CRICKET: FORMER Kenilworth Wardens opening bowler Brinder Phagura devastated his former side at the weekend by taking seven wickets in a brutal 13 over spell.
Wardens collapsed to 92 all out in just 35 overs against West Bromwich Darmouth, leaving doubts over the long-term future of Wardens competing in the Birmingham Premier League with a possible relegation battle ahead.
West Bromwich Dartmouth won the toss on a warm afternoon and invited Wardens to bat.
It was Phagura’s pace and movement which ensured Wardens suffered a second successive defeat after losing out to Berkswell just a week earlier.
Boosted by agile fielding, Dartmouth took eight catches – seven of them shared between wicketkeeper Ian Stevenson and his slip cordon.
Wardens lost Bath early, but moved on without further problems to reach 35/1 by the tenth over.
But a spell of ten balls from Phagura saw the visitors reduced to 42/5.
Basit Zaman was firstly caught at slip by Abid Ali before overseas player Mankad was caught behind for a duck.
Opener Harry Johnson quickly followed before Donald fell the very next ball as he was caught behind by Stevenson.
A period of relative calm ensued as Tom Brammer and youngster Dan Mousley fought to get the innings back on track.
But an lbw decision against Mousley started another decline for Wardens as Anwar and Junead Zaman quickly followed to give Phagure his sixth and seventh victims of the afternoon.
Despite a seventy ball rear guard action by Brammer, who scored 37*, the innings finally closed on 92 – Wardens’ poorest score of the season.
Dartmouth’s reply was swift and brutal, the winning target reached in the 15th over.
Kadeer Ali and Amit John put the Wardens to sword after tea friendly batting conditions.
Their 73 run opening partnership took just 46 minutes before Matt Hancock bowled Ali for 32, an innings that included five fours and a six.
One run later Warwickshire’s Liam Banks and John got into a mix-up that resulted in John being run-out for 36.
Wardens bowling looked very ordinary, with only Hancock having any measure of the Dartmourth batting.
Dartmouth completed their victory in the 15th over without further alarm.
