WORCESTER PARK 208-8 (53) drew with DULWICH 204-8 (47)
Scorecard link https://dulwich.play-cricket.com/website/results/3753870
Dulwich made a valiant attempt to chase down a target of 209 in their AJ Fordham Surrey Championship Division 2 clash at Worcester Park, but lost two wickets in the last over to finish with a winning draw.
Dulwich invited their visitors to bat on a scorchingly hot day, but it was not until the 13th over that Jon Lodwick made the breakthrough, having Troy McKenzie caught for 17 with the score on 36. Nick Gunning had the other opener Richard Rawlings lbw with his first ball to make it 49-2 in the 17th. This brought the Hill brothers together, and they progressed sedately until the second drinks interval which was taken with the score on 105-2 after 34 overs. On the resumption they launched an assault which saw 55 runs come off the next 7.4 overs. Both batsmen reached their half centuries in the same over, and took their third wicket partnership to 111 off 25.3 overs. Joe Hill’s dismissal, caught off Gunning for 56 with the score on 160, sparked a collapse in which six wickets fell in ten overs for 38 runs. Gunning claimed a third scalp and left arm spinners Alex Gledhill and Patrick George picked up two each. Rob Hill was left stranded on 92 not out when his captain declared at the end of the 53rd over with the score on 208-8. Gunning finished with 3-53 off 11 overs, Gledhill was his usual miserly self with 2-33 off 14, while George, in his first outing for the first team this season, took 2-61 off 12.
Dulwich were left with 47 overs to get the runs. Skipper Ed Stolle and Chris Purshouse started positively before both were out in successive overs with the score on 43, having scored 16 and 26 respectively. Keeper Jake Dunford then dominated stands of 40 with Ed Towner and 16 with Robbie Catling before being run out for 37 (off 40 balls) when he backed up too far, slipped while turning, and was unable to get back in time. Catling was the fifth wicket to fall with score on 111 in the 30th over. Gunning and Lodwick defended staunchly at first, but then launched an attack that took their sixth wicket partnership to 46 in 11 overs before Gunning was caught for 21.
Simon Harwood thus joined Lodwick with the score on 157-6 off 40.2 overs, leaving 52 runs required off 6.4. The pair continued the assault and passed the winning draw target of 185 off the first ball of the 45th over. They ended the 46th on 198, leaving 11 required to win off the final over. Six runs came from the first three balls, but Harwood was then well caught at long on, having made 20 at exactly a run a ball. The batsmen had crossed to put Lodwick on strike, but he also fell to a brilliant diving catch on the boundary, having made 51 also at a run a ball. This was the first time he had been dismissed in the league this season, having amassed a total of 113 runs. The innings ended on 204-8.
Dulwich take nine points from their winning draw, but slip one place to fifth in the table. Next week they have a tough home fixture against Division 2 leaders Bank of England.