An excellent last league weekend for the Club went far beyond our joy at winning the Kent Premier League title for a fourth time.
The 2nd XI, having won promotion to Division 2 last year, needed a win away at Sevenoaks Vine to stay in the division after a campaign ravaged by injuries and absences. But they saved the best for last as the top order shrugged off the early loss of the skipper to set a platform for Tom Foster (pictured), who made a fluent 81, with 2 sixes and 7 fours. He was well supported by Joel Ewan (29) and Rahi Karim (20) before the evergreen James Yandell (37 from 24) put the icing on the cake in partnership with Lucas Brown (26*), to take the 2s to 261/8.
With the ball, early wickets for Foster and Brown put Sevenoaks behind the rate, but it was Kawsar Ahmed who dismantled the middle order with 5/26 from his 10 overs. Rahi Karim (2/13) cleaned up the tail, leaving Sevenoaks 144 all out, and ensuring that the 2nd XI climbed to 7th in the final league table, with a respectable 6-9 record which included a win against champions Tunbridge Wells.
The 3rd XI were victims of the weather as their match at the Academy was called off without a ball bowled due to a soaking wet pitch. They finished 5th in the league table, with an 8-6 winning record.
The 4th XI were inserted on a damp wicket at Sevenoaks Vine, which was giving plenty of help to bowlers of all types. However, the Chairman took advantage of some luck to register a patient 68, containing numerous cheeky singles…much to the consternation of the young, athletic Sevenoaks side! He was well supported by Teddy Andrews (22) and Milind Chohan (26), and this helped the 4s to 160/6 from 40 overs.
With the ball, Josh Steel took 2 early wickets but the Sevenoaks #4 looked like changing the game entirely, with a lovely half-century completed well before drinks. However, a tactic of keeping him off strike while he lost partners to Ben Jiggins' left arm spin frustrated him so much that he lofted two shots straight to long-on. The second of these, off Jiggins, was gratefully accepted by skipper McCaffrey, to conclude a knock of 61 from 52.
Jiggins completed an effective spell of 4/28 by having the #8 sharply caught at slip by Kandampully, and when Josh Steel made it 123/9 by cleaning up the #10, the match looked all but over. However, a brave partnership between the #7 and #11 took Sevenoaks to an equation of needing 10 runs from 12 balls. They made 2 off 4 before Steel crashed the 5th ball into middle stump to finish with figures of 4/44. This win ensured a 5th place finish in Division 8, and a 9-8 winning record.
The 5th XI won an important toss on a wet pitch at Simba. Sadman Ahmed (3/43) took advantage, reducing Simba to 27/4 with help from Upmanyu (9 overs, 1/17). Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with only their captain looking comfortable before he was caught behind off Bijivemula. Brandon Ellison (3/4) cleaned up the tail in 2.1 overs of pace, meaning that the 5s neded to chase 126.
Despite the loss of Wipat and Hingorani early on, Josh South steadied the ship, putting together valuable partnerships with Reader (12) and Alex Davies (20), and continuing on to an excellent unbeaten fifty, as the total was chased in the 27th over, for the loss of only 5 wickets. Unfortunately, Mallu CC also won their own match, so the 5th XI finished only 3rd in the league, despite a 12-3 winning record.
The 6th XI won promotion with a solid 5 wicket win at Charlton Park which is described more fully in a separate article. They finished 2nd in the league, with an 11-5 winning record.
The 7th XI scythed through New Beckenham, dismissing them for 44. Star of the show was Sam Stephens, who took 4/11 with the new ball, well supported by Jack Thomson, Adeel Haider and Sherin Thomas, who all took wickets too. Sharp fielding from the team meant that there were two run-outs as well, which did not advance New Beckenham’s cause. This was never enough and so it proved, as Richard Ward (15) carried his bat to secure a 6 wicket win after 16 overs.
In the only "Week 19" league match, the 7s inserted Beckenham at the Academy. A disciplined bowling performance saw Beckenham dismissed for 122, with no bowler going at more than 3.5 an over. Merwin d'Souza (4/26) proved the dangerman, ripping though the lower middle order, but there were good spells from Sam Stephens (2/31) and Jack Thomson (1/14) as well. With the bat, shudders were sent through the home dressing room when Wardy got a shooter to leave the 7s on 12/2. Happily John Copeland (29) came in and enjoyed a partnership of 46 with Adeel Haider (23*). These were the two highest scores of the match, and from 65/6, they turned the game on its head. Even the loss of Copeland and d'Souza could not stop Blackheath crossing the line, 8 down, calmly guided home by Haider. The 7s have finished in 4th place in the league, with a 7-8 record: a fine achievement in the first year of entering a new team.
With so many available, the club organised an 8th XI to play against Covenant CC. This would probably have been a good match if the XI originally selected had actually taken the field, but in fact there were 4-5 drop outs between selection and matchday, which is unacceptable and not to be repeated. Most of the team was given the opportunity to bowl by skipper Tom Spencer, but the most effective were Talha Sheikh (2/15) and Affan Azeez (2/24). Covenant racked up 269 all out, assisted by 45 wides! With the bat, Michelle Pinto showed her quality with 49 from the top of the order, but the next highest score was her brother Colin Pinto at #10, who made 17. Harry Dillon was left stranded on 8* at the end, as a score of 144 left Blackheath well shy of the total.
Nevertheless it was pleasing to find that the club could field 88 cricketers on the last day of the league season, and also pleasing that a healthy proportion of those 88 seemed to be in the 1st XI changing room dancing and singing a few hours later!
What a season it has been. Up the Club!