Cricket: Wankhade’s innings of 167 key to Dulwich win over CC&W

BY JOHN LEWIS

A superb unbeaten innings of 167 by Indian overseas player Apoorv Wankhade led Dulwich to a commanding total in their Surrey Championship Division 1 match at Chipstead Coulsdon & Walcountians, and set up victory by 74 runs.

Dulwich won the toss and chose to bat first on a dry pitch with a lightning fast outfield.

James Schofield went for four with the score on 16 in the fifth over, to bring in Chris Purshouse. The skipper joined Wankhade in a stand of 52 in nine overs for the second wicket before being run out for 17, off 24 balls. Ahmed Khan, with 40 off 42 balls, then joined Wankhade in adding 76 in 13.4 overs for the third wicket.

He was followed by his brother Moin Khan, who contributed 18, off 28 balls, to a stand of 81 in 11.2 overs for the fourth wicket as Wankhade began to accelerate.

Kaif Ramzan and Harvey Booth both went cheaply to make it 235-6 after 41.1 overs. This brought in 18-year old-keeper Robbie Keaton, who smashed an unbeaten 61 off just 36 balls. The pair added 99 for the seventh wicket off the remaining 8.5 overs of the innings in an exhilarating display of hitting.

Wankhade, whose century had come off 102 balls, had needed only 40 balls more to reach his 167, which included 26 fours and four sixes. The innings closed on 334-6 after their 50 overs.

Openers Jeremy Ives and skipper Joel Walker made a spirited attempt to go for the runs, and had added 77 in just 9.5 overs before Booth removed Walker for 43 off 33 balls.

Ives and overseas player Angelo Jayasinghe took the score to 102 before 18-year-old quick bowler Jacob Emler, making his first-team debut, removed Ives for 24 and struck again in his next over to make it 115-3 after 19.

Isaac Eustance took the fourth wicket with the score on 131 in the 22nd over, and the drinks break was reached with the score on 158-4, 36 ahead of the Dulwich score at the same stage though still needing another 177 off the remaining 25 overs.

A run out saw the sixth wicket fall shortly after the resumption, as Ramzan and Ahmed Khan entered the attack. The pair took two wickets apiece and ensured there would be no lower order heroics as they restricted their opponents to 79 runs off their 17 overs in tandem.

The ninth wicket fell with the score on 230 in the 41st over, but a last-wicket stand of 30 delayed the end and ensured that Chipstead gained maximum batting points.

Khan had taken the vital wicket of Jayasinghe for 59 and finished with 2-41 off eight overs, both of his victims being stumped by Keaton. Ramzan had 2-38 off nine, and Emler 2-48 off seven.

Dulwich completed their second consecutive victory and moved up to third in the table, still level with two other sides though only two points behind the leaders.

This weekend the format switches to “time” games of a minimum 120 overs, and Dulwich have another away fixture when they visit Spencer, who narrowly missed out on promotion last year, but are now in an unaccustomed ninth place after losing two of their three completed matches.