Chase slows to halt in drawn match

Dodgers 171 – 8

Weekenders 170 – 2

Match Drawn

Nine Weekenders travelled to Chiswick for an encounter with the Dodgers at the sixties architectural treasure trove that is the civil service sports ground.  With five debutantes, skipper Jeyaratnam opted for safety first by inviting Dodgers to have first use.  A stout opening stand of 65 by occasional Weekenders Taylor and Radcliffe saw off the fiery opening stints of Dibley and new boy Orwell.  Erasmus then struck in his first over before both Lee (no relation) and Radcliffe fell to grubbers.  Haseem picked up his second wicket with a peach, bracketed by a pair of run-outs including a direct hit from Lee.  De Silva spun some sharp leg breaks to pick off a couple more, including the determined McBarron.  Some quick running and late hitting saw Dodgers finish on a challenging 171 – 8.

 Weekenders kicked off the chase with a solid stand of 99 for the first wicket.  When Lee was dismissed for 36, having withstood a barrage of sledging, the run-rate was a very gettable 5 ½ an over but momentum stalled a little as Hogben ran out of steam and the Dodgers bowling tightened up.  Cousins in particular tied up one end with a mammoth 17 over spell.  When Hogben finally fell for a magnificent 60, 46 were needed off five overs.  Some sharp running and beefy hitting from De Silva, including a mammoth six, got the equation down to 12 off the last over but the valiant chase fell two short, and one short of a remarkable second consecutive tie.  A sporting draw was a fair result in a cracking game played with great spirit by two well-matched sides.

Champagne moment: Erasmus's Austin Powers-esque cry of “yeah baby!” as De Silva's huge hit sailed into nearby gardens.  

 Dodgers 171-8

Taylor ct De Silva b Erasmus 28

Radcliffe b Haseem 40

Lee (other) b Malik 9

McBarron st Lee b De Silva 33

Westhead Run Out (Orwell) 0

Carr b Haseem 0

Raj Run Out (Lee) 9

Matthews ct Hogben b de Silva 6

Cooper (J) Not Out 15

Lowe Not Out 1

DNB Cousins

Dibley 7-2-24-0

Orwell 6-0-25-0

Malik 5-0-25-1

Erasmus 6-0-23-1

Haseem 4-0-28-2

De Silva 5-0-28-2

Jeyaratnam 2-0-12-0

Weekenders 170-2

Lee ct McBarron b Cousins 36

Hogben b Cousins 60

Erasmus Not Out 21

De Silva Not Out 32

DNB Jeyaratnam, Dibley, Haseem, Orwell, Malik

Raj 5-0-23-0

Cousins 17-1-74-2

Cooper (J) 4-0-26-0

Lowe 8-0-47-0

Match Drawn