Up and Down Start for Town C.C.

In contrast to last year, this season started in almost tropical conditions. Thereafter the weather turned much colder which may have accounted for Syston Town C.C’s inconsistent performances. In their first game the 1st XI took advantage of the sun on their backs to rack up 257-3 against Kegworth Town. Charles Wootton top scored with a superb 101 not out and he was well supported by Deon Burton (52) and George Corbett (48 not out). In reply Kegworth fought hard before being bowled out for 211 with Zahir Taher taking 5-40 and Asif Mia 3-33. A trip to Leicester Ivanhoe followed and Syston did well to restrict the home side to 206-8 with George Corbett taking 4-33. However, the batting did not function at all well and they were dismissed for just 117. Barrow Town were next up and the batting was once again disappointing and the team reached just 96 with only Alem Mahmood (39) showing any major resistance. After tea George Corbett with 5-39 had Barrow rocking at 58-5 but they only managed one more success and slipped to defeat by 4 wickets. Syston thought they had the upper hand against Lutterworth in their fourth match. The visitors were dismissed for just 116 with three wickets each for George Corbett and Asif Mai. However, the batting was once again found wanting and they could only reach 80 in reply.
The 2nd XI started their season with a visit to Loughborough Greenfields and dismissed the hosts for a respectable 176 with Adam Mortimer taking 3-41. However, Syston’s innings never really got going and they were all out for a disappointing 131 to lose by 45 runs. In contrast they put in a vastly improved performance in their second game against Hinckley Town 2nd XI. After asking Hinckley to bat first they dismissed them for just 48 with Mikesh Kansagra bowling superbly into the gale and taking 5-9 and he was well supported by Joe Storer with 4-27. Jaimal Bathia and Adam Mortimer knocked off the runs in the seventh for an overwhelming victory by 10 wickets.
The seconds carried their splendid form into the next game at Narborough & Littlethorpe. The home team were restricted to 187-6 with Adam Mortimer and Faisal Jariwala taking two wickets each. Paddy Oakman held the innings together with 57 not out and he was well supported by Tosif Ravat, Amer Nazir and Rory Chandler as the team charged to victory by four wickets with six overs to spare. A visit to Leicester Banks followed and Paddy Oakman (44) and Faisal Jariwala (35) helped Syston to 140-6 in an innings curtailed by rain. Tight bowling restricted the home side to 114-6 with two wickets each for Faisal Jariwala and Dharmist Bathia which gave Syston their third win in a row.