Town C.C. Finally Get Their Season Underway

Syston Town C.C. 1st XI finally got their season underway in May but they found their return to the Premier Division harder than expected. Syston started with a trip to Oakham and set a reasonable target of 190 with Asad Pathan top scoring with 65.
When Syston reduced Oakham to 140-5 the match seemed evenly poised but the home side knocked off the runs without further loss. The next match saw Kegworth the visitors to Potters Lane and Syston recorded their first victory of the season. Syston struggled against some accurate bowling and reached a very modest 109. In reply pace bowler Abrar Pathan (pictured below) was the pick of the bowlers with 4-13 as Kegworth were dismissed for just 84. Syston then lost their next two games from what appeared to be winnings positions.
A visit to Langtons saw the home side bowled out for just 167 and with Syston on 117-4 and Mo Salejee (34) and Asad Pathan (46) going well, victory seemed on the cards but cricket is a cruel game and Syston fell 15 runs short. Loughborough Town then were bowled out for just 127 with spinners Faizal Jariwala and Mo Pardesi taking three wickets each. Syston’s innings never really got going and despite a hard fought 28 not out by skipper Umar Razzaq, they were dismissed for just 85.
The 2nd XI after three successive defeats overcame Market Harborough 1st XI in a brilliant game of cricket. Batting first, Syston reached 179-8 with skipper Henry Whait hitting a superb 71 and Yash Kapdi 40 not out. Babu Singh with 3-21 made early inroads but wickets were hard to come by until Ketan Dudharejia weighed in with 3-13 to round the innings off for 168. A visit to Bharat Sports followed and Syston struggled to reach 112 with Rameez Ahomed top scoring with 36. Syston gave Bharat a few problems but they won comfortably by five wickets.
The Sunday XI have been winning and losing matches in equal measure as they always do. Wreake Nomads were defeated by 9 wickets thanks largely to Asad Pathan who scored his first century of the season and Abrar Pathan with 66 not out.
Similarly after Barkby were bowled out for 117, Ayaan Pathan with 39 not out saw Syston home for a comfortable win. Defeats followed against Barrow Town where Syston just failed by 10 runs in a spirited effort to chase down a massive 264-7 and against Evington Lions who bowled the home side out for just 78 and won by 6 wickets.