Ealing CC Academy Match Report & Scorecard
Ealing CC Academy v Ealing CC 1st XI
Played at Corfton Road on Sunday April 20th 2008
The most eagerly awaited fixture in the Ealing Academy calendar is the one against the club’s 1st XI at the start of the year. It gives those young players seeking to push their case for higher honours a chance to assess just where they’re at in terms of their cricketing development.
Despite the presence of 6 1st XI regulars in the Ealing side, the Academy were quietly confident that they could mount a serious challenge and perhaps even improve upon the previous years when they’d had the club in real trouble only to let them off the hook. Derek Lane hit the first ball of the day for four from Academy stalwart Tahir Afridi yet heads did not drop. Young Oli Wilkin, bigger, stronger and considerably faster than in 2007 got the ball down the other end at a lively pace and a beautiful leg cutter found the edge of Mark Roisbeck’s bat to get Ealing Academy on the board.
Lane played well, preying on any loose offerings but the Academy kept their shape despite a couple of difficult missed chances from the rusty David Holt. An excellent catch at cover by Aaman Soni off brother Ajay secured Ealing Academy’s 2nd wicket when Lane hit out and for the 45 overs of the club’s innings, the Academy bowled and fielded admirably helped by a tight spell by George Palmer and a superb 7 overs from Anand Ashok in which he conceded only 14 runs for 2 crucial wickets. The club closed on 214 for 7.
Ealing CC’s new overseas recruit Jackson Bird opened up for the club and he immediately showed why Australia had capped him at U19 level, bowling with pace and accuracy on a responsive pitch. Some pleasing shots from Ashok were nipped in the bud when Club Coach Ian Blanchett won an LBW decision against him. Ajay Soni and Captain Ned Eckersley followed him back to the pavilion and when vice-Captain Mylo Wilkin chased a wide one from Zubin Bhettay, prospects looked bleak for the Academy.
From the turmoil of 58 for 4, salvation appeared in the shape of the stoutly built Aaman Soni and the blonde all round talents of Oli Wilkin. Defending resolutely whilst hitting the bad ball and running well, the pair put on over 90 for the 5th wicket including one immaculate straight 6 drilled down the ground by Wilkin off 2nd XI skipper Vishal Sethi’s second ball showing age and reputation count for little these days.
Soni’s run out off a direct hit from mid-off for a well made 36 brought in Chris Wakefield but Wilkin, after playing so sensibly for all of his innings, ran down the pitch and had a horrible hack at Sethi’s offspin resulting in him being bowled, also for 36. Wakefield was run out but Afridi had got the measure of the pitch and smashed several boundaries putting the Academy on the brink of victory when rain stopped play.
The 15 minutes break meant a loss of 3 overs and a reduced target - The Academy now required 201 in 42 overs but the light, already bad, was becoming a real issue. A couple more meaty swipes from Afridi helped but some madcap running saw him run out too with young George Palmer squinting at the other end.
At 194 for 8, both results were possible but Ealing CC Captain Luke Stoughton sensibly suggested that the light was unfit and unsafe to play on in and indeed it was – an honourable draw was the result. The Academy were disappointed not to have finished the job yet the reality was that they stood toe to toe with the best club side in London and looked every inch the part in the process. Almost all of them showed what excellent futures they have in the game and they can be proud of their efforts. For some, the greatest test will be when they are selected to play for the 1st XI in league and cup fixtures this year but this performance showed they have all the character needed to do well.
Peter Wellings
Scorecard:
| Ealing CC Academy v | Ealing CC 1st XI | |||
| Played on | Sunday April 20th 2008 | |||
| Innings of Ealing CC | ||||
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Total | |
| Derek Lane | ct Aaman Soni | Ajay Soni | 38 | |
| Mark Raisbeck | ct Mylo Wilkin | Oli Wilkin | 0 | |
| David Holt | Bowled | Anand Ashok | 69 | |
| Luke Stoughton | ct & bowled | Avi Anand | 4 | |
| Steve Scott | LBW | Anand Ashok | 0 | |
| Ian Blanchett | ct Oli Wilkin | Tahir Afridi | 30 | |
| Zubin Bhettay | ct Chatterton | Oli Wilkin | 8 | |
| Neil Fairburn | Not out | 11 | ||
| Jackson Bird | Not out | 4 | ||
| Vishal Sethi | Did not bat | |||
| Matt MacMillan | ||||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Tahir Afridi | 9 | 0 | 65 | 1 |
| Oli Wilkin | 9 | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| Ajay Soni | 6 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| George Palmer | 6 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Avi Anand | 8 | 0 | 39 | 1 |
| Anand Ashok | 7 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| Total | 214 | |||
| Wickets | 7 | |||
| Overs | 45 | |||
| Innings of Ealing CC Academy | ||||
| Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Total | |
| Anand Ashok | LBW | Blanchett | 11 | |
| Ajay Soni | ct Bhettay | Blanchett | 4 | |
| Ned Ecksersley | Bowled | Bird | 4 | |
| Mylo Wilkin | ct Scott | Bhettay | 11 | |
| Amaan Soni | Run out (Bird) | 36 | ||
| Oli Wilkin | Bowled | Sethi | 36 | |
| Chris Wakefield | Run out (Raisbeck) | 1 | ||
| Tahir Afridi | Run out (Bhettay) | 31 | ||
| George Palmer | Not out | 2 | ||
| Richard Chatterton | Did not bat | |||
| Avi Anand | ||||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Bird | 9 | 2 | 27 | 1 |
| Blanchett | 6.5 | 1 | 20 | 2 |
| Bhettay | 6 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Raisbeck | 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Sethi | 9 | 0 | 39 | 1 |
| Fairburn | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Total | 194 | |||
| Wickets | 8 | |||
| Overs | 38.5 | |||
| Bad light stopped play - Match drawn | ||||
