Scorecard

Leverstock Green Cricket Club 4th XI v Wheathampstead III on Sun 25 Jul 2021 at 1.00pm
Leverstock Green Cricket Club Lost by 1 run

Match report LGCC's 4th XI came within an ace of completing a superb double-victory weekend when they fell just one run short of Wheathampstead III's total in an absolute Sunday thrller at The Green.

Both clubs worked hard to rearrange this Herts League fixture - originally lost to rain - and were rewarded with one of the most exciting finishes to a 40-over cricket match you could possibly witness.

Visitors Wheato could rightly have felt they had plenty on the board when posting 207-4 from their alloted overs, especially having been asked to bat first by Green skipper Lewis Glasscoe.

Their total was comprised of a 69-ball 85 from Raheel Bhatti who, when poised to notch a first career century, was brilliantly caught at second slip by Arjun Aiyer off the bowling of Kaleem Saleem.

Ender Tahsin's studious 54 not out - formed amid a 108-run fourth-wicket stand with Bhatti - added to a bright start from young opener Tom Bates, who struck a stylish 30 before yorking himself to be bowled by Wasim Saleem.

Fourteen-year-old seamer Lewis Cooper picked up two of just four wickets to fall - the first a fine catch down leg side from wicketkeeper Tom Rumble.

Despite going wicketless, Harry Walker bowled with great control at the death to concede just 21 from his six overs while senior debutant 13-year-old Finlay Rennie landed his leg-spinners nicely when coming on to bowl to two set batsmen.

At least one Levy batsman was going to need to go big if the hosts were to have any chance of chasing down Wheathampstead's five-an-over target - and it was the Saleem brothers, Wasim and Kaleem, who both stepped up to the plate with their hard-hitting styles proving highly effective on an excellent batting surface.

Coming in with the score at 15-2, and with opener Rumble having retired hurt, No. 5 Wasim put on 76 with Glasscoe before the latter fell for 28. He went on to bludgeon 86 from just 73 balls - sharing various stands with minor contributions from Cooper, Aiyer and then brother Kaleem who survived more than one scare to go to record a valuable 47.

Wasim grew into his innings and, although the early overs contained a few chancy shots, the latter part of his knock highlighted what a useful operator with the bat he can be when being more judicious about his shot selection.

When Wasim got out, with the score on 179, it looked a tall order for Kaleem to shepherd a youthful tail - containing a 15-year-old, a 14-year-old, a 13-year-old and an injured 16-year-old - to victory, but he and his Green teammates nearly managed it.

After putting on 19 with Walker, another 12 was added with Rennie before Kaleem finally holed out to yet another skier - Arnd L'Estrange pouching the catch off Harry Smith for Wheato's eighth wicket but with Levy just six runs short of victory.

It fell to teenager Bates to bowl the game's final over with pressure mounting on both him and on-strike batsman Shazil Hussain.

After two dot balls, 14-year-old Hussain worked the third ball round to the leg side for two runs, and flicked the next over cover for another two.

This left Levy needing two more runs to win from the final two deliveries.

Non-striker Rennie, sporting an older head on his 13-year-old shoulders, decided he had to go whatever Hussain managed to fashion. As it was, the fifth ball landed straight in the keeper's gloves but, remarkably, Rennie made his ground at the striker's end and it was Hussain who was run out at the non-striker's end. So no run, and in came the injured Tom Rumble - generously afforded a runner by Wheathampstead - to essentially stand and observe what the last ball would have to offer.

Hussain, still on the field as Rumble's runner, and Rennie, who'd made his ground and was now on strike, lined up for the game's final delivery.

Bates held his nerve and Rennie couldn't connect. Hussain charged down the track to force a tie with a bye but Wheato wicketkeeper Ray Saunders broke the stumps to hand the visitors the win with the despairing Hussain more than a yard short of making it home.

A quite brilliant finish to a fantastic game.

Did someone say longer-form cricket is boring?

RW

Wheathampstead III Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 7w 1b 3lb 
for 4 wickets
13
207 (40.0 overs)		     
R Saunders ct  Rumble b Cooper 0
T Bates b  W Saleem 30
H Smith ct  Glasscoe b Cooper 11
R Bhatti ct  Aiyer b K Saleem 85
E Tahsin Not Out  54
H L'Estrange Not Out  14
F Playle  
S Smith  
W Saunders  
A L'Estrange  
G Playle  

Leverstock Green Cricket Club 4th XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Lewis Cooper6.0131215.505.17
Wasim Saleem8.0136136.004.50
Shazil Hussain3.003000.0010.00
Callum Pillay6.003200.005.33
Finlay Rennie4.003100.007.75
Kaleem Saleem4.0017117.004.25
Harry Walker6.002100.003.50
Arjun Aiyer3.00500.001.67

Leverstock Green Cricket Club 4th XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 7w  
for 10 wickets
8
206		        
Lewis Glasscoe ct  Saunders b Bates 28 1
Tom Rumble run out  (R Saunders) 0 1
Waqas Azhar ct  G Playle b S Smith 9
Callum Pillay ct  R Saunders b S Smith 0
Wasim Saleem ct  Bhatti b H L'Estrange 86
Lewis Cooper ct  Bhatti b Bates 14
Arjun Aiyer ct  W Saunders b G Playle 6 1
Kaleem Saleem ct  A L'Estrange b H Smith 47
Harry Walker ct  H Smith b W Saunders 4
Finlay Rennie Not Out  0
Shazil Hussain run out  (H Smith) 4

Wheathampstead III Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
S Smith6.0125212.504.17
A L'Estrange4.003100.007.75
W Saunders5.0023123.004.60
G Playle8.0037137.004.62
T Bates7.0040220.005.71
H Smith5.0029129.005.80
H L'Estrange5.0021121.004.20

  • Umpire :
    R Walker
  • Scorer :
    R Walker