Kentish Express Ashford & District
IN CLOSELY FOUGHT BATTLE
Tenterden
Tenterden finished on the wrong end of a one-wicket defeat against Blackheath in a tense finale at Morghew Park on Saturday.
The visitors, set 262 to win, lost centurion Tanweer Sikandar to a fine catch by Tyler Griffin off Sam Weller and the scores were level when lastman Jahed Miah came in.
Home skipper Ben Price had the field up but Miah and partner Joe Kerridge (23 not out) scrambled home for the winning run, a shy at the stumps missing the target.
Sikander hit 118 off 107 balls including 15 fours and two sixes, proving Blackheath’s match-winner, rescuing them from a troubling 97-6 and benefiting from good support from the tail with former Essex-man Jahid Ahmed (23), Mehdi Abbas (13) and Kerridge, facing a total of 93 deliveries.
Leus du Plooy’s second hundred of the season earlier, helped Tenterden recover from a shaky 12-2. They lost openers Andrew Crawford and Chris Vernon with only 12 on the board.
Du Plooy settled in, helped first by Linden Lockhart (37) and then Price, who hit 40 off 42 balls with six fours, before being fourth man out at 159.
Tyler Griffin and Sam Weller fell in the space of three balls but du Plooy guided the home side to 216-6 with five overs left.
Ali Neale went shortly afterwards but the South African went to his hundred off 116 deliveries before being caught at long-off (245-8).
Ranjit Singh and Tom Richards added 16 at the end, the latter hitting the last ball of the innings for six.
Rob Sparks made 71 as Tenterden 2nds won by 44 runs at Dartford.
Paddy Collins (47) Alistair Burge (44) and openers Tim Russell and Ben Daking both with 37, were the other main scorers in a total of 276-6.
David Walker was the star performer in the home side’s reply, hitting 145, with only two other batsman making double figures as Dartford finished on 232-8.