AK11 have made it 7 wins out of 7 and have gone unbeaten to win their 2nd Huntingdonshire Indoor League title and the 2nd in the last 3 years. AK11 won the league last week after a top of the table clash against Bretton but signed off in style with a 79-run win against bottom club Whittlesey. AK11 posted the highest score of the season smashing 197-3 from their 10 overs with opening batsman Zaheer Abas leading the way retiring twice and finishing unbeaten on 52. There was some excellent boundary hitting from Abas with four sixes and five fours. Abas received excellent support from virtually all the other batsman as Ali Ghazanfar made 33, Sudheer Jafeer was unbeaten on 31, Tayeeb Ali made 29 and wicket keeper batsman Abrar Ahmed scored 25 before being brilliantly run out by Whittlesey wicket keeper Brian Warwick who executed a length of the hall run out. Warwick was also involved in another run out, while bowler Simon Parkes was the only successful wicket taker due to a brilliant catch on the back wall from Chris White.
Whittlesey replied with 118-4 from their 10 overs with Captain Josh Fox continuing his excellent season with five fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 53 and receiving best support from fellow opener Chris White (29) and Brian Warwick with 20. For Ak11 Captain Mohammad Nadeem Zahid was the pick of the bowlers with 2-19 from his 2 overs.
The last match of the season would decide the runners up position trophies, and it was Pak Azad who emerged victorious by 7 runs to finish in their highest ever indoor position. Pak Azad won the toss and batted first posting 140-3 from 10 overs, with captain Abdul Waris leading from the front with an unbeaten 33. He received good support with unbeaten 28’s from Shak Hussian and Arbas Nawaaz and a quickfire 23 at the death from Asam Ali. Bretton opening bowler Mark Buckingham was the pick of the bowlers with 2-32.
In pursuit of 141 Bretton started well and soon had Neil Buckingham and Captain Andrew Bennett retired and back in the dug out with 25 to their name. Wicket keeper Tom Sanderson also retired and then as wickets fell the returning batsman returned. However, a brilliant run out from Pak Azad fielder Arbas Nawaaz removed Captain Bennett for 45 and when Buckingham was bowled round his legs for 30 by Shak Hussain the match turned quickly and despite an unbeaten 35 from Sanderson the match was up. Hussain was the key wicket taker taking 2-29 from his 2 overs.
Hampton finished in 4th position after a 16-run win over last years champions Ufford Park. All the Hampton players batted well with opener Mateeh Fayyaz leading the way with four sixes and a four in top scoring with 39, while tail-ender Nadeem Choudhari was next top scorer finishing unbeaten with 28. Chasing 155 to win Ufford started well and had scored 93 after 5 overs, but tight bowling at the death saw Ufford fall short. Ufford opener Andy Larkin top scored with 37, while Hampton Captain Ali Shah was the spin king taking 2-19 with Choudhari again in the thick of the action with two excellent catches. Ufford won last years league and will now represent Huntingdonshire in this years National ECB 6-a-side competition. They will travel to the John Bunyan Sports Centre in Bedford on Sunday 2nd March where they will play last year’s Bedfordshire Champions Flitwick.
Wansford lost every match last season, but a much better campaign saw them finish 5th and they signed off the season with a last over win against Werrington.
Werrington started well and looked set for a large total, but the Sainsbury family delivered the goods to turn the game on its head. Opening bowlers and brother and sister Kester and Chloe Sainsbury took 4 wickets between them for Wansford with Kester finishing with 3-19 thanks in part to two brilliant catches from Kelsey Brace.
Chasing 136 at just over 13 an over Wansford had a slow start before a massive 8th over saw 40 runs scored from it to see Wansford over the finish line with 3 balls remaining. Wicket keeper batsman Andy Briault helped with a quickfire unbeaten 26, but it was the Sainsburys who were at the crease at the finish with Kester unbeaten on 34 and Chloe unbeaten on 10.
Huntingdonshire Indoor League Week 7 Results – Sunday 26th January 2025
Match 1 – Wansford beat Werrington by 3 wickets.
Werrington 135 all out from 10 overs. Junaid Hussain 30 (1x4), Naveed Ahmed 28 (1x6 and 1x4), Khursheed Ahmed 20 (1x6 and 1x4). Kester Sainsbury 3-19.
Wansford 136-3 from 9.3 overs. Kester Sainsbury 34 not out (2x4), Andy Briault 26 – Retired (1x6 and 2x4), Dhasarath Janardhan 18, Kelsey Brace 15 (1x6)
Match 2 – Hampton beat Ufford Park by 16 runs.
Hampton 154-5 from 10 overs. Mateeh Fayyaz 39 (4x6 and 1x4), Nadeem Choudhari 28 not out (1x4), Ali Shah 21 (1x6 and 2x4), Bilal Merchant 17 (1x6 and 1x4), Saad Ashraf 18 (1x6)
Ufford Park 138-5 from 10 overs. Andy Larkin 37 (2x6 and 4x4), Shoaib Chaudhry 25 (1x6 and 2x4), Murad Ali 24 (1x6 and 2x4), Saj Ali 20 (1x6 and 2x4). Ali Shah 2-19.
