CRICKET – The Almoayyed Ford Awali Camels held on for a hard-earned draw against Linton Park Cricket Club as they continued their 31st annual summer tour in England.
The two teams were well-matched on paper, but in reality, the hosts were fresh, young, and brimming with confidence, while the tourists from Bahrain were not so young and also wearied and bruised from two gruelling days of cricket in stifling heat.
Striding out to bat from the 250-year-old pavilion – the oldest in the world – Linton Park openers Ben Austin and Johan Eloff partnered for 63, with only a fine catch in the deep by Dave Mason off Tom Wooding to dismiss the six-smashing Eloff to slow the progress.
Wooding then snapped up Jordan Austin, pouching a low, hard return drive. Guy Parker removed Johan and Anthony Karasselos, the former with a steepling catch off his own bowling.
Christian Eloff, the youngest player on the day by quite a margin, then made his presence felt amongst his older team mates.
With Ben Austin (50*) amassing runs at ease at the other end, the colt Eloff immediately showed his class with a sublime cover drive for four.
Both Dave Hilton and Mumtaz picked up a wicket each, and Martin Saunders saved a packet of runs diving spectacularly in the deep, seemingly oblivious to the bruising to his body from the bone-hard ground.
Eloff reached his maiden half-ton off the penultimate ball of the innings, simultaneously being run out by Camels’ skipper Dan Viles.
The Camels’ target had somehow been kept to an attainable six-an-over, but sadly it was not to be.
Things did not augur well when opener Mason’s one-handed flick skied the second ball of the innings.
One for none soon became 22 for two (Matt Rees), 23 for three (Huw Caffrey), and 32 for four (Martin Saunders).
The good-sized crowd didn’t witness a dramatic on-field dogfight.
Against tight bowling, Mumtaz and Hilton scraped a partnership, but the asking rate rose.
When they departed, the big guns of Wooding and Viles attempted to tip the balance back in the Camels’ favour, but it was too little, too late.
When Johan Austin dismissed Wooding for the Camels’ highest score of the day (32), there was little Charles Forward (seven*) or Viles (18*) could do other than salvage a face-saving draw.
The Linton Park players and club supporters said they’d never entertained such an interesting team in their whole 250-year history.
The Almoayyed Ford Awali Camels now shift their focus to their next match – a T20 challenge from top Kent leaguers Addington CC.
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