Wilsons Cricket Club
Home

SNCL Division C/D

1st XI v Kimberley Institute II

Saturday 29-May-2004

Wilsons win by 12 runs

The Legend of Khan….

The 1st’s kept up their unbeaten run this season with a win that came about through a great team effort and an inspired performance by the top-of-the-table fantasy league player Imran Khan.

The early rain worried the returning Rose who had gone to great efforts to buy the vegetarian-cum-asian-unfriendly teas (Lidel Ham has no meat in it anyway….) and an early downpour gave the opposition hope as Stef won the toss and elected to bat first.

Bushy and Kish laid down a great platform taking the score to a solid 33 after 14 overs before Kish discovered some quick sand on the wicket and could not move quickly enough for a single and was run out. He trudged off the field ever so slightly slower than his attempted run.

James Norman did not last long, but that just gave Imran more time at the crease. He started confidently but ensured he played correctly (well, as correctly as he can), listening to his team mate’s urges to keep at the crease. He and Sean put on 29 before Sean was caught for a solid 23.

Stef was unlucky to be caught at short mid off for 7, and Zak faired little better going for the same score. At 109-5, TC strode to the crease aware that this was a crucial part of the innings. TC’s great early season form with the bat continued and he and Imran put on nearly 50 to take the game away from Kimberly. Imran was stumped (or run out, depending on your definition. Either way he was closer to the bowler when he missed the ball…). There was a mini collapse as Tom, Nadeem and Ifty all fell quickly leaving Rose ill prepared to move to the middle. However he composed himself to see out the last 4 overs where TC really hammered the Kimberly bowler Johnson. His three sixes and some frantic running (or waddling in Rose’s case) took the score from 165-9 to 191 all out with TC unlucky to sky the last ball of the innings to be caught out.

The Kimberly innings started and Rose and TC opened, aware that a tight start could prove decisive. Rose’s first 8 overs went for 7 runs whilst TC pegged back the opening batsmen and their only scoring shots were streaky edges through gulley.

However, a wicket was not forthcoming so Ifty replaced TC and Imran came on for Rose. Immediately the left handed Adams hit out straight to Bush who took a comfortable catch at wide off/cover. Both continued and wickets began to fall as the Kimberly batsmen started to press on the gas. The middle portion of the game was a good struggle with excellent bowling but also some great shot making and Kimberly where always in with a shout.

This is where the team work really kicked in for Wilsons as tenacious fielding and encouragement for the bowlers proved a decisive force.

Khan was replaced by Rose and he kept the scoring down and finally picked up a deserved wicket, knocking the off stump out of the ground. TC claimed a deserved scalp too in his second spell after replacing Ifty. Khan came back and broke through some dogged resistance. The last two wickets were the TC-Imran show with the former taking good catches to seal the victory.

Some of the second team, who came back to watch the closing overs remarked how focused we were on the field and how good the team spirit was. This we must maintain over the course of the whole season.

Dave R.

Bush 23
Patel 16
Norman 1
Khan 71
Boss 7
Briggs 7
Caldwell 42
Wilson 1
Ghani 1
Ahmed 0
Rose 2no

Caldwell 11-1-41-1
Rose 12-4-31-1
Ahmed 10-1-46-1
Khan 10.3-0-48-6