Leaders display vulnerability

Indoor cricket

So they’re not invincible after all. Unbeaten in the Pharon Indoor Cricket League since last November, Christ Church University 1 crashed to successive defeats in the space of 48 hours.

First, the reigning champions and league leaders lost to Canterbury 1.

Then, on Tuesday evening, their great rivals, UKC 1, were able to defend a total of 82 and win by seven runs.

Not only did UKC gain sweet revenge for the result of their previous meeting – when CCCU won by one wicket – they opened up the title race.

The top three, Gravesend 1, Canterbury and CCCU are level on 16 points from 10 games.

UKC had batted first and, despite Nick Vanhoottoghem’s 24 and Tom Wroot’s 22, would have hoped for a bigger score.

But, apart from Graeme Francis and Mike Rose – 20 runs each – CCCU did not respond with their usual flair. UKC bowled so tidily that CCCU lost four batsmen run out desperate to keep the scoreboard moving.

It seemed appropriate that CCCU’S first defeat should come against the team they are trying to emulate, Canterbury 1.

And it was also fitting that late on Sunday, three of the Canterbury squad that won national honours at Lord’s in 2011 should play key roles.

Justin Macvicar ( 30 not), as aggressive as ever, hit the winning runs off the second ball of the final over as Canterbury chased a total of 105-3.

Ben Cooper, who had seen two catches go down (one to himself) off his own bowling, played a little cameo in mid-order before retiring on 26 with a six.

Paul Steer, 65 not out for Canterbury 2 earlier in the day, was promoted to open with Macvicar and shared a stand of 50-plus before being run out for 23. One sensed it was going to be Canterbury’s evening when Steer, at point, produced a flick of the boot Wayne Rooney would have been proud of, returning the ball to the top of the stumps for a run out.

With the exception of Francis, who carried his bat for 43, CCCU had struggled to set Canterbury a challenging target.

Max Campbell took two students’ wickets and achieved a run out while on his backside and only a late flurry of 58 runs in the last five overs raised students’ hopes. By contrast, Canterbury scored at a more consistent rate and a six from Campbell in the penultimate over left CCCU with the almost impossible task of taking three wickets in the last over.

As a result, with Gravesend 1 beating UKC 1 by one wicket on Sunday, they and Canterbury went joint top with CCCU.

In the relegation zone, Littlebourne 1 made 133-5 against Canterbury 2. Buzz Gould was 63 not out and his brother, Sully, run out for 35, but Littlebourne still lost. With Steer last man standing, Canterbury required three to win off the final over.

Steer took a single off Graham Gould’s second ball but, before and after, he bowled wides.

Street End 1 literally slipped into joint last place with Littlebourne. Their six-man team fell one short when Muhammed Ahmad suffered a knee injury in a pre-match warm-up and could not play against Whitstable 1.

Not for the first time, Paul Betts (43 not) was the mainstay of Street End’s innings, making virtually half his side’s 88-3.

Whitstable openers Lawrence Hills and James Loader, who both retired, exploited the absence of a fielder during a half-century partnership and Whitstable moved off the bottom, winning with five balls and five wickets in hand.

Whitstable 2 gained their first Second Division points – by one wicket – thanks to Ben Rutherford, not out 42, after UKC 2 had been restricted to 76-5.

Best performance in Division 3 came from Canterbury 3’s James Gray, whose 63 not out took them past CCCU 3’s 116-3 with three balls to spare.

Canterbury’s fifth wicket fell in the seventh over but Gray batted through, hitting six fours and 12 threes. Also successful in a run chase were Margate 2, who had two balls left when they overtook Grasmere Park’s 121-4.

The division had been thrown into confusion by the two Gravesend 6ers teams – newcomers to the league – not fulfilling fixtures in successive weeks. Both have been fined £30, docked two points and two points given to their opponents.

They have also been warned that if there are any further non-appearances they will be expelled. Similarly, Sheldwich who failed to turn up to play Margate 1, have also been punished.

Saturday is finals day for the under-15s. St Lawrence & Highland Court and Street End, who could not field teams last week, will not be competing.

Broadstairs, the league champions, will be hoping to complete the league/cup double again.