Dulwich 271-8 declared (66 overs) made a winning draw with Normandy 154 for 9 wickets (54 overs)
Dulwich played some excellent cricket in a thrilling game with second placed Normandy. They narrowly failed to collect all thirteen points as the visitors’ last pair held out for a draw in their Surrey Championship Premier Division match at Turney Road.
Dulwich skipper Mark Kelly chose to bat first and his faith was repaid as the Dulwich openers, Zoheb Sharif and Steve Hale started brightly putting on 75 for the first wicket. The Normandy opening attack of Stuart Meaker and Robert Bell got some lift and movement but both batsmen looked well set until Aussie spinner Tony Clark bowled Hale for an enterprising 34 at 75.
Sharif was joined by MCC ground staff player Chris Thompson and together they gradually put Dulwich into a position of strength as the score moved towards a big score. Thompson started to make hay hitting slow bowlers Meboob Elahi and Clarke for sixes but Clark got his revenge as Thompson on 57 skied his slower ball seeking to hit another six. Together with Sharif, he had added 115 runs as Dulwich looked poised for an early declaration at 190-2. Raza Ali Dar came in with a clear intent hitting 3 off his first ball but his bright 15 at a run a ball ended when he tried to launch Clark for a six only to pick out Hampton on the boundary. Dar departed at 217 and just two runs later Sharif was caught at point for a splendid 94. The former Cambridge University skipper did everything but score his first century at Dulwich as he dominated the innings with shots all round the wicket. His 94 came in 149 balls.
Dulwich needed was a few more quick runs as first Kelly (11) and then Burton (3) departed quickly and when Farrow was run out for 12, Dulwich had moved on to 252 for 7. Sensing that Normandy might have some batting strength as second place merits, skipper Kelly delayed the declaration until Gareth Cornick (15) and Ed Matten (3) pushed and swung the score to 271 after sixty six overs.
The Dulwich declaration left Normandy 54 overs to chase a large total as the home team opening attack set about their work. Arshad Iftikhar was difficult to play as his accurate bowling pinned down the openers Howell and Ross Skidmore whilst County paceman Burton straining for extra pace bowled no balls and some fuller deliveries. In the eighth over Iftikhar got his reward as he bowled Skidmore for 13 with 27 on the board. Failing to get another wicket before tea, Dulwich turned to the spinners as Sharif and Dar began to make scoring difficult. Sharif struck first having James Clutterbuck caught for 19 at 61 whereupon Elahi promoted up the order sought to hit Normandy out of trouble. With the score at 118, Elahi was smartly stumped by Tom Howe off Dar for 25 in 21 balls. His dismissal prompted a mini collapse as Clarke departed for 1 bowled by Sharif. With the score still on 125, Howell was also caught by the young keeper off Dar for a patient 55 off 97 balls.
With five wickets down for 125, Dulwich scented a third victory of the season. Although Bell and Chris Cornell held out for six overs as Dar and Sharif attacked. Cornell was snapped by Matten at short leg off Sharif’s leg spin for 8 at 140 and soon afterwards David Jones was dismissed by the same bowler at 144. With the score unchanged Bell’s resistance came to end as Dar bowled him for a fighting 9. One run later Dar claimed his fourth wicket of Stewart Hampton lbw for 1. The game looked all over for Normandy as the last wicket pair had five overs of spin to face but Meaker and Paul King edged and survived Dulwich appeals. Not even the return of Burton could dislodge the plucky last pair and Normandy claimed one point and Dulwich could only take four points in a tense finish. Dulwich’s spin twins had shared the last eight wickets with Sharif taking 4-44 off twenty overs and Dar 4-33 off fourteen overs.
The winning draw will give Dulwich some heart as they ponder next week’s game at fellow strugglers Guildford in the Shepherd Neame sponsored Surrey Championship Premier League.
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