Match 3 – AK11 beat Whittlesey by 79 runs.
AK11 197-3 from 10 overs. Zaheer Abas 52 not out (4x6 and 5x4), Ali Ghazanfar 33 (1x6 and 3x4), Sudheer Jafeer 31 not out (1x6 and 3x4), Tayyeb Ali 29 – Retired (1x6 and 2x4), Abrar Ahmed 25 (1x6 and 2x4).
Whittlesey 118-4 from 10 overs. Josh Fox 53 not out (3x6 and 5x4), Chris White 29 (1x4), Brian Warwick 20 (1x6). Muhammed Zahid Nadeem 2-19.
Match 4 – Pak Azad beat Bretton by 7 runs.
Pak Azad 140-3 from 10 overs. Abdul Waris 33 not out (1x6 and 3x4), Shak Hussain 28 not out, Arbas Nawaaz 28 – Retired (1x6 and 1x4), Asam Ali 23 (2x6). Mark Buckingham 2-32.
Bretton 133-5 from 10 overs. Andy Bennett 45 (1x6), Tom Sanderson 35 not out (1x6 and 1x4), Neil Buckingham 30 (1x6). Shak Hussain 2-29.
HUNTINGDONSHIRE INDOOR CRICKET LEAGUE 2024/2025 FINAL TABLE:
1st – AK11 P7, W7, L0, 21 points, 39 opposition wickets taken - Champions
2nd – Pak Azad P7, W5, L2, 15 points, 31 opposition wickets taken – Runners Up
3rd – Bretton P7, W4, L3, 12 points, 30 opposition wickets taken
4th – Hampton P7, W4, L3, 12 points, 27 opposition wickets taken
5th – Wansford P7, W3, L4, 9 points, 22 opposition wickets taken
6th – Werrington P7, W3, L4, 9 points, 19 opposition wickets taken
7th – Ufford Park P7, W2, L5, 6 points, 33 opposition wickets taken
8th - Whittlesey P7, W0, L7, 0 points, 19 opposition wickets taken
HUNTINGDONSHIRE INDOOR CRICKET LEAGUE 2024/2025 RUN BY CRICKET EAST AND PETERBOROUGH LIMITED
ROLL OF HONOUR:
HUNTINGDONSHIRE INDOOR LEAGUE WINNERS: AK11
HUNTINGDONSHIRE INDOOR LEAGUE RUNNERS UP: PAK AZAD
MERIT TABLE:
HIGHEST BATSMAN SCORES: (BATSMAN WHO SCORED 50 OR MORE IN A MATCH)
85 NOT OUT – Ali Shah – Hampton v Bretton
68 NOT OUT – Josh Fox – Whittlesey v Ufford Park
59 NOT OUT - Kester Sainsbury - Wansford v Hampton
56 - Naveed Ahmed - Werrington v Hampton
53 NOT OUT - Josh Fox - Whittlesey v AK11
52 NOT OUT – Zaheer Abas – AK11 v Whittlesey
52 NOT OUT - Saad Ashraf - Hampton v Wansford
50 NOT OUT - Mateeh Fayyaz - Hampton v Werrington
BEST BOWLING FIGURES: (BOWLERS WHO TAKE 3 OR MORE WICKETS IN A MATCH)
4-15 – Chris White – Whittlesey v Pak Azad
3-14 - Ethan Bennett – Bretton v Ufford Park
3-14 - Rashid Zafar - Hampton v Werrington
3-19 – Kester Sainsbury – Wansford v Werrington
HAT TRICK HERO:
Chris White – Whittlesey v Pak Azad (Bowled, Caught, Caught)
ECB NATIONAL INDOOR 6-A-SIDE COUNTY FINAL:
Sunday 2nd March 2025 – Flitwick (Representing Bedfordshire) v Ufford Park (Representing Huntingdonshire) at John Bunyan Sports and Fitness Centre, Bedford, 2.30pm start, 12 overs a side.
ECB NATIONAL REGIONAL FINALS – ON SUNDAY 16TH MARCH 2025 AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS AROUND THE UK INCLUDING UPPINGHAM SCHOOL:
ECB NATIONAL INDOOR FINAL – ON SUNDAY 6TH APRIL 2025 AT LORDS:
THANKS:
- My thanks to Peter Taylor, Ghafoor Rehman, John Hyman and David Loosley who have scored and umpired with me throughout the season.
- My thanks to all Players, Captains and Team Managers who have played and got teams out throughout the last season.
- My thanks to Nigel Bird and his team at Peterborough Limited Bushfield Sports Centre who have helped run this league with me.
- My thanks to my colleagues at Cricket East who have worked and supported me throughout the last 7 years.
- My thanks to all spectators for supporting this league.
- My thanks to all players who have played with me or against me over the last 30 years, all umpires and scorers who have scored with me over the last 15 years and all clubs who have helped me with the organising over the last 7 years.
- My thanks to anyone whom I have inadvertently missed out.
