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Oliver and Tahir ease 1s into 2nd round of National Cup
Antony Ireland18 May 2018 - 05:10
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Oliver hits 131; Tahir takes five on debut. By Paul Bridge
A sublime 131 not out in 107 balls from Reigate’s Richie Oliver and 5-28 from medium-pacer Mobeen Tahir, making his debut in the 1st XI, was more than enough to see Reigate Priory comfortable winners over Old Hamptonians of Division Four of the Surrey Championship on Sunday in a Round 2 fixture of the ECB National Club Cricket Championship.
But Old Hamptonians never looked to be pushovers in the 40-over game and a resolute unbeaten 10th-wicket partnership of 37 runs in 10 overs by Old Hamptonians wicket-keeper Matthew Bendelow (27*) and skipper Richard Brown (8*) prevented Priory winning the game outright after Tahir had spearheaded a bowling effort that had reduced the visitors to 99-9.
As it was the Priory won by a margin of 103 runs as the final score of 136-9 by Old Hamptonians was still a long way from Reigate’s run-a-ball 239-5.
Oliver was the only batsman in the two sides who looked at ease on a relatively slow pitch. Indeed, aside from Oliver, only two other Reigate batsmen scored over 20 with Rory Haughton’s 26, Reigate’s second-highest score.
Had the Priory opener been caught by Joe Wheeler at long off when he was 37 and the score 67-1, the game might have had a completely different complexion. Oliver also was dropped at extra cover by Neil Lizieri off Bilal Chohan’s bowling, but by then the former Worcestershire cricketer was on 79 and Reigate were 143-2.
Oliver and Henry Tye put on 61 runs for the first wicket before Tye was well caught by a diving Lizieri at deep point for 63. Oliver and Angus Dahl, who was skippering the side for the first time, then put on 36 together before Dahl was out for 11.
Haughton and Oliver then joined together in the biggest partnership of the innings of 67 runs before Haughton was bowled for 26.
By now Oliver was on 87* and while two other batsmen came and went (Will Dahl run out for 3 and Beaven caught for 14) Oliver kept up his run-scoring pace with his hundred coming off 86 balls. His final tally of 131 not out from 107 balls included one 6 and fifteen 4’s.
Many of those boundaries were cover drives and off drives, strokes which give Oliver’s batting such elegance.
When the visitors went in to bat openers Lizieri and Chohan showed immediate intent with Chohan hitting a six into the pavilion area in the second over of the innings off Johnny Flanders, a Priory Under-17 bowler, also making his debut in the firsts.
The opening pair put on 48 runs together before Will Hodson in the 11th over of the innings bowled Chohan for 22.
Lizieri followed a few overs later when the introduction of left-arm spinner Beaven, as first change bowler, immediately put a damper on the scoring rate. In his third over Beaven had Lizieri well caught by Will Dahl, another 1st XI debutant, in the covers.
By now Tahir was bowling from the Blue Anchor End. A 4th XI player last year and a 3rd XI player so far this year, Tahir nabbed his first wicket for the 1st XI thanks to a brilliant piece of fielding by his skipper Angus Dahl. Shajeel Butt, rated the best of the Old Hamptonians batsmen, hit the ball over Dahl’s head at cover point. Dahl turned and ran and as the ball came down he dived to make a spectacular and athletic catch.
Now at 77-3 after 20 overs, and needing a required run rate of over eight runs an over, the wheels came off the Old Hamptonians innings.
Michael Munday, the Priory’s new leg-spinner from Horsham, had left-hand batsman Toby Godfray stumped by Haughton for 4.
Then in his last two overs Tahir cut a swath through the middle and lower order by taking four wickets in 12 balls, three of them caught behind by Haughton.
Flanders nipped in with his first wicket by bowling number 10 batsman Ben Dowse and in just 11 overs Old Hamptonians had slid from 77-2 to 99-9, seven wickets falling for just 22 runs.
Tahir had finished his eight over spell and no matter which bowler Angus Dahl then put on to bowl, no-one could dislodge the last wicket pair. Indeed Bendelow’s 27 was the second-highest score by any batsman in the game, after Oliver. But Oliver, of course, had made 104 more runs!
