Sat 1st August - 1st XI v Spencer

SPENCER 230 (39.4) beat DULWICH 118 (32.2) by 112 runs

Dulwich travelled to Spencer for their second match in group 8 of the regionalized AJ Fordham Sports & Fuller’s Brewery Challenge Cup, but found the task of beating a Division 1 side beyond them, going down to defeat by 112 runs.

The Spencer innings was dominated by former Hampshire batsman Calvin Dickinson, who scored 39 out of a partnership of 51 for the first wicket, and went on to make 104 off just 76 balls. He fell to left arm spinner Frankie Brown’s second ball to make it 152-3 after 25.2 overs. The score advanced to 228-6 after 38.5 overs, whereupon the last four wickets went down in five balls for just two runs to see Spencer dismissed for 230 with two balls of the innings to spare. Brown took the last two wickets to finish with 5-44 off 7.4 overs, while Ahmed Khan, one of three 15 year olds in the side, took 2-41 off eight with his leg spin.

Chris Purshouse and the second 15 year old Veer Patel got the Dulwich reply off to a good start, putting on 39 for the first wicket before Patel was run out for 15 off the first ball of the ninth over. Purshouse followed three overs later for 24 with the score on 54. The following batsmen were unable to maintain the pace against tight bowling. Sam Ellison enjoyed stands of 23 for the third wicket with Brown and 18 for the fifth with the third 15 year old Ollie Sykes, who was making his first team debut and who had earlier brought off a fine diving catch. But Ellison’s dismissal, having top scored with 29, sparked a collapse which echoed the first innings in that four wickets also fell for two runs to reduce Dulwich to 98-8. The last three batsmen took the score past the hundred mark, but the innings closed on 118, with slow left armer Hugo Trotter taking five of the last six wickets for just 15 runs.

Next week Dulwich have a home fixture against fellow Division 2 side Bank of England, and will be hoping for a more evenly balanced contest.