Unbroken partnership of 431...
Buckinghamshire CCC v Hertfordshire CCC
High Wycombe CC
7th - 9th June 2015
Hertfordshire batsmen break Minor Counties record with unbroken partnership of 431
Hertfordshire batsmen Eddie Ballard and Tanweer Sinkander broke the Minor Counties record for the highest partnership for any wicket when they put on an unbroken 431 on the first day of their three-day Unicorns Championship match against Buckinghamshire at High Wycombe on Sunday.
Opening batsman Ballard, 25, the Bishop's Stortford captain, made 248 not out and No4 Sikander, 28, the former Stevenage all-rounder who now plays for Blackheath, made an unbeaten 209.
The pair's epic stand, which took Herts to a massive 487 for two in their 90-over first innings, broke a host of records. The previous highest partnershship in Minor Counties cricket, stretching back to 1895, was 388 in 1949. The highest Hertfordshire stand was 333 set in 1953, and the county's highest total in three day cricket of 442 was set in 2013.
Ballard's score was the eighth largest in Minor Counties history, but the highest ever in the Eastern Division, which was created in 1983. It beat the 218 scored by CH Titmarch in 1926 as the highest innings for Hertfordshire.
"It was an incredible day," Ballard said on Monday morning as the scale of the achievement began to sink in. "It was the right wicket and a beautiful outfield.
"Even at tea when we were both on a hundred odd, we didn't really think anything of it. it was only later when someone said they wondered if there had ever been an innings with two people getting double hundreds that we thought about it.
"I had got to 200 and so I tried to give Tanny the strike until he got there and then we just went for it after that.
"Even with the Herts banter, and we had a bit of fun last night, it didn't really sink in. Then I got an email from Tony Gibbs, our statistician about the records, and then it started to."
Herts lost opener Steve Gale, of Hertford, and No3 Will Bates of Letchworth, to the new ball before Sikander came out to join Ballard with the score on 56-2. "They have two county contracted bowlers at Gloucestershire and the pitch offered a bit early on," Ballard said.
"I love batting with Tanny and we have had quite a few good stands together. He is such a good player that he makes it easy for the guy at the other end.
"I don't think I played a shot in anger until about 80 overs, I just batted completely normally until the last bit, when we just went for it."
Ballard faced 291 balls in his 299-minute innings, hitting 33 fours and one six, batting at a strike rate of 85.22. Sikander faced 208 balls, batted for 248 minutes, hit 25 fours and five sixes and batted a strike rate of 100.48.
By the end of a remarkable day, Bucks had made 110 for two, still trailing by 377 runs.
Records broken (there may be more !!) as a result of Eddie and Tanny’s unbroken second wicket partnership of 431 against Buckinghamshire out of a total of 487 for 2 wickets (90 overs) at High Wycombe on July 7th 2015
Hugh Bateson
Previous Highests
Highest ever partnership in MC Champ. history (since 1895)
388* 2nd wkt. TH Clark / AF Brazier for Surrey II v Sussex II 1949
Highest ever Hertfordshire CCC partnership
333 6th wkt. LC Bateman / DJ Carnill v Norfolk 1953
Highest ever 3rd wicket partnership for Hertfordshire CCC
275 AR Golding / JH Hickin v Norfolk 1900
Highest total (487-2) in 3 day matches (since 2001)
442-5 v Bedfordshire 2013
Eddie Ballard
8th highest ever score in the MC Championship
Highest ever score in Eastern Division (since 1983)
236* H Adnan Suffolk v Northumberland 2011
Highest ever score by a Hertfordshire batsman
218 CH Titchmarch v Norfolk 1926
Highest score for Hertfordshire
133 Northumberland 2013
Tanny Sikander
4th highest ever score by a Hertfordshire batsman
Prior to this partnership, there had been 7 double centuries by 6 batsmen
Highest score for Hertfordshire
127 v Cambridgeshire 2014