Week 9 – Cricksim have announced that this is the last weekend that they will operate. The Government has intervened and Step 4 will now take place from Week 10.
The 1s made a trip to Home Park, the home of Windsor 1s. Mike Brown won the toss and elected to bat. Joshua Jayasingh and James Gamble donned their virtual pads and bats for the final time this season.
Ascot started slowly but, in the 5th, over, Gamble unleashed three 4s in a row to kick start the innings. The 50 partnership came in the 10th over and at 54 for 0 after 10 overs, the 1s had a strong foundation to the innings.
But the reintroduction of Adam Weston into the attack saw to the end of Gamble as a leg glance was brilliantly caught by keeper Austin Ambrose.
J Gamble c A Ambrose b A Weston 31
55 for 1 – 10.6 overs
Jack Kendall was next in, but the scoring rate did not drop. Jayasingh took Weston to task as he hit him for 4 then 6 in one over.
But just as Jayasingh looked to be on the verge of a 50, Charlie Jackson bowled an excellent delivery clipping the top of off stump.
J Jayasingh b C Jackson 42
86 for 2 – 16.3 overs
Nick Sweetman showed intent straight away as hit the first ball for 4 and then finished the over with a well run 3. The 100 came in the 18th over and the 1s were still in a strong position at 111 for 2 after 20 overs.
A good partnership was developing but Kendall was then caught by Weston off Jamie Hall.
J Kendall c A Weston b J Hall 28
132 for 3 – 23.1 overs
Two balls later Jez Hare departed as he inside edged onto the stumps.
J Hare b J Hall 0
132 for 4 – 23.3 overs
So, with Ascot wobbling Tony King came to the crease. The 150 came up in the 28th over, but the reintroduction of Weston again saw another wicket fall.
King was the batsman to go as Weston when he bowled him with another great delivery.
A King b A Weston 17
165 for 5 – 31.1 overs
Andy Murray was next in and in the unusual position of having more than 10 overs left in the innings to bat.
Weston and Jordan were kept on and kept it tight for a couple of overs. But the end of Weston’s allotted overs saw Ascot go on the attack.
Nick Sweetman reached a well crafted run a ball 50 in the 38th over, and an Andy Murray boundary saw the 200-mark reached in the same over.
Boundaries were flowing from the bat as Windsor couldn’t stop Ascot scoring at least 10 an over. In the 43rd over, Nick Sweetman smashed 19 off a Chris Dixon over including two 6s.
In the final over, Andy Murray smashed a cover drive for 4 to score a great 50 which helped Ascot finish the innings in style and help bring the 100 partnership up.
273 for 5 – 45 overs
Nick Sweetman 90 not out (off 78 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes), Andy Murray 56 not out (off 43 balls, 9 fours, 1 six), Joshua Jayasingh 42 (off 55 balls, 3 fours, 1 six)
Windsor started knowing that they needed 6 an over and while Baumgartner and Edwards started solidly but the required run rate was already starting to climb. While there were no scares in the first 10 overs, at 38 for 0, Windsor were now needing 6.7 an over.
Edwards brought up the 50 in the 12th over with a six, sensing that Windsor now needed to accelerate.
Thomas Edwards was looking well set when Jayasingh got one to turn and straighten and he was gone lbw.
T Edwards lbw b J Jayasingh 42
81 for 1 – 16.6 overs
Baumgartner then looked to take on the scoreboard, but the introduction of Hare saw him caught behind by Tony King.
K Baumgartner c A King b J Hare 36
97 for 2 – 18.5 overs
The 100 came up in the 20th over with Windsor needing just under 7 an over. Ambrose and Weston kept the scoreboard ticking at 5 an over but the required run rate kept increasing.
Eventually something had to give, and it would be Weston’s wicket as he gave a simple chance in the end to Gamble off the bowling of Mike Brown.
A Weston c J Gamble b M Brown 23
140 for 3 – 28.6 overs
James Mace fell in the next over as he was well run out by Mike Brown.
J Mace run out (M Brown) 1
143 for 4 – 29.6 overs
The run rate was now nearing 9 an over, but the wickets kept falling.
Jack Kendall took an easy catch off Ambrose to give Will Ellison his first wicket.
A Ambrose c J Kendall b W Ellison 35
154 for 5 – 33.3 overs
With Windsor needing 10 an over, Ollie Jordan and Chris Dixon looked to have settled for batting points. The partnership looked settled and were targeting 200 by the end of the 45th over but Ascot’s tight bowling and fielding was not going to make this easy for them.
In the final over they were 189 for 5, and with one ball remaining needed 2 runs to get the final batting point. But Dixon chipped an easy catch to Jayasingh for Ellison to get a second wicket.
