By Charles Randall
26 July 2017
The Sovereign Trophy final scheduled for this week has been postponed due to the weather, but the former Worcestershire off-spinner Shaftab Khalid has ensured that the Elliott Davis League representative side will start as red-hot favourites when the game is played on 22 August.
Wanstead are still in all competitions that they entered at the beginning of the season.
Quarter Finals draw:
The Sovereign Trophy final scheduled for this week has been postponed due to the weather, but the former Worcestershire off-spinner Shaftab Khalid has ensured that the Elliott Davis League representative side will start as red-hot favourites when the game is played on 22 August.
The London-based Elliott Davis, hoping for their second cup success in three years, were due to meet the South East Sunday League at Chipstead-Coulsdon & Walcountians CC, a lovely Surrey ground. The competition, organised by the Club Cricket Conference, has been increasing in popularity, accentuating the need to avoid a damp final.
In the semi-finals Elliott Davis defeated the Caribbean Cup Competition XI by seven wickets at Catford after an extraordinary five-over intervention from Khalid that produced five wickets for nine runs, cutting the legs off the Caribbean innings. A total of 121 looked nothing like enough for the 2015 finalists, as was the case when the former Nottinghamshire batsman Bilal Shafayat led the chase with 71 not out after Dave Burton had given the Caribbeans hope with three early wickets.
In 2016 the two sides had met in the first round at Catford, when the Caribbeans won easily and Khalid took only a couple of expensive wickets. So revenge was sweet for Elliott Davis against such a strong side.
South East Sunday overcame Essex League Divisions One to Three easily enough, winning by five wickets at Reading, thanks to a fine 71 by CCC Under 25 player Rehan Akram. They are an interesting side in that the captain Shabaz Alam was given sole responsibility for selection at the start of the season.
Alam, a solid all-rounder from Twyford CC in the Cherwell League on Saturdays, decided to pick the most promising players from the top two divisions, using his long experience in the league. Result? A surprise appearance in the final for a youthful side with no 'names' against a side with plenty of them.
The 2016 winners Mid Essex were knocked out in their first match by British Tamils, who in turn were pipped by South East Sunday by two wickets.
In The Conference Cup for the Bertie Joel Trophy, The Conference Cup holders, Reigate Priory were eliminated at Bexley. The home captain Jason Benn knocked over four early wickets with the new ball and though Andrew Delmond's fine 71 took Priory's final score up to 203, Bexley cruised home with five wickets and three overs to spare, with opener Chris Laas hitting 75.
The Bertie Joel holders West Indies United survived a scare at Chingford. Chasing 235, they looked out for the count seven wickets down until Javon Abraham, at number nine, smashed five sixes in a rapid 40 not out to see his team home without further loss, leaving opener Akil Greenidge undefeated on 84. Chingford's captain Alfie Taylor top-scored for his side with 65 and then conceded 42 off his two overs. Cricket can be a cruel game.
The quarter-finals of this competition were originally scheduled for on or before Sunday 30 July. However for various reasons the deadline might have to be extended considerably.
Wanstead are still in all competitions that they entered at the beginning of the season.
Quarter Finals draw:
Wanstead v Ealing
Sunbury v Waltham
Cambridge Granta v Finchley
West Indies United v Bexley