Niagara Cricket Club premiere team continued on with their winning streak and added one huge win last Sunday over Halton Stars. Halton Stars was the leading team in H&D League and after the pivot win, Niagara CC now moves up on top of the premiere cricket league.
Halton Stars won the toss and elected to Bat first and opened their batting with Imran Kazmi and Owais Arif. Arif batted well and scored 46 for Stars. Austin Codrington playing for Niagara Cricket Club broke the opening partnership. Codrington, who played world cup for Canada, showed his usual form and accuracy and took 3 key wickets of Halton Stars. Peter Tichband was the most successful bowler for Niagara Cricket Club, giving only 25 runs in his allotted 8 over spell while taking 2 wickets. Halton Stars made 181 runs for the loss of their 9 wickets where Nasir Mahmood contributed his spell with 2 wickets.
In response, Niagara Cricket Club opened their batting with Zia Sarwar and Faizan Siddiqui. The pair continued with their usual form and style of play and gave Niagara Cricket Club a solid base of 92 runs without loss i.e. forming a new record of opening pair partnership in the entire league so far this season. Siddiqui scored 52 runs in his well-managed innings. After Sarwar got out with his superb inning of 42, Tawab Ikram (another left hand batsman) was sent out to join Siddiqui. Ikram, scoring his 2nd 50 in as many matches at one down batsman position showed his aggression by hitting the ball all over the Burlington Cricket Park. Ikram’s current 50, coming in the first 18 deliveries he faced, was composed off 5 sixes and 3 fours. At one point Niagara Cricket Club were 144 for 2 and ended up chasing the desired total of 182 runs quite comfortably with a loss of only 5 wickets with Codrignton and Tichband remaining not out at the crease.
For league cricket results and score cards visit http://www.cricketstar.net/hdcl/index.jsp?form=matchrev&r=matchrev&game_number=14&season_id=2011
Niagara Cricket Club Premiere now plays Crescent CC, the last season champions, at the Hamilton Mohawk Park next Sunday June 19th