C Dixon c J Jayasingh b W Ellison 21
198 for 6 – 45 overs
Thomas Edwards 42 (off 39 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes)
A good win for the 1s and Nick Sweetman picked up another man of the match award.
The 2s were at home at the Racecourse Ground with North Maidenhead 2s the visitors. North Maidenhead won the toss and elected to bat first.
North Maidenhead were soon in trouble as Radhakrishnan struck second ball as Mahmood edged behind to Dan Corsini.
S Mahmood c D Corsini b A Radhakrishnan 2
5 for 1 – 1.2 overs
Qureshi was next to go, with the ball moving around as he edged behind to Corsini, this time off the bowling of Andy Wiggett.
Y Qureshi c D Corsini b A Wiggett 10
26 for 2 – 6.3 overs
At 37 for 2 after 10 overs the North Maidenhead innings was in the balance, and a superb over from Myles Trainor swung it Ascot’s way.
Firstly, he removed Butt with a great delivery to take off pole.
U Butt b M Trainor 11
46 for 3 – 11.4 overs
He then repeated the same trick with another great delivery to remove Ashraf.
M Ashraf b M Trainor 0
46 for 4 – 11.6 overs
Radhakrishnan soon removed the new batsman Abbas as Andy Wiggett took a smart catch at point.
H Abbas c A Wiggett b A Radhakrishnan 1
49 for 5 – 13.2 overs
North Maidenhead were in further trouble as Radhakrishnan struck again this time Wing taking a good catch in the gully to remove Saleem.
M Saleem c J Wing b A Radhakrishnan 4
59 for 6 – 16.4 overs
It was left to Amir Asghar and Faisal Amin to try and rebuild the innings. They got the score 100 but the issue was that they were now in the 31st over. Faisal Amin brought up his own gritty 50 and the 50 partnership in the 35th over.
Amin eventually fell to another good catch by Jez Wing off the bowling of Ben Clark, but his innings ensured that North Maidenhead reached some respectability.
F Amin c J Wing b B Clark 55
122 for 7 – 38.4 overs
With 5 overs remaining, North Maidenhead were 124 for 7 and needed some quick runs to get a score that would challenge the Ascot batting line-up.
In the end Ascot restricted them to only 17 runs.
141 for 7 – 45 overs
Faisal Amin 55 (off 109 balls)
The Ascot attack allowed North Maidenhead to score only one boundary through the whole innings, a great effort.
North Maidenhead needed a quick wicket and they got one in the third over as Billy Baker was caught by keeper Amir off Asjid.
B Baker c A Asghar b A Asghar 2
6 for 1 – 2.2 overs
Gareth Baker joined Handley and settled the nerves as they made solid progress on 34 for 1 after 10 overs. But just as Baker looked to be in for another big score, Asjid struck as Amin took a superb catch on the boundary
G Baker c F Amin b A Asghar 24
40 for 2 – 10.4 overs
The other centurion from last week, Jason Carr was now at the crease. The 50 came in the 13th over and the required run rate was already below 3.
Rob Handley was especially watchful as Carr dominated the growing partnership. The 50 partnership came in the 23rd over and the 100 followed several overs later in the 27th.
Handley made a watchful 50 in the 31st over with a quick single, with 2s now only needing 17 to win.
Asjid finished a great spell with both wickets to fall but the only equation left was whether there were enough runs for Jason Carr to reach his 50.
They needed 10 runs to win and Carr needed 8 of them. That was soon to be 4 and 2 respectively as he launched a massive 6 at the beginning of the over across the Churchill Road.
4 dot balls followed but then Carr hit what looked to be the winning boundary, but it was well fielded by Asjid, but the 3 runs scored were not to deny Carr his 50.
A single from Carr off the next ball sealed a comprehensive victory for the 2s.
142 for 2 – 34.1 overs
Rob Handley 54 not out (off 95 balls, 3 fours), Jason Carr 52 not out (off 75 balls, 3 fours, 1 six)
Aarav Radhakrishnan won the man of the match award.
The 3s were at Locks Ride, and the visitors were Kidmore End 2s. Ascot won the toss and elected to bowl first.
The proliferate partnership of Pigden and New opened the batting for Kidmore End. And their reputation was well earned as they flayed the Ascot attack to be 62 for 0 off 10 overs.
Chris Pigden raced to a chanceless 50 in the 16th over and Ascot looked dejected.
Inspiration was needed to get a wicket and it came in the form of a stunning catch at mid-off by Deep Mohain off the bowling of James Summers to remove Mark New.
M New c D Mohain b J Summers 29
89 for 1 – 15.5 overs
Ascot’s bowling and fielding improved and Mike Wyatt struck next with a delivery that beat Umer Faroqi all ends up.
