Charlton Super Kings CC 149/8 beat Stoke Gifford CC 140/5 by 9 runs
Stoke Gifford’s Twenty20 side were involved in a hard-fought contest in Division 6 East, ultimately falling just nine runs short against Charlton Super Kings CC in a game that swung back and forth over forty overs.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, Charlton Super Kings were put under early pressure by Stoke Gifford's attack. Alex Burford struck early to break the opening partnership, having Ayyapan Kumar caught by Roland Jones with the score on 10, before Nathan Wiltshire took a catch to dismiss Kiruba Manohar for just 1 to leave the hosts 23/2. However, opener Pravinkumar M proved difficult to dislodge, striking a brisk 51 off 37 balls with four boundaries and four sixes to push Charlton Super Kings into a strong position.
Stoke Gifford's bowlers kept disciplined lines throughout to prevent the home side from pulling away entirely. Shabir Azizi was the pick of the attack, conceding just 14 runs from his four overs while picking up two wickets, including a caught-and-bowled to dismiss Arjith Mohan (21). Alexander Carr bowled with great accuracy to clean-bowl both Vishal Pradeep and Ram Prakash Ranganathan on his way to excellent figures of 2-15. Jamie Franks also picked up two wickets as Charlton Super Kings finished their 20 overs on 149/8, assisted by 29 extras.
In reply, Stoke Gifford’s run chase started positively through Sam Horner, who struck three boundaries in a quickfire 17 off 14 balls. However, Ayyapan Kumar struck a double blow for the hosts, removing Horner and then bowling Roland Jones to leave Stoke Gifford at 28/2. Lewis Jefferies provided immediate momentum, smashing 20 off just 11 balls including three fours and a six, before being caught off Nandhakumar Appar with the score at 61/3.
Alexander Carr anchored the pursuit, playing a composed knock to reach his half-century with 50 off 56 deliveries, containing three fours and a six. Joined by Shabir Azizi, who capped off an outstanding all-round display with an unbeaten 32 off 25 balls, Stoke Gifford pushed hard into the final overs. When Carr was caught off S Pradeep with the score at 127/5, Azizi and Alex Burford (6 not out) fought to the finish, but the target proved just beyond reach as Stoke Gifford closed on 140/5 from their 20 overs.
Despite the narrow defeat, Stoke Gifford could take plenty of positives from a spirited away display, underpinned by excellent all-round contributions from Carr and Azizi.