On a beautiful day at the Woodbridge oval Sporting Alfas CC went about the task of levelling up the weekend. After the down pour on Saturday wiped out the match. Winning the toss and electing to bat first SACC started off slowly and in the sixth over Skipper Laundon edged behind to become the first victim for the tourists.

Shakeel Hafiz went LBW to the same bowler in his next over SACC on fourteen for two. It soon became twenty-five for three, then thirty-nine for five. Byrne (8), Powl (10) and Khan (0) all giving into Papankira´s slow but accurate bowling. Iqbal joined Maylon out in the middle and with the visitors easing off the pressure, probably regretfully, took the score along to one hundred in the twenty second over and up to one hundred and thirty-six before Iqbal fell to the evergreen and deadly Hussey, out for forty a great effort. Unamuno helped things along with a hard hit twenty-one runs and Gujjar in his second match finally hit a couple but fell to the deadly slow loop of Hussey.

Last man Gregory walked in with eight overs left he and Tyrone Maylon took the score past two hundred and Tyrone Maylon reached his maiden century for Sporting Alfas but the 1 run for Gregory from 29 balls was the real achievement, Two hundred and fifteen to win for the extremely strong batting line up of Nomads CC, The Sporting Alfas bowlers now needed to concentrate on line and length to give the home side any chance of victory. Iqbal and Khan were given the new ball and carried out the task with great relish but more importantly accuracy.

After Fridays run fest, the visitors struggled along at only three runs an over and lost wickets regularly, forty-nine for two at the point when tea was taken in the fifteenth over, a little behind the run rate but plenty of batters left in the hut. Tea as always was a fine affair and appreciated by all the players, The introduction of Shakeel Hifiz to replace the bowled-out Iqbal (1-29-8) great figures, was the absolute turning point in the days play. Hafiz returning figures of seven overs ten runs for five wickets which left him and Maylon very even in the man of the match category, Powl bowled out with respected figures of one wicket for thirty-seven from his eight.

With only one wicket left the Captain gave the ball to newcomer Gujjar and after his first ball missed everything, he settled down and the batsmen showed him real respect returning figures of zero for sixteen from five overs. Byrne (0-15-2) Maylon (0-10-3) and Laundon (0-3-2) finished of the match with Sporting Alfas running out easy winners which before play had started was not forecasted. Real bad luck to the Nomads batsman Nigel Hussey who was not out on forty-eight alongside the ever-chatty Kevin Smith who ended the day unbeaten on ten.  Sporting Alfas are looking forward to part two of the annual contest between the two clubs in October when the mighty Nomads return.

Kevin Laundon - Sporting Alfas Cricket Club