Ton-up Rameez stars in Horspath win

Rameez Raja

RAMEEZ Raja hit a superb unbeaten century to steer high-flying Horspath to a six-wicket win at Cookham Dean in Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2. He made 102 not out off 107 balls as Horspath eased past the home side's 205-8 with 7.3 overs to spare after Cookham had elected to bat first.

The former Pakistan Twenty20 international, whose runs included two sixes and 14 fours, was well supported in a third-wicket stand of 145 by opener Robbie Eason (48). And it means with just one dismissal this season Rameez's average now stands at a staggering 269.

Horspath skipper Will Eason made an early breakthrough in the Cookham innings, trapping home skipper Ben Millar lbw. Left-arm seamer Adam Price then had Tom Bibby caught behind by Jasper Davies to make it 14-2.

But Patrick Castleden and Yasir Qureshi put on 71 for the third wicket before the introduction of left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher sparked a Cookham collapse. He bowled Qureshi for 40, before taking two wickets with the score on 94 - trapping Castleden lbw for 43 with his arm ball and then bowling Aditya Rai.

Jamil Faruq then got in on the act with two quick wickets, having Greg Davis caught by Robbie Eason, before Will Eason snapped up Faaez Shamsi at first slip to make it 99-7. And when Davies took a smart legside stumping off a Will Eason wide to remove Yash Rastogi the hosts had lost six wickets for 33 runs in tumbling to 118-8.

Any thoughts Horspath had though of polishing off the innings were thwarted by the ninth-wicket pair of Zimbabwean Herbert Chikomba and Wasim Ahmed, who shared an unbroken stand of 87. Chikomba hit an unbeaten 50 from 60 balls with one six and five fours, while Wasim Ahmed made 41 not out. Belcher finished with impressive figures of 3-21 from his ten overs, while Faruq also shone in taking 2-30.

Horspath lost Harrison Ward in the first over of their reply for five, lbw to Wasim Ahmed. Jimmy Phillips had hit four boundaries in reaching 20 when he gloved a rising delivery from Ahmed to Castleden at gully to make it 33-2.

But Rameez and Robbie Eason then got on top of the Cookham attack with an excellent partnership. They had taken the score to 178 when Eason was lbw to Shamsi, who then bowled Shahbaz Ali. Rameez completed his first century for the club by pushing a single to long on, and it was left to Pat Foster hit the winning runs and clinch victory at 206-4.

Posted by: Russ