beckenham v. Bexley
Saturday again and another visit from one of the Premier’s leading clubs, Bexley. Having inspected a firm, dry surface, the Beckenham scorer welcomed his colleague as replacement for old friend Fred White and a classical pianist to boot so a tempting prospect of some musical conversation in the box! Up went the coin, Bexley skipper Matt Stiddard called correctly and in Bexley went.
Openers Calum Basey and Aiden Griggs found fine opening spells from Shojib Ali and Jahid Ahmed difficult to get away with Basey nicking Ali to James Balmforth at 8 and Griggs being pinned in front by Ahmed in the next over to make the score 22-2 which soon became three down as Ali found the edge of Adam Ball’s bat to give Johan Malcolm a rare slip catch – 23-3. Shaun Evans then partnered skipper Stiddard in pushing the score past fifty. Following a little waywardness from Ali, Rob Clements entered the attack and hit a good line and length straight away and being rewarded with the wicket of Evans being trapped in front. With the score now standing at 52-4, Beckenham understandably had their tails up but the Bexley pair of Stiddard and George Haley had other ideas. Showing immense application and sensible shot selection, their partnership grew and grew with Alex Senn’s bowling combinations unable to make a further breakthrough. Clements was bowling with great control and sealing up one end well with Dayal’s leg-spin at the pavilion end. With neither batsman offering a chance to raise Beckenham spirits, the fifty partnership came and went and both recorded excellent fifties in 87 and 80 balls respectively. The breach finally came at 203 as James Fear held a splendid boundary catch off Dayal to remove Stiddard for 84 and then the reintroduction of Johan Malcolm saw the end of Haley for 66, again by courtesy of an excellent boundary catch by Fear at the other end. As the overs ticked away, Malcolm bagged a further two wickets with Bexley closing on 229-8. Malcolm’s 3-55 and Ali’s 2-29 were the best returns for Beckenham with Clements bowling his 10 overs straight through for 1-35.
Sadly the home reply did not get off to a solid start with Nick Rigg gone in the second over. Rithik Hari and skipper Senn pushed the score along to 36 before South African seamer Ryan Cartwright had Hari holing out to Calum Basey for 13. Senn, who had looked in good touch, then holed out to the same fielder off the medium pacer David Crawley for 21 with Beckenham now in trouble at 40-3. The arrival of Malcolm to join James Fear helped to alleviate the situation but both batsmen found piercing a tightly-knit field was not an easy proposition. The hundred was reached with both batsmen opening up until Fear, when in sight of a well-deserved fifty, charged Ritson and lost a stump. Malcolm continued to bat well and was rewarded with a fine fifty in 81 balls. A further useful stand developed with Jahid Ahmed before Ahmed departed to the returning Cartwright. With the left-arm spin of Freddie Foster taking a wicket to reduce the home side to 158-6, Adam Ball had Malcolm holing out for 54 which signalled the beginning of the end apart from some brave batting from the tail, the final score being 187-8 and the fifth defeat in a row.
Scorecard: https://kcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/4146900 (external site)