1st XI
Matches
Sat 22 Jun 2019  ·  Division Three A
Northchurch Cricket Club
1st XI
103/0
102
Dunstable Town CC - Saturday 2nd XI
1s bounce forward

1s bounce forward

Tom Vila24 Jun 2019 - 12:09
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.northchurchcc.com/

The first XI put on a comprehensively dominant display to restore momentum

Dunstable fielded very few regular second XI players on Saturday due to a wedding. However, Northchurch took nothing for granted and prepared immaculately. On winning the toss, Vila elected to set the tone with the ball.

Early accuracy paid off for both opening bowlers, with James trapping the dangerous Horton LBW, while the captain induced an edge to second slip at the other end. Northchurch then entered a purple period of play and could do no wrong. Dunstable found themselves 23 for 7.

Smith and Newton dropped anchor to establish a partnership and give the lower order batters, arriving late from the wedding, a chance to align their blurry vision. When Smith fell to OJ immediately after drinks, Marshall joined Newton to form Dunstable's highest partnership of the match. However, having looked assured, Newton soon chipped to point from the in-form Romit Patel. The final pair could only add another ten before Marshall was caught behind trying to run the ball down to third man.

The Northchurch bowlers consistently put the ball in the right areas and were backed up by a terrific fielding performance. They had earned the low chase of 103.

Liveing and Khan (pictured) were sent in with instructions to knock the runs off themselves, which would leave Dunstable, just three points behind Northchurch going into the day, with nil points from the match. They did no disappoint. George played the anchor role, while Saf was brutal on anything full and both men hit the ball increasingly hard. Dunstable made a valiant effort but their task was too big, and became impossible after one big over which saw search parties twice dispatched to the recreation ground.

The win keeps Northchurch in second place, with even more encouragement coming as news of a Hoddesdon tie with Letchworth reached the Meadow. That result closed the distance with the league leaders to just six points. Next week sees Northchurch head away to the lovely Bayford and Hertford, the scene of one of last year's best wins. Let's hope Wiggsy doesn't get lost on his way to the ground this time.

Match details

Match date

Sat 22 Jun 2019

Kickoff

13:00

Competition

Division Three A
Team overview
Further reading