North London 157

Mill Hill Village 161-5

Mill Hill Village followed up last week's victory over defending champions Alexandra Park by claiming the scalp of league leaders North London on Saturday.

Skipper Gary Topp again won the toss and invited the visitors to bat. A twin Australian pairing confronted his bowlers and Eddy, with a quick 50, put Village under pressure.

Wayne Sizer again generated pace and hostility without any reward, and Topp turned to the spin of Richard Downes and Lewis Glover.

They managed to stem the flow of runs, and the pressure forced the North batsmen into some injudicious shots.

Village clung to all the chances that came their way with Shroffe having a tidy day behind the stumps, including stumping Eddy. Downes finished with 5-42, and Glover 3-36.

But the seemingly low total of 157 still some getting. There were still a few demons in the surface and North London had a powerful seam attack, allied to leg-spinner Eddy and promising young off-break bowler Amadee.

It was the veteran Amadee senior who made the breakthrough, sending back both openers for ducks and leaving Village reeling at 5-2.

A mixture of the old and the new in Glover and Andy Michaelides then counter attacked, taking the heat out of the situation with an excellent stand of 87, before Michaelides holed out for 39.

Sizer came and went with one massive six, before Glover passed 50 for the second successive week.

He fell to the returning Amadee senior, but Dave Bunning (21 not out) and Kelvin Sutherland (16 no) saw Village home at 161-5.

In a break from league cricket, Village face Old Gaytonians in the first round of the league cup on Saturday.

Gaytonians are from Division Five, but were last year's beaten finalists.

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