Scorecard

Phoenix 3 v North Kildare Cricket Club Men's 2nd XI on Sat 18 May 2013 at 13:30
North Kildare Cricket Club Won by 2 wickets

Match report When NK seconds arrived in the Park today hoping to buck their losing trend the omens were not good. After some earlier automotive problems half the team arrived ten minutes before the start time, with the eleventh player only making it on to the field after the first over.

Things looked no more promising on the field as the first three overs were dispatched for six runs each, before Wasif Ali had Keane caught at square leg from an attempted hook shot. Phoenix were undeterred and at the end of the ninth over were looking strong at 48-1. Three quick wickets in succession, two for Rahman Ahmed and one for Gulab Singh swung the game in NK's favour. When Gulab took his second wicket in the sixteenth over an early tea looked likely.

Phoenix were fare from done though, and a 67-run partnreship from Zaidi and Shah got them right back on course before two great pieces of fielding a run our by Dalton (Shah) a magnificent catch by Wasif from Sandy Chahal's bowling (Zaidi) removed the dangerous pairing. Kildare appeared to be in the ascendant again, and quick wickets from Ahmed and Chahal left Phoenix 148-9. The home side were far from finished though and experienced knocks from Godwin and Captain Jones brought them to 190, before Wasif finally ended the innings.

With 190 runs on the board and match reports of Kildare's innings to date this season in hand Phoenix were confident of winning. Or at least they might have been if the rain hadn't arrived at tea to make everyone wait...

and wait...

and wait...

and wait...

Who knows whether the hour and twenty-five minute tea was a crucial part in the game but the North Kildare openers arrived at the crease well rested and in suitably aggressive form. Not content with matching the Phoenix openers Hussain and Horn scored 31 runs from the first four overs and had reached 37 two overs later when Hussain was adjudged LBW from Zaidi for 17.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun Rahman Ahmed was next in and next out scoring 12 from the 7 balls he faced. He was followed back to the changing rooms shortly after by Horn and suddenly from a position of strength NK looked to be struggling a little.

At the crease Dalton and Gulab Singh, although both very different styles, continued to play with aggression and ambition putting together a 34 run partnership for the fourth wicket before Gulab was caught by Kean at deep mid-wicket. When Gary Hunt went for a duck two overs later it looked as if the Kildare challenge was about to fade away.

Debut Skipper Dalton was not about to give up the fight and continued stroking boundaries around the pitch. He was joined first by Chahal whose 14 came off 9 balls and then by Happy Singh, when Sandy was caught pulling a ball from Ben White's excellent leg-spin. Happy's first ball brought plenty of oohing and aahing from the fielding side as he played and missed. Still 56 runs ahead, they were surely set for a victory.

Perhaps not though as the next ball was crashed over the boundary for four. Nine minutes and 27 runs later Dalton was caught driving White down the ground, but although a wicket fell, Kildare now had some hope. Or did they? Wasif arrived at the crease and found that, despite some nice shots Phoenix had sent their entire team to the boundary to cut off runs. It didn't prevent a big shot and a good catch but North Kildare were in real trouble again at 158 for 8 with Pargat Singh arriving to the creason

Or at least they should have been. At the other end Happy had taken over from Dalton as the run-getter and while Pargat nudged the ball into gaps Happ set about slapping the ball to every corner of the park. His innings bears a full account: .4414.1466.111 target reached.

Cue celebrations.

Thanks to Phoenix for being such sporting hosts and particularly to Gerry Fennell for keeping the score. As Eddie Lewis noted on the Cricket Leinster website this week, it is a job without which cricket cannot be played.

Phoenix 3 Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 7w 6b 5lb 
for 10 wickets
19
190 (43.1 overs)		     
B. Ovenden ct  S. Hussain bowled R. Ahmed 26
P. Keane ct  P. Singh bowled W. Ali 12
C. Cavanagh lbw  G. Singh 5
Zaidi ct  W. Ali 42
I. Anders ct  G. Horn bowled R. Ahmed 0
A. Joseph ct  & bowled R. Ahmed 11
S. Shah run out  (S. Dalton) 26
B. White b  S. Chahal 3
N. Naik b  R. Ahmed 8
M. Godwin Not Out  19
Conrad Jones (wk)* b  W. Ali 19

North Kildare Cricket Club Men's 2nd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Wasif Ali7.1037218.505.16
Gulab Singh9.0030215.003.33
Rahman Ahmed9.022538.332.78
Safdar Hussain8.004100.005.13
Amardeep Singh5.011600.003.20
Sandy Chahal5.0030215.006.00

North Kildare Cricket Club Men's 2nd XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 2w 13b 4lb 
for 8 wickets
20
191
(31.1 overs)		    
Gerard Horn ct  I. Anders bowled N. Naik 27 50 43 3 62.79 1
Safdar Hussain lbw  Zaidi 17 22 18 3 94.44 1
Rahman Ahmed b  N. Naik 12 17 7 1 1 171.43 1
Sean Dalton ct  C. Cavanagh bowled B. White 44 62 53 7 83.02 1
Gulab Singh ct  P. Keane bowled N. Naik 16 14 12 1 133.33
Gary Hunt b  N. Naik 0 7 11 0
Sandy Chahal ct  B. Ovenden bowled B. White 14 20 9 1 1 155.56
Amardeep Singh Not Out  33 26 14 4 2 235.71
Wasif Ali ct  C. Cavanagh bowled B. White 2 4 9 22.22 1
Pargat Singh Not Out  6 14 11 1 54.55 1
Jonathan Walshe  

Phoenix 3 Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
S. Shah4.002500.006.25
Zaidi5.0034134.006.80
N. Naik9.0240410.004.44
A. Joseph6.002800.004.67
B. White5.1036312.006.97
P. Keane2.001100.005.50

  • Umpire :
    David Cooke; J.K. Pillai
  • Scorer :
    G. Fennell