SANDERSTEAD 134 (52) lost to DULWICH 138-6 (35.3) by 4 wickets
Another fine all-round performance saw Dulwich record their second successive victory in Division 2 of the AJ Fordham Surrey Championship, winning by four wickets at home to Sanderstead.
Dulwich invited their visitors to bat, and had an early breakthrough when Kamran Munawar took a sharp return catch in the second over of the innings. Jon Lodwick also bowled a fine opening spell in which he took two wickets to reduce Sanderstead to 24-3 in the ninth over. Skipper George Jackson then joined opener Shareef Hassan to add 43 for the fourth wicket in the highest stand of the innings. By now left arm spinners Elliot Miles and Ben Swanson had taken over the attack. They each took a wicket, with Swanson dismissing Jackson for 19, off 38 balls, and Miles having Hassan lbw for 24, off an obdurate 67 balls.
The score had advanced to 90 off 30 overs when Salaar Waqar joined the attack, and the runs dried up so completely against him and Miles that only 12 runs were scored off the next ten overs for three more wickets. A late flurry by Simon Carter and Gregg McLean lifted the score to 128 before Lodwick returned to bowl Carter for 23, and the last man was run out six runs later to dismiss Sanderstead for 134 off the last ball of the 52nd over. Once again the wickets had been shared around, with Lodwick taking 3-24 off ten overs, and Miles and Swanson each bowling 14 miserly overs for 2-32 and 1-34 respectively. Waqar claimed 2-11 off six, while Munawar got 1-11 plus the run out.
Dulwich were left with 48 overs to get the runs. Jackson opened the attack in company with Nicky Wilson in a hostile display of quick bowling that saw three wickets fall in the first 12 overs. Openers Ed Stolle and Alex Leyshon were both caught by keeper Sam Owen off Jackson, while Matt Marfani was lbw to Wilson without scoring, his first duck for the club. But the score had been boosted by a succession of byes and had already reached 43 by this stage. Keeper Jake Dunford and Sam Ellison then attacked the change bowlers to add 45 in 12.4 overs for the fourth wicket before both fell in quick succession to make it 92-5. They had both faced 52 balls, with Dunford making a belligerent 39 and Ellison 27.
Miles and Nick Gunning then added 18 before Miles was stumped for 7 with the score on 110. Waqar thus joined Gunning with 25 still needed, and last week’s heroes reprised their unbeaten partnership, seeing their side to victory with 12.3 overs to spare. Gunning made 22 off 28 balls, while Waqar finished on 13 off 15 and ended the match with the only six of the day. The Sanderstead keeper took two catches and a stumping, but also conceded 16 byes.
This victory lifts Dulwich two places to fifth in the table, level on points with Stoke D’Abernon. Coincidentally Dulwich visit them next week for the first ever Surrey Championship fixture between the two sides.