Arthington 1st XI – 102/0 11.3 overs	100 all out – Colton Institute 1st XI 28.4 overs
Harsh Patel: 52* Hari Krishan: 47*	Naveed Piran: 8-4-15-4 Usama Shahid: 5.4-0-27-3

Arthington were looking to take another step forward in their challenging quest to secure another title when they faced their second clash against title rivals in as many weeks, following their defeat of league leaders Beckwithshaw seven days prior. This time, they travelled to Colton, hoping to avenge a loss in the reverse fixture in a rain-affected match in June.

 

Captain Naveed Andrabi won the toss and elected to bowl first, as has been his preference in recent weeks and his decision was immediately vindicated by a wicket in the very first over when Naveed Piran pierced the opening batsman’s defences and crashed a ball into the stumps. Further success followed in the next over, but this time courtesy of a bizarre run out. The remaining opener played the ball down the ground and called for a single. However, it was not until he had reached the other end that the new batsman even set off, as if part of a relay race, by which time a slightly wayward throw from Jahanzaib Rahim behind the bowler was gathered by wicketkeeper Himanshu Satyawan who removed the bails.

 

Five overs of slight respite followed but an in-form Naveed Piran is never far from a wicket these days and picked up two in two deliveries, first by clattering into the stumps for a second time before an LBW with the very next ball left the score 26/4 after seven overs. After a lull of a few more overs, Piran struck for a fourth time in the match, this time via a catch behind by Satyawan following a thin outside edge.

 

The highest partnership of the home side’s innings of 28 runs came after a change in the bowling as the ruthless Piran was replaced by the spin of Sourav Chandolia and captain Andrabi brought himself on then off again without a wicket to make way for Rahul Khode. It was Khode that then made the next breakthrough, a key moment, as the remaining opener after battling hard for his 38 played a uncharacteristically tame shot straight back to the bowler who gratefully took the catch.

 

With the removal of the Colton top six, the writing was on the wall for their innings and though the next two partnerships did reach double figures they were then soon snuffed out, first via a terrific, spinning delivery from Chandolia that went through the gate to unseat the bails before the returning Usama Shahid speared a fearsome yorker in at the base of the stumps that was too good for the home side’s tailender. With the hosts on exactly 100 runs, two more Shahid yorkers ended the innings in consecutive deliveries. The batsman for the first can consider himself slightly unlucky after he had seemingly taken nearly all of the pace off the delivery with the toe of his bat, but what little remained was enough to squirm under and kiss the base of the stumps to gently knock off the bails. There was no such misfortune about the second and final dismissal of the sequence, which would have seen the end of many a talented batsman when it lasered into the base of the stumps. Colton Institute all out for 100.

 

With Arthington in the driving seat in the contest, opening batsmen Hari Krishan and Harsh Patel looked to dominate the hosts further with a quick-scoring opening partnership. After taking a few balls to assess conditions and the home side’s bowling, they got into their work, both scoring comfortably over a run-a-ball to make the chase a relatively simple one. Krishan used the pace of the bowling expertly, scoring predominantly square or behind the wicket on both sides whereas Patel took a more agricultural approach, targeting down the ground and cow corner but often ending up slicing the ball over a despondent slips cordon for boundaries through third man.

 

It took just eleven overs and three balls for the Arthington openers to reach the target. Both batsmen had been keeping up with one another in an apparent race to an unbeaten half-century, but after Patel ended the innings with consecutive boundaries, it was he who ended up on 52 not out, including a six and 11 fours, with just two runs coming from non-boundaries. A splendid ratio. Krishan’s innings was different but no less important and he, too, finished unbeaten, on 47, including 9 fours.

 

The emphatic victory sees Arthington draw level with Colton Institute as the two teams now share identical records of fifteen wins and four defeats. Studley Royal and Beckwithshaw both sit ahead of the chasing pair but crucially must play each other in two weeks’ time which will mean one team dropping points. Arthington may still be reliant on another team doing them a favour in the final three matches of the season and must also target three victories from their own final fixtures, which would extend an already impressive winning streak from six matches to nine, if they are to stand any chance of finishing first.

 

Next week they host mid-table Oulton at the ACG.

