Reigate Priory 222 all out off 59.5 overs beat Dulwich (152 off 60.2 overs) by 70 runs
Dulwich put in a fighting performance against champions, Reigate Priory but were forced to concede defeat with only five minutes of the match remaining. Dulwich won the toss and put their visitors into bat and should have reaped immediate rewards as both openers were dropped off Mark Kelly in the first six overs. Dave Burton, the Dulwich paceman struck to remove Andy Diggles with the score on 30 but former Somerset batsman, Simon Eccleston took back the initiative. He was aided by a staunch defensive innings by Matt Bennett plus 18 runs from Dulwich wides and no balls. The score had reached 78 when Bennett was run out by Graeme Hough after being sent back by Eccleston.
Hough, the wily off spinner picked up the wicket of acting skipper Michael Foster to reduce Reigate to 80-3. Eccleston was joined by Indian test player Sairaj Bahatule but scoring proved difficult against the Dulwich spin twins – Hough who only conceded 17 off 14 overs and Vikram Banerjee. Banerjee struck three times in four overs dismissing Eccleston for 41 off 49 balls to leave Reigate unsteady at lunch with 119-6.
Dulwich could have been well satisfied with their pre-lunch efforts however Bahutule marshalled the tail very effectively to take Priory to 222 all out in the 60th over. The fall of the last wicket left Bahutule stranded on 99 not out! His fine innings was matched by Banerjee’s 4-74 and Burton’s figures improved by a late spell taking 4-77. Graeme Hough took three catches, a run out and a wicket.
In reply Dulwich started disastrously as Richard Farrow was lbw, without playing a shot to the third ball of the innings. His fellow opener Anil Mahey then pushed the score along with some quick scoring off Surrey seamer, Neil Saker. He was well supported by Dai Williams and together they took the score to 70 before Williams was dismissed for 26. Dulwich went to tea on 81-2 and seemed well placed to push on for the run chase but Mahey went for 51 soon after the interval. Newcomers Sunny Singh and Usman Jan took the score to 120 but Singh’s dismissal was the start of a collapse which saw Dulwich plunge from 120-3 to 123-7. as Priory spinner Stuart Hume picked up three wickets in successive overs.
Dulwich were left with no option but to play for a draw. The fielders closed in and Bahutule picked off the tail to take the last three wickets as Dulwich were all out for 152 with just two overs remaining. New skipper, Mark Kelly played an untypical defensive innings to finish a defiant 15 not out as last man Birbeck held out for 17 balls before falling lbw. North Easterner Birbeck had a good game behind the wickets – taking a good catch and conceding no byes.
Bahutule completed a fine match with bowling figures of 4-41 to go with his match winning innings and Hume finished with 4-24 off 11 overs. Despite losing Dulwich had some positive performances and now travel to Malden Wanderers next week in the Shepherd Neame sponsored Surrey Championship.
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