Scintilla Cricket Club on the brink of the championship?

Emdad Rahman

Barking & Dagenham based Scintilla Cricket Club is on the brink of becoming league champion after a monumental win over Premier League rivals ACE Cricket Club at the Peter May Stadium.

In the second to last game of the season, Scintilla batted first and reached a colossal 404 after batting for the maximum 45 overs. Captain Faris Almas Lee Rosmanizam tinkered with the opening pair, putting himself in as opening batsman with the evergreen Sajal Rahman. The tactics were spot on, as Scintilla raced to their highest run total of the campaign so far.

Scintilla lost Rahman early in the second over but Rosmanizam and Ashfaqur Rahaman Nobel paired up to launch the springboard for a flawless partnership at the crease. 84 runs were added before Rosmanizam was dismissed on 35 runs. Spurred on by a good partnership Nobel dominated the Ace bowlers, using glorious techniques and batting skills to rack up 104.

Other batsmen chipped in, with demon spinner Enamul Haque Jr getting his maiden half century and ending on 65 runs not out. Star wicket keeper Bellal Hossain’s hard hitting left him undefeated on 39 runs and Fattah Chowdhury struck 34 runs, while Aaman Khan and Abul Hasib contributed 20 runs each.

With a record 404 runs on the board, Rosmanizam pitched his spinners, and the decision paid dividends as Shahen Prince, the lethal left-arm orthodox spinner, bagged four wickets for just 30 runs in his nine overs. Sajal Rahman showed agile reflexes as he took two blinding catches in the slips to dismiss two key ACE batsmen. Rahman also took two wickets in his five over spell.

ACE plunged to 55 for six wickets in 21 overs before a heavy downpour stopped play temporarily. After a half hour break in play, Enamul Haque Jr wrapped up the game with three wickets, while conceding 23 runs.

Scintilla CC won the match by an astonishing 270 runs, and this leaves the Barking Club one positive result away from winning the league in their first ever season the top flight. Captain Rosmanizam said: “I am delighted at the way we showcased our skills and experience today. 404 is a big total, but we did not do anything else other than stick to our basics. No words can describe the hard work and determination we have put in and it has borne fruit today as we still sit top of the league with a game to go.”

Match summary
Scintilla CC vs ACE
Venue: Peter May Stadium, 135 Wadham Road, Walthamstow, London E17 4HR
SCC won the toss and elected to bat first
SCC 404-7 in 45 overs.
Ashfaqur Rahaman Nobel 103, Enamul Haque Jr 65 not out, Bellal Hossain 39 not out, Faris Almas-Lee 35, Fattah Chowdhury 34
ACE 134 all out in 28.2 overs.
Shahen Prince 4 for 30, Enamul Haque Jr 3 for 23, Sajal Rahman 2 for 37. Result: SCC won by 270 runs. Man of the match: Ashfaqur Rahaman Nobel (SCC)