BLINCOE CUP

Valkyres B and the Schools Eleven have won their second-round matches in the Blincoe Cup and will now meet in the semi-finals. The other tie pits Crosby B against Peel and St John’s B.

Valkyres batted first against Union Mills and gained a big advantage when Paul Fleming and Arun Mahalingham had a stand of 143 for the second wicket. Fleming fell to Greg Wenn for 78 made from 50 balls, including 7 fours and four sixes. Mahalingham batted through to end on 51 not out as his side finished on 188 for 4. The Millers replied with 153 for 4, led by opener Richard Taylor’s 69. They started their second innings with a 33 run deficit, but were shattered by an opening spell from Shibu Augustain. He dismissed the top three batsmen for only 7 runs and set Valkyres on the road to victory. Chris Nash (29), Jamie Charlton (19) and keeper Will Miller (19) offered resistance, but Union Mills were shot out for 105. That left Valkyres needing only 70 for victory and they achieved it in style, losing only one wicket. Salman Malik (29no) and Shahid Rafique (34no) knocked off the runs in nine overs.

The Schools Eleven had a convincing win at Castletown who made 103 for 5 in their first innings. The top batsmen were Tom Burrows (36) and opener Christian Steriopulos (27). The Scholars wasted no time and lost only one wicket in building a big lead. George Burrows crashed 72 from 56 balls before falling to Ewan Quayle, while Eddie Beard (48) and Nathan Knights (24) took the total to 168 for 1.

Going in again, the Schools made 118 for 7, setting Castletown a target of 184 to reach the semi-finals. Sam Riordan was 39 not out and George Burrows was again in form with 35 from 33 balls. Garreth Roome and Joe Burrows both took two wickets. The Town batsmen needed a good start to challenge their young opponents, but their hopes were shattered by Sam Riordan. He took out three of the top order for only eight runs and there was no coming back for Castletown. Garreth Roome took only 18 balls to hit 26, but the end was in sight when he was bowled by Sam Mills. Simon Beard mopped up the tail and the innings closed on 74 to give the Schools a convincing win by 109 runs.

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T20

In Monday’s matches in the T20 Cain Championship there were wins for the two leaders, Cronkbourne and Peel & St John’s.

At Tromode, Ramsey made 77 for 9 with Adam Peel hitting 24, Brandan Atchison 17 and Chris McConnell 14. Matt Ansell excelled by taking three wickets for only four runs from his four overs. Cronkbourne raced to victory in just nine overs. Skipper Max Stokoe smashed 35 not out from 23 balls, while Tom Moffatt took both wickets to fall.

Valkyres ended on 129 for 4 against Peel and St Johns. Wasim Khan’s 56 not out included 6 fours and 2 sixes and good support came from Mohammed Salman’s 25. Kieran Cawte took 2 -31 to become the Island’s leading wicket taker with 41 dismissals. The Saints got the runs in 15 overs, mainly thanks to Chris Hawke smashing 41 not out off 24 balls.

Danny Kniveton was on form in the T20 Plate, making 63 in Crosby’s victory over Finch Hill. Andrew Burkitt had led the way for the Finches, cracking 61 from his side’s 136 for 8. However, it was not enough – Crosby took just 14 overs to make 139 and win by seven wickets.

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PREMIERSHIP

The pressure is now back on Peel and St John’s. Even after last week’s surprise defeat by the Schools Eleven, they still top of the Premiership. However, their lead has been cut and Cronkbourne are getting closer. The gap is now 31 points, but the Douglas side have a game in hand and the Saints know they cannot afford another slip. Ramsey visit Mullen-e-Cloie this Saturday and should face a team side determined to get back to winning ways. The northern club have still to win a Premiership game this season, although they nearly beat Crosby in their last outing. Their cause will not be helped by key players away on holiday. Grant and Brandon Atchison are out and skipper Marc Pons Burt is not available. Rob Webber leads the side, but the odds are stacked heavily against them.

On the other hand, Cronkbourne face a tricky visit to Crosby, a team which is capable of causing a big upset. They showed great spirit in coming back from the jaws of defeat at Ramsey. The Douglas club are now showing splendid form and, as more of their University players return, look a very dangerous side. There should be plenty of runs in this match.

Castletown are in third place, but have lost their last two games. The team must forget last week’s defeat at Tromode when they were bowled out for 62. This Saturday will not be easy for them either with IOM Schools as their opponents. The Scholars will be confident after that win at Mullen-e-Cloie, but this week-end sees the start of the school holidays. That could cause major selection problems and see the Town take full advantage.

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LEADING PLAYERS

Most Runs : 1,361 George Burrows, 715 Ollie Webster, 669 carl Mellors, 632 Eddie Beard, 615 Chris Hawke.

Most Wickets : 41 Kieran Cawte, 35 Matt Ansell, 34 Sam Mills, 30 Tom Burrows, 28 Ben Johnston.

Most Catches : 22 George Burrows, 15 Nathan Knights, 13 Ollie Webster, 12 Dave Picken.

Most Stumpings : 15 George Burrows, 9 Harry McAleer.

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JUNIOR CRICKET

The selectors have announced the squads for the junior tournaments in August. The Under 13 side will be at the Bromsgrove Festival and the Under 11s travel to the Malvern competition.

The Under 13s side is:- Sam Barnett, Spencer Clarke, Jamie Hopwood (Finch Hill) ; William Barnes, Charlie Beard, Joshua Clough, Freddie Dancox, Oliver Dean, Ben Johnston, Aaron Pope, Oliver Wait (Cronkbourne) ; Carl Hartmann, Edward Walker (Crosby).

The Under 11s squad is:- Jacob Butler, Jenson Eve, Joseph Humphrey, David Sargeant (Crosby) ; Nathan Williams (Castletown) ; Fraser Clarke, Luke Parry, Christian Webster, James Weight (Finch Hill) ; Dollin Jansen, Harry McAleer (Cronkbourne) ; Luke Ward, Michael Webber (Ramsey).