Promoted sides set pace
Division 4 Division 2
There are new leaders at the top of Division 4.
Staplehurst’s 101-run defeat to Old Colfeians left the door open and Frindsbury stepped right in. A six-wicket victory for the Medway side against Bapchild takes them 11 points clear of Kings Hill, who are back in the top two thanks to a win over Downham & Bellingham.
The three teams jostling at the top all came up last season from Division 5, where they also occupied the top three places. Staplehurst’s hopes of making it back-to-back titles suffered a blow as they were bowled out for 119 by Old Colfeians.
The Old Boys batted first and posted 220-6. Home captain Jonathan Radhakrishnan top scored with 50 while Josh Kelleher was dismissed one run short of his own half-century. In reply, Staplehurst lost opener Graham Ward for a golden duck and although the second-wicket partnership of Gregor Paterson (49) and Matt Simpson (19) led to a recovery, there were few runs elsewhere.
Bill Betts (13) was the only other batsman to make double figures.
Frindsbury will hope to cement their place at the top this weekend with a game at home to lowly Walmer, although a win for the Hull Park side on Saturday took them out of the bottom two. Bapchild were the hosts for Frindsbury on Saturday and gave them a target of 174 to chase. Leading run scorer for Bapchild was their captain Ricky Dale, hitting 52 before being caught by Sam Dudgeon off the bowling of Sean Holbrook (2-36). Dave Coyle (2-19) had dismissed both of Bapchild’s openers.
In reply, Josh Duane was bowled for one by Owen Harrison, to give brief hope to the Swale side, but the second-wicket stand between Coyle (74) and captain Robert Sait (45) put Frindsbury back in the driving seat.
Kings Hill bounced back from last week’s defeat with a big win over Downham & Bellingham. Hill’s openers Neil Scott (79) and Mohammed Cowdhury (85) frustrated the Downham bowlers and helped pave the way for a score of 306-8.
Ian Playfoot added 46 to that total and still had plenty of energy to help finish the opponents off with the ball, taking 4-14 in nine overs, four of which were maidens.
Shaun McMurray also picked up four wickets as Downham were skittled out for 114. Walmer’s second win of the season came against High Halstow.
They successfully chased down 239-4 with the second-wicket partnership of Alex Butler (80) and Chris Etherington (59) putting them on course.
High Halstow may have thought they had done enough against a side who were all out for 201 the week before. Openers Andrew Maurice (76) and Ciaran Fredericks (83) had got High Halstow up and running while Christopher Whatman (61) was going along nicely before being run out.
While Butler and Ehterington top scored for Walmer, Eoin McGrath (26), Andy Furness (24 not out) and Keiran Marsh (14 not out) also contributed as they got home in the 47th over. Rainham are the side sitting just outside the top three and they picked up 18 points with a 68-run victory against Addington Village.
Batting first, Rainham posted 276-9, with opener Michael Tyrer (112) scoring his maiden Kent League century. Tyrer had gone into the game in good form having also hit a century in midweek, scoring an unbeaten 100 in a friendly against Gravesend.
Tom Grinstead (73) was Addington’s leading run scorer in reply but was one of four to be dismissed by Chris Small (4-48). Chris Rolfe was unbeaten on 39 for the Villagers but they were out for 208 in the 42nd over. Minster demolished longtime Division 2 leaders Ashford to move top for the first time this season.
The Islanders posted 351-6 and then skittled Town for 138 to win by 213 runs. Fabian Cowdrey made 174 and James Thompson 112, sharing a big fourth-wicket partnership.
Opener Cowdrey eventually fell to Andy Allon while Thompson, dropped at the start of his innings, was removed by Ben Allon. Cowdrey said: “James was given a lifeline early on with a dropped catch for single figures. You can’t drop someone like him and get away with it.”
Dan Masters took charge with the ball, taking 6-56, as Ashford’s unbeaten record unravelled despite from 47 from skipper Ben Allon. Ashford’s defeat keeps the door open for The Mote to challenge for the top two. The Maidstone side’s home ground has received the best ratings of any club in the top three divisions from umpires this season.
But Sidcup’s track was far from a batsman’s paradise with The Mote – third in the table – having to work hard for their 29-run victory. Skipper James Marriott (61) made his first half-century of the summer, after dropping down the order while Matt White hit 50 as the visitors closed on 204-7.
White (3-49), Tom Harvey (3-15) and Laurence Waters (2-33) ensured Sidcup were bowled out for 175.
Marriott said: “It’s a key win against a decent side when you look what happened in the Minster game.
“It was an important toss to win because the pitch didn’t look the best to me, and it didn’t play the best.”
Malinda Thotiwilage and Garry Cook shared an opening stand of 242 as Dartford chased down a big total against OD CUACO.
The hosts had it all to do after Chris Webster (71) led CUACO to 274-7.
But with Thotiwilage unbeaten on 168 and
Cook hitting 76, Dartford completed a five-wicket win with two overs to spare. Chestfield beat bottom side Whitstable without losing a wicket. Conor Moldrich (6-22) starred with the ball as Whitstable slipped to 133 all out.
Dominic Chambers (92 not out) hit 12 fours and six sixes as Chestfield raced to victory after 15.5 overs. Captain Daniel Patching was the other unbeaten batsman, firing eight fours in a knock of 41.
Old Wilsonians moved out of the bottom two at Orpington’s expense following an eight-wicket victory over their drop rivals.