Five Ways 194 for 6 in 40 overs (Shak 8-3-12-2, Adnan 4-1-23-0, Rizwan 4-1-29-0, Malik 4-0-26-0, Josh Williams 8-2-26-0, Wahid 8-1-45-2, Olly O'Brien 4-0-30-1)
Kings Heath 186 all out in 39.3 overs Matt Wright ct point 18 (4x4s) Rizwan ct mid off 0 (1st ball) Bernard O'Connor ct keeper 1 Jattin Patel ct keeper 20 (4x4s) Gregg Arrand ct slip 3 Adnan Ali 49 not out (5x4s) Shak Syed bowled 60 (6x4s, 3x6s) Wahid Chishti run out 8 Josh Williams bowled 4 (1x4) Malik run out 0 Olly O'Brien bowled 3 FOW: 6 18 20 45 49 128 159 165 170 186
FIVE WAYS WON BY 8 RUNS
Five Ways batted first and surviced an initial four over burst from Shak Syed and successfully neutralised the threat of leading bowlers Adnan Ali, Malik, Rizwan and Josh Williams who all finished wicketless. Wahid Chishti and Olly O’Brien were expensive, although they collected three wickets between them. Shak was the pick of the bowlers and finished with figures of 8-3-12-2. The fielding performance was below average – several misfields and a small but significant number of dropped catches or missed chances. Five Ways finished the 40 overs 194 for the loss of only six wickets. The traditional batting collapse took place early in the innings and Kings Heath were reduced to 20 for 3, with Rizwan caught at mid off on his first ball, and Bernard O’Connor caught by the keeper for a single. Matt Wright hit four boundaries in his 18 but was unable to retain his wicket when he offered point catching practice. Jattin Patel and Gregg Arrand steadied the ship, taking the score to 45 for 3, Jattin in particular taking advantage of some abysmal catching; being dropped five times, before both players were caught behind with the ball swinging just enough to take the outside edge. At 49 for 5 there looked to be little hope of chasing down the total and thoughts turned to the losing draw. However Adnan and Shak had other ideas, and a swift and exciting 79 run partnership brought Kings Heath back into contention. Shak undertook the role of aggressor in the partnership, hitting three thunderous sixes and six fours in his 60, before he was bowled advancing down the track and playing across the line. Following the dismissal of Shak, Adnan took control in a chirpy innings, hitting five boundaries but characterised by good running between the wickets, giving Kings Heath hope, but numbers 8 to 11 did not offer much support; Wahid and Malik both getting run out attempting suicidal singles. When last man Olly blocked out the 38th over for a maiden, thoughts were only on the losing draw. However an expensive penultimate over from Five Ways brought victory within touching distance; ten runs away from the final over, and ‘in’ batsman Adnan on strike on 48 not out. A single from the first ball took Adnan to 49, however Olly blocked the second, rather than hitting another single with the fielders out protecting the boundary, and on the third advanced down the track, missed a hideous slog sweep across the line and was subsequently bowled with three balls remaining. The defeat left the watching Kings Heath supporters in disbelief, and it was particularly demoralising on two counts; not only was the match lost when a win was possible especially after the fight back from the team, but Adnan was left stranded on 49; within a single run of his maiden Kings Heath fifty.
