Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Race on to join the top flight
Indoor cricket
With top honours in the Pharon Indoor Cricket League settled, which two from the Second Division cluster will emerge to deal with the might of Kent League clubs and universities next season?
After some extraordinary goings-on at the Kent Academy on Sunday, who goes up to replace Sturry 1 and Canterbury 2 is anyone’s guess.
Not only did the bottom side in Division 2 beat the leaders, but one team’s bowlers gifted 60 wides and no balls to their opponents. That ridiculous total was more or less the winning margin of CCCU 3’s victory over Margate 1.
Opening for CCCU – who totalled 167-4 – Michael Griffin carried his bat for 49, the next best individual score being 11.
Margate made a plucky response thanks to Harry Brooks (33), Dave Benfield (28) and Josh Williamson (20) but lost by 61 runs.
Whitstable lost the leadership to Gravesend 6ers 1 – relegation candidates at the start – beat them by three wickets. Fraser Coupe (37 not Results, Under-13s’ League Chestfield Red Caps 97-4 St Lawrence & Highland Court B 53-7. Chestfield won by 44 runs. St Lawrence & Highland Court A 95-4 (M. Sturge 27ret, O. Curtiss 25ret) Street End 85-6 (T. Dolan 23, J. Cox 18not, H. Marsh 15; O. Curtiss 2-19). St Lawrence won by 10 runs. Faversham 114-2 (H. Goss 28ret, H. Fulton 26ret) Canterbury 45-5. Faversham won by 69 runs. Broadstairs 120-4 (D. Moore 28not, C.amos 25ret, H. Shivelnear 18, O. Jordan-smith 16not) Chestfield Blue Caps 102-5 (S. Camp 20, G. Mitchell 25ret, O. Jordan-smith 2-15). Broadstairs won by 18 runs. Seniors, Division 1 Sturry 1 57 (K. Jessup 20, D. Gentry 15) UKC 1 58-0 (S. Nicklesen 25not, D. Vernon 24not). UKC won by six wickets. Street End 1 68 (S. Gransden 15, Arun out), James Loader (29 not out) and Josh Smith (22) built a Whitstable total of 109-3 which Gravesend swept past with 10 balls to spare. Ghous was 34 not out and Fiaz and Asif reached the 20s.
Now top of Division 2 are Harbledown. Should they show consistency, they have the skills to get promoted.
In a game dominated by batsmen, they beat UKC 2 by four wickers with an over left.
For UKC, Ben Tosland, Daniel Bird, Matt Sayles and Tom Burns were all undefeated in ths 20s but Harbledown’s first four – Henry Roberts (33), Neil Turner (27), Nat Ozane (26) and James Sutton (25) – were also not out.
In a grand First Division finale to what has been a memorable season for the champions, Canterbury 1 preserved their 100% record with a 24-run victory over Christ Church University 1, 2-15) Gravesend 69-5 (Virrenderb 19not, T. Stewart 2-12). Gravesend won by one wicket. Sturry 1 99 (D. Gentry 43, J. Fagg 17, B. Rutherford 3-25) Canterbury 2 100-3 (B. Rutherford 48not, P. Walker 25ret). Canterbury won by three wickets. Canterbury 1 124-4 (F. Hulbert 45not, T. Davis 22, O. Bone 16; A. Griggs 2-42) CCCU 1 100-4 (J. Wheeler 30not, A. Rydon 19, A. Griggs 15). Canterbury won by 24 runs.
Division 2 CCCU 3 167-4 (M. Griffin 49not; J. Williamson 2-49); Margate 1 103-4 (H. Brooks 33, D. Benfield 28, J. Williamson 20; S. Hackney 2-30). CCCU won by 61 runs. Whitstable 109-3 (F. Coupe 37not, K. Smith 22, J. Loader 29not); Gravesend 6ers 1 110-3 (Ghous 34not, Asif 25not, Fiaz 23; S. Rutherford 2-27). last year’s winners.
With an all-round performance fitting the occasion, Canterbury showed why they have forgotten what it is like to lose.
In their 14th and final match they scored 111-4, Freddie Hulbert being 45 not out, then held the runners-up to 100-4. CCCU’S Jack Wheeler was 30 not out.
Canterbury skipper Justin Macvicar, a member of the squad that triumphed in the national final at Lord’s in 2011, had the last word.
Having bowled his three overs of pace for a mere seven runs, he was under the balcony to hold a spectacular diving catch from Todd Jordan’s fierce straight drive.
Canterbury now play in the county finals at the Kent academy on February 4.
UKC 1 thrashed Sturry 1 by six wickets to finish third. Sturry were dimissed for 57. They also lost to Canterbury 2 by three wickets.
Gravesend, who made hard work of passing Street End’s 68 by one wicket, are fourth. Gravesend won by three wickets. UKC 2 119-2 (B. Tosland 27, D. Bird 25ret, C. Burns 22, M. Sayles 24not); Harbledown 121-2 (H. Roberts 33not, N. Turner 27not, J. Sutton 25ret, N. Ozane 25ret). Harbledown won by four wickets. Fixtures, Saturday Under-13s’ League 10am Chestfield Red Caps v St Lawrence & Highland Court A; 11.15am Chestfield Blue Caps v Faversham; 12.30pm St Lawrence & Highland Court B v Canterbury; 1.45pm Broadstairs v Street End. Sunday, Seniors
Division 2 10.45am CCCU 3 v Whitstable; noon CCCU 3 v Margate 1; 1.15pm UKC 2 v Margate 2; 2.30pm Littlebourne v Gravesend 6ers.
Division 3 3.45pm Faversham v Grasmere Park; 5pm Sturry 2 v Chestfield; 6.15pm Sheldwich v Street End 2. Division 1, final table
PW L Ps R/R Canterbury 1 .. 14 14 0 28 10.67 CCCU 1 .......... 14 11 3 22 9.96 UKC 1 ............ 14 8 6 16 8.05 Gravesend .... 14 7 7 14 8.04 Street End 1... 14 6 8 12 8.95 CCCU 2 ......... 14 6 8 12 8.45 Canterbury 2 .. 14 3 11 6 8.12 Sturry 1 ......... 14 1 13 2 6.79
Division 2 Harbledown ..... 7 5 2 10 CCCU 3 ............ 7 4 3 8 Whitstable 1* ... 7 5 2 8 Margate 2 ........ 7 3 4 6 Gravsd 6ers 1 .. 6 3 3 6 Margate 1 ........ 9 3 6 6 Littlebourne ..... 9 3 6 6 UKC 2* ............. 7 3 4 4 **points total adjusted 9.54 9.90 9.27 9.26 9.07 8.57 7.71 9.55