HARROW TOWN 95 all out (36.3 overs) SOUTHGATE 96-0 (17.2 overs)
Southgate inflicted a crushing defeat on bottom of the table, Harrow Town, at The Walker Ground on Saturday, as they cruised to their fifth win in their last six games.
The visitors bravely elected to bat first, but suffered an early blow when James Murray, after a fine piece of fielding, at extra cover, threw the ball to Phil Dunnett for an easy run out.
Mikey Stevens then produced the perfect leg stump yorker to dispose of the Number 3, and then the other opener top edged a ball from Darragh Edwards, and super athlete, Phil Dunnett, ran 20 yards to catch the skier.
With the home opening attack of Darragh Edwards and Mikey Stevens at their very best, wickets fell regularly, aided by three more catches by Dunnett, two standing up to Stevens, and one diving to his right off Edwards. These were followed by a brilliant stumping off Stevens.
Five ‘victims’ and a run out by Dunnett.
Brilliant!
At 71-8 Liam Babwah, on debut, fresh from Aberdeen University, entered the attack, and although wicket less on this occasion, laid very positive foundations for his future with the Club, and indeed earlier, had held a splendid catch over his head to give Stevens his fifth wicket, giving the latter excellent final figures of 5-28.
At the other end of the age scale (with due respect) Dave Woffinden finished off the innings (2-10) with his usual guile.
Sometimes small targets can be very difficult to achieve.
Not on this occasion.
Against a perfectly reasonable bowling attack Mike Stevens (51 not out) (yet another man of the match performance by him) and James Murray (41 not out) just ‘smashed it’ from the start.
Stevens, in top form, scored off front and back foot, whilst Murray scored mainly with aerial drives on the off side, and the target was easily reached at six runs an over in just over an hour.
Southgate are very much in a winning mood at the moment, and it is imperative that this good form continues as the next three matches are repeats of the first three fixtures of the season, each of which was lost.
Peter Jouning