Sat 23rd May - 1st XI v Beddington

DULWICH 292-3 (50) beat BEDDINGTON 243 (41.1) by 49 runs

A superb double century stand for the third wicket, with both batsmen making hundreds, set Dulwich up for a 49 run victory in their M.Zaidi & Co Surrey Cricket Championship Division 1 match at home to Beddington.

Dulwich elected to bat, and Harrison Perry and Jacob Rhodes got them off to a solid start. But Perry fell in the ninth over for 13, and Rhodes followed to the last ball of the twelfth for 20. Kiwi overseas player Will O’Donnell and skipper Ollie Steele thus came together with the score on 43-2. O’Donnell accumulated steadily, taking 73 balls for his first 50. But he then went into overdrive, taking 32 balls for his second 50 and just 11 balls for the next 40 before falling in the last over for 140 off 116 balls. This was his second century in successive innings. Steele also speeded up his scoring rate, taking 68 balls for his first 50 and 44 for his second to finish on 107 not out from 121, his second century for the club. Their partnership had put on 243 in 37.3 overs. Tommy Wright, in his first game of the season, finally got in with three balls to go, and sensibly pushed a single off the first to give his captain the strike.

Dan Empson struck with a wicket in the second over of Beddington’s reply, but the third over went for 19,which put them well ahead of the rate. Despite an accurate spell from O’Donnell, who took the second wicket while conceding just 12 runs off six overs, they continued close to the rate throughout the innings. But although most of the batsmen got a start, none of them was able to play a decisive innings as the bowlers steadily worked their way through the order, and their highest score was only 41. Two wickets for Henry Goodwin and one each for Perry (thanks to a smart stumping by Steele) and Felix Watson-Smyth reduced Beddington to 181-6 in the 33^rd over.

Skipper Shamar Anderson and keeper Sam Owen put on 40 for the seventh wicket in five overs to leave 72 wanted off 13 overs, but scoreboard pressure was starting to tell. Perry returned to the attack and had Anderson caught off his second ball. In his next over he removed Owen, also caught, with his first ball and bowled the next batsman with his second. He then took the tenth wicket with the first ball of his next over. He had taken four wickets for four runs in twelve balls to finish with figures of 5-33 off 7.1 overs. Beddington had lost their last four wickets for 22 runs to be dismissed for 243 after 41.1 overs.

Dulwich have thus won two of their first three games and move up to third place in the table. Next week they visit Valley End, who have won one and lost two, and are currently sixth.