Dulwich beat Old Wimbledonians by 13 runs to keep alive hopes of beating the drop

After a match of fluctuating fortunes, it was Dulwich who emerged victorious, winning their bottom of the table clash in Division 1 of the AJ Fordham Surrey Championship at home to Old Wimbledonians last weekend.

Dulwich chose to bat,and took full advantage of the fielding restrictions to add 50 in eight overs before Ollie Steele fell for 33, off 32 balls, writes John Lewis.

Ollie Sykes, 17, took over the charge, dominating a partnership of 87 in 13.3 overs with James Schofield but both fell in successive overs.

Sykes was the first to go, having raced to 74, his highest championship score, off just 62 balls, while Schofield fell for 17 off 35. Skipper Chris
Purshouse, Robbie Keaton and Dan Crowley were each dismissed for 10 as Dulwich declined from 137-1 to a precarious 170-6.

Ahmed Khan and Jon Lodwick added 70 in 14 overs for the seventh wicket. Lodwick was the first to go, having played a valuable supporting role in making 24 off 49 balls.

Khan advanced to his maiden championship fifty before falling for 55, off 52 balls, with the score on 254.

Sammy Fookes, making his first-team debut, and Kamran Munawar took the score to 271 before both fell to successive balls for 12 and six respectively as Dulwich were all out for 271 off the first ball of the final over.

Despite the loss of a wicket to Crowley in the third over, Wimbledonians also took advantage of the fielding restrictions to put on 64 in the first 11 overs.  But the spin of Khan and Alex Gledhill slowed the scoring rate as the next 11 overs brought just 41 runs.

Fookes joined the attack and dismissed Sushant Marathe with his second ball for 58.

Purshouse continued to rotate his spinners and was rewarded when Gledhill removed opener Tim Sealy-Fisher for 66 with the score on 167 in the 34th over. Skipper Clint McCabe went on the attack and the 200 came up for just three wickets in the 40th over.

But the Dulwich spinners kept chipping away. Fookes took the fourth wicket with the score on 201 in the 41st over, Khan got the fifth at 214 in the 44th, and Fookes claimed the sixth at 247 with the last ball of the 47th over, leaving 25 required off the last three overs.

The spinners were now bowled out, with Gledhill taking 1-41, Khan 1-44 and Fookes 3-49 off their 10 overs.

Purshouse turned to his pacemen, and Crowley bowled the 48th, conceding six runs to leave 19 wanted off two.

Lodwick bowled a superb penultimate over, conceding just one run and taking the vital wicket of McCabe, who had made 57.

Crowley hit the stumps with the first two deliveries of the final over, and the last wicket pair could only manage four singles off the last four balls to give Dulwich victory by 13 runs.

Dulwich collected 20 points to move jointh ninth with Old Wimbledonians. They visit Beddington, just four points ahead of them, tomorrow.