A CLUB record partnership of 319 between Luke Quinlivan and Waqas Hussein helped Harrow get their Chess Valley League campaign off to a flying start on Sunday as they beat Hemel Hempstead by 158 runs.

Once Dave Walker was dismissed for 18 with the score on 58, it was left to Quinlivan and Hussein to put on a batting master-class with the ball effortlessly dispatched to all parts of the ground.

Harrow's overseas player Quinlivan registered his first hundred for the club in only his fourth innings. Once he passed that he really cut loose, hitting six sixes in his final 12 scoring shots before being finally dismissed for 184. Waqas Hussein was just as brutal on the bowling, going from 84 to 102 in the three successive balls, each of which was hit out of the ground. The two combined to lose eight balls in some of the cleanest hitting ever seen at Paynes Folly.

In reply, Hemel Hempstead never looked comfortable. Two early strikes from Gopi Navaratnam (two for 35) got Harrow off to a good start, and the mammoth run chase never looked likely.

James Romero's left arm spin was the pick of the bowling with a miserly spell of two for 23 off eight overs. Amit Patel chipped in with two late wickets as Harrow completed a massive victory.

The day before Harrow lost a friendly to South Hampstead in the final over.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Harrow got off to another good start as the openers Aslam (36) and Hussein (50) put on 65 for the first wicket. But tight bowling from Hewans (four for 38) meant that Harrow never really capitalised on it, and despite 23 from Mendis and 32 from Avinash Karia, the home team finished 40 runs short of the total they had looked set for at one stage.

South Hampstead looked to be easing to victory at 103 for two, but fine bowling from the spinners Avinash Karia (three for 45) and Hassan Mohammed (two for 28), meant that South Hampstead suffered a middle collapse and they reach the final over still needing four runs to win. With three balls to go, the winning boundary was hit, as Harrow were left to rue a number of dropped catches.

[25a0] Having had all of their opening games of the season rained off last week, Harrow St Mary's finally got their season underway.

Colt Jalpesh Patel took four for 19 to help skittle Perivale Phoenicans in 28.1 overs before the Saints Saturday first team reached the target in 25 overs with Sam Blennerhassett (27) and Rohan Malhotra (64) making significant contributions.

And it was Blennerhassett who was at it again on Sunday with a 73 run haul. His 109 partnership with Gevindu Liyanage (34), plus 33 from Yogi Patel, was however not enough as Harrow finished on 175 for six, way short of Acton's total of 252 for six.

The Sunday second team overcame Dunstable. Priyan Patel (65), Sajad Juma (45), Prasanna DeAlwis (39), Ben Aitken (31) and Mathisha Dharmasiri (28) all pitched in as Harrow made 236 for nine.

It was a bridge too far for their opponents, who could only reach 200 for nine with Saints bowler Manoj Menon (three for 31) helping turn the screw.

Elsewhere, Pinner stormed to a 91 run friendly win over Rajput Samaj. They racked up 207 for six with John Spencer (56), Sagar Panaskar (29) and Ranjit Bagwe (33) leading the way. Pinner bowled out their opponents for 116 with Sameer Memon (two for 18), Bhavik Thakkar (two for 14), Sanket Shah (two for 18) and Chintal Parikh (two for eight) doing the damage with the ball.

On Sunday Waldo Oosthuizen (three for 20), Andy Rayment (four for 18) struck as Ruislip Victoria were bowled out for 123. Adam Rissen (58) saw Pinner through to an eight wicket win.