A Holt to batting woes

May 22 2009 Ealing Gazette

EALING 161 all out (51.2 overs) SHEPHERD'S BUSH 113 all out (47.5 overs)

Ealing beat SHEPHERD'S BUSH by 48 runs EALING captain David Holt reminded his troops at tea on Saturday why they were Premier League champions four years on the trot.

It was a timely morale-booster because the new man in charge admitted his team's batting performance had been woeful.

But in former Middlesex county spinner Chris Peploe and new speed merchant Hassan Khan, they had the weapons to inflict mortal damage on newly-promoted Bush. Holt said: "I think Hassan is better than that we've had previously, and Chris is quality. The bowlers have now got us out of sticky situations two weeks running. But the batting? We're going to have to look at that."

Bush were poised for a shock win when they had Ealing on the rack at 27-4. Even an all out 161 offered hope to Ed Reynolds' and co that Bush could pull off a major upset. Amit Shuman and Will Speer took two wickets apiece on a benign track and when spinner Mehuel Ashra weighed in with 4-28 off just 13.2 overs, home tails were up. Even at 72-2 when it was Bush's turn at the crease, there was more than a chance the all-conquering champions were in for an early-season pasting.

Straight after tea, an unbroken spell from Chris Peploe, delivering lethal left-arm spin from one end, and Hassan Khan bashing down the fast stuff from the other, gave Bush a nasty dose of indigestion.

Soon 72-2 became 113 all out in just 78 minutes, with Peploe finishing on 3-23 and Khan recording an impressive 5-27.