SACC welcomed Kensington CC from London, the first tourist of the 2023 season, for back-to-back games over the weekend of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th May.
Saturday 13th May 2023
Match Report: SAC vs Kensington CC
Start time: noon
Format: 40 Overs
On the Saturday, after a deciding to bat first, Standard got off to solid start by scoring 42 runs from the first 11 overs before losing their first wicket. Unfortunately, however, a minor top-order batting collapse meant that at one stage SAC was rocking on 59 for 4 before recovering well to post a competitive score of 161 off 40 overs.
After a delicious tea provided by Sonya Jackson, it was Kensington’s turn to bat and some high-quality swing bowling from Standard’s openers meant that after the first 20 overs the London-based team were 5 wickets down with only 35 runs on the board! A few smaller contributions took the score up to 64 for 8, before a 68-run partnership took the score to a respectable 137 off 40 overs before it was back to the bar to mull over the game’s best moments.
The result – a 24-run victory for Standard Athletic CC
Sunday 14th May 2023
Match Report: SAC vs Kensington CC
Start time: noon
Format: 35 Overs
Having won the day’s previous game, SAC’s players arrived in Meudon aiming for a repeat performance. After being put in to bat on an overcast and dewy morning, however, Standard soon found themselves 4 wickets down for only 16 runs on the board off the first 10 overs! In need of a solid partnership, Chris McCarthy and Amarjit Singh began to steady the ship by forming a 38-run partnership before the latter departed for 20 runs. Chris was joined by Shaunak and the two continued as before, taking the score to 87 runs before both batters lost their wickets for 22 and 23 runs respectively. This brought Niseem and Shakeel to the crease and after some watchful defensive strokes, they began building an important partnership with a combination of fantastic running and some lusty blows which included a six off the very last ball! At the end of Standard’s 35 overs both batters had put on a partnership of 61 runs, with Niseem finishing on 26 and Shakeel on 35.
Thanks to Standard’s two solid batting partnerships, Kensington were chasing down a target of 158 runs and after another delicious tea by Sonya Jackson they began their innings. Unlike the previous day’s game, however, they amassed their runs slowly but steadily and at the 20-over mark they were 68 runs for the loss of 4 with Dilip and Amarjit taking two wickets a piece. With 15 overs left, Kensington still required another 80 runs and with their number 4 batter providing steady resistance, they weren’t out of the contest. Shaunak had other ideas, however, and after switching from his regular fast-mediums to off-cutters he managed to hold on to two caught and bowled as the run chase was just starting to look possible. With Standard now into the tail, Standard’s captain Henry opted to tie down the opposition with spin and Andrew McIntyre’s leg-break deliveries in tandem with Shaunak ensured that Kensington finished on 145 runs for 7 wickets, 13 runs short of victory.
The result – a 13-run victory for Standard Athletic CC
Two victories for SAC against a competitive opposition meant that it had been a good weekend for all involved!
