NORTH Middlesex will put one hand firmly on the Premier Division title this Saturday if they can beat Shepherd’s Bush in their own backyard.
Victory at the New Ground would see Jacob Miltz’s side move 17 points clear with just two games to go in the Middlesex County Cricket League.
The leaders missed the opportunity to strengthen their grip on the silverware at the weekend when they suffered a two-wicket defeat against Teddington at Park Road in Muswell Hill.
Having been put into bat first, opener Ross Forrester offered some early stability as he scored 44 off 93 deliveries. But support was in short supply with fellow opener Will Fort departing for 12 runs, while Miltz scored six and Will Vanderspar managed just 10.
North Midd were struggling on 98-4 when a momentum-changing partnership between Ben Lockrose and Divyanshu Bhartiya gave the home side renewed hope.
Lockrose posted 42 off 71 deliveries, and Bhartiya averaged a run a ball for his 43 as the scoreboard climbed to a more competitive 168 before North Midd lost another batsman.
But with Callum Donnelly picking up wickets at regular intervals for the visitors on his way to recording figures of 4-49, North Midd managed just 29 more runs before being bowled out for 197 off 50 overs.
With a quick glance at the scorecard showing that six of the nine players who got to bat for Teddington failed to make double figures, you’d be forgiven for thinking that North Midd managed to defend their lead. But one mighty knock proved the difference, with Aaran Amin scoring 114 not out in a match-winning innings that included no fewer than 12 fours and six sixes – leading Teddington to their winning total of 201-8 inside 42 overs.
The good news for North Middlesex is that despite the defeat they remain top of the table after Shepherd’s Bush lost by just five runs away to Richmond.
Elsewhere, Hampstead were beaten by 137 runs at home in what proved a big-scoring encounter against Stanmore.
The visitors piled on the runs, with openers Travis Norris and Shandy Ratnakumaran hitting 81 and 54 runs respectively. Anshuman Rath added a further 63, and Daniel O’Driscoll smashed 69 as Stanmore finished their 50-over innings on 385-6.
Despite the efforts of Amogh Karpe, who was bowled just one run short of his century, that proved too rich a total for the home side. In the end, Hampstead were bowled out for 248 in the 45th over; a defeat that leaves them dangling worryingly just above the relegation places.
It puts even more pressure on their next fixture this Saturday, when they will be travelling to a Crouch End side sitting third in the table.
