By John Lewis
DULWICH FINISHED their season in Division 2 of the Travelbag Surrey Championship in fine style by beating second-place Malden Wanderers by 70 runs last weekend.
Dulwich chose to bat, and the Eds, Stolle and Towner, put memories of the debacle in the first match between the sides behind them as they cruised past that meagre total of 42 in the twelfth over. The pair had added 51 in 13.4 overs when skipper Stolle was the first to go, having led the way with 35 off 49 balls. His dismissal sparked a collapse as five wickets fell in ten overs for 32 runs, three of them to off spinner Will Clapp who bowled his ten overs straight through for just eighteen runs.
Jon Lodwick thus joined Arun Ayyavooraju with the score on 83-5 after 23.4 overs. They stayed together for 22 overs, during which they added 107 for the sixth wicket. Ayyavooraju defended resolutely until Clapp had completed his spell, but then advanced to his maiden fifty for the first team before falling for 58, scored off 92 balls.
Lodwick reached his own half century but was out two balls later. He faced 57 balls in making his best score of the season. The opening bowlers then wrapped up the tail as the last five wickets went down for just fifteen runs. The innings ended on the first ball of the 50th over as Dulwich were dismissed for 205.
Lodwick then removed both openers in his first six overs in a spell of eight overs for 21 runs. He gave way to Salaar Waqar, who took a wicket with his first ball and another three balls later to make it 57-4. Two wickets for Patrick George made it 77-6 in the 24th over.
Pete Young and Joe Lavender then added 44 in 10.3 overs for the seventh wicket until a direct hit by Kamran Munawar ran out Lavender, and Munawar followed up with the next wicket in his next over.
Two wickets in three balls by Alex Gledhill finished off the innings as Malden were all out for 135 in the 40th over. The last four wickets had gone down for just fourteen runs, with Young the last man out for the top score of 34. The wickets were thus shared equally between the five bowlers. Four of them took two, while Munawar had one plus a run out.
Dulwich have thus won four out of their last five matches, and have risen four places in that time to finish sixth. Four players have made their maiden fifties for the first team in the last three matches, which promises well for the future.
Dulwich will be aiming to take this improved form into next season.