From the Sentinel -
“Little Stoke all-rounder Hasan Mohsin picked up seven wickets to rout Knypersley – and bowling isn’t even his strong suit.
That was the declaration from captain Spencer Byatt following the former Pakistan Under-19 ace’s star turn on his Little Stoke bow.
Wicketkeeper Byatt had the perfect vantage point from behind the stumps as right-arm seamer Mohsin claimed 7-24 to dismiss Knypersley for just 84.
At one stage he had figures of 5-4 to leave Knype shell-shocked and on the brink of total humiliation at 19-7.
Darren Butler (31no) and 14-year-old debutant James Abbotts (24) did provide some resistance with an eighth-wicket stand of 52, but the home side’s total was never going to trouble Little Stoke.
They lost just two wickets in knocking off the runs to leave Byatt purring.
“The pro was excellent and he just looked to swing it. He knows he’s not 90 miles per hour, so he’s got to pitch it up,” said Byatt.
“He realises short stuff isn’t going to work for him.
“Hasan is actually a batting all-rounder and we didn’t see his full potential with the bat.
“But it’s a good sign if he can pick up seven-fors with the ball for you.
“I’m really chuffed with the whole performance. We spoke beforehand about being spot on with our fielding and we took our chances.
“If you drop chances, then batsmen can get in and the whole game can be different.”
Two of those chances were snaffled in the slips as Harvey Wakefield and Ben Pugh pouched good catches to account for Zahid Mansoor and Raja Sohail Haider off Mohsin’s bowling.
By that stage, though, Mohsin was already in to his stride after bowling Louis Washington in the first over and trapping Jonathon Cumberbatch lbw.
Mansoor and Haider’s departures, either side of Danny Baker being castled by left-arm paceman Ed Gaffney, left Knypersley 8-5.
The wickets kept tumbling, before Butler and Abbotts temporarily put the brakes on the visitors’ charge.
Abbotts was eventually dismissed by medium-pacer James Ecclestone, while Cameron Allen was run out for a duck.
It was fitting, though, that Mohsin – returning for a second spell – should wrap up the innings when he held on to a sharp return catch from Rob James.
Ecclestone smashed a quick 24 in the run chase prior to his exit, and although Ben Pugh also ventured back to the pavilion, Sairaj Patel (23no) and Mohsin (20no) eased their side home.
“It was an easy decision to bowl first after winning the toss, especially early doors in the season,” added Byatt.
“We’ve got a few new players in the group, so it was good to see where we are at.
“You’re always going to see the opposition have a partnership, but we stuck to our guns and were obviously happy to be only chasing 84.
“We wanted to make a bit of a statement and losing only two wickets in winning the game shows we could have put a decent score on the board if we had batted first.”
See also
https://lscc.teamapp.com/photos
Location
Knypersley cricket club
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