Quins 4 draws against INK
It was an astute start and end to the game which was played with excellent sportsmanship from both teams.
ON what seemed a very tricky wicket with the rain from the previous night, some areas of the Quins cricket pitch were very soft while other areas were very bouncy.
Quins won the toss and sent INK/ Ntuzuma 4 in to bat.
Both teams endured good and bad spells through the opening innings, with Huey Ethan Naicker and Pierre Horn being the pick of the bowlers with six overs, 17 runs, two maidens and three wickets and six overs, 22 runs, and three wickets respectively. They had added support with the ball from Lennon Singh who bowled exceptionally well to dry the run rate up with six overs, 15 runs for one wicket and a maiden to add.
Quins went in to bat with a very slow start because of tricky conditions. After 15 overs they were 52 runs for the loss of three wickets. It quickly went sour when after drinks on the 20th over, they were 58 for six with a rescue job from Pierre Horn and Sashen Rajbansi to bring the game or a nail biting end. Pierre Horn resurrected the chase with huge blows to the bowlers and getting out on a well played 36. It ended up with a run a ball in the last over when Andre Potgieter who also bowled well had one of one but received a bouncer and pulled it into the air to get caught. Ink 4 scored 114 all out from 28.2 overs. Quins 4 scored 114 for 7 from 30 overs.
It was an astute start and end to the game which was played with excellent sportsmanship from both teams. Pierre Horn was man of the match owing to his efforts to pull the rabbit from the hat with his batting display.
On Sunday 1 March, the first team take on a composite team from the Southern Natal areas in their final 50 over league match of the current season at Harlequins from 9am.
The second side play their second 20 over match in their group at Siripat Road Reservoir Hills. The third team take on Berea Rovers 3 at Collegians 1 in their final division 1 league match. The fourth eleven challenge Delta 5 at Harlequins 2. The fifth team squares up against Phoenix 5 at Wentworth Park cricket facility (Bayview). The U13 team plays its second last 30 over youth league match of the season at Badulla Drive, Wentworth and the U11 team has a bye.
Umbilo Harlequins second team concluded their 40 over schedule on 8 February ending up winners of the Durban and District Cricket Unions Challenge Reserve league. Although the logs have by no means been audited yet, credit must be bestowed upon captain Shane Deme who, through trying circumstances at times, managed the second squad professionally throughout the season, winning this league in such an emphatic fashion, with a mere loss to UKZN 2 being the solitary blemish. The sixth team ended their season last week in second position in the division 5 league. The U11 team and the fourth side are in reasonable stead to win their respective leagues.
Other Quins teams, perhaps with the exception of the fifth side, have an outside chance of winning their respective league titles.
Junior coaching sessions will continue on Thursday at 5pm at the Harlequins cricket nets. Call Shane on 083-402-7964. Seniors practise on Fridays at 5pm. Contact Ernest on 031-467-3270 for more information.
