Cricket East

AK11 are top of the Hunts Indoor League as we head into the Christmas and New Year break. The 2022/2023 Hunts Indoor Champions have a slender 3-point lead at the top over 10 times champions Bretton with both teams meeting each other in the first match of 2025. AK maintained their strong 100% start to the season with a 90-run win over Pak Azad but the scoreline was far from comfortable in the early part of the game. After Pak Azad won the toss and decided to bowl AK slipped to 23-2. A recovery was launched but 77-2 very quickly became 78-4 before a brutal assault of batting at the end of the innings from batsman Sufyan Mazhar and Hassan Ameir who both finished unbeaten with 47 and 32 respectively. This unbeaten 5th wicket partnership of 56 helped AK post a very respectable total with AK scoring 53 runs from the last 3 overs and 86 from the last 5!

The Pak Azad reply started well with 16 runs being scored from the first 2 overs with opener Sharoz Hussain scoring a breezy 13. However, when he was dismissed, the innings came off the rails and Pak Azad collapsed to 44 all out from 5.4 overs. Yet again it was that player Mazhar who was the chief destroyer. Over the course of this season his outstanding catching and direct hit run outs have helped AK climb to the top of the table and he completed a man of the match performance taking 2-7 from a solitary over and executing 3 brilliant run outs.

Bretton are right behind AK11 and they stayed in 2nd position with a 58 run win over Whittlesey. Bretton powered their way to the highest team total of the Hunts League Indoor season hitting 176-1 with four of their batsmen retiring under ECB rules with 25 to their name. Opening bat Neil Buckingham did return top scoring with 29, while brothers Andy and Dave Bennett (both with 27) and Tom Sanderson with 25 were the players in form. Chasing 177 to win Whittlesey started well with Josh Fox continuing his impressive indoor form with a flurry of fours and sixes seeing him quickly reach 25. He received excellent support from Henry Butt with 28 – who was playing his first game of cricket for 10 years!

However, when Ethan Bennett returned removing both Fox and Butt with two in swinging yorkers the game was up with Bretton getting home.

Werrington have moved up to 3rd with a last over win against defending Indoor league champions Ufford Park. The team have had a disastrous defence of their title losing 4 of their first 5 matches. Ufford batted first posting 119-4 from their 10 overs with 3 players scoring in the 20’s with all-rounders Saj Ali and Usman Sadiq both unbeaten on 29 and 27 and 25 from wicket keeper batsman Jonathan Bigham in his first match of the season being their main contributors. Werrington had the worst possible start losing a wicket in the first over with Saj Ali executing a run out. However, quick fire scoring from Junaid Hussain (40), Captain Mohammad Toseeq (29) and Shehzad Akhter (27) all saw Werrington get above the run rate. Ufford did fight back with 2 tight overs from Usman Sadiq which saw 8 dot balls bowled and a wicket with wicket keeper Jonathan Bigham taking a routine catch and an excellent run out from Ejaz Masood but Werrington held the right cards with 3 players having already retired and back in the dug out and they got home with 4 balls remaining.

Hampton won for the 2nd time this season beating Wansford by 3 wickets and in the process have jumped above them into 5th. Batting first Wansford posted 130-4 from their 10 overs with Kester Sainsbury continuing his excellent indoor season with an unbeaten 59. Sainsbury went through the gears in this innings and after a series of scoring 3 runs he was brutal in the latter stages with a flurry of fours and sixes. Hampton raced to their victory target of 131 with opener Saad Ashraf top scoring with a brilliant unbeaten 52. Ashraf hit 3 sixes and two fours in his unbeaten half century, and he received excellent support from lower order batsman Aurangzaib Tahir who also hit 3 sixes in his quickfire 30.

Mohammad Zubair was the top bowler for Wansford taking 2 wickets in two balls with Kester Sainsbury again in the action taking two diving catches at long off, but those actions were to be in vain as Hampton crossed the finish line with 13 balls remaining.

Hunts Indoor League Results – Week 5 – Sunday 15th December 2024

Match 1 – Hampton beat Wansford by 3 wickets.

Wansford 130-4 from 10 overs. Kester Sainsbury 59 not out (3x6 and 2x4), Andy Briault 17 (1x4)

Hampton 131-3 from 7.5 overs. Saad Ashraf 52 not out (3x6 and 2x4), Aurangzaib Tahir 30 – Retired (3x6 and 1x4), Mateeh Fayyaz 18 (3x4). Mohammad Zubair 2-23.

Match 2 - Werrington beat Ufford Park by 3 wickets.

Ufford Park 119-4 from 10 overs. Saj Ali 29 not out (1x6 and 3x4), Usman Sadiq 27 – Retired (1x6), Jonathan Bigham 25 (1x6), Ejaz Masood 19.

Werrington 122-3 from 9.2 overs. Junaid Hussain 40 not out (3x4), Muhammad Toseeq 29 not out (2x6 and 1x4), Shehzad Akhter 27 – Retired not out (2x6)

Match 3 – Bretton beat Whittlesey by 58 runs.

Bretton 176-1 from 10 overs. Neil Buckingham 29 (1x6 and 1x4), Andy Bennett 27 – Retired (1x6), Dave Bennett 27 – Retired (1x6 and 1x4), Tom Sanderson 25 – Retired (1x6 and 1x4), Ethan Bennett 18.

Whittlesey 118-5 from 10 overs. Josh Fox 38 (1x6 and 4x4), Henry Butt 28 (2x6 and 1x4), Ian Jones 18 (1x6 and 1x4). Ethan Bennett 2-15.

Match 4 – AK11 beat Pak Azad by 90 runs.

AK11 134-4 from 10 overs. Sufyan Mazhar 47 not out (3x6 and 1x4), Hassan Amier 32 not out (2x6 and 1x4)

Pak Azad 44 all out from 5.4 overs. Sufyan Mazhar 2-7.

LEAGUE TABLE AFTER WEEK 5: