Published: 14 May, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

NORTH Middlesex made a strong opening day statement in the Premier Division of the Middlesex County Cricket League on Saturday when they recorded a resounding 113-run victory over reigning champions Teddington at their Park Road ground. 

Captain Tom Nicoll hit 58 off 55 balls, including two sixes and a four, as the hosts posted 237 from 49.5 overs. 

Openers Atif Zafar and Will Nicoll enjoyed a well-crafted stand of 68, a partnership that was ended when Zafar was trapped lbw on 29 by Ben Hinchliffe. 

Will Nicoll pushed on to build a patient score of 38 before getting caught by Matthew Swan off the bowling of Ben Williams. 

Evan Flowers added 27 runs to North Midd’s total, which, added to Tom Nicoll’s scoring of almost a run a ball, gave the home side a healthy score to protect. 

That task was made to look seemingly easy thanks to Joel Hughes’s man-of-the-match display, which saw him dismantle Teddington’s top order to claim four wickets at the expense of just 37 runs.

Ed Bird also played his part, taking 3-18 as the visitors were bowled out for 124 in 32.3 overs. 

• Elsewhere in the top flight, a last-gasp stand of 38 by Jonathan Dunne wasn’t enough to earn Hampstead an opening-day victory in their match against Ealing at Lymington Road in West Hampstead. 

Having been put into bat, the visitors went on to score 255-8 from their 50 overs, with Robert White scoring 51 off 72 balls and Leigh Parry adding  42 off 45 balls. 

It seemed a realistic target to reach as Hampstead got off to a solid start, with openers Steve Clark and George Adair scoring 40 and 29 runs respectively, and Jamie Gibson, in at No 3, adding a further 40 runs. 

But the hosts paid the price for a middle-order collapse as they went from 104-3 to 155-7 at a key stage of the game.

In the end they finished just shy of their target, bowled out for 223, four balls short of completing their 50 overs. 

In the Premiership there were wins for five teams this week.