CRICKETER CUP FIRST ROUND
Haileybury Hermits 108 all out
Old Merchant Taylors’ 113-3
OMT won by seven wickets
OLD Merchant Taylors’ recorded a convincing victory against Haileybury Hermits in the first round of the Cricketer Cup on Sunday.
Simon Noach produced another match-winning performance by taking six wickets for 25 in an eight over spell which tore apart Haileybury’s middle-order batting.
OMT team manager Philip Newfield said: “A most efficient team performance, backed up by several fine individual contributions, enabled us to avenge the heavy 2008 defeat we suffered at their hands.
“We now intend to build upon the momentum that this victory has given us and to raise our standard of play and intensity in the second round, in order to progress further in this year’s competition.”
In the morning session, Haileybury made a fine start with Sam Billings, currently on the Kent playing staff, looking particularly impressive.
At 48 for no wicket, the signs were beginning to look ominous for OMT, but once both openers had departed, the innings lost momentum and the OMT bowlers took the initiative.
Two wickets for Sohan Modi and one each for Jawwad Rasheed and Jehan Jeffrie, making his Cricketer Cup debut, set up Noach to rip through the rest of the batting and Haileybury collapsed to 108 all out after 36 overs.
While the result was never seriously in doubt, OMT took a cautious approach to the run chase.
The openers Phil Wise (35 not out) and Ash Mehta (33) waited patiently for the bad ball to hit and there was a period in the middle of the innings when the runs almost dried up due to some accurate bowling.
It was left to Modi to see OMT home with a few lusty blows. The target was reached with seven wickets in hand and 14 overs to spare.
OMT will be away to the winners of Old Cliftonians and Uppingham Rovers, whose match was abandoned due to weather, in the second round on June 30.
Meanwhile, Old Merchant Taylors’ Saturday firsts saw their match at Falkland cancelled at the weekend in Thames Valley Cricket League Division 3B.
The seconds were held to a draw with Datchet, despite a dazzling display from 15-year-old Shivam Chauhan.
Chauhan, signed as an overseas player from India while he is on a short three-week training camp at Merchant Taylors’ School, managed to hit an astonishing 157 not out off just 109 balls on his debut, with 16 fours and one six.
