Successful penultimate round of league matches for Quins

UMBILO Harlequins Cricket Club had a relatively successful penultimate round of league matches on 15 and 16 March.

Quins 5 took on Simplex RHSCC 4 in their final division five match at Lt King Park on Saturday. Simplex RHSCC 4 were dismissed for 115 runs in the 27th over. C Laing took five wickets for 26 runs in six overs. Quins 5 chased down this target in no parsimonious fashion, using just 13,1 overs of their 30 over allocation to achieve victory by eight wickets. Opening batsman, Lionel Gaze was undefeated with 47 runs and C Laing scored 21 runs. Quins 5 won by 8 wickets. The sixth team have completed the season, having lost just two matches.

The U11 team took on Umlazi in a south stream youth league match at Chatsworth 1111. Quins batted first on the synthetic wicket scoring 153 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Vishay Ramchunder opened up the innings with 14 runs, Corben Stubbs managed 20 runs, Heath Manicom top scored with 44 runs and Ryan Wood compiled an innings of 31 runs.. Pace bowler, Jaan Fredericks took four wickets for 18 runs in 6 overs. Quins dismissed Umlazi for 84 runs in 19 and-a-half-overs, aided by superb ground fielding, with all airborne catches being taken successfully. Quins U11s have completed a successful season having lost one official league match only and have had an entourage of parents and supporters at every match all be it an official league match, or merely a friendly game.

The first team were engaged in two group matches. On Sunday morning they took on ACC at Hutchinson Park, at Amanzimtoti. Quins 1 compiled a below par score of 96 for 9 wickets in 20 overs on a slow wicket, which favoured spin bowlers. Middle order batsman, Andre Viljoen top scored with 31 runs, Tyrelle Smith managed 18 runs and Gerhard Oliver added 11 runs. Quins needed to acquire wickets very early in their bowling attempt to have any possibility of achieving success in this match. This they failed to do, as the ACC top order were successful in their attempt in surpassing the target in 18, 4 overs with only the two openers being dismissed. All Quins bowlers conceded nearly a run a ball except Kevin Kettle who achieved the best economy at 11 runs off 22 deliveries. ACC won by eight wickets.

Quins 1 then took on Illeme from Stanger at Harlequins 1 which presented a much quicker wicket but a substantially slower outfield, due to substandard maintenance by the the eThekwini Municipality parks utility. Quins pace attack were expected to achieve reward in what was perceived to be a weaker opposition, but success was surprisingly forthcoming from the unorthodox slow bowlers, Dieter Liebenberg and Dylan Labuschagne who took three wickets each for 9 and 11 runs respectively off their allocation of four overs.

ILembe scored 72 runs, being all out in 16, 2 overs. Quins 1 had high ambitions and expectations of making quick work for an easy victory by scoring with abandon thereby upping their net run rate in the competition, however this strategy proved to be difficult to implement as scoring was not as easy as initially seemed with wickets befalling at regular intervals. Opener, Kevin Kettle scored 18 runs, Andre Viljoen was undefeated on 18 runs and Gerhard Olivier managed 10 runs assuring Quins 1, to a victory with just two deliveries and two wickets remaining.

Pinetown 3 scratched their official league match against Quins 3, which was scheduled for Harlequins 2, so an unofficial match was arranged against Silver Saints 4 which was played in a semi jocular mode. The talking point of this match is Brett William’s 2 overs of right arm wrist spin in which he claimed five wickets for two runs and seemed to have perplexed the good Saints. According to makeshift wicketkeeper, Darren Bonsor there was absolutely no deviation of the deck so it cannot be comprehended how so many wickets were forthcoming to the slow bowler.

Next Sunday sees the club’s final three league matches of the current season with the first team taking on Tongaat at Harlequins on Sunday morning and the fifth team play a 30 over division three game against Phoenix at Harlequins. The fourth team versus Hillary Malvern in a division three encounter at Fairfield Park, Hillary.

All training sessions for the club has ceased for the current season.

An annual awards event will be held at the Combined Fynnland Sports Club at Lt King Park, Fynnlands on Friday 28 March at 6 pm.

Contact Ernest for further club information.

QUINS 5 beat Asande 2 by 96 runs, although the game started late it was played in a professional manner and Asande must be credited for this, after our last game against a team of colour.

Quins 5 won the toss and elected to bat on a green and used wicket that provided some good bounce, but also some very low balls. At times, the openers battled to get going as the ball was skidding. They departed for a few runs apiece, before Huey Naicker (38) and Ryan Baronet (23) steadied the ship once again. Quins 5 lost a few wickets in short succession of each other, before Clinton Abrahams scored a blistering 50. Quins 5 closed their innings on 169.

Asande 2 went in to bat in fading light, but under the onslaught of Quins attack their batsman battled to get anywhere close to the target. It was only the odd shot that scored them the runs, some good bowling figures were returned. Pierre Horn 3-0-11-2, Jason Denny 3-0-14-2 and Daryn Moffitt 4-0-17-4.

A very enjoyable day’s cricket was had by both sides.