Sat 18th July v Old Hamptonians

DULWICH 143 (46.3) beat OLD HAMPTONIANS 121 (36.3) by 22 runs

A remarkable spell of bowling by their pacemen enabled Dulwich to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in a low scoring M.Zaidi & Co. Surrey Cricket

Championship Division 1 match at home to Old Hamptonians.

Dulwich elected to bat, and Peter Frettingham and James Schofield took the score to 24 after seven overs, aided by an assortment of byes, leg byes and dropped catches, but both fell to Sam Wright in successive overs. Skipper Ollie Steele and Tommy Wright both fell to the other opener Raza Mughal in the 13^th over. Dulwich had lost four wickets in six overs for just two runs. Will O’Donnell and Jacob Rhodes steadied the ship, putting on 40 in 13 overs before both fell in successive overs, having made 19 and 23 respectively. Lucas Parry and Harrison Perry took Dulwich in to lunch on 74-6 after 29 overs.

After the interval the batsmen pushed the score along, and had added 59 off 14.3 overs when Perry fell for 24, off 36 balls, with the score on 129. Parry and Rory Sale advanced to 141 before Wright returned to have Parry caught for 39, off 57 balls. Tommy Clout went without scoring, and Wright had Dan Empson leg before in the next over, leaving Sale undefeated on 7. Dulwich had lost their last four wickets for 14 runs, and the last three for just two runs, to be all out for 143. Wright finished with 4-17 off 10.3 overs.

The chances of defending such a small total seemed remote when Clout went for 13 off his first over. But Empson was a real handful at the other end, removing both openers in an impressive opening spell of 6-5-4-2. O’Donnell replaced Clout after three overs and took a wicket in his first over to reduce Hamptonians to 23-3. But Tim Wallace went on the attack, and was given good support by Toby Godfray. Steele rotated his bowlers and gave short second spells to the openers, and eventually turned to them again for third spells. Empson broke the stand in his first over back, bowling Wallace for 52, off 60 balls, with the score on 99. Godfray and Adam Lee went in to tea on 112-4, seemingly well on the way to victory with just 32 wanted and six wickets standing.

But the break seemed to revitalise the bowlers. Clout bowled Lee without addition to the score, to make it 112-5. He struck again in his next over, taking the vital wicket of Godfray who had grafted for 87 balls for 29. 113-6. Empson now got in on the act, inducing an edge to keeper Steele. 115-7. Wright skied a catch to mid-off from the first ball of Clout’s next over (117-8) and he had their keeper leg before off the last ball. 120-9. The Hamptonians skipper took a single off the second ball of the next over, leaving last man Mughal to face Empson, who needed just one ball to demolish his stumps. Walcountians had lost their last seven wickets for 22 runs, and the last six for just nine runs after tea, to be all out for 121 and give Dulwich an unexpected victory by 22 runs. In three overs after the break Clout had taken four wickets for three runs to finish with 4-51 off eleven, while Empson took three wickets for seven runs in his third spell, and two for five in 3.5 overs after the break, to finish with 5-22 off 13.3.

This victory lifts Dulwich one place to fifth in the table, Next week they travel to Beddington, who are currently bottom. Dulwich won the first match between the sides by 49 runs.