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Del blockathon seals draw after Sunbury post 300

Del blockathon seals draw after Sunbury post 300

Antony Ireland16 Jul 2018 - 12:55
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https://www.reigatepriorycc.co

By Paul Bridge

An obdurate 66 not out in 170 balls by Reigate’s Andy Delmont prevented Sunbury from bowling out Reigate Priory on Saturday at the Geoff Kaye Memorial Ground, thereby ensuring the game ended in a draw which maintained Reigate’s lead at the top of the Surrey Championship tables.
Martin Andersson, a Middlesex contracted player, made hay for the Sunbury side as the sun shone all day long, scoring 114 in 119 balls on a pitch that offered little to the Reigate bowlers.
After winning the toss, Sunbury openers Sam Burgess and skipper John Maunders put on 60 runs in the first hour together before the first drinks break. Burgess was out soon after, leg before to Will Hodson for 31.
Maunders, who had been dropped on the square leg boundary on 26 not out, shortly before the drinks break, was next to go at 107-2 when he was leg before to Luke Beaven for 42 in the 25th over.
Andersson by this time already had 34 runs to his name and with new partner Chris Green, an Australian who played for Sunbury three years ago and is known for his appearances for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash league, now put on another 50 partnership in 12 overs together.
When Green was out, leg before to Michael Munday for 20 at 152-3, Andersson had advanced to 59 not out and was experiencing little difficulty with either of the two Llama spinners – Beaven and Munday.
By now both of these spinners were into a marathon session of bowling, whirling away for 37 overs in tandem. It was hot work and with a lightening-fast outfield, economy rates suffered as both bowlers were being hit for an average five runs an over.
Rhythm Bedi came and went, bowled by Munday for 4 at 158-4, before Armaan Randhawa joined Andersson for the largest partnership of the innings.
In recent games against Sunbury, Randhawa has taken a liking to Reigate’s bowling attack. This innings was the same, his contribution being 42 runs from 36 balls with five 4’s and two 6’s in a partnership of 64 runs, before he was caught in the deep by Beaven off Munday’s bowling.
Ishwarjot Singh scored 13 in a partnership of 26, before being bowled by Munday at 248-6 and then wicket-keeper Conor Fulton joined Andersson in the fourth 50-plus partnership of the innings, that took Sunbury to the 300 run mark.
Andersson, who had hit his first 50 runs in 65 balls, maintained a similar rate of scoring for his second 50 runs, reaching his century in 133 balls. Since term ended at Leeds University, Andersson has played three innings for Sunbury, hitting two centuries and scoring a total of 256 runs at an average of 85.63.
In the 61st over of the innings Fulton hit his second 6 of his innings and then a single to leave Andersson with the three remaining balls of the over. These went for a 4 and a 2 when, either out of tiredness or beaten by the skill of the bowler, Andersson was bowled by Beaven for 114 at 300-7, whence Sunbury declared.
Reigate’s spinners left the field for a well-earned rest, Beaven having bowled 24 overs for his 2-118 and Munday having bowled 18 overs for his 4-94.
A target of 301 runs with a minimum 60 overs, particularly with such a fast outfield, seemed a possible target for Reigate to reach. However the visiting side never were able to keep up to the required rate and where Sunbury were able to pierce the field with ease, Reigate as often as not seemed to find the fielder, instead of the boundary.
Delmont, always a watchful batsman, was partnering a Richie Oliver who was playing with great restraint at almost a Boycottian speed (36 runs from 58 balls).
The partnership ended when Green, the off-spinner who uses his height (6 feet 3 inches) to spear the ball down towards the batsman, found some bounce and had Oliver caught as he edged the ball to Maunders at slip at 56-1 in the 17th over.
In came Brad Scriven for his first game of the season, following a shoulder injury. Instead of looking out of touch, Scriven started to bat as if he’d been on the cricket field all season. But while he was scoring comfortably enough, his scoring rate was slow. When he was caught at short mid-off by Green off Ajit Sambhi’s spin, he had scored 34 runs from 57 balls – a strike rate of 60, very similar to Oliver’s 62, with Delmont already playing an anchoring role with a strike rate to match at 45.
At 120-3 in 35.3 overs, Reigate now needed 181 more runs for the win in 25.3 overs remaining, at an asking rate of 7.10 runs per over.
When skipper Chris Murtagh was out soon thereafter, caught behind off Sambhi’s bowling for 1 at 126-3 and Sam Hall was caught by Bedi, again off Sambhi, for 1 at 130-4, Reigate shut up shop and played for the draw.
Angus Dahl stayed with Delmont for over 16 overs, scoring 19 in 57 balls before skying paceman Singh to Andersson at 170-5.
Neil Saker lasted two balls before being bowled by Singh, with the score now at 170-6, and when Ali Raja took a wild swipe at Singh, first ball, it took some calming words from Delmont to ensure no further wickets were lost.
With the 60 overs completed and Reigate on a score of 175-6, Delmont was left undefeated on 66. His 50 had taken 112 balls and the other 16 runs took a further 58 balls.
To the annoyance of some home spectators, the Priory played out the last 20 overs of the game scoring only 45 runs.
And for those who like their cricket fast and furious, Delmont’s innings was not for them. But for those who see a virtue in never giving in, when the occasion demands such fortitude, Delmont’s innings was a fine one that displayed guts and determination.
In his last four times at the wicket, the Australian all-rounder has scored 345 runs for just twice out, an average over these four games of 172.5.
Reigate picked up six points for the draw and Sunbury, with the faster scoring rate, 10 points. Reigate’s lead at the top of the Championship over Weybridge was shaved from 25 points to 23 points after this game.
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