MYSTERY man Amir Alipour bagged two wickets for just one run on his return from a finger injury last night – but couldn’t stop The Road losing badly to the Battersea Badgers.
The Orange Caps were under the kosh right from the word go in this season’s second South London Ashes clash as they struggled to get the ball away on a near dead pitch at Fishponds Recreation Ground in Tooting.
With an outfield so grassy it was like hitting a ball into deep rough, both Andy Saker and Shailesh Joshi fell early trying to force the ball in the evening Twenty20.
Mark Isham and Leon Watson, two players more used to nurdling than going aerial, put on a painfully slow partnership of 28 before Mark fell for 21.
Then with the score on 60 the Badgers’ strike bowler Robin Mackrell, who has been the scourge of The Road in so many games, was brought into the attack and immediately wreaked havoc.
With his first ball, he had Matt Cocken caught at cover for 6, second ball he bowled Leon with an in-swinging yorker for 19 and, having missed the opportunity of a hat-trick, he duly bowled Elliot Small with another terrific yorker, this time hitting the base of leg-stump.
If The Road weren’t already in enough trouble, they were staring down the barrel after Robin’s incredible burst of three in four balls.
Two runs from Michael Rossi, who along with Elliot and Amir was being welcomed back into the fold for the first time this year, before he was removed by Robin and a late flurry from Jeremy Smith, who scored 15, weren’t enough to push the score up to something decent.
After Robin’s 4 for 9, the Badgers were left needing just 81 to win and knocked them off with ease only losing one wicket, captain Jan Marchant stumped by Elliot off Leon, before Amir’s return in the final overs.
The mystery man conceded only a wide to grab his brace and appeared to have the Badgers at his mercy. But again, it was too little too late, as the Badgers ran out deserved winners by 7 wickets.
The result sets up the Super Test nicely with both sides on one win each in this year’s South London Ashes series.