Middlesex’s EPG Under 16s took on Hampshire Under 16s yesterday in the ECB County Cup quarter-final, in a game played at Welwyn Garden City Cricket Club, however ended up on the losing side, as the south coast side ran out winners by the margin of five wickets.
The day began with Middlesex skipper, Jake Nelson, winning the toss and electing to bat first, and he and his fellow opener Isaac Humphreys put on 25 for the first wicket, before Nelson was dismissed for 14 in the fifth over of the innings.
Another 36 runs were added for the second wicket, before Arran Duguid was run out for 24. Humphreys and number four Anay Maheshwari then added a further 46 runs for the third wicket, taking the score to 107 for 3 when Humphreys was dismissed by Felix Stanley in the 24th over.
Stanley immediately struck again, to get rid of Kajus Syed for a duck, and did so again just two overs later, to reduce Middlesex to 112 for 5, ending Maheshwari’s innings for 26, with all three wickets clean bowled.
A partnership was needed to re-build the Middlesex innings, and thankfully one came, with number six Tyrone Visvakula and number seven Ben Musikant adding 67 for the sixth wicket to take the score to 179 for 6 from 39 overs when Visvakula was dismissed for 32 by Ollie Webster.
Arun Sureshkumar became Webster’s second victim, dismissed for four just two overs later, before Thomas Kottler added a useful 18 from 20 balls, putting on 29 runs with Musikant, with the score on 214 for 8 when Kottler fell in the 46th over.
Musikant fell one short of his half-century, with two overs of the innings remaining, before an unbeaten final wicket stand of 22 between Will Wright (8 off 12 balls) and Abdullah Iqbal (13 off 10 balls) took Middlesex to a competitive total of 247 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs.
With ball in hand Will Wright was entrusted with the new ball, and he stepped up to that responsibility immediately, picking up two early wickets to reduce Hampshire to 29 for 2 in the ninth over of their reply.
Hampshire then rallied, with a crucial third wicket partnership of 92, which was eventually broken by Sureshkumar in the 24th over of the innings, with the score on 121 for 3 and the game right back in the balance.
Maheshwari then struck twice in quick succession to give Middlesex hope, as Hampshire fell to 156 for 5 in the 33rd over, however they were unable to force home that initiative as the Hampshire batters then rallied and built another partnership.
This one would prove match defining, as Hampshire’s skipper, Seb Rowland, batting at number six, and number seven Abdullah Abid, added an unbeaten 90 for the sixth wicket, with Rowland finishing on 50* from 60 deliveries and Abid 41* off 53, as they took their side to a five-wicket victory with eight balls of the match to spare.
Congratulations to Hampshire on their victory and well done to Middlesex’s Under 16s, who should be rightly proud of reaching the quarter final stages of the competition, having topped their group, winning six of their eight group games.
