MIDDLESEX COUNTY LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Stanmore 168
Ealing 172-7
Stanmore lost by three wickets
SIX Middlesex CCC second-string players took to the field on Saturday as Stanmore failed to topple leaders Ealing.
Stanmore lost by three wickets but that does not truly reflect the stranglehold the table-toppers had on the match as the hosts’ batsmen failed to rise to the occasion.
The home side lost the toss and were put in to bat, making a bright start as the scoreboard soon showed 32-0, but things took a turn for the worse and it soon read 77-7 and the writing was on the wall for Stanmore.
Skipper Marc Reingold (47) and young paceman Abishek Kulkarni (32) helped push the total to 168 and it was never likely to be enough against such a strong side.
Ealing took to the crease with swagger, but an early wicket from Kulkarni gave Stanmore hope of salvaging something from the match. It was a false dawn.
Opener Oliver Wilkin did the damage with 92 for the visitors, eventually bowing out after a smart catch from Steve Mehra.
A late flurry of wickets, claimed by Jake Whiteaker, reduced Ealing to 167-7. However, the result was never in doubt and Ealing remain top of the division.
Meanwhile, Stanmore beat Eastcote in the third round of the ECB National Club Championship on Sunday.
Opening batting pair Omar Anwar (88) and Navin Samarakoon (77) fired their side to victory by 165 runs.
