SACA V GLOUCESTERSHIRE MATCH REPORT (6-7 APR 2026)

RESULT: GLOUCESTERSHIRE WON BY 5 WICKETS

SACA’s 2026 season got underway on Monday, with Gloucestershire up first, in a two-day fixture played at Leamington Cricket Club.

It was a game that ebbed and flowed throughout, with the first-class county having the better of the opening day, with SACA fighting back on day two, only for Gloucestershire to rally in the final session of the game to ultimately secure victory.

The opening day began with Gloucestershire skipper Luke Charlesworth winning the toss and sticking SACA in, sending Daniyal Khan and Savin Perera to the crease.

The pair got off to a blistering start, bringing up their fifty partnership off just 41 balls in only the seventh over of the game.

Khan was scoring at close to a run-a-ball when he fell for 36, scored off 38 deliveries, having put on 82 with Perera for the first wicket, before Perera fell soon after, for 40 from 41 balls, with SACA now on 99 for 2.

The early dismissal of Ismail Mohammed, then saw SACA skipper Hisham Khan and Feroze Khushi add 46 for the fourth wicket before Khan fell for 30, followed by the wicket of Dylan Rawal, as lunch was taken with SACA on 164 for 5 with Khushi unbeaten on 22*.

A flurry of wickets after the break saw SACA dismissed for a total of 173, losing their remaining five wickets for just 9 runs, with Alfie Johnson doing the damage, mopping up the tail to finish with figures of 4 for 5 from 3.1 destructive overs.

With ball in hand the SACA bowlers found it tough going, as Gloucestershire batted through to tea unscathed, going in on 83 without loss.

The evening session brought more of the same initially as the SACA bowlers had to work hard for any reward. The breakthrough eventually came with Gloucestershire on 150, which was followed by three further wickets in the evening session, as Gloucestershire closed the opening day on 240 for 4, leading by 67 runs.

Wickets were spread around the SACA bowlers, with Sai Boorghu, Aum Patel, Hisham Khan and Arafat Bhuyain all finishing the day with one apiece.

Day two began with the news that Gloucestershire had declared overnight, with the SACA batters once again starting the day at the crease.

There would be no repeat of the solid opening partnership seen the previous day, with both SACA openers falling in the opening six overs of the day, followed by three further wickets in the morning session to put SACA in trouble on 82 for 5, although a much-needed partnership from Dylan Rawal and Viv Hassen took SACA to lunch on 146 for 5, having built up a 79 run lead over Gloucestershire.

Rawal’s innings was brought to a close soon after lunch, for 43 off 42 balls, although Hassen kept going, batting time with Aum Patel who came in at number eight and batted with real purpose.

Shortly after SACA had passed 200, Hassen’s knock came to an end, for 41, scored off 68 deliveries, but he had batted in two significant partnerships, adding 78 with Rawal for the sixth wicket and 46 with Patel for the seventh.

Patel brought up SACA’s first half-century of the season off 62 balls, and he added an unbeaten 59 for the eighth wicket before SACA pulled the plug on their second innings, declaring on 265 for 7 just before tea, with Patel unbeaten on 79*, setting Gloucestershire a target of 199 for victory.

With ball in hand SACA’s bowlers wasted no time in getting into the Gloucestershire batting line-up, with Eesa Nadeem picking up two early wickets, as the county side went in at tea on 34 for 2, still trailing by 164 runs.

Two quick wickets after the tea interval, a third for Nadeem, and a first for Waqas Khan, reduced Gloucestershire to 58 for 4 and SACA were very much back in the game.

When Gloucestershire most needed it, they found a crucial partnership, with opener Logan Bowden adding 90 for the fifth wicket with Alfie Johnson.

When Johnson fell to the spin of Mohammed, for a fine knock of 48, he and Bowden had taken their side to the brink of victory, although it was left to Bowden to finish the job, taking