BEDDINGTON 162 (39.3) lost to DULWICH 148-5 (33.2) by 5 wickets (D/L)
Dulwich overcame both their opponents and the weather to secure a five wicket victory over first division Beddington in group 8 of the regionalized AJ Fordham Sports & Fuller’s Brewery Challenge Cup.
With overcast skies and a risk of thundery showers Dulwich invited their hosts to bat, and reaped early rewards when Simon Harwood took two wickets in his first three overs. The third wicket pair resisted any further inroads from Harwood and skipper Jon Lodwick, taking the score to 50 after 11 overs. Lodwick then turned to spinners Alex Gledhill and Ahmed Khan, who each took a wicket in his first over to dismiss both batsmen and reduce them to 52-4. Tom Bevan and David White then came together, with Bevan taking the lead while dominating a stand of 61 for the fifth wicket. It took the return of Harwood, who once again struck in his first over, to break the partnership, dismissing Bevan for 37 off just 41 balls. White and 15 year old Harry Gardner took the score to 136, but Gardner’s dismissal, lbw to Frankie Brown for 10, started a collapse in which the last five wickets fell for 26 runs. Brown took two more wickets to finish with 3-25 off six overs, while Gledhill returned to take the other two and also finish with 3-25, off 7.3. Harwood had taken 3-31 off his eight, while Khan had bowled his eight overs straight through to take 1-23. Beddington were dismissed for 162 in the last of their 40 overs.
The Beddington attack was launched by former Leicestershire quickie Ryan Cummins in company with Bevan, and it was the latter who made the breakthrough, dismissing Nick Gunning in his second over. Brown joined Veer Patel to add 26 in eight overs for the second wicket until Patel was lbw for 11 with the score on 33. Brown and keeper Michael Harms advanced to 47-2 after 15 overs when heavy rain drove the players from the field. Five overs were lost, necessitating the use of Duckworth-Lewis which produced a revised target of 148 off 35 overs.
On the resumption Brown and Harms took their partnership to 58 before Harms was lbw to Cummins for 24, off 30 balls, with the score on 91. Brown was joined by 15 year old Robbie Keaton, making his first team debut, who impressed in making 16 off 19 balls in a stand of 24 for the fourth wicket. But both batsmen then fell in successive overs, with Keaton’s dismissal followed by that of Brown, whose 53, off 79 balls, completed a fine all-round performance. This brought together Will Bancroft and Lodwick, who had previously made just eight runs between them during this truncated season, with the score on 115-5 and 33 still needed off 5.4 overs. They advanced in ones and twos, until a four and a six off successive balls by Bancroft off Bevan eased the pressure. Lodwick struck the winning boundary to see his side home with nine balls to spare. The skipper finished with 15 off 13 balls, while Bancroft made 18 off 16.
This victory lifts Dulwich three places to third in the eight team table. Next week they have a home fixture against fellow Division 2 side Worcester Park, who are currently in seventh place.