Arthington survive Oulton scare in thrilling comeback win
After putting together back-to-back wins to elevate themselves in the Championship table, Arthington 1st XI were hoping to continue their good run when they travelled to Oulton.
Despite losing the toss, the visitors were asked to bat first, something they have done in all of their matches so far this season but they were quickly on the back foot, losing three wickets in the early stages including those of last week’s century makers Naveed Andrabi and Ridham Satyawan. Hari Krishan then staged a minor recovery in a 44-run partnership with Umar Farooq before the former was caught.
Farooq combined for a further 37 runs with Himanshu Satyawan, with Arthington’s wicketkeeper batsman scoring the bulk of the runs in a quickfire 28 from just 26 balls, including 5 fours. Sadly, the aggressive knock was ended via a catch from his Oulton counterpart, Josh Neal, behind the stumps for his third of five total dismissals on the day.
The trend of promising partnerships being cut short before they could really flourish continued as a 41-run stand between Farooq and Sourav Chandolia ended with Chandolia leaving his ground for the sharp Neal to effect the stumping. Rahul Khode then played straight back to the bowler for a catch for just eight runs and new Arthington signing Usama Shahid could only last one further ball before he was stumped, shortly before the now familiar rescue act of Umar Farooq in the middle order reached his fifty.
Unfortunately, that was the end of the Arthington all-rounders scoring as he hoisted a catching chance into the outfield to be well-taken. His fifty runs came from 81 balls and included 6 fours. A vital knock in the circumstances and one that gave the away side a fighting chance in the match. Several lusty blows from Naveed Piran followed as Arthington were running out of overs and on their last wicket. Piran contributed 24 from just 14 deliveries having reached the boundary with 2 fours and 2 sixes. The away side’s paceman was then run out in the final over to leave the visitors on 198 all out.
When Oulton’s chase began with two early wickets from Umar Farooq, Arthington may well have thought that the game was theirs for the taking, but those hopes were dashed in very little time as the home side’s remaining opener and aggressive number four batsman launched into the bowling at ten runs per over. Such was the manner of the onslaught that the Arthington captain cut short the opening spells of Farooq and Naveed Piran after just three and four overs respectively, opting to take pace off the ball from one end and try his luck with the new recruit and left-arm quick Usama Shahid from the other. However, having started his debut with a golden duck, Shahid’s day did not improve as after just nine balls bowled he suffered a hamstring injury and took no further part in the match. Meanwhile, the home side had reached 100 from just 14 overs with no further wickets falling.
The middle overs were then the responsibility of Sourav Chandolia, Rahul Khode and Arthington skipper Naveed Andrabi. The latter, as has been the case in many matches in the last decade, made the vital breakthrough to dismiss the Oulton number four Ammar Khan. His 61 runs came from just 51 balls and included 10 fours and 2 sixes and he had looked on course to lead his team to victory until Andrabi rearranged his stumps.
A flurry of wickets followed, putting Arthington back into the contest, as the hosts slipped from 122/2 to 155/6. Andrabi’s initial breakthrough paved the way for Rahul Khode to get his name in the wickets column via a clean bowled and a catch by Ridham Satyawan before a vital breakthrough rounded off the key period of play when Sourav Chandolia claimed the wicket of the Oulton captain and opener Jonny Henshaw for 67, via a catch by Hari Krishan.
The second innings then became the Khode show as the Arthington spinner tied the Oulton batsmen in knots and they could barely score a run. There was no shortage of controversy in the closing stages though as first what looked a clean catch by Naveed Piran running in from the deep to scoop the ball up just before it bounced was judged to have hit the turf by the umpire and another apparent edge by an Oulton tail-ender was taken by Himanshu Satyawan but the batsman remained unmoved as did the umpire’s finger.
The early work done by the top order meant that the hosts were still on course for victory and wickets were desperately required. Khode delivered, thanks to two more catches in the off-side by Ridham Satyawan who, having already taken an early chance from Umar Farooq, claimed his third and fourth catches for the match. A terrific performance in the field.
Naveed Andrabi delivered a wicket straight after with another ball that removed the bails. Oulton’s wicketkeeper could not repeat his superb work with the gloves in his side’s quest to reach the Arthington total and could only make one, leaving his side nine wickets down and on the ropes. An anxious four overs later, Khode delivered the knockout blow by beating the defences of the home side’s number ten and ending the match. Arthington won by 18 runs with Khode finishing with incredible figures of five wickets for just 19 runs in his 11.1 overs.
