Dulwich 246 all out (65.5 overs) drew with Weybridge 214-7 (54 overs)
Dulwich remained in fourth place of the Premier Division of the Surrey Championship when they drew with Weybridge but when they took the home team’s seventh wicket with sixteen overs remaining a win looked more likely. The Weybridge eighth wicket pair not only survived until the close but secured a vital winning draw and left Dulwich with just one point.
Dulwich were put into bat in overcast conditions and occasional drizzle. Jimmy Daley made light of the conditions with a quick fire 31 off 40 balls before he departed with the score on 49. After his dismissal left handers Anil Mahey and debutant Ed Matten found scoring more difficult with only eleven runs coming from the next six overs before Mahey fell to Matt Church for 23. Loughborough student, Dai Williams broke the bowler’s stranglehold by hitting Church for four fours in an over. The score had advanced to 99 off thirty overs when Matten fell to Church for a dogged 16. Williams continued forcefully reaching 50 off 56 balls before he was out with the score on 138. Skipper Mark Kelly was joined by Mihir Singh and together they added 51 for the fifth wicket before Singh was out for 18. Dave Burton added a typically robust 20 off 15 balls adding 33 with Kelly. Both men were out with the score on 222 with the captain making 57. Graeme Hough with 17 off 11 balls saw the score to 241 whereupon three wickets fell for 5 runs off 7 balls – no last wicket heroics this week! Dulwich were bowled out for 246.
Weybridge started their reply in better weather but Burton struck quickly removing the skipper Gavin Franklin for 3 in his second over. At the other end Arshad Iftikhar bowled impressively conceding only nine runs off his first six overs including a missed slip catch! Steve McDonald took a liking to the bowling of Kelly and Burton racing to 32 off 23 balls. Left arm spinner, Vikram Banerjee put a brake on the scoring but Weybridge had reached 86 by the 23rd over when opener Olly Slipper was bowled by Banerjee for 28. Former Worcestershire opener Church launched an attack upon Singh who conceded two fours and a six but he gained revenge by having him stumped off the last ball of the over for 15.
Banerjee struck at the other end to dismiss the dangerous Andy Muggleton and keeper Janmohamed in successive overs and Burton returned to bowl Duncan Graham to reduce Weybridge to 158-7 and Dulwich firmly in the driving seat. Hodgson was joined by 16 year old Tom Winslade who had earlier performed well with his off spinners. The pair at first consolidated and then passed the 202 required for the winning draw with Hodgson finishing undefeated on 49 and Winslade 27 not out. Once more Banerjee was the pick of the Dulwich bowling with 4-48 off 21 overs taking him to 37 wickets for the season at an average of 15.89.
With three games to go, Dulwich are in fourth place and in a tight league entertain Esher at Burbage Road. Esher will come needing to win and seeking to pull Dulwich back into the relegation dogfight in the Premier League of the Shepherd Neame sponsored Surrey Championship.
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