Shepherd shines again

Published 21 Jul 2010 13:00 0 Comments

Cricket

DATCHET skipper Nick Tilley heaped praise on young batsman Luke Shepherd for 'single-handedly' leading his side to victory over Beaconsfield in Division 2a.

Their six-wicket win on home soil was their second successive victory which saw them retain their position at the top of the table, closely followed by Fleet who kept up the pressure with another convincing win over Marlow.

It was the dynamic duo of Tim Alldis and Shepherd, right, who followed on from last week's stellar performance against Ascot to star with the bat once again.

Alldis reached 149 previously and managed another half century against the Buckinghamshire side last weekend, while Shepherd carved together his second unbeaten innings in a row with 87 to see Datchet home.

Captain Tilley was impressed with Shepherd's performance declaring it was one of the best innings he has ever seen from the youngster.

"Luke batted brilliantly," he said. "He won us the game single-handedly and put on the winning runs for us.

"It was one of the best innings I've seen. He's been in good form but this week was different. He paced it perfectly and showed quite a lot of responsibility and maturity beyond his years. He's a real asset to the team."

Shepherd, fresh from his unbeaten century last week, saw Datchet home to 255-4 after Beaconsfield posted a decent target of 253. Beaconsfield's skipper Adam Francis won the toss and chose to bat on Datchet's batting-friendly pitch. He then top-scored with 61 and was closely followed by his team mate Brian Richardson (57).

Tilley said: "They didn't bat with great flair but got up to a decent total. They bowled really well and looked a far better unit than their position suggests."

Tilley was disappointed with some dropped chances in the field but was confident his side could match Beaconsfield's 250 plus target given the quick outfield and flat wicket at the Wally Gage Memorial Ground.

Tilley himself added 40 runs to the total and struck up a decent partnership with Datchet stalwart Mark George. Alldis struck 68 runs but once he was out it was still precarious for Datchet until Shepherd stepped in and put on the winning runs.

Basingstoke and North Hants 2nds are the next test for Tilley's side, who will be hoping to put behind their recent poor record against the Hampshire club and will have a full complement to do so.

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 23 Jul 10

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