Cricket: Dulwich maintain unbeaten start to Surrey Championship season

Dulwich recorded their second successive victory in Division 1 of the Surrey Championship, travelling to Walton on Thames and winning by five wickets on Saturday.

Dulwich won the toss and invited their opponents to bat.

After receiving some unaccustomed stick in his first over, Harvey Booth struck in both his second and third overs to reduce Walton to 24-2 after five overs.

James Madoc-Jones joined opener Sam Gorvin and the pair took the score to 53 in the 15th over when Kaif Ramzan bowled Gorvin, who had made most of the early running, for 34 off 49 balls. Ahmed Khan took the fourth wicket with the score on 63, but Hersh Khatri joined Madoc-Jones in a stand of 59 for the fifth wicket before falling to Ramzan for 19.

Madoc-Jones was left to play a lone hand as wickets fell steadily at the other end.

Felix Watson-Smyth took the sixth wicket and Khan got the seventh. Booth returned to take the eighth, fellow opener Jacob Emler took the ninth, and the last man was run out going for an ambitious second run off the last ball of the innings. Walton were all out for 178, with Madoc-Jones remaining undefeated on 78, off 131 balls.

Dulwich had used just five bowlers, comprising two pacemen and three spinners. They were all rotated deftly throughout the innings, and each bowled their maximum 10-over allotment. The wickets were shared around, with Booth taking 3-40, Emler 1-39, Watson-Smyth 1-36, Ramzan 2-32, and Khan 2-22. Keeper Michael Harms held four catches.

Khan fell in the fifth over of the reply, but James Schofield and Apoorv Wankhade took the score to 47 in the 10th over before Wankhade was bowled by a rare straight ball from Nicky Wilson for 14.

Skipper Ollie Steele joined Schofield, but the opener fell eight runs later having made 31 off 42 balls. Steele and newcomer Karim Marcelle then added 49 in 11 overs for the fourth wicket before Marcelle fell for 19, off 37 balls, with the score on 104.

Steele and former skipper Chris Purshouse now saw off the threat of the Walton spinners to add 72 in 20 overs for the fifth wicket and put the result beyond doubt.

Steele fell only three runs short of victory, having held one end secure while making 41 off 116 balls. Booth finished the match off with a six, leaving Purshouse undefeated on 39, off 56 balls. The target was reached with 3.1 overs to spare.

Dulwich are one of four teams to have won both their opening matches. This weekend they make the difficult journey to Normandy, who were relegated from the Premier last season but have also started the new campaign with two wins.

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD