PACEMAN Anupam Sanklecha destroyed Chesham with superb figures of 6-19 after Horspath had produced a scintillating batting display to set up a crushing 221-run home win in Home Counties Premier League Division 2.
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| Tom Coleman made 61. Picture: Rob Judges |
Tom Coleman and Jimmy Phillips laid the foundation for Horspath's third straight win by each hitting half-centuries in an opening stand of 108. Coleman was particularly fluent, finding the boundary with regularity before reaching his fifty by turning a delivery from Matt Rance into the legside for a single in the 16th over.
He had made 61 off 60 balls, including nine fours and two sixes, when in attempting another big hit off Umar Aslam he sent a top edge flying to point where Rance ran in to take a diving catch.
Phillips went to his half-century in style with a straight six down the ground off Nouman Aslam, but three balls later the Chesham off-spinner got his revenge by bowling the Horspath left-hander for 52. His runs came off 81 balls and included eight fours.
Elliot Ruff and Stephen Green took the home side to 142-2 at lunch, and kept up the momentum after the interval. They added 60 for the third wicket before Green was trapped lbw by Aslam for 21. Ruff had made 47 when he was bowled attempting to sweep a delivery from Aslam to make it 187-4.
Patrick Foster then took centre stage in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 92 with Sulaiman Hussain, hitting an incredible seven sixes in an explosive display of strokeplay.
He cleared the boundary in all directions, before bringing up his half-century with two runs down the ground to long on. He maintained the onslaught to finish unbeaten on 67 from just 34 balls, with his stunning knock also featuring two fours. Hussain proved the perfect foil with an unbeaten 29, which also included two sixes.
It was a terrific batting show, and allowed skipper Lloyd Belcher to declare with an over to spare. Aslam (3-61) was the pick of a beleaguered Chesham attack.
Sanklecha then quickly reduced the visitors to 28-4 with his opening burst of 3-14, backed up by some good work by Ruff in the slips, while Will Eason also got among the wickets.
Foster tightened Horspath's grip with 3-2 from nine deadly accurate overs, which included seven maidens, as the shell-shocked visitors reached tea at 53-8. Sanklecha made short work of the tail after the break, while Ruff took a third catch.
It was the lowest total Horspath had bowled a side out for in the league - with the previous record being 67, which Tring Park had been rolled over for in a top-flight encounter in 2015 when Adam Price was the chief destroyer with 5-36. It was also a record-winning margin for Horspath and Chesham's lowest total.
The thumping victory sees Horspath shoot up to fourth place in the table.
Posted by: Russ