 

2nd XI summary – Home against South Kilvington

Arthington 2nd XI – 197 all out 38.4 overs	201/3 – South Kilvington 1st XI 40 overs
Luke Seaborne: 59 Zaid Anwar: 54	Luke Seaborne: 8-0-35-2 Zaid Anwar: 5-1-33-1

Arthington were looking to take another step forward in their challenging quest to secure another title when they faced their second clash against title rivals in as many weeks, following their defeat of league leaders Beckwithshaw seven days prior. This time, they travelled to Colton, hoping to avenge a loss in the reverse fixture in a rain-affected match in June.

 

Captain Naveed Andrabi won the toss and elected to bowl first, as has been his preference in recent weeks and his decision was immediately vindicated by a wicket in the very first over when Naveed Piran pierced the opening batsman’s defences and crashed a ball into the stumps. Further success followed in the next over, but this time courtesy of a bizarre run out. The remaining opener played the ball down the ground and called for a single. However, it was not until he had reached the other end that the new batsman even set off, as if part of a relay race, by which time a slightly wayward throw from Jahanzaib Rahim behind the bowler was gathered by wicketkeeper Himanshu Satyawan who removed the bails.

 

Five overs of slight respite followed but an in-form Naveed Piran is never far from a wicket these days and picked up two in two deliveries, first by clattering into the stumps for a second time before an LBW with the very next ball left the score 26/4 after seven overs. After a lull of a few more overs, Piran struck for a fourth time in the match, this time via a catch behind by Satyawan following a thin outside edge.

 

The highest partnership of the home side’s innings of 28 runs came after a change in the bowling as the ruthless Piran was replaced by the spin of Sourav Chandolia and captain Andrabi brought himself on then off again without a wicket to make way for Rahul Khode. It was Khode that then made the next breakthrough, a key moment, as the remaining opener after battling hard for his 38 played a uncharacteristically tame shot straight back to the bowler who gratefully took the catch.

 

With the removal of the Colton top six, the writing was on the wall for their innings and though the next two partnerships did reach double figures they were then soon snuffed out, first via a terrific, spinning delivery from Chandolia that went through the gate to unseat the bails before the returning Usama Shahid speared a fearsome yorker in at the base of the stumps that was too good for the home side’s tailender. With the hosts on exactly 100 runs, two more Shahid yorkers ended the innings in consecutive deliveries. The batsman for the first can consider himself slightly unlucky after he had seemingly taken nearly all of the pace off the delivery with the toe of his bat, but what little remained was enough to squirm under and kiss the base of the stumps to gently knock off the bails. There was no such misfortune about the second and final dismissal of the sequence, which would have seen the end of many a talented batsman when it lasered into the base of the stumps. Colton Institute all out for 100.

 

With Arthington in the driving seat in the contest, opening batsmen Hari Krishan and Harsh Patel looked to dominate the hosts further with a quick-scoring opening partnership. After taking a few balls to assess conditions and the home side’s bowling, they got into their work, both scoring comfortably over a run-a-ball to make the chase a relatively simple one. Krishan used the pace of the bowling expertly, scoring predominantly square or behind the wicket on both sides whereas Patel took a more agricultural approach, targeting down the ground and cow corner but often ending up slicing the ball over a despondent slips cordon for boundaries through third man.

 

It took just eleven overs and three balls for the Arthington openers to reach the target. Both batsmen had been keeping up with one another in an apparent race to an unbeaten half-century, but after Patel ended the innings with consecutive boundaries, it was he who ended up on 52 not out, including a six and 11 fours, with just two runs coming from non-boundaries. A splendid ratio. Krishan’s innings was different but no less important and he, too, finished unbeaten, on 47, including 9 fours.

 

The emphatic victory sees Arthington draw level with Colton Institute as the two teams now share identical records of fifteen wins and four defeats. Studley Royal and Beckwithshaw both sit ahead of the chasing pair but crucially must play each other in two weeks’ time which will mean one team dropping points. Arthington may still be reliant on another team doing them a favour in the final three matches of the season and must also target three victories from their own final fixtures, which would extend an already impressive winning streak from six matches to nine, if they are to stand any chance of finishing first.

 

Next week they host mid-table Oulton at the ACG.