Emdad Rahman
SCINTILLA CRICKET CLUB has beaten Newham Cricket Club to go top of the table after the latest round of games in the Essex County Cricket League. Scintilla won the toss in the Championship Division 1 fixture and elected to bat.
With the score at 93/6 after 20 overs, it was all-rounder Fazlur Rashid’s tenacious 53 – in a 99-run partnership with Saad Bidiwala (46) – which restored order within the ranks of the title chasers. Boosted by the Rashid and Saad partnership, the home side reached 293 all out before tea.
As play resumed, the marauding Morshadur Rahman was on a one-man mission to go home early and in no mood to take prisoners: he took five crisp wickets as Scintilla won by 185 runs.
With in-form League leaders London Eagles losing to Roding Valley, Scintilla take over top spot at the halfway point and ahead of the Eid celebrations next week. Scintilla Captain Ishaq Shawn commented, “This is a team of leaders and our character is spot on. When I look around me, I see players ready to give everything for the club crest. When you have this mindset it makes us difficult opponents. Well done to the team, but I want to remind everyone that the League doesn’t finish in July – there’s plenty of cricket still to play.”
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