MIDDLESEX CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET DIVISION ONE

Bessborough 165 all out

Birkbeck College 294-5

Birkbeck College won by 129 runs

BESSBOROUGH’s unbeaten start to the season was ended in disastrous fashion on Saturday.

Boro had gone nine matches without tasting defeat before Birbeck College inflicted a painful 129-run loss at the weekend.

After two comprehensive wins on the bounce, Bessborough were full of confidence going into this one

And despite losing the toss and being asked to take to the field on another baking hot day, the home side made a bright start when Neal Patel (2-64) found the edge of Ali Haider’s bat in the first over without a run on the board.

Then, in the fifth over, Patel knocked down the stumps of Amir Ihsan (13) to put the visitors in trouble at 23-2.

A partnership of 49 steadied the ship, but Bessborough’s first-change seamer Akshay Hirani (2-73) bowled Imran Haider (33) in his third over to put the pressure back on at 72-3.

Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for Bessborough as 154 runs were racked up for the fourth wicket and that allowed the away side to declare on an imposing 294-5 after 50 overs.

Bessborough’s innings was ticking along when Birkbeck made the breakthrough in the ninth over with Syed Musa (3-31) bowling Tharshan Kanagaraj for six.

The away side tightened their grip on the match further in the 12th when Qaiser Rizwan (2-42) got two wickets in two balls. First to go was skipper Dan Hawes (34) and then Talha Junaid for a golden duck.

A 94-run partnership between Alexander Haniff (48) and William Grogan (50) suggested that Bessborough might be able to escape with a losing draw, but a worrying collapse, when seven wickets fell in 11 overs for only 26 runs, gifted the win to Birkbeck.

The defeat means Birkbeck (50 points) leapfrog Bessborough (45 points) into joint second place in the Middlesex Championship.

Meanwhile, Bessborough seconds’ poor run continued as they were well beaten by Middlesex County Cricket League Division 3 leaders Highgate.

Nirav Ghantiwala (4-73) was unfortunate to be on the losing side.

The thirds claimed a remarkable one-wicket win away at Old Actonians after starting the game with only seven players.

Bessborough fourths claimed a magnificent 126-run win against Old Actonians’ fourth-string to move off the bottom and into fourth place of the Middlesex 1987 League Division Five.

Richard Willson (74) and Sahil Hathi (31) produced a game-changing third-wicket partnership of 95 and Colts swing bowler Ravi Vyas proved to be the most dangerous with excellent figures of 4-12 from six overs.

In the same division, MTSSC beat Turnham Green & Polytechnic by five wickets to remain top of the division.