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PKF Wanderers win season curtain-raiser
David Piesing
PKF Wanderers opened the weekend domestic season with a 27-run victory over Malborough Trust Optimists at the KGV to win the Dave Fisher Memorial Trophy for the first time. The fixture is played annually between the winners of the GCA Championship and the GCA Cup from the previous season. Both teams were missing 5 or 6 key players from their regular weekend sides and will be hoping to be back at full strength for the start of the league programme next weekend.
On a belter of an April batting track after all the recent fine weather, Wanderers batted first and made 233 for 7 in their 45 overs. Sher Khanagha carried on his amazing form from the end of the 2006 season when, in his only two matches for Wanderers after his arrival on the island, he took 7 wickets in one game and scored a century in the other (also against Optimists). On this occasion he cracked 91 before being stumped with 9 balls remaining, trying unselfishly to boost the score to the 250-mark. He was well-supported by Pierre Moody (30) while opener Matt Thornton made 28. Newcomer Tom Magners took 3 for 57 on his Optimists debut, while Steve Queripel conceded just 29 runs in his allotted 9 overs.
In reply, Optimists got off to a decent start through veteran openers Ian Damarell and Tim de Putron who put on a quick half-century stand before de Putron was bowled by a beauty from Moody. Damarell was then unluckily undone by a ball from Moody which kept very low, the only one which misbehaved all day. Skipper Andy Biggins was joined by Magners and the pair steadily took the score to 130 for 2 before Magners slashed debutant Arijit Datta to Moody at backward point to break the partnership. A series of new partners for Biggins came and went as the asking rate rose above 7 an over, with Datta, Phil Challenger, Steve Birkett and Khanagha all bowling tightly. Biggins was finally undone by Challenger for a hard-fought 37 and Optimists were eventually bowled out for 206 in the 43rd over. Moody and Challenger both finished with 3 for 37, while Datta took 2 for 30 and Khanagha took 1 for 29 in his 9 overs to put the brake on just when Optimists were trying to step up the asking rate.
With so many regulars missing, neither side is likely to read too much into the result of this match but it did suggest that both teams will be fielding some useful players in their respective second teams this season in Division 2.
© Guernsey Cricket Board
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