Hurley brought down to earth in low scoring contest with Emmbrook & Bearwood

Tahir Kazmi

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Emmbrook and Bearwood CC - 2nd XI Vs Hurley CC - 1st XI

Hurley were brought back down to earth with a bump at Lowther Road as the league format changed to Win/Lose/Draw, being bundled out by Emmbrook & Bearwood 2nd XI for a paltry 60 runs and losing a thrilling, if low scoring, contest.

On an afternoon where 19 wickets fell for 121 runs it would be easy to assume that the pitch had a big impact, but this was not the case, only one player could claim to be the victim of a ball that kept low.

In truth, some very good bowling and some poor batting made for an enthralling contest. Home skipper, Will Wells, won the toss and invited the visitors to bat first.

Only three runs were on the board when Saeed Ajmal lofted Toby Morgan to mid-on and Harold Ramsey took the catch.

Adi Kuchimanchi then produced an unplayable delivery to dismiss Mohammad Sharam, and when Tahir Kazmi went back to a full-length delivery, Hurley were reduced to 3 for 2 from two overs.

Morgan and Kuchimanchi continued to bowl well and only Adnan Liaquat from the middle order reached double figures. The fact that six of the Hurley wickets fell to catches says a lot about the temperament of their batting.

When the 9th wicket fell with the score on 41 in the 24th over, the Bears fielders were naturally cock-a-hoop, thinking the innings would shortly be finished. Mubahsir Nabi (12) and Mo Basharat (11) defied the bowlers for another 14 overs, adding a valuable 19 runs in the process.

The Bears reply started well against Fiyyaz Mahmood and Tahir Kazmi, bowling spin with the old ball.

After two overs, with ten runs on the board, an early finish looked inevitable until the first wicket fell. Will Wells was unlucky to get a shooter from Mahmood and when Painter was trapped leg-before by Kazmi in the next over, the Hurley fielders gained some belief. Mahmood and Kazmi continued to torment the batsmen and the pressure got to Akilan Nilavalagan, leading to a senseless run out to reduce the hosts to 22 for 7.

A couple of rash shots later and the hosts were nine down, still needing 26 runs to win. With Mahmood bowled out and Kazmi suffering a shoulder injury, Hurley tried all their bowling options to try and take the final wicket, but Akshay Ravi (10*) and Kuchimanchi (11*) faced over 100 deliveries between them to eke out the necessary runs.

Kazmi returned to try and bowl the 32nd over with 7 runs still needed, but after bowling a no ball which was hit to the boundary by Kuchimanchi, was once again forced to retire injured from the attack, to be replaced by Sharam, whose first delivery was a wide to tie the scores. Two deliveries later, Kuchimanchi punched the ball through the covers for the single required, to the raucous cheers of the home players and spectators. A fitting end to an enthralling contest.

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Hurley CC - Saturday 2XI Vs Penn & Tylers Green CC - 2nd XI

This week brought back the start of the traditional format of 90 overs WLD.

Penn & Tylers Green CC opted to bat first after winning the toss, but their innings was characterized by frequent wickets and a lack of substantial partnerships.

Opening batsman Christopher Yates fell early, caught by Joban Singh off Kuljit Lally for just 1 run. Paulo Vasco played aggressively, hitting 28 runs off 30 balls, including five boundaries, but was bowled by an excellent in-swinging delivery from Joban leaving the score at 43-2 which marked the beginning of a collapse.

Douglas Marriott tried to stabilize the innings with a patient 21 off 43 balls. However, his efforts were in vain as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals. Aled Lewis managed only 5 runs before being caught by Akash Singh off Gurdev Singh.

The middle order offered little resistance, with Ernie Newbold (9), Abhijit Thuse (8), and Mustafa Khalid (11) all falling cheaply.

Suhail Khalid remained not out on 20, showing some fight at the tail, but Penn & Tylers were eventually bowled out for 126 in 36.4 overs. Extras played a significant role, contributing 19 runs to the total.

Chasing a modest target of 127, Hurley's innings got off to a disastrous start. Mandeep Lally was dismissed for a duck of the first ball in the 2nd over, caught by Paulo Vasco off Harry Vaughan.

Akash Singh was bowled by a good delivery that nipped back in from Suhail Khalid for an unlucky 1, leaving Hurley at a precarious 1-2 which looked more like a football score than cricket. Jasdeep Singh played a crucial anchor role, scoring a patient 13 off 80 balls, his first run coming on his 48th delivery, playing a Mike Walton-esque inning.

However this was crucial considering the situation Hurley found themselves in, his steady presence allowed Ravi Singh to play more freely at the other end. Ravi's aggressive 33 off 33 balls, which included three boundaries and a six, shifted the momentum back in Hurley's favour.

Despite losing Ravi at 37/3, Joban Singh (13) and Gurdev Singh (17*) ensured that the innings remained on track, it is fair to say that luck was on Gurdev’s side as he was dropped several times.

Prabinder Singh contributed a quickfire 15 off 15 balls, and Kuljit Lally's unbeaten 12 off 17 balls sealed the victory. Hurley reached the target in 36.5 overs, finishing at 127/6. Extras again played a notable role, adding 23 runs to the total.

Hurley 2nds secured a vital win in a low-scoring encounter against Penn & Tyler 2nds.

Despite early setbacks in their chase, key contributions from Ravi Singh and Gurdev Singh ensured they chased down the target of 127 with 4 wickets in hand.

The disciplined bowling performance, led by Ravi Singh's three wickets, set up the platform for this victory.

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Hurley CC - Sunday 1st XI Vs Binfield CC - Friendly 2nd XI

Hurley Sunday XI recorded their second victory of the season, with a comfortable win over Binfield.

The home side won the toss and opted to bat first, opening with skipper Shoaib Kayani and Haider-Ali Baig.

Binfield chose to open the bowling with the left-arm spin of Nathan Warwick and his first delivery was chopped onto the stumps by Kayani.

This proved to be only a minor setback for Hurley as Jono Patrick (32) joined Baig in a second wicket partnership of 78. Baig (54) played the standout innings of the day and was well supported by Ajmal Ali (29) and Mamoon Majid (27) as Hurley finished on 183 for 8 on a testing track.

For Binfield, Will Guest (3-48) took the bowling honours. After a sumptuous tea, Ben Clark and Pete Henly opened the batting against Singh and Ali. Both batsmen were back in the pavilion with only five runs on the board inside four overs. Clark was trapped leg before by a late swinging delivery from Singh and Henly was bowled through the gate by a ball that cut back in from Ali.

Binfield were never really up with the required rate despite some dogged batting from Ram Deverakonda (25) Jess Jackson (14) and skipper Paul Edgington (34). When Baig removed Deverakonda at 56 for 4, Jackson and Edgington came together in a stand of 39 for the fifth wicket.

Jackson eventually fell to a diving catch off his own bowling by Haines. Gupta was bowled first ball by Awais Hussain, who extracted considerable turn from the wearing pitch. With required rate climbing rapidly, Edgington did his best to try and up the scoring but gloved a Haines delivery down the leg side and was caught by a tumbling Mike Walton behind the stumps.

The fall of the Binfield skipper meant the match was all  but over as a contest, although Potter(19*)  and Short (14) entertained with some late runs before the innings closed on 141 for 8.