SIX of Harlequins seven teams had scheduled league matches during the past weekend.
Four teams were victorious and both Quins teams in division 3 were beaten in this competitive division. The first team took on Verulam in a 50 over promotion league match at Verulam on Sunday, 26 January.
Batsman, Jeran Pillai, played out a defensive innings comprising 81 runs with nifty footwork, fending off a multitude of accurately directed deliveries. His partnership with Fayaz Safri added 99 runs to Quins’ accumulation.
The contribution wore out the Verulam fielders and bowlers, but after more than two hours at the crease and running numerous singles and twos, he was all too tired to return in time. Safri retired on 57 runs. Brandon de Mellion was undefeated on 21 runs when Quins reached a total of 232 runs in 50 overs losing 7 wickets in the process.
In response, Verulam had a good start to their innings. In the 34th over opener, Ricky Premlal held out to De Mellion for 32 runs when two wickets were conceded for 48 runs. Ajthieel Singa struck two big sixers off medium-pacer Safri and spinner Andrea Dal Moro and a single, but was spectacularly caught off-spinner, Mometalaha Motalha, by the bowler for 13 runs and Inderisen Pather, held out to Dal Moro off right-arm slow bowler De Mellion for 20 runs.
Synthetic covers were applied over the wicket in an endeavour to secure more play later. After an hour’s interlude, covers were removed. Although the pitch was predominately dry, there was a significant quantity of water causing a risk to bowlers, thereby rendering play impossible by 4.30pm, when it was decided by the official umpires and captains to abandon the match.
Both teams perceived themselves to have won this encounter on a superior run rate which was so alike at termination of the match that even a single delivery or a single run could have determined the winner.
The second team had a disappointing one-sided match in division 2 against and under-strength Silver Saints’ second team at Harlequins. Saints were dismissed for 7 runs in 5.2 overs. Lu Govender got 4 wickets for 5 runs and Coetzee de Villiers claimed 4 wickets for 2 runs. Quins needed one over to score 8 runs, losing a wicket in that over. Quins won by nine wickets.
The third team played Clares 3 at Siripat Road 3 field in a 30 over Division 3 match. Clares 3 scored 184 runs all out with 2 deliveries of their allocation remaining. Opening bowlers Jaan and Dean Fredericks each captured 3 wickets for Quins. Quins’ reply was dismal in that they capitulated in the sixteenth over for just 64 runs. Clares three won by 122 runs.
The fourth team played a 30 over division 3 game at Harlequins 2. Saints 3 scored 178 runs for 6 wickets in 30 overs. Quinton Botha captured two wickets for 15 runs in 3 overs. Quins 4 scored 146 runs for 10 wickets in 29 overs. Saints won by 32 runs.
The U13 team played a 30 over youth league match at Harlequins 2. Quins batted first with Aduaan Dhooma getting a quarter of a century, Travis Reddy was one short of half a century and Colby Stuck scored 45 runs taking Quins under 13’s through to a total of 159 runs in 26 overs. A brilliant spell of pace bowling by Cullen Walker consisting of 4 overs in which he got 5 wickets for just 6 runs, was well supported by Adil Mohamed who captured 2 wickets for 7 runs in 4 overs.
The annual prize-giving and a sixer’s competition will be held during the first weekend of April. Contact 073-795-0363 for further club information.
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