1s beat 2s in thriller as Thirath Goane hits twin tons

The eagerly anticipated 1s vs 2s inter-club game did not disappoint as the 1s squeaked home by 7 runs mainly thanks to Thirath Goane's blistering knock of 110. Not content with one century at home this weekend, Thirate followed that up with 124 on Sunday as Aldenham were beaten by 85 runs.

On Saturday, Thirath's knock was the backbone of the innings as the Pravin Jadhav's 1s posted 247/7 from their 45 overs. An early Jack Solomon double strike set the 1s innings back but Thirath proved an immovable object. First, he helped guide the 1s to 156-4 off 32 and then stepped on the accelerator as the 1s hit 91 off their final 13 overs to set an imposing target.

In response, Vishal Patel's 2s, superbly guided by Aadil Khan's 114, were always up with the rate. They were 137/3 after 25 overs and 170-5 with 13 overs to go. That rate of a run a ball remained the same until the final 18 balls but some tight death bowling eventually saw the 1s over the line by just seven runs.

Less than 24 hours later and Thirath was at it again, leading from the front with 124 as Brentham posted 246/9 against Aldenham. At one stage, Brentham were 150-1 but lost regular wickets in the pursuit of quick runs to finish just shy of the 250 mark.

In reply, Faizullah Khan took 2/2 off his first three overs to stop the chase in its tracks. Pratyesh Desai then took three with Jamshed getting the other to reduce Aldenham to 64/6. An 82-run seventh-wicket partnership restored some respectability, Aldenham's skipper adding 40 to his first innings 5-fer, but Jamshed, Immy Raza, and Ayaz Khan knocked over the tail to record an 85-run victory.

Our other game on Sunday saw a first defeat for the club this season as Ickenham's total of 296-7 off 40 overs proved too much at Oak Avenue. The hosts built steadily and reached 100-1 at the midway point, captain Matt Plews with the sole wicket. From that foundation, and with tiny boundaries on three sides of the ground, Ickenham unleashed.

100-1 off 21 became 233-3 off 33 as their opener retired after a well-made century and their number three hit 75 in no time, most of them leg-side flicks to the 40 yard square boundary. Baz Raninga ended the innings with four wickets as the home side fell just short of the 300 mark.

In reply, Brentham were 116-3 after 18 overs. However, Derrick Roper's departure, to an excellent catch for 41, ended the contest. As the asking rate continued to climb, wickets fell and The Trees were eventually all out for 178 off 31 overs.

The final weekend of pre-season sees a triple-header against Eastcote on Saturday, and a Sunday friendly at home to Kensington and Chelsea. Then on Bank Holiday Monday there's the National T20 against Barnes and a friendly away at Harefield.