by Emdad Rahman
Scintilla gained revenge as the Barking & Dagenham club defied the form book to obliterate Ford by five wickets. Scintilla won the toss and elected to field in the hope of exploiting the green track for their pace bowlers and several dry patches for the specialist spinners. The decision to do so paid off. Ashfaqur Rahaman Nobel bowled a wonderful spell of seven overs, ripping through the top order batsmen of Ford CC to finish at three wickets for 26 runs in his spell. Abul Hasib continued his excellent swing bowling while varying his pitches with slower deliveries, making it very difficult for the opposition to play him. His seven overs conceded 19 runs and gained one wicket in the last over. The introduction of two Scintilla CC debutants, Enamul Haque Jr and Tanvir Priyam, proved particularly momentous. Enamul Haque Jr, a current Bangladeshi national team cricketer, showed his class. The international star hardly broke sweat as his spin bowling coupled with flighted deliveries caused all sorts of problems for his opponents. Haque snatched three wickets, giving away only ten runs in his 6.4 overs. A notable contribution came from club captain Ahmed Choudhury who took two brilliant catches in the field. Tanvir Priyam struck gold with his first delivery and followed with his second and third wicket in his next two overs. At the close of the innings, Ford CC were bowled out cheaply for 91 runs by the home side. With 92 runs as their target, Scintilla CC decided to retain their current openers for the run chase. It did not go as planned as youngster Rifat Mahmud bludgeoned the ball high to lose his wicket. Sajal Rahman at the other end was not phased by the formidable Ford CC bowlers. Rahman was aggressive in his batting and launched two huge sixes and two fours before being trapped by a slower delivery from Adeel Mirza. Rahman was out caught and ended his innings with 25 runs from only 21 deliveries. Scintilla CC captain, Faris Almas-Lee Rosmanizam (16 runs), carried on the run chase with Nobel for a stand of 20 runs before being caught out in the 13th over. Ashraful Islam clubbed three towering sixes on the leg side and two powerful fours, ending the run chase with seven wickets in hand. He finished not out with 28 runs. Scintilla CC won by seven wickets in hand. Team Captain Rosmanizam said: “This was another good performance all round from the players. The introduction of Enamul Haque Jr certainly boosted our spirit to win and we are really happy to have him in the squad for the rest of the season. We still have a long journey for the championship and consistent performances from all the players should be the key for a positive end of the season.” Enamul Haque Jr said: “I was pleasantly surprised by the skill levels displayed by the players. It is obvious that there is a lot of talent within the grassroots that can be tapped into by cricket clubs. I really enjoyed playing today and hope to keep my fitness levels up by playing games during my short stay.” Club Captain Ahmed Choudhury welcomed the contributions of the two debutants: “Enamul and Tanvir galvanised the squad with their presence today. Morale is good and we are determined to continue this winning streak.”
Match: Scintilla CC vs Ford CC Venue: Peter May Sports Centre, 135 Wadham Road, E17 4HR Brief scores: Result: Scintilla CC won by 7 wickets Scintilla CC won the toss and elected to field Ford CC 91 all out in 27.4 overs. Enamul Haque Jr 3 for 10, Tanvir Priyam 3 for 24, Ashfaqur Rahaman Nobel 3 for 26 Scintilla CC 93-3 in 15.3 overs. Ashraful Islam 28 not out, Sajal Rahman 25 Man of the match: Enamul Haque Jr (Scintilla CC)