Davenall’s five wickets wins opener for Shenley

Shenley got the new season off to a great start on Saturday winning away at Rickmansworth.

Shenley captain Rahul Gajjar lost the toss and Rickmansworth elected to bat first.

Rickmansworth got off to a slow start playing cautiously on a seaming wicket which was not helped when the drizzle started falling and making the ball more like a bar of soap.

Surprisingly, Shenley's opening bowlers Dave Shelley and Nauman Saqeb managed to keep the scoring rate down to two runs an over. The score progressed along to 43 before Shelley got reward for his persistent line and length bowling, claiming the wicket of Horwood for 18.

It was to be James Davenall's day with the ball though as he ripped apart the top order of Rickmansworth's batting line up with good pace and big seam movement.

First he claimed Sims for 46 runs caught by Wahab with the score on 90. Davis and Hall steadied the ship for Rickmansworth moving the score along to 121 before Davenall clean bowled Davis for 34.

Rickmansworth's trump card, South African player Brown, came to the crease and was sent back to the pavilion straight away by Davenall when he was trapped lbw for a golden duck. Rickmansworth had now stalled to 121 for five wickets.

Shenley's fielders did some excellent work diving and sliding to really pressurise the Rickmansworth batsmen, particularly impressive on his Shenley league debut was Rawlings who must have saved at least 20 runs in the field.

Rickmansworth were pegged back and the score inched along to 136 before Davies (11 runs) was run out by good work from Jemile Al-Darraji.

The score was not added to with Hall gifting a catch to Gajjar off the bowling of Davenall. Rickmansworth were now rocking on 136-6. Davenall went on to claim his fifth wicket by bowling Azlison who had made eight runs, making the score 152-7.

Craig Rawlings then showed what a good acquisition he is to the Shenley side by taking a blinding catch at point that had left Weedon's bat like a tracer bullet. It was Saqeb's first wicket and reduced Rickmansworth to 164-7.

Gajjar then took his second catch of the game claiming Robinson's wicket for seven runs.

Shenley turned in a wonderful performance in the constant drizzle to restrict Rickmansworth to 170 for nine wickets from their 53 overs.

The home side's openers Al-Darraji and Gajjar got off to a steady start moving the score along to 38 before Gajjar was caught off the bowling of Allison for 21 runs in the tenth over. Al-Darraji followed him back to the pavilion three overs later being late on a pull shot giving a catch to mid-wicket from the bowling of Azlison, making the score 49-2.

Fazly Wahab was trapped lbw for six runs to Hall playing a pull shot to a ball that kept low off the wicket, leaving Shenley rocking on 50 for three.

Jose Fedee and Rawlings were now at the crease before the latter was caught in front of his crease lbw to Azlison.

In the 20th over, Shenley were on 63-4 with the match finely balanced. Fedee and Evans steadied the ship and put a good partnership together just when it was needed. They moved the score along to 107 from 32 overs, before Fedee (28) was cruelly given out lbw to an inside edge of the bowling of Brown.

Liam Willingham came in to make a vital 14 runs before a mix-up between him and Evans saw the former run out with the score on 136-6. Davenall couldn't show the same magic with the bat as with the ball and was caught off Davis for one.

Saqeb came in to finish the game off with some big hitting, ending on 15 not out, but Shenley's batting hero was Evans with his vital innings of 50 not out. Shenley wrapped up victory in the 45th over.