Cricket: Dulwich slip to 77-run defeat against Valley End

BY JOHN LEWIS

Despite an encouraging start Dulwich went down by 77 runs in their Surrey Championship Division 1 match at home to Valley End last weekend.

The visitors elected to bat but were held back by a superb opening spell by Harvey Booth and Jon Lodwick that saw only 20 runs on the board after 12 overs with Lodwick picking up the first wicket.

Apoorv Wankhade took the second and Kaif Ramzan the third to make it 53-3 in the 20th over.

Former Gloucestershire all-rounder Ed Young and Charlie Dunnett saw off any further alarms to go in to lunch at 91-3 after 29 overs, but both fell to Ahmed Khan in his first two overs after the break. Lodwick struck again to make it 118-6 in the 37th over, leaving Dulwich seemingly well on top.

But the match turned with a seventh-wicket stand of exactly 100 in 18 overs between Josh Dodd and skipper Tom Nevin.

The captain was the more aggressive at first, but Dodd increased his tempo and both passed 50 in successive overs.

Ramzan removed Nevin for 53, off 60 balls, but Dodd continued to flay a tiring attack before Khan dismissed him for 84, off 82 balls, with the score on 257.

Patrick George, making a rare first-team appearance, picked up the ninth wicket, and Khan finished off the innings to end with figures of 4-93 off 17.3 overs.

Lodwick finished with 2-23 off 14 overs, while Ramzan had 2-54 off 10. Valley End were all out for 277 off 63.3 overs, leaving Dulwich 56 overs to bat.

Dodd then opened the bowling and took two wickets in his first three overs, removing Moin Khan for four and Wankhade, who fell to a brilliant catch by Young in the gully for 12, having faced just six balls.

Skipper Chris Purshouse and Ollie Steele took the score to 98 before Steele fell to Young for 44, off 70 balls, Purshouse fell to James Barnard three overs later having batted obdurately for 28, off 69 balls, and Ramzan was leg before to Young in the next over to make it 109-5 after 29 overs.

A breezy knock of 27 off 23 balls by Booth lifted the score to 142-6 after 34 overs.

Ahmed Khan was now joined by Sam Ellison, making his first appearance of the season, in adding 22 for the seventh wicket before the latter was bowled by Dodd for 10, off 16 balls.

Khan and Lodwick added 27 for the eighth wicket before Dodd dismissed Lodwick for 18, off 28 balls.

Two boundaries by Khan took the score to 199 before Dodd bowled Isaac Eustance to claim his fifth wicket.

George pushed a single to raise the 200 and gain an extra batting point, but hopes of the last pair surviving another five overs to secure the draw were dashed when Dodd had Khan caught behind for 39, off 78 balls.

Dodd had taken 4-21 off six overs in his third spell to finish with 6-54 off 13.5 overs. Young took 2-55 off 14 and Barnard 2-43 off 10.

Dulwich drop to seventh after this defeat. This weekend they travel to Camberley, who are bottom of the table, and will need a win to keep them clear of the relegation zone.