U Faroqi b M Wyatt 7
103 for 2 – 18.3 overs
Sheldon joined Pigden and they continued to score at over 5 an over but disaster struck as a mix up between Sheldon and Pigden saw Weeks swoop in to run out Sheldon by several yards.
T Sheldon run out (R Weeks) 17
131 for 3 – 24.2 overs
Ascot now had a bounce in their step and while Pigden was a rock at one end, Ascot took their chances at the other.
Callum Driscoll was the next batsman to go as Ames deceived him to bowl him with a superbly flighted delivery.
C Driscoll b M Ames 5
146 for 4 – 28.1 overs
Ames then struck next ball as Shakoor was out lbw.
S Shakoor lbw b M Ames 0
146 for 5 – 28.2 overs
Luke Gray survived the hat trick ball, but the wheels were now falling off the Kidmore End innings.
Gray was also out for a duck as he edged to Mark Wiggett off the bowling of Deep Mohain.
L Gray c M Wiggett b D Mohain 0
151 for 6 – 29.4 overs
Two balls later Udeen decided to take on Mohain but was easily stumped by Dam Mallett.
A Udeen st D Mallett b D Mohain 0
151 for 7 – 29.6 overs
Chris Pigden could only look on in despair at the other end. In the end, with partners running out he took one chance too many as he became Mallett’s third victim as he edged behind off Ames.
C Pigden c D Mallett b M Ames 86
158 for 8 – 31.6 overs
Summers bowled Tom Wilkinson with a good yorker.
T Wilkinson b J Summers 6
160 for 9 – 32.5 overs
Tim Howson finished off proceedings as Raina was lbw and after a great start Kidmore End lost 10 wickets for 81 runs.
A Raina lbw b T Howson 5
170 all out – 36.5 overs
Chris Pigden 86 (off 96 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes)
Marc Ames 8-1-33-3
Ralph Weeks and Tom Clarke opened the batting for Ascot. Kidmore End wanted an early breakthrough and they got it with Umer Faroqi taking a great catch off the bowling of Azhar Udeen to remove Ralph Weeks.
R Weeks c U Faroqi b A Udeen 10
23 for 1 – 4.2 overs
Deep Mohain joined Tom Clarke and they continued to score freely and took the score to 50 for 1 off 10 overs. Unfortunately, after yet another promising start Mohain became Udeen’s second victim as he played on.
D Mohain b A Udeen 20
58 for 2 – 11.5 overs
And the Kidmore End were back in the match as they removed the dangerous Calum Dougal for a duck.
C Dougal c S Shakoor b U Faroqi 0
59 for 3 – 12.2 overs
Mark Wiggett now joined Tom Clarke at the crease and Ascot needed to consolidate and blunt the Kidmore End attack.
The run rate slowed but no further chances came Kidmore End’s way as Ascot reached 100 for 3 after 22 overs. The 50 partnership was reached in some style as Clarke launched a Faroqi delivery into the horse field, and off the same bowler’s next over he got the single to reach his 50.
The required run rate was now below 3 an over and of Kidmore End were to get back into the match they needed quick wickets.
But Clarke and Wiggett continued the partnership and after 30 overs were 136 for 3, needing 35 to win off 15 overs.
Clarke eventually fell, as he was bowled by Udeen off his pads.
T Clarke b A Udeen 68
143 for 4 – 30.6 overs
Dan Mallett was next in. A Wiggett boundary saw them reach 150, and the required runs now were only 20.
Mark Wiggett was keen to finish the game quickly and also reach 50, which he duly reached after working Raina off his legs for a 3, and Ascot now only required 2 to win.
Dan Mallett duly scored the winning run off Jonny Abbott to ease Ascot home with more than 8 overs to spare.
171 for 4 – 36.4 overs
Tom Clarke 68 (off 85 balls, 6 fours, 1 six), Mark Wiggett 52 not out (off 79 balls, 4 fours)
Azhar Udeen 9-1-32-3
Tom Clarke was awarded man of the match.
The 4s were at Sefton Park, as they took on Stoke Green 4s. Ascot won the toss and elected to bat first. Rob Bennett and John Dunnet continued their opening partnership.
Mark Ward struck early for the home team as he bowled John Dunnet.
J Dunnet b M Ward 8
15 for 1 – 2.4 overs
Nino Trapani was now at the crease but soon departed as Amar Sekhon bowled him to leave Ascot in early trouble.
A Trapani b A Sekhon 1
16 for 2 – 3.2 overs
Paul Ames joined Rob Bennett and despite not having much batting time this season took the attack to Stoke Green. Several boundaries from Ames saw Ascot recover to 56 for 2 off 10 overs.
The 50 partnership was made in the 12th over. Bennett was now taking on the attack and scoring at more than a run a ball.