This was an impressive victory for Arthington as, at several points, they had their backs against the wall. Key performances from Umar Farooq with the bat, Ridham Satyawan in the field and Rahul Khode with the ball ultimately delivered all ten points back to Arthington as they move up to fourth in the table. A quick turnaround awaits the 1st XI as they prepare for a cup match against Clifton Alliance on Sunday before they host their next league match at the ACG where they take on Sessay, who share an identical record of three wins and one defeat.
2nd XI summary – Home against Rainton
The Arthington 2nd XI bounced back from their damp and disappointing defeat a week earlier in the best possible way, with a ten-wicket victory over Rainton at the ACG. For the second week in a row, Arthington captain Luke Seaborne won the toss and opted to bowl first.
As is often the case, early breakthroughs were made during the opening spells of Joe Seaborne and Riaz Piran. Seaborne struck first on this occasion via a Piran assist: a well-taken catch at mid-on, coming forward, just as the ball was dipping out of his reach. The other opening batsman had got a couple of shots through the infield to the boundary but was then the cause of his own demise when indecision and a direct hit from Ahmer Sadiq in the covers exposed the Rainton middle order.
Keen to get his name in the wickets column, Riaz Piran then broke through the defences to rattle the timbers and his brother, Inam Piran, replacing Seaborne at the top end had Steve Potter behind the stumps to thank for his wicket after a terrific low catch diving down to his right. At the other end, captain Luke Seaborne was frustrated when two mis-fields resulted in a dropped catch and two boundaries through mid-off, but his frustration was short-lived as a yorker in the following over clattered into leg-stump to leave the visitors five down and in need of a rescue.
The Arthington bowlers, however, kept coming and following a wicket apiece for the first four bowling options, Zaid Anwar helped himself to three more, assisted by a high catch at mid-wicket by Ahmer Sadiq before twice unseating the bails, though on the second occasion he was assisted by a large inside-edge from the batsman.
After a drinks break and at the opposite end, Harsimran Singh, who had already made several key stops in the field reaped the rewards of his fielding off his own bowling when a full toss was hit straight back at him and he took a sharp catch. Singh then wrapped up the Rainton innings as they looked to cash in as best they could with their tailenders and a catching chance was well-taken by Riaz Piran once more. Rainton all out for 90 runs in the 27th over.
Following the less-than-ideal batting display of the previous weekend, the result was certainly not a given at the halfway stage. Umer Khan and Ahmer Sadiq were tasked with opening the Arthington
innings and the former, in particular, began cautiously, sizing up the Rainton opening bowlers. Sadiq was more expansive and quickly began to expressive himself with boundaries through the covers and to an infrequently accessed area of the field behind square on the leg-side, which he found with some regularity.
Once Sadiq had deposited three boundaries beyond the boundary line in the sixth over he was well into his twenties with Khan still on a solitary run, but their partnership was the key to Arthington’s success and remained unbroken. Rainton changed their bowlers after four overs had been bowled from each end and posed the Arthington openers a different question, but they responded in convincing fashion and kept the scoreboard moving.
After bludgeoning a six over long-on, Sadiq’s run-rate slowed but Khan’s picked up, though he was somewhat fortunate to survive two catching opportunities that were put down at mid-on and point respectively. He would go on to be unbeaten on 33 at the end of the innings, including 5 fours.
Sadiq was nearing his half-century and the match its conclusion when he, too, offered up a return catch to the Rainton bowler. Thankfully, this was not taken either, allowing him to take two runs in his favourite area behind square on the leg-side from a subsequent delivery to bring up an excellent fifty. Three balls later after a leg-glance through a vacant fine-leg, the match was over. Arthington reached 92/0 in the 21st over, with Sadiq unbeaten on an excellent 54, including 9 fours and a six.
The convincing victory moves the Arthington 2nd XI into the heart of mid-table in Division Four. Next week they travel to Goldsborough, who now sit top after their win against Sessay & Raskelf.
1st XI Cup summary – Away against Clifton Alliance
Arthington 1st XI were in action on Sunday as well, when they donned their snazzy, new black and gold cup kits to play in the first round of the T20 Championship Cup. After the euphoria of the day before they were hoping to take the momentum from the victory into the changed format and things started well when captain Naveed Andrabi won the toss and chose for his much-changed team to bat first.
