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Berkshire triumphant at 2022 Malta Seniors Cricket Festival

By Frank Spiteri & Cricket World

A dominant Berkshire team secured their first ever Malta Seniors Cricket Festival trophy with a comprehensive victory over Norfolk in the deciding final match.

Berks remained undefeated throughout the festival which took place at the iconic Marsa Oval in Malta. The tournament concluded with three excellent matches in sunny and warm conditions.

Game 8

Berkshire 130/4 (Milligan 50; Bradley 2-19; Butterworth 2-47) def. Kent-Beds 126/6 (Erlam 51, Davies 34; Ridgeway 3-22) by 6 wickets.

Berkshire climbed back to the top of the table with an excellent all-round performance to defeat Kent-Beds. Chasing 126 to win, Berks opener Ian Milligan reached his half-century off only 44 balls before falling to the bowling of John Lennard. Paul Bradley was the pick of the Kent-Beds bowlers with 2 for 19 from his 6 overs but it was a case of ‘too little too late’ as Phil Ridgeway and Richard West tidied up the victory for Berks with exactly 9 overs to spare. Earlier, Kent-Beds were restricted to the modest total of 126 for 6 from their allotted 30 overs with Peter Erlam (51) and Ceri Davies (34) being the main contributors with the bat. For Berkshire, Phil Ridgeway was the principal main wicket-taker with 2 for 22 from his 5 overs.

Game 9

Essex 203/4 (Baxter 76*, Sood 51, Pettitt 43*; Peters 2-22) def. Sussex 202/5 (Navaratnam 111*, Burgess 53; Mitchell 3-22) by 6 wickets.

Essex joined Berkshire at the top of the table with a thrilling 6 wicket win over Sussex. For the first time in the week, we saw over 400 runs being scored in the match, with both teams reaching the 200-mark. Batting first, Sussex reached 202 for 5, largely due to a scintillating century from Suresh Navaratnam (111 runs off 101 balls), which included 14 fours and a six. Navaratnam received excellent support from England keeper Martin Burgess, who scored 53 runs.

In reply, Essex was in real trouble early with the loss of Naomal Wijesooria and Martin Robinson. The latter falling to an excellent diving catch by John Josiah. Sanjeev Sood restored hope for Essex with a quick-fire 51 off only 45 balls but his wicket, and that of Nick Goode, left Essex in the precarious position of 89 for 4 with only 15 overs remaining.

That brought Colin Baxter and Brian Pettitt to the crease and together they gradually wrestled the advantage back in Essex’ favour. The pair utilised all of their years of experience and capitalised on any opportunities presented by the Sussex bowling attack. Their unbeaten 114 runs for the 5th wicket steered Essex to a memorable victory, with Baxter finishing with 76 and Pettitt 43. For Sussex, Tim Peters once again stood out with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 22 runs.

The victory for Essex meant that Berkshire would require a win over Norfolk in the final match of the tournament to lift the Malta Seniors Trophy.

Game 10

Berkshire 129/2 (Milligan 58; Van Zanten 2-28) def. Norfolk 128/3 (Harrison 47, Yates 40; Ridgeway 1-12) by 8 wickets.

Berkshire captain Richard West won the toss and once again elected to field in the final match, which would determine the Tournament Champions. The equation was very simple for Berkshire as they needed only to win.

Batting first, Norfolk endured some excellent bowling and fielding by Berks as they were restricted to a mere 128 for 3 from their allotted 30 overs. For Berks, Ivan Minter bowled two maidens in his six-over spell which went for just 14 runs. Phil Ridgeway was superb again with 1 for 12 from his 5 overs. For Norfolk, openers Andrew Harrison and Robin Yates top scored with 47 and 40 respectively.

Requiring 129 for the trophy, Berkshire openers Ridgeway and Stuart, made a cautious start before Harold Van Zanten (2-28) removed the pair in successive overs to leave them at 51 for 2 in the 11th over. That brought Player of the Tournament, Ian Milligan, to the crease and he seized the initiative back to Berks with some enterprising batting. Together with Richard Wyatt (25*), Milligan guided Berkshire to a well-deserved victory and the Malta Seniors Cricket Festival title. His crucial 58 runs included 10 boundaries and came off only 37 deliveries.

That brought to an end a very successful 3rd edition of the Malta Seniors Cricket Festival.