Oliver had to be Man of the Match. But how many bowlers, like Tahir, come up from the 4th XI to the 1st XI and take a fifer? This is possibly one for the Reigate Priory record books but it would take a long time to research.
But Old Hamptonians never looked to be pushovers in the 40-over game and a resolute unbeaten 10th-wicket partnership of 37 runs in 10 overs by Old Hamptonians wicket-keeper Matthew Bendelow (27*) and skipper Richard Brown (8*) prevented Priory winning the game outright after Tahir had spearheaded a bowling effort that had reduced the visitors to 99-9.
As it was the Priory won by a margin of 103 runs as the final score of 136-9 by Old Hamptonians was still a long way from Reigate’s run-a-ball 239-5.
Oliver was the only batsman in the two sides who looked at ease on a relatively slow pitch. Indeed, aside from Oliver, only two other Reigate batsmen scored over 20 with Rory Haughton’s 26, Reigate’s second-highest score.
Had the Priory opener been caught by Joe Wheeler at long off when he was 37 and the score 67-1, the game might have had a completely different complexion. Oliver also was dropped at extra cover by Neil Lizieri off Bilal Chohan’s bowling, but by then the former Worcestershire cricketer was on 79 and Reigate were 143-2.
Oliver and Henry Tye put on 61 runs for the first wicket before Tye was well caught by a diving Lizieri at deep point for 63. Oliver and Angus Dahl, who was skippering the side for the first time, then put on 36 together before Dahl was out for 11.
Haughton and Oliver then joined together in the biggest partnership of the innings of 67 runs before Haughton was bowled for 26.
By now Oliver was on 87* and while two other batsmen came and went (Will Dahl run out for 3 and Beaven caught for 14) Oliver kept up his run-scoring pace with his hundred coming off 86 balls. His final tally of 131 not out from 107 balls included one 6 and fifteen 4’s.
Many of those boundaries were cover drives and off drives, strokes which give Oliver’s batting such elegance.
When the visitors went in to bat openers Lizieri and Chohan showed immediate intent with Chohan hitting a six into the pavilion area in the second over of the innings off Johnny Flanders, a Priory Under-17 bowler, also making his debut in the firsts.
The opening pair put on 48 runs together before Will Hodson in the 11th over of the innings bowled Chohan for 22.
Lizieri followed a few overs later when the introduction of left-arm spinner Beaven, as first change bowler, immediately put a damper on the scoring rate. In his third over Beaven had Lizieri well caught by Will Dahl, another 1st XI debutant, in the covers.
By now Tahir was bowling from the Blue Anchor End. A 4th XI player last year and a 3rd XI player so far this year, Tahir nabbed his first wicket for the 1st XI thanks to a brilliant piece of fielding by his skipper Angus Dahl. Shajeel Butt, rated the best of the Old Hamptonians batsmen, hit the ball over Dahl’s head at cover point. Dahl turned and ran and as the ball came down he dived to make a spectacular and athletic catch.
Now at 77-3 after 20 overs, and needing a required run rate of over eight runs an over, the wheels came off the Old Hamptonians innings.
Michael Munday, the Priory’s new leg-spinner from Horsham, had left-hand batsman Toby Godfray stumped by Haughton for 4.
Then in his last two overs Tahir cut a swath through the middle and lower order by taking four wickets in 12 balls, three of them caught behind by Haughton.
Flanders nipped in with his first wicket by bowling number 10 batsman Ben Dowse and in just 11 overs Old Hamptonians had slid from 77-2 to 99-9, seven wickets falling for just 22 runs.
Tahir had finished his eight over spell and no matter which bowler Angus Dahl then put on to bowl, no-one could dislodge the last wicket pair. Indeed Bendelow’s 27 was the second-highest score by any batsman in the game, after Oliver. But Oliver, of course, had made 104 more runs!
Oliver had to be Man of the Match. But how many bowlers, like Tahir, come up from the 4th XI to the 1st XI and take a fifer? This is possibly one for the Reigate Priory record books but it would take a long time to research.
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