After a cautious opening four overs within the six-over powerplay just 18 runs had been scored, as Sajid Hussain and Himanshu Satyawan looked to build an early platform, but that idea unravelled when wicket-maidens were bowled in consecutive overs and Satyawan was given out LBW before Hussain failed to prevent the ball rearranging the stumps.
Hari Krishan and Naveed Andrabi restored some sense of order to the innings and began to increase the scoring rate from a troubling three per over to a more competitive six after the next half-dozen overs. Andrabi was struggling to time the ball consistently, but Krishan had no such trouble and struck several huge sixes over the mid-wicket boundary of the large playing area.
Having dragged his side out of the mire, at least partially, with his 29 from 30 balls, the Arthington skipper lost his wicket when a mistimed cut shot found its way to the point fielder who took a good catch diving forward. Following a match-winning fifty a day earlier, Umar Farooq took to the crease like a man on a match-winning mission and after nudging his first two balls for singles in the 15th over proceeded to take fifteen runs from the next.
The home side could not work out how to bowl to either batsman and the runs continued to flow, including a flurry of three consecutive sixes as first Krishan, after reaching an excellent fifty, struck his fourth maximum of his innings from the final ball of the 18th over and Farooq bludgeoned two huge sixes from the first two balls of the 19th, one towards the pavilion at cow corner and the other over extra cover.
Only four runs came from the final over of the innings, however, along with the loss of three Arthington wickets as the visiting batsmen chanced their arms. Mandora was caught having made 62 runs from 46 balls, striking 3 fours to go along with his 4 sixes. Farooq fell two balls later, caught on the long-on boundary. His blistering 39 came from just 18 deliveries and included 3 fours and the two aforementioned sixes. The final ball of the 20-over innings saw Sourav Chandolia caught in the in-field. Arthington set the hosts 166 for victory for the loss of six wickets.
The chase began in the worst possible fashion for the home side when the opening batsman played onto his own stumps from Umar Farooq’s second ball. Having already had one rain interruption during the first innings, the rain then forced the players from the field once again and, this time, led to the loss of some overs and a recalculation of the target and remaining overs. The revised target was 142 from a total of 16 overs, some of which had already been bowled.
Farooq had been withdrawn from the attack but played a key role in the second wicket when he plucked a one-handed catch out of the air from Javaid Hussain’s first ball to remove the remaining Clifton Alliance opener. A partnership was then formed for the third wicket that brought the match into the balance. The total reached 70 runs from nine overs with both batsmen enjoying what Hussain and the previous day’s bowling phenomenon Rahul Khode presented to them.
The captain then brought himself on to bowl with immediate success, when an attempted pull shot from the home side’s captain was ballooned skywards. With no conveniently-placed fielder in the vicinity, Himanshu Satyawan darted from his position behind the stumps all the way to mid-wicket to take a diving catch. In his next over, the Clifton Alliance number three, who had reached 45 from 35 balls played the ball towards the boundary on the leg-side, ran the first run well, but was overtaken while taking the second by a bullet throw from Javaid Hussain from deep mid-wicket that skimmed the turf, hitting the keeper’s gloves just a moment before they removed the bails.
Despite the wickets, the hosts had kept themselves in the hunt until the start of another Arthington bowler’s spell led to a dismissal, though this time Inam Piran’s first delivery was turned to mid-wicket where Sajid Hussain picked up and threw towards the stumps at the striker’s end and Satyawan removed the bails with the batter well short of their ground. If Piran’s first over going for one run was not enough to seal the victory for Arthington, then his second certainly was, as he conceded just two further runs and also saw another run out, this time by Umar Farooq from the cover boundary with another quick and accurate throw to the wicketkeeper.
With the home side requiring 44 runs from the final over, skipper Andrabi decided it was safe enough to bring 2nd XI captain Luke Seaborne on to bowl the final over of the match and despite the over starting in comical fashion when a simple play and miss went through the keeper’s legs for four byes, only four further runs were conceded and there was even time for a fourth run out when Andrabi produced another excellent throw from the long-on boundary to the waiting Seaborne at the non-striker’s end to complete the dismissal. The final delivery was a dot ball and signalled the end of the contest, with Arthington victorious by a margin of 35 runs according to DLS.
A clinical performance by the 1st XI rounded off a spectacular weekend for Arthington cricket club as both their sides recorded wins in the league, and they were able to progress in the cup. Their opponents in the next round will not be known until a victor is declared between Thirsk and Heworth.
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