Sat 6th July - 1st XI v Old Hamptonians

OLD HAMPTONIANS 149-8 (28) drew with DULWICH 179 (40)

Dulwich travelled to Old Hamptonians for the first match between the sides in Division 1 of the AJ Sports Surrey Championship, but were unable to force a victory on a rain affected day and had to settle for a losing draw.

Rain wiped out the morning session, and there was a further delay after 5.2 overs. The match was therefore reduced to 70 overs, with the side batting first limited to a maximum of 40. Dulwich were put in to bat, and James Schofield and Ahmed Khan put on 38 in 9.2 overs either side of the rain break. Khan was the first to go, having made 19 off 26 balls. His dismissal precipitated a collapse in which six wickets fell in 13 overs for 44 runs. Schofield was the fifth wicket to fall, having made 38 off 56 balls, but the next four batsmen all failed to reach double figures.

Harvey Booth and Michael Harms thus came together with the score on 82-6 in the 23rd over, and together they set about rebuilding the innings, putting on 44 in ten overs before Harms fell for 20. Booth took his score to 29 before falling at 151-8, but by now Kaif Ramzan had already launched a blitz in which he scored 38 off just 21 balls and propelled Dulwich to a defendable total. He was out to the second ball of the final over, and the final wicket fell off the last ball to see Dulwich dismissed for 179.  

Hamptonians had just 30 overs to get the runs, which was subsequently reduced to 28 by a further short rain break. Booth dismissed their captain in his second over, but the other opener Ben Chippendale got them up with the rate by smashing 38 off 29 balls. It took the introduction of Khan, in the eleventh over, to turn the tide. He dismissed Chippendale with his first ball and went on to demolish the Hamptonian innings, taking six wickets in his first eight overs. Ramzan chipped in with the fifth wicket, also with his first ball, and the eighth wicket fell with the score on 127 off the first ball off the 25th over.

Dulwich pressed hard for the last two wickets, but keeper Jack Berg did a good job of shielding the number ten batsman from the strike. With the winning draw already secured, a curious mixture of overthrows, boundaries and byes off the last seven balls of the innings lifted Hamptonians to 149-8 after their 28 overs. Berg remained unbeaten with 45 off 41 balls. Khan finished with the remarkable figures of 6-27 off nine overs, his best return for the Club. This was his third haul of five or more wickets this season and takes his tally to 27 in eight matches.

None of the other leading teams fared any better against the weather, and Dulwich remain in third place. This completes the first half of the season, and next week the return fixtures commence with a visit to Old Wimbledonians, who are currently bottom of the table. Dulwich trounced them in the first meeting between the sides, and will be looking for a repeat performance to maintain their position in the table.