VIDARBHA all-rounder Atharva Taide is making most of the opportunities. The southpaw all-rounder excelled with both bat and ball as Lancaster Cricket Club recorded a thrilling seven-run win over Leyland Cricket Club in the Northern Premier Cricket League Division One match at Lune Road Cricket Ground. In reply to Lancaster’s 148 all out in 44.4 overs, Leyland were shot out for 141 in 39.2 overs. Leyland won the toss and elected to field. Taide came to the crease with the scoreboard reading no runs for the loss of one wicket. Taide (71; 94b, 9x4, 1x6) took his own sweet time at the beginning. He and opener Jamie Heywood (17; 61b, 1x4) added 84 runs for the second with Taide dominating the partnership scoring 58 of those runs. After Heywood’s departure, Taide and David Rippengal (20) took the score to 120 when Taide became Nathan McDonnell’s first of the four victims.

 

Among the later batsmen only Laurie Atkinson (13) could reach into double digits as the team lost last seven wickets for addition of just 28 runs. Michael Birchall also snared four wickets. With a small target to chase, Leyland made a solid start. Openers Jacob Wright (27) and James Rounding (26) took the team past fifty. And just when it was looking that the game was going away from Lancaster, Taide (15-6-25-6) was pressed into the attack. The left-arm orthodox had Rounding stumped by Lee Sparks and then the floodgates opened. The bowler just ran through the opponents. His dismissals included four of the top five batsmen. Lisburn lose, North Down win IN IRELAND’S Premier League, Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal’s Lisburn lost yet another game while his former colleague Aniruddha Chore once again shone with the willow as North Down registered a win. Lisburn lost to Woodvale by 63 runs at Wallace Park. Lisburn invited Woodvale to take first strike. In the allotted 41 overs, the visitors made a 252-6 with opener-skipper Harry Warke contributing a well-compiled 67.

 

Fellow opener J Hall made 42. R Pretorius (65) was the other major run-getter. Bowling gentle medium pace, Faiz took one wicket for 13 runs from his three tidy overs. Faiz (47; 67b, 2x4, 2x6) dropped anchor at one end but could not get support form other batsmen. Thanks to last man Josh Manley’s unbeaten 33 that came of 24 balls (3x4, 1x6), the home side could reach 189 all out in 36.1 overs. In the other game, chasing Carrickfergus’ 152, North Down’s Chore remained not out on 63 guiding the team to a comfortable seven wickets win. G Maneeshan made 62.