New Delhi spinners put ACC through their paces
Justin Jones (25) and Mike Mare (13) came together and hit two sixes to keep ACC in the game.
AMANZIMTOTI Cricket Club (ACC) put a good team together, a mixture between first and second team players, to play against a touring side from New Delhi’s Global Sports Club, who all comprised youngsters between 14 and 19 years of age.
The midwinter pitch was prepared with a lot of love by Rex Hindman and everybody’s first thought about the pitch was that it is going to be a difficult pitch which would produce a low-scoring game.
A great day started at 9.30am when New Delhi won the toss and elected to bat first. They started off slow with JJ de Wet and Hennie Nienaber keeping them down to only 33 for one in the first 10 overs but New Delhi showed very good character and the bowlers of ACC showing that the off season was not good for their bowling. However, they gave their all and after 40 overs, New Delhi ended on a respectable score of 198 for seven with two of their batsmen getting half centuries – Haiden with a well played 55 off 60 balls and Rahul D with 53 off 43 balls. Well done to them. With the pick of ACC bowlers, JJ de Wet returned figures of eight overs, one maiden, two wickets for 22 runs and a brilliant run-out of the opening batsman.
The bowlers did not put up a bad score to defend and Warren Pullock (Buggy) and Quinton Grobler (Q10) went out and started ACC’s innings. For a man that is on retirement, Buggy started the innings like a 19-year-old with knees still intact, hitting the New Delhi bowlers all over the park with his partner looking on from the other side. They put up a respectable first wicket partnership of 62 runs in eight overs before Q10 lost his wicket for 15. The two young spinners of New Delhi then came and did some bowling that all the ACC batsmen struggled to play but they were still commited to the task.
Buggy and TP Venter batted well together but struggled to get the spinners away, with Buggy losing his wicket on 49 from 60 balls and TP at 24 from 58 balls. ACC was in the hunt to win the game but the spinners were one too many for them when Warren Fry and JJ de Wet were both out on 14.
Justin Jones (25) and Mike Mare (13) came together and hit two sixes to keep ACC in the game. Mike hit a six from the second last over of the game and while trying to to hit another six, lost his wicket with a good catch on the boundary. This left Beavis and Bennie to get nine runs from the last over. With a good last over from New Delhi keeping them in check, they could only manage five runs and lost the game by five, to end their 40 overs on 194 for six.
For an off-season game, ACC played well but well done to the youngsters from New Delhi for winning a good day’s cricket. Their best bowler was Akshit Gloea, who at only 14 years of age returned bowling figures of eight overs, one maiden, one wicket for only 17 runs. Well done young man.
New Delhi and a Chatsworth RPC U19 team plays a game on Tuesday from 9.30am at the Toti Oval. Good luck to both the teams.
