HORSPATH showed plenty of fighting spirit to get the better of a draw in a fluctuating Home Counties Premier League Division 1 encounter at Slough. Defending 223-9 after being put in to bat, the visitors looked to be up against it when the hosts reached 170-4. But then Lloyd Belcher bowled opener Shazad Rana for 53, sparking a mini-collapse with four wickets going down for 11 runs as Horspath skipper Will Eason claimed three quick victims. It left Slough to shut up shop and close on 197-8 with Zohaib Ahmed unbeaten on 44. Robbie Eason was Horspath's first wicket to fall, caught at short leg by Feroz Baig off Ahmed with the score on 14. Tom Coleman and James Fitzjohn took the total on to 48, before the former was lbw to Ikhlaq Nawaz for 35. Fitzjohn was then caught behind by Rana off left-arm spinner Steven Green for 31, making it 104-3. Mark Jefferson had batted well on his return to the side to make 40 when he fell lbw to Bobby Sher, leaving the visitors 119-4 at lunch. The Slough skipper struck again after the interval with the score on 138 as Tom Cosford edged to Lloyd Paternott at slip for 19. And Horspath were in some trouble at 147-6 when Will Eason was adjudged lbw to Ali Akbar Raja. However, Stephen Green, with the assistance of Jehan Mohammed, a late call-up following Harrison Ward's withdrawal, and Ian Slatcher, led a Horspath rearguard action. Mohammed had made 22 to help push the score up to 180 when he was caught at extra cover by Nabil Shah off Steven Green. Slatcher continued the late-order resistance in similar fashion, digging in for 21 before he became Green's third victim with Ahmed claiming the catch this time to make it 214-8. With the score on 220, Stephen Green's gritty 37 ended in a surreal entry in the scorebook - caught and bowled by his Slough namesake Steven Green, who finished with 4-59. Jamil Faruq and Belcher added three runs off the closing deliveries as Horspath posted a challenging total. Horspath's hopes of making early inroads into Slough's batting were dashed as Rana and Fahim Qureshi gave the hosts a solid start. But the introduction of spin did the trick with two wickets falling for the addition of one run. Let-arm spinner Belcher made the breakthrough came when Qureshi was caught by Jefferson at deep square leg for 31 with the score on 42. And his dismissal was quickly followed by Cosford's off-spin accounting for Paternott, with Green taking the catch. Slough were 69-3 when Shah gloved a Faruq bouncer to wicket-keeper Robbie Eason. But then Rana and Sher moved the score on to 126 before the Slough captain was trapped lbw by Will Eason for 35. Rana and Ahmed looked to be taking the hosts to victory as they put on 44 for the fifth wicket, but Belcher bowled the Slough opener to change the course of the game. Rana's runs had come off 132 balls with four boundaries, Will Eason then stepped in to have Raheel Zaman caught by Cosford, making it 171-6. And the Horspath skipper took two wickets in as many balls with Baig lbw and Green caught behind to leave Slough 181-8 and the visitors suddenly sensing victory. However, Ahmed stood firm with Nawaz to see the hosts to the close without further loss. Eason finished with 4-43, while Belcher picked up 2-84 from 20 overs. Horspath are now third going into next Saturday's trip to leaders Henley.
Posted by: Russ
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