AFTER a round of byes on Sunday, 27 October, followed by three successive washout weekends where no league cricket was played, Harlequins Cricket Club suffered a clean sweep of defeats in all five scheduled matches last weekend, providing credence to the club’s insistent realisation that more cricket matches are cancelled in November than any other month of the year as a consequence of precipitation.
Cricket is a sport which is more profoundly negatively impacted by a wet surface than any other sport code, due to the sports high impact on a clay dominant fine grassed soil and the inherent dangers thereof.
On Sunday morning, 24 November, Harlequins flagship team took on a very confident high performing Hillary-Malvern team which had just won the promotion T20 trophy. This team also topped the promotion B division last season and were recently awarded a promotion. So much light rain was prevalent during the latter portion of the preceding week, that the Harlequin’s wicket could only be prepared on Saturday morning, which is not an ideal situation of pitch surfaces which traditionally require two days’ worth of full sunshine to consolidate to a hard true crust, thereby providing equal opportunity for both teams participating.
This was certainly not the case on Sunday where Quins were told to bat first on a sticky yielding wicket from which a good deal velocity is taken off each delivery when striking the pitch. Quins lost their opening batsman in the first over and a string of middle order batters with some degree of regularity in the middle juncture of the innings.
However, it was all the while that number three batsman Aziz Khan fended off Hillary-Malvern’s bowling for a good period of over an hour. Later he was joined by Andrea Dal Moro who performed immaculately to save Quins from its precarious position. Both these batsmen executed their shots with good balance and precision especially with their drive strokes, cut shots, hooks and were instrumental in taking Quins through to a marginally defendable tally of 140 runs in 45,5 overs where they lost their final wicket. Aziz top scored for Quins with 49 runs and Andrea got 35 runs. The morning period proved very difficult to bat on the sticky yielding surface.
In the afternoon session the wicket surface had lost much of the moisture which it contained in the morning making it significantly easier for batsmen during the Hillary-Malvern innings. While Quins’ batting line up was considered average, their bowling attack was weakened by lack of depth in seamers. Strike bowler Kevin Kettle beat Hillary-Malvern opener Joshua Palmer in multiple occasions but had absolutely no supportive seamers with any penetration from the other end. Right arm orthodox finger spinner Andrea Dal Moro was the only other bowler to perform with any extent of credibility. The lack of depth in Quins bowling department allowed Joshua to score 53 runs not out and other opener, Ryan Vaughn, to play out an undefeated explosive innings comprising 74 runs. Hillary-Malvern won this encounter by 10 wickets in the twenty first over.
Quin’s third team versed DHS Rhythm in a 30 over a side division 3 matches at Danville Park, Virginia. Rhythm accrued 121 runs losing 10 wickets in 29, 1 overs. Medium pacer, Pierre Horn, was Quins’ most successful bowler who captured 4 wickets in 6 overs conceding 42 runs and seamer, Shaun Nichols, was most economical conceding just 154 runs in 6 overs getting a two wicket reward. The response was abysmal for Quins 3. Aside from Reece Manicom who scored 23 runs, Warren Torgius who got 19 runs, Brett Williams and Theuns Jacobs who managed 11 runs each, no one else contributed anything of value to the team’s cause, resulting in a capitulation in the 26th over for just 87 runs. Rhythm won by 34 runs.
The fourth team lost their 30 over division 3 match at Penguin Street. However, the club is investigating possible breach of code by the opposition.
The club will be hosting its annual sixers competition during the upcoming long weekend.
A committee meeting will be held on Thursday, 28 November, during which playing conditions and other aspects of the sixers tournament will be planned. Junior cricketers between the ages of 11 and 13, aspirant of participating in the youth leagues can contact Clinton on 071-007-9745. Seniors practice on Tuesdays and Thursday at the Harlequins cricket nets. Contact 073-795-0363 for club information.
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