Coleman stars with brilliant club record 133 for Horspath

OPENER Tom Coleman excelled with a club record 133 in the Home Counties Premier League, but it couldn't prevent Horspath falling to a seven-wicket defeat at Division 2 leaders Slough. 

His brilliant knock surpassed the 130 made by Sulaiman Hussain, who only set Horspath's previous best on June 5 this season during the 74-run win at home to Amersham. 

Tom Coleman hit 133. Picture: Rob Judges

After they had been put in to bat, Coleman took Horspath to 211-8 - by coincidence exactly the same total from which Hussain made his 'record score. 

But on an excellent batting pitch it didn't prove enough as Slough stormed to victory with opener Kamran Younas smashing an unbeaten 121. 

Light rain led to a delayed start with the match reduced by four overs with both sides losing two from their allotted amount, but Coleman was quickly into his stride putting on 47 for the first wicket with Pete Ades. 

Strong through the covers, he raced to a half-century and took the score to 92 with Jimmy Phillips, before Horspath suffered a mid-innings collapse. 

Five wickets went down for just 20 runs, but Coleman found much-needed support from Will Hawtin and went to his century with a superb square cut for four off left-arm spinner Ali Akbar Raja in the 44th over. 

The pair had added 55 for the seventh wicket when Hawtin was caught by Josh Lincoln off Naveed Akhtar for 24. Coleman notched up the club's record score with two runs off Raja Ikhlaq Nawaz in the 55th over. 

He had faced 172 balls and hit 21 fours before his chanceless innings finally came to an end in the last over when he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Josh Lincoln off Ali Akbar Raja, who finished with 5-72 from 22 overs. 

Anupam Sanklecha struck early in Slough's innings with Yaqoot Rafiq skying a catch to captain Lloyd Belcher in the covers with the score on 15, but then Younas and Josh Lincoln got on top of the Horspath attack. 

They added 53 for the second wicket before Lincoln was caught by Coleman at long on off Belcher for 26. Younas cruised past fifty, before Mohammed Avas Anwar was caught by Sanklecha at mid-off off Luke Heritage to make it 108-3. 

But there was to be no further success for the visitors as Younas and Dan Lincoln (32no) shared an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 104. 

Younas completed a sparkling century with two runs through the covers off Jehan Mohammed in the 28th over. He hit 13 fours and three sixes in his 89-ball innings as Slough clinched victory off just 30.4 overs.

Posted by: Russ