Two In A Row For The Firsts As Hussain & Ahmed Shine - Hale Barns Cricket Club

Khurram Hussain starred for Hale Barns First XI with a spectacular half century, while Bilal Ahmed claimed a five-wicket haul to help the team defeat Christleton CC by 32 runs.

The hosts got off to a decent start thanks to openers Sam Smith and Joe Cooper until a misjudged run cost the latter’s wicket, with Cooper out for 19 in the eighth over.

Hussain arrived at the crease and was fluent from the off, while Smith continued to accumulate at the other end before eventually being dismissed for 28, having taken the score to 72-2 after 15 overs.

Barns maintained their momentum with a solid partnership between Hussain and Rory Allan, as the former took a leading role in accelerating the scoring rate, reaching a magnificent fifty.

Allan showed some promise on his first outing for the club before falling for 24 as a quick double for Aamir Afzaal (2-23) dropped HBCC from 144-3 to 144-5 with 12 overs remaining.

Having struck eight fours and four sixes in an exceptional knock, Hussain (88) finally departed in the penultimate over, 12 runs short of what would have been a deserved century. Meanwhile, James Fullerton-Batten also added 15 as the home side amassed an imposing 196-7.

In reply, Ben Hicks (3-29) made a breakthrough in the first over before adding two more victims to his tally, leaving Christleton reeling on 28-3. However, Afzaal chipped in with a patient 20, while Jamie Griffiths and Tom Wells shared a stand of 51 to guide the visitors to 112-4.

Barns turned to Ahmed to break the deadlock, and he delivered with the dismissal of Wells (29). Another three wickets soon followed for Ahmed, including the crucial scalp of Griffiths for 47, while he completed his fifer in the 38th over to end with impressive figures of 5-27.

And it was Hussain who had the last say, producing a run out with nine deliveries to spare to secure a second successive league victory for the Firsts.