Southgate hold their nerve to beat Kenton by 18 runs and claim maximum points
After losing the toss on a sunny day and on a surprisingly firm pitch given the weather in the preceding week, captain James Dangerfield would have been forgiven for thinking he had misheard when the Kenton skipper said they would bowl first. A surprising move, thought the Southgate first team, which soon made sense as the Kenton captain decided to make the most of his match fee by bowling himself for 27 overs on the bounce.
Initially, that decision appeared justified as runs were hard to come by. With little pace in their attack, a wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps and cannily placed fielders, scoring opportunities were limited. A measured 36 from Sunny Kanuparthi was the standout contribution from the top order before he was caught by a deep-set cover fielder.
The key stand of the innings came in the form of a 47-run partnership between Kunaal Kankate and Scott Ellis, laying the foundations for a defendable total. Ellis, in particular, put his iconic swashbuckling, hockey-esque style to good use with a composed 36 from 54 balls, including several show-stopping sweeps over mid-on for boundaries. Kankate and Ellis departed within seven runs of one another, but a useful stand of 26 between Christian McLoughlin and Daragh Edwards nudged the innings forward. After some audacious reverse-sweep attempts from Laurence Perry, the Gators eventually closed on 148 from their maximum allocation of 55 overs.
Kenton began their chase brightly, finding the boundary early before Daragh Edwards and James Dangerfield settled into a probing rhythm and struck with important wickets.
Tempers threatened to boil over at one stage when Kenton’s number three declined to walk after edging behind, claiming he had hit the ground and not the ball whilst Ellis leapt to complete a one handed catch in front of first slip. In the carnage and choice language that followed from admittedly both sides, everyone forgot how ludicrous it was that the batter-friendly umpire had failed to raise a finger for such a blatant edge, but the hosts ultimately had the last laugh when the same number three, who had threatened with a brisk 22, was eventually pouched at first slip. How ironic.
The turning point arrived with the introduction of seasoned left-arm wrist spinner Laurence Perry in the ninth over. The canny Chinaman made an immediate impact, striking in his first over before producing a remarkable spell of 7-35. The haul included six LBWs (a club record, some have whispered in hushed tones) and a hat-trick ball for good measure.
If we’re being honest, there was a moment when Kenton’s captain, apparently not content with bowling 27 overs, looked as though he might drag his side over the line with the bat. A stubborn ninth-wicket stand of 29 briefly shifted the momentum, but Perry kept his composure, removing the final two batters to secure victory for the 1s and send the already-finished 2s into ecstasy.
Next week, the 1s journey to the far reaches of North West Ealing to take on an Ealing Trailfinders side currently sitting third in the league. Southgate, now up to sixth, will no doubt be buoyed by this week’s efforts as they look to continue their climb up the table.