Kentish Express Ashford & District
Blake plays key role for league leaders
Premier Division
Beckenham won the battle of the top two to edge closer to Premier Division glory. They beat Tunbridge Wells by four wickets to move 15 points clear at the summit with three games to play. Bexley are now their nearest challengers while defeat sees Wells drop to third place.
Beckenham had their opponents in trouble at
24-4 after three wickets for William MacVicar and one for Mahi Mahfuzul. Alexander Williams offered resistance with 68 off 93 balls, including three fours and four sixes, and Ian McLean (23) also chipped in. Williams become MacVicar’s final victim, the opening bowler finishing with 4-18 as the visitors were dismissed for 166. A gritty 43 from 86 balls by Kent’s Alex Blake put Beckenham in a good position. Ross Piller finished the job with 35 not out from 42 balls.
Bexley moved up to second place with a 47-run success against HSBC.
Skipper Adam Riley made a steady 63 while Matthew Stiddard took a different approach, hitting a lively 50 not out from 29 balls, as Bexley closed on 213-7. Richard Golbourn (4-41) was the leading HSBC bowler. Jason Benn (3-31) struck early in the reply with David Crawley (3-28) and Riley (2-31) also in the wickets, as HSBC were all out for 166.
Canterbury dropped into the bottom two after a six-wicket defeat against relegation rivals Blackheath.
The sides swapped places after Canterbury slipped to 116 all out. The city club made a promising start as Bradley Goldsack (31) and Justin MacVicar (20) put on 37 for the first wicket.
But with those two out,
Joe Gordon (35 off 44 balls) was the only other player to reach double figures as eight wickets went down for 52 runs.
Mohammad Ashraful hit an unbeaten 36 as Blackheath completed a six-wicket success inside 28 overs, leaving Canterbury 12 points from safety. Sevenoaks Vine are effectively out of the championship running following their five-wicket defeat by Bickley Park. They’re 28 points off top spot after losing off the penultimate ball.
Vine closed on 181-8, a total boosted by an unbeaten 63 from No.8 batsman Lorne Burns. Ranjit Singh, with 3-36, was the top Bickley bowler.
Skipper Daniel Mangin (50 not out), Singh (44) and Michael Ridley (40) led Bickley to victory. Sandwich beat Lordswood by 50 runs in a mid-table clash.
Alex Smith made 56 and Jordan Cox 51 as Sandwich closed on 204-9. James Anyon took out the top three, finishing with 3-31. Jack Laraman stuck to his task, hitting 56 off 110 balls, before falling caught and bowled to Matthew van Poppel as Lordswood were dismissed for 154.
Fred Klassen (3-34) and Jan Gray (3-40) were the leading Sandwich bowlers.