Strongroom do just enough
Mill Hill, 6/20/2021
Strongroom won by 26 runs
Strongroom: 225-3 [P.Lichtenstern 72, J.Gower 50, Kishore 46]
Mill Hill Village: 199-9 [Alexander 59, Zalem 41. Kishore 4-40]
View the Scorecard
This game took place after a very wet few days, as a month's rain fell on the preceding Friday. This pleasant ground is on the very edge of London, where countryside begins, and is positioned on a slope surrounded by trees, in something of a dell. The pitch was damp, but surprisingly playable, and conditions were cloudy and humid. DP won the toss and batted.
MHVCCs youth team possessed some decent pace and spin bowlers, and given the conditions the ball swung a fair bit. JG (50) and much welcomed returnee Paul Lichtenstern (72) put on 119 for the first wicket. Paul played with his usual touch of class and sweet timing, whereas JG exhibited his usual mix of solid defence, punchy drives and wild swishes outside off. The slope was awkward at times, especially where bowlers brought the ball back in, making judgment of line a more focused task than usual. Both openers departed with around 10 overs to go, providing a decent platform for to Kishore (46) and Nilesh (32*) to demonstrate their muscle and flair. Kishore struck five 6s in total, and at one stage Niliesh dismissed the first three balls of an over for 6, including one huge strike over the oak tree at square leg and into an adjoining field. We finished on a decent total of 225-3 off 35 overs.
We got off to a great start with a rasping, direct throw from Amith at square leg dismissing their 1st team opener as he turned for a second run that wasn’t there. Our veteran swingers DG and Mario delivered a probing opening spell, with both bowling a full length, allowing the ball to swing and inviting the drive, though the opposition batsmen were in a cautious, rebuilding phase after losing two early wickets. In an otherwise decent fielding display, we put down five catches overall, though some were half-chances. Amith bowled an excellent spell, hitting a full length and bowling a heavy ball. However, with 10 overs to go, the batsmen started to launch their attack, and their no.6 in particular threatened to get close to our total as he slapped three firmly until he mishit a Kishore full toss straight up in the air, which was something of an anticlimax for onlookers. Indrajit bowled a lovely spell of flighted left-arm spin, and overall we did just enough to take this one home. The oppo were an excellent bunch, and we will surely return another day.
The image below shows the two veteran David’s setting up moments before the contest began.
Written By: J.Gower
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