Phuket Sports: Island cricketers on a high

PHUKET: A battle for mid-table seniority held court at Phuket’s ACG when the Island Cricket Club faced the Thanyapura Tigers in the ninth Island Furniture League match.

Sitting in fourth place, Tigers were a solitary point ahead of ICC fifth spot on the table and both teams were very aware that a win was crucial if their league title hopes were to survive.Tigers posted a respectable score of 196 runs with a solid innings once again from Ryan Dunn, who scored 83. But ICC clinched victory in a tight game, hanging on with just two wickets to reach 198 runs in 31 overs. The losing side will look to their bowlers after a woefully wayward performance that conceded 52 runs from wides and no balls.

ICC won the toss and put TNT into bat with Martin Hill (1) and Ryan Dunn opening the batting. Hill fell in the fifth over with the score on 24 followed by Dan Smith (2) in the 10th over before the drinks break.

Dunn and Sid Prathu (59) built a solid foundation for the innings with a 106 partnership before Prathu was dimissed in the 28th over with the score on 167. ICC had opportunities to interrupt the partnership having dropped Prathu four times during his innings.

It wasYatin Halarnkar who showed the way when he took a stunning catch to remove Dunn whose century was within sight. Roshan Jayasuria (14) was the only other Tiger batsman to reach double figures. Tigers’ innings ended when they were bowled out for 196 in the 37th over. ICC bowling highlights were Faisal Mir (3 for 47), Halankar (2 for 30) and Imtiyaz Mushtaq (2 for 32).

The ICC innings began ominously when Vicky Kumar (4) lost the race to a Dan Smith run-out in the third over with the score on 14. Despite such an early set back, the ICC batsmen managed to string several good partnerships together throughout the middle order.

Mushtaq (34) top-scored for ICC while Ali Khan (33), Surender Kumar (19), Anand Chand (16) and Darshan Vaigankar (14) also chipped in. Tigers took three late wickets when ICC were around 180 runs, but ICC hung on, scrambling to victory in the 31st over when they reached 198 runs. Tigers’ bowling was headed by Dunn (2 for 24) and Hill (2 for 18).

Man of the match was Imtiyaz Mushtaq while Ryan Dunn took second and Ali Khan placed third.

ICC now move up to fourth place in the Phuket Island Furniture league table after their victory over TNT. Patong still remain on top, but the Village, Laguna and Lizards have a match in hand.

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The Phuket Gazette is the Official Local Media Partner of the ACG.

— Neil Quail