Ascot made the 100 in the 18th over but Stoke Green finally struck back. Muhammad Ali Raza got the wicket as he pinned Ames in front of the stumps.
P Ames lbw b M Ali Raza 44
102 for 3 – 18.6 overs
Richard Wyatt was now at the crease. Rob Bennett made 50 with a three through mid-wicket off Razaq.
Bennett and Wyatt kept the scoreboard ticking over, but Stoke Green kept the run rate down and Ascot were 146 for 3 off 30 overs.
Rob Bennett hit a six to reach the 50 partnership and also signal the kick start of the innings again for Ascot.
Stoke Green then dropped Bennett with Jadoon missing a simple chance. Ascot were now going at over 5 an over and accelerating.
A superb 6 from Rob Bennett reached his second consecutive 100 and they also brought up the 200 and the 100 partnership in the 40th over to reach 212 for 3.
Ascot now looked to make the most of the final 5 overs, but Bennett fell to Shankaralingam lbw.
R Bennett lbw b A Shankaralingam 103
213 for 4 – 40.3 overs
Rob Major was now in and continued the pursuit with a brutal 6 and Richard Wyatt reached 50 in the 42nd over.
The last two overs saw Wyatt and Major plunder the Stoke Green attack and rub salt into the wounds with Ul Hannan conceding 16 runs in the 44th over and Gurpreet Sekhon bowled the final over which went:
4, Wide, 1, 6, Wide, 1, 3, 3
264 for 4 – 45 overs
Rob Bennett 103 (off 113 balls, 5 fours, 2 sixes), Richard Wyatt 75 not out (off 81 balls, 8 fours, 1 six), Paul Ames 44 (off 63 balls, 4 fours)
Ascot finished strongly with an unbeaten 51 partnership off just 27 balls between Richard Wyatt and Rob Major.
Stoke Green needed a good start but lost Ul Hannan early on.
N Ul Hannan lbw b D Baker 6
13 for 1 – 3.5 overs
And then lost another quick wicket as Abrams got Kuthokathen to edge behind into the safe hands of Trapani.
A Kuthokathen c A Trapani b G Abrams 6
15 for 1 – 4.2 overs
This left Ravikumar Sethu and Arun Shankaralingam to rebuild the innings and see if they could get Stoke Green back on track.
They were able to get Stoke Green to 10 overs without any further loss, but at 40 for 2, the required run rate was now 6.43.
A solid 50 partnership was reached in the 16th over but the required run rate had increased to 6.9.
After 20 overs, Stoke Green were now 84 for 2, but the run rate needed was over 7. Sethu sensed the need to go after the Ascot slow bowlers but it was his undoing as he played on to a ball from Basudev Pal.
R Sethu b B Pal 33
90 for 3 – 20.6 overs
The middle order looked to up the rate but found runs difficult to come by and sacrificed themselves in the chase. Next to go was Ali Raza as Wyatt took a great catch off the bowling of Abrams.
M Ali Raza c R Wyatt b G Abrams 4
104 for 4 – 24.2 overs
Arun Shankaralingam reached a well-deserved 50 in the 26th over but finally fell as another great catch this time by John Dunnet off the bowling of Pal saw him depart.
A Shankaralingam c J Dunnet b B Pal 52
116 for 5 – 26.5 overs
Pal struck next ball as well as Razaq offered a simpler chance for Richard Wyatt to take.
T Razaq c R Wyatt b B Pal 0
116 for 6 – 26.6 overs
Mark Ward survived the hat trick ball and with Amar Sekhon looked to ensure that Stoke Green batted out most of the remaining overs.
They reached the 150 mark in the 36th over as all realistic hopes of victory disappeared with the required run rate now over 12 per over.
Ward finally fell as a good ball from Ian Dummigan got through his defences.
M Ward b I Dummigan 25
160 for 7 – 38.1 overs
Jadoon joined Sekhon to see out the remaining overs as Stoke Green lost by 82 runs.
182 for 7 – 45 overs
Arun Shankaralingam 52 (off 77 balls, 1 four, 2 sixes)
Basudev Pal 8-0-34-3
A great performance from the 4s especially after a difficult start early in their innings, and Stoke Green were only allowed 5 boundaries throughout their innings.
Man of the match went to Rob Bennett for the second match in a row.
This is the end of the Cricksim. This week we’ll hear what formats of matches are allowed under Step 4 of the ECB plan.
Thank you to all the managers who by taking part have helped raise some much needed funds for the club.
Cricket will restart next weekend. We desperately need to keep participation levels high and bring on the next generation of cricket players.
The final Fantasy League table can be found here – https://royal-ascot.fantasyclubcricket.co.uk/
And as always, keep safe and keep well.
Royal Ascot Cricket Club 