Jack Nixon was at Harlaw on Saturday to watch the crucial Bon Accord v Master Blasters match in Grade 1. This is the warm up act for the next couple of weekends as Bons face the 2 other unbeaten sides one after the other, with Knight Riders first on the horizon ahead of a clash with Grampian. Over to Jack –
Supporters of the game who had come along to watch Bon Accord’s Fazal Awan build on his 303 runs, acquired in only three early season knocks, including two centuries, were dismayed when the talented opener was adjudged to be leg before to Murthy Kakarla after only facing five balls without scoring a run.
Shaken but not stirred, Nawaz Mirza stepped up to the mark, as he has done so often for Bons to compensate for the early loss of Awan, striking an impressive 42, enabling the serial winners of titles to reach a respectable 165. It was a late knock of 27 from Aqdas Chattha which on a turning wicket took the game away from Master Blasters, last year’s Grade 1 winners, who having suffered three defeats in four games, now have a mountain to climb if they are to repeat the feat this season. But such is the resilience of Pehlaj Tenneti’s side, nothing should be taken for granted.
Then again, if Bon Accord bowl as well as they did at Harlaw on Saturday, Tauqeer Malik, a veteran of many campaigns will again be stepping up to lift the Grade 1 award, though Grampian who also have four wins from four outings might just be up the challenge.
In the meantime it was Fazal Awan’s late entry into the Bons attack which was the talk of the day, but only after Mizra had added to his batting heroics, taking out three of the top order visitors for a paltry 15 runs.
Thereafter, Awan was nigh on unplayable, as he removed six Master Blasters’s victims for 32, begging the question for me at least, as to why this ultra talented all rounder never played at the highest level in the Granite City. Master Blasters crumbled to 93 all out, 72 runs short of the Bons total, shored up only by a stubborn 33 from captain Tenneti.
Before the end of the season, I intend to interview the remarkable Awan, when I might get my answers, while listing some of the astonishing feats accomplished by him.
Come to think of it similar interviews with Alex Keith of Aberdeen Grammar and Jonny Barrett of Ellon Gordon might reveal flaws in the scouting system for the so called big boys of North East cricket.