1stXI Match Report: Beckenham v Chipstead, Coulsdon and Walcountians CC (Friendly)
A reasonable weather forecast after a miserable spring, a new groundsman and good-looking track, the return of the great Johan Malcolm and the scorer starting his 33rd season in the box (refurbished box too – very smart!) meant the start of the cricket season. A handy side containing two new boys and two returning convened at Foxgrove, emerald-green in the watery sunshine for the visit of Chipstead, Coulsdon and Walcountians.
Skipper Alex Senn lost the toss and were put into bat with the two scorers, old friends going back many years, awaited the opening salvoes. An easy-paced track was the order of the day and home openers Senn and Gethin Roberts started cautiously against the visitors’ spin and seam attack. Senn struck the first boundaries of 2023 and was looking much more solid than for a couple of seasons but lost Roberts at 13 to a simple catch. Rithik Hari immediately settled in and the pair pushed the score along with a useful stand of 37 before Hari was bowled for 15. Unfortunately this preceded a mini-collapse to the leg-spin of the nomadic Aamir Raza, with Senn departing for a fine 36 and the much-vaunted return of Malcolm ending with his score on 2. Help arrived in the form of Ross Piller and the returning Mahfuzul Karim Mahi. Piller, especially, looked in excellent form with Mahi content to push the singles and keep the scoreboard ticking over. Piller struck two fine sixes in an entertaining knock of 27 (definitely not the ‘plinker’ of his early years!) as the pair added 40 before Piller departed. Mahi and new boy Tom Morrissey took the score past the hundred before Mahi fell to Jayasingh’s third catch. As the overs ticked away, Morrissey showed fine early-season form for his new club with some good shot-selection and running between the wickets as he and newly-crowned Director of Cricket, Jason Bilimoria, added 30 in decent time to close the innings on 147-7, Morrissey unbeaten on 29 and Bilimoria 14. The visitors had bowled steadily and fielded soundly with Ives returning the best return of 3-33.
The Chipstead reply started against an impressive first spell from new boy Matt Fanning and the miserly Mahi at the pavilion end. Fanning had the Beckenham scorer watching intently as Fanning bowled with a fine action, good control and at decent pace; definitely an asset for the season ahead. He didn’t have long to wait for his first success in a Beckenham shirt as he bowled opener Wakeling and then did the same to skipper Walker two balls later. Ives and Jayasingh repaired the damage with a solid stand of 28 before the bustling Alex Purwar, replacing Mahi, had Ives caught by Bilimoria for 26. With young Fraser Whiteland, replacing Fanning, having Jayasingh well-held by Malcolm, the visitors were 40-4 after 17 overs. Enter Johan Malcolm who immediately showed how much he’d been missed with a wicket in his first over when he bowled Raza which started a procession as the promising innings from Ahnagamage was ended with him being run out at the bowler’s end for 37. Thereafter, Malcolm worked his way through the lower order in inimitable fashion with the score standing on 88-8 before crucial knocks from Barber (14) and Webber (22) began to put Chipstead back in the game before Malcolm and Bilimoria took the last two wickets to give Beckenham a nice 20-run opening win. Malcolm had the best return of 4-26 with Fanning impressive with 2-16 in what had been a splendid bowling display backed up by keen fielding.
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