United rermain in Premier A League
They had made hard work of their campaign to this point, following a highly successful 2015/2016 season.
United Cricket Club returned to action in the Eastern Premier League on Sunday, January 15 to play their final first half fixture of the 2016/2017 season, away to Actonville Spurs at Lord’s Cricket Grounds.
Nothing but victory would suffice for the Brakpan-based team, in order for them to finish in the Top Eight and avoid being one of the bottom four clubs that would be demoted to the new Premier B League.
They had made hard work of their campaign to this point, following a highly successful 2015/2016 season.
They had experienced inconsistent form with the bat in particular, but this time the team’s batsmen would deliver to help the team to a 38 run win.
After losing the toss. skipper Justin Gamble’s men were put into bat on a slow Actonville wicket.
Opening batsmen Vaughn Humphrey and Jose van der Berg put on 39 runs for the first wicket, before the former was caught out.
Van der Berg was joined at the crease by all-rounder JP Meade and the pair worked hard to establish a 79-run partnership.
Van der Berg was dismissed for 60 runs from 88 balls, but Meade soldiered on to notch up 86 runs from 135 deliveries.
United reached a total of 242/5 in their 50 over innings, due to 37 runs from Gamble, Branden Grutter’s 12, plus 10 not out from Aidan Justus.
Actonville’s Jacques Nel was the best of their bowlers, with figures of 3/43 in nine overs.
In their turn with the ball, United’s bowlers picked up four opposition scalps for 73 runs, but a valiant 105 runs of resistance from opener Michael Enslin, made it difficult for the former in their pursuit of a bonus point.
Actonville were eventually bowled out in the 47th over for 204.
Aidan Justus (3/21 in 8.3 overs), Kevin Hinton (2/28 in eight overs) and Nico van Zyl (2/37 in 10 overs) delivered the goods with ‘the cherry’ for United.
Skipper Gamble told the Herald that the win was a vital one for his team.
“We put up a good enough score with 242, but it was probably worth about 320 runs on that outfield,” he told the Herald.
“We had some steady partnerships and the guys batted well around JP’s excellent knock.
“We could’ve been a lot better with the ball and I feel that we needed to get that bonus point, but we’ll take the four points for the win.”
Gamble added that the team is in eighth place now, but it’s extremely tight with only five points separating eighth spot from third.
“A couple of good wins can take us right up again.”
The result means that Boksburg (ninth), Duduza Cricket Club (10th), Bedfordview Cricket Club (11th) and Springs Old Boys (12th) fall into the new Premier B League.
A club T20 tournament will commence this weekend.
