OMT frustrated by rain as match is abandoned
Taylors’ were chasing 171 after great bowling performance
OLD Merchant Taylors’ were left frustrated by the unsettled weather on Saturday as persistent drizzle put paid to their run chase against Wooburn Narkovians.
OMT were positioned nicely as the game was abandoned, having dismissed Wooburn Narkovians for 171.
Armaan Mahmood was the pick of the home side’s bowlers taking 6-57, backed up by skipper Kavir Vedd 3-50.
Mark Tennant provided the most resistance, compiling a very measured 65.
In response, Taylors’ started positively reaching 39-0 off 10 overs before the umpires decided to bring the contest to a premature end.
It meant the two sides shared seven points each to add to their Thames Valley League Division 3B tallies.
Old Merchant Taylors’ seconds picked up 14 points from an attritional and tense draw away to Burnham in Division 6A.
The toss was lost for the first time this season and OMT were predictably inserted in overcast conditions with rain forecast.
And portents were not good with Suhel Virmani dismissed in the first over.
However, a superb stand of 111 between Guy Edwards (69) and Chris White (25) soon showed that it was less of a bowlers day than first expected, with Guy Edwards in particular, released from the shackles of captaincy, finally compiling his first league 50, with several well-timed on drives in particular catching the eye.
And though the rain soon arrived, play continued on and runs continued to flow as the rest of the innings saw contributions from all, with first ball sixes from both Paul Katz and Ed Hikmet the highlight, and OMTs finished on an above par 226-7.
Burnham predictably came flying out of the blocks, and with the ball not swinging, they soon raced to 76 without loss off the first 10 overs.
It was the guile of the everreliable Neil Richards that brought OMT back into the game, in conjunction with the sharp-thinking work of Ed Hikmet behind the stumps – first an opener was stumped off Rohan Maini when he wandered out of his crease and did not return, and then a more conventional stumping when the other opener charged Richards and did not make contact.
And Maini and Richards ensured a good phase of play for OMT as Burnham fell to 122 for 5. However, the sixth wicket proved hard to come by until the returning Paul Katz had the opposition captain caught at point.
The final 10 overs saw a terrific effort from all members of the OMT side to ensure an undeserved defeat was avoided, with Paul Katz and Neil Richards, who took two for 46 off 20 overs unchanged, showing all their experience to restrict the opposition batters.
Burnham finished just five runs short of their target.