Dulwich claim win by 58 runs at league leaders Banstead

BY JOHN LEWIS

BANSTEAD 127 (24.4) lost to DULWICH 181-9 (30) by 58 runs (D/L)

Dulwich took a young side with five teenage players to Banstead for their penultimate game of the season in Division 1 of the Surrey Championship and defeated the league leaders by 58 runs in a rain-affected match.

Dulwich elected to bat, but the innings had lasted only two overs when rain drove the players from the field with the score on five without loss. The interruption lasted for nearly three hours, and resulted in the reduction of the match to 30 overs a side. On the resumption, the score had advanced to 17 in the fifth over when Ollie Steele fell for 8. bringing in Apoorv Wankhade to join Ollie Sykes. The pair went on the attack, adding 19 off just ten balls before Sykes fell for 17, at a run a ball, with the score on 36. Wankhade now took control, advancing the score rapidly while wickets fell steadily at the other end. The score had reached 98 in the 19th over when the sixth wicket fell, with Wankhade having just reached his 50 off 35 balls.

He was now joined by Robbie Keaton, who played a solid supporting role in a stand of 48 in 5.4 overs for the seventh wicket, which ended when Wankhade was caught behind down the leg side for 81, off just 55 balls. Keaton then kept the scoreboard moving, taking his score to 37 not out off 30 balls, mostly in company with Patrick George, making a rare first-team appearance, who made 10 off 14. The last six overs yielded 35 runs to see the innings close on 181-9 at the end of their 30 overs. The DLS app adjusted the target to take account of the rain delay, leaving Banstead a demanding186 to win. 

Four of Banstead’s five bowlers had been spinners, but Dulwich by contrast opened with their two quickest bowlers, who launched a blistering attack that tore the innings apart. Harvey Booth took a wicket in each of his first two overs, both caught behind by Keaton. Jacob Emler struck in his third over with a fine slip catch by Wankhade, and Booth struck again in the next over with another slip catch, this time by Kaif Ramzan, to reduce Banstead to 22-4 after seven overs. Ramzan joined the attack in the tenth over and took a wicket in his second over and two in his fourth as Banstead declined to 58-7 after 16 overs. With Jon Lodwick unable to bowl due to a back injury sustained while warming up, the last three wickets were able to take advantage of the less experienced change bowling, adding 69 off just 8.5 overs. The innings was polished off by Wankhade who took the last three wickets in successive overs to dismiss Banstead for 127 after 24.4 overs. He finished with 3-9 off 2.4 overs, while Booth had 3-14, Ramzan 3-25 and Emler 1-23, each off five overs.

This was Dulwich’s fifth victory in successive completed matches and lifted them one place to fifth in the table. They can feel satisfied with their convincing victory over the leaders, who nonetheless secured promotion due to results elsewhere going their way. Dulwich’s final match is at home to Malden Wanderers, whose promotion hopes were extinguished by an unexpected defeat to Camberley, but who remain in third place.