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Played at Victoria Park, pitch 3
Report by Faisel Mahboob
The Old Follopians suffered a disappointing defeat on a lovely
Friday evening, as the opposition chased down their total of 162
with an over to spare, despite some resilient individual
performances with the bat.
The day got off to a chaotic
start, with Ziggy pulling out at the eleventh hour to a football
injury on Friday morning (!) and Jack Wright left stranded on a
train platform, desperately trying to catch a train back in time for
the fixture. Their late withdrawals forced a reshuffle, handing a
debut to Imran, whilst John also stepped in to bolster the ailing
side.
Losing the toss, the Follopians were inserted on what
appeared to be a good surface.
Openers Hamza and Imran
justified their promotions with composed half-centuries, sharing a
rapid stand that saw the scoreboard ticking along at approximately
ten runs per over with some potential chances being offered. Ahsan
came in at number three after arriving to the game 30 minutes late
and maintained the aggressive tempo, unfurling a series of elegant,
proper cricketing shots.
The innings lost its way somewhat
when Faisel fell victim to a cleverly disguised slower ball, and
Salman endured a torrid time in the middle, struggling to find any
fluency.
The innings closed on a competitive, though perhaps
under par, total of 162.
The defence of the total began
poorly, with Salman’s opening spell proving expensive as he conceded
16 runs per over. Ahsan, however, produced a magnificent spell of
bowling, claiming two crucial wickets and applying much needed
pressure, whilst Hamza offered able support from the other end.
It was the fielding that proved to be the side’s undoing;
several misfields and lapses in concentration allowed the opposition
to keep their noses ahead in the chase, and they reached their
target comfortably with an over to spare.
Scorecard
Scorecard available on Play
cricket
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