Scorecard

Northchurch II v Northwood Town Cricket Club Saturday 2nd XI on Sat 17 Aug 2024 at 01:00 p.m.
Northwood Town Cricket Club Won by 43 runs

Match report On a rare occasion with a clear blue sky, Town travelled to Northchurch, a ground that has been a happy hunting ground for them over the years. They arrived at a lovely setup—a beautiful ground, hard pitch, and fast outfield. Town won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat first.

Playing his first game for the 2s, DJ Smit Patel opened the innings with veteran Aggarwal. Together, they started cautiously, adjusting to the bounce offered by the Church bowlers. Despite some early swing and bounce, Town made a steady start. Soon, DJ Smit began to find his rhythm, playing his shots freely, a role usually performed by Aggarwal. Aggarwal, in an advisory role from the other end, played a perfect part in guiding the young Patel, who was in immaculate touch—pulling anything short and driving anything full. Together, they built a partnership of 110 runs before Patel (69) was dismissed in the 20th over, leaving Town at 110/1 at the halfway mark.

The platform was set for the Town batsmen to carry on with the excellent momentum provided by the openers. Vaghela walked in to support Aggarwal, who was biding his time before unleashing his own array of shots. After Patel's departure, Aggarwal began to play his shots all around the ground, showcasing his trademark lofted drives and pulls, including one brilliant backfoot cover drive on the bounce to the boundary for four. Together, they added a brisk 50 runs before Aggarwal was dismissed for 79. Town felt that both Patel and Aggarwal missed out on the centuries that were within reach given the helpful batting conditions. At this stage, Town were 165/2 in 26 overs. The plan was clear—step on the gas and set a massive total to shut Church out of the game. The rest of the batsmen followed this script, playing around Vaghela, who, like an 'OM617' Mercedes engine, took his time to warm up. But once revved up, Vaghela demonstrated why diesel engines are still a preferred choice when it comes to 'delivering when it matters'. Vaghela, along with the middle order, took Town to a solid total of 266/8 in their 40 overs, with some fireworks from Puwar towards the end.

After a quick team 'sit-down' lunch, Town returned to the field to defend their total. Bowling for the first time this season, Aggarwal opened the attack with P. Patel, and as has been the case this year, Town's bowlers gave them an excellent start. Despite the conditions being perfect for batting, both bowlers bowled with great control and were rewarded with a wicket each. At the end of 8 overs, Church were struggling at 22/2. Chasing a massive total, Church's No. 3 and No. 4 had no choice but to graft it out and play cautiously. Despite the favourable batting conditions, Town did not present any loose deliveries to the Church batsmen. Although Church did not lose any wickets in the next 12 overs, they did not score many runs either. At the halfway mark, Church were 75/2 in 20 overs, such was the control of the Town bowlers, backed by excellent fielding efforts given the size of the ground. At this point, it became evident that Church were not going for the win but were instead aiming to collect the maximum batting points available. In the next 20 overs, Church stuck to their plan, and Town knew deep down that the game was sealed and wrapped up. In the end, Church scored 223/5, with a well-grafted and crafted century by their No. 3 Suckling, who showed immense patience and ran very hard for every single run.

In the end, Town won the game comfortably by 43 runs—a victory built on the solid foundation laid by the Town batsmen, followed by an excellent effort by the bowlers and fielders, making it a perfect win for the Town.

As we move into the crucial final stretch of the season, it’s important to keep enjoying the game we all love while remaining focused. Every match from here on is vital, and we need to bring our best to ensure we stay on course and finish the season strong. Let's maintain our momentum and stay sharp in every game.

Man of the Match: Rahul Aggarwal for his excellent allrounder effort.

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus"

with that, we move on to the next one.

#Onwards&Upwards

Northwood Town Cricket Club Saturday 2nd XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
3nb 6w 1lb 
for 8 wickets
10
266		        
Rahul Aggarwal ct b W Burrows 79 73 11 1 108.22
Smit Patel ct b T Vila 67 60 13 111.67
Bijendra Vaghela ct b T Vila 49 53 5 92.45
Ravi Ramawat Run out  2 4 50.0
Cijine John ct b J Smart 17 17 2 100
Sageeran Sudagaran Run out  9 16 1 56.25
Tushar Shah ct b D Vila 6 5 120.0
Krunal Puwar Run out  22 13 3 1 169.23 1
Amit Chhalani Not Out  2 1 200
Rudra Shah Not Out  3 2 150.0
Pratik Patel   1

Northchurch II Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
D Vila8.0059159.007.38
W Burrows8.0129129.003.63
T Vila8.0064232.008.00
O Painter3.002500.008.33
J Smart7.0047147.006.71
A Hardyman6.004100.006.83

Northchurch II Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
3nb 8w 4b 1lb 
for 5 wickets
16
223 (40.0 overs)		     
D Pischedda b R Aggarwal 1
J Smart ct K Puwar b P Patel 14
M Suckling Not Out  100
R Reid b K Puwar 56
B Towler b A Chalani 2
O Painter ct P Patel b K Puwar 17
T Vila Not Out  15
D Vila  
W Burrows  
A Hardyman  
N Holmes  

Northwood Town Cricket Club Saturday 2nd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Pratik Patel8.0027127.003.38
Rahul Aggarwal6.0024124.004.00
Rudra Shah5.002300.004.60
Cijine John4.002100.005.25
Krunal Puwar8.0037218.504.62
Amit Chhalani7.0060160.008.57
Smit Patel2.001100.005.50
Ravi Ramawat1.001400.0014.00