![]() |
Mark Skelton top-scored wth 37 |
Having elected to bowl, Horspath were unable to stop Slough rattling up 243-6 off their 50 overs. Fahim Qureshi and Mohammed Avas put on 41 for the first wicket as skipper Will Eason and Liam Manley struggled to find their range.
The introduction into the attack of overseas player Darryl Brown, though, brought a rapid reward when he had Avas caught at first slip by Will Eason with his third delivery. But Qureshi was then joined by Linconshire's Conrad Louth and the pair had shared a second-wicket stand of 100 when the former was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher.
Slough kept up the momentum, and Shahid Yousaf had put on 88 for the third wicket with Louth and taken the score to 229 before he was caught at long on by Mark Skelton off Tom Cosford's off-spin. That was the start of a Horspath fightback with four wickets going down for ten runs.
Louth, who had survived a couple of chances, fell two runs later to the same combination for an excellent 106 off 127 balls, which included a six and eight fours. Eason then bowled Daniyal Akhtar and Brown won an lbw decision against Feroz Baig as the hosts were pegged back in the closing overs. Cosford finished with 2-37 from his ten overs, while Brown returned figures of 2-45.
Horspath were reduced to 16-2 in their run chase with Robbie Eason bowled by Mohammad Haroon via his elbow and fellow opener Tom Coleman lbw to Ikhlaq Nawaz. James Fitzjohn and Jimmy Phillips, on his return to the side after a year away from the game, put on 53 for the third wicket before the latter was caught at mid-on off Ali Akbar Raja for 23.
The left-arm spinner then accounted for Fitzjohn (28), who was stumped by Fasil Noor, making it 80-4. Brown had made 20 off 13 balls with a six and a four when he was caught by Louth at mid-wicket off Yousaf as Horspath stuttered to 93-5. Cosford was next to go with the score on 103, caught at first slip by Yousaf off Bobby Sher for a run-a-ball 12. And when Yousaf picked up his second wicket with Will Eason caught at deep square leg by Akbar Raja to make it 115-7, Horspath were facing a heavy defeat.
However, the tail wagged with Skelton and Jamil Faruq putting on 47 for the eighth wicket, before the latter was caught at long on by Qureshi off Baig for 20. Skelton and Belcher took the score to 177, before the former was run out for 37 going for a third run following a mix-up. But Belcher hit two runs off the last ball off the innings to take Horspath to 180-9 and a third batting point. Yousaf finished with 2-13, while Akbar Raja picked up 2-30.
Posted by: Russ