Middlesex’s D40 Second Eleven missed out on silverware as they lost out to Cheshire by 31 runs in the Pursuit League final at Kidderminster Cricket Club yesterday.
Having won the toss and electing to bat, Cheshire reached 217 before being dismissed in the 38th over, with 2.4 overs unused at the Chester Road Cricket Ground.
The wickets were shared around by the Middlesex bowlers. Joe Batten (2/16), Connor Flaunty (2/36) and Shaurya Deshmukh (2/18) all took two wickes each as Matthew Dix, Neil Magdani, Ben Mason and Haroon Rashid claimed a scalp apiece.
Cheshire Captain, Dom Develing, top-scored with 38 and had support down the order from Sam Gilham (36) and Stephen Redfern (30), whilst opener, Josh Brown, made 35.
In the chase, Magdani was the stand-out batter for Middlesex – scoring 76 off 97 balls before being forced to retire as per league rules. Batters must retire when they reach or pass 75. Nasseer Butt and Rashid made the only other scores of note, making 39 and 20 respectively before the side was bowled out for 186 in the 39th over.
Kieran McKinney was the top Cheshire bowler, taking 3/23 from six overs.
Yesterday was the culmination of a superb season for our D40 Second Eleven, who won four of their league matches – defeating Essex (twice), Surrey and Sussex – before moving past Isle of Wight in the semi-final earlier this month.
Despite the result, everyone at Middlesex Cricket is extremely proud of the achievements of this group, who will no doubt bounce back and go one step further in 2025!
