DULWICH 85-3 (21) beat WORCESTER PARK 84 (28.3) by 7 wickets
Dulwich recorded a comprehensive victory by seven wickets over Worcester Park to retain third place in Division 2 of the AJ Fordham Surrey Championship.
Worcester Park chose to bat but lost their first wicket in the fourth over as just reward for another fine opening spell by Samir Hussain. Jon Lodwick was more profligate, but took the second wicket with the last ball of his fifth over to reduce Park to 20-2. Joe Spicuglia and Rob Hill took the score to 46 in the 13th over without undue alarm before Spicuglia was lbw to Simon Harwood for 13. Harwood struck again four overs later to take two wickets with successive balls and reduce them to 52-5 after 17. By now Alex Gledhill had replaced Hussain. He took the sixth wicket with the score on 59, and Harwood took his fourth to make it 70-7 after 23 overs.
Harwood came off after bowling eight overs and taking 4-21, nine of which had come from a wayward first over before he settled. He was replaced by 14 year old leg spinner Ahmed Khan, who required just three balls to remove Hill, who had remained in control while the wickets tumbled at the other end. His 28, off 72 balls, was comfortably the highest score of the innings. Khan’s next over was too much for the last two batsmen as he bowled them both to dismiss Park for 84 off 28.3 overs, the last eight wickets having fallen for just 38 runs. Khan finished with 3-9 off 1.3 overs, while Hussain and Gledhill both had miserly figures of 1-9 off six and 1-14 off eight respectively. Lodwick finished with 1-25 off five (though not all of those runs had come off the middle of the bat!), while keeper Will Bancroft held four catches.
Khan then opened the batting with Chris Purshouse, and they added 18 together before the youngster was bowled by the first ball of the sixth over for 7. Purshouse was joined by Matt Marfani and the pair added 37 for the second wicket, comfortably the highest partnership of the match, before Purshouse fell to a diving catch off a skier for 22, off 38 balls. Skipper Ed Stolle went lbw for 5 with the score on 67, but Nick Gunning joined Marfani to see their side home. Marfani survived a blow to the helmet to finish unbeaten with 36, his highest score of the season, off 56 balls. The victory had come after just 21 overs.
Stoke D’Abernon also won to remain second, so Dulwich stay in third place. In their final game next week Dulwich travel to Bank of England, who were top of the table before Dulwich beat them in their first encounter but who have subsequently fallen away and are now fifth. To achieve promotion Dulwich will have to win, and hope that Stoke fail to win their last match, away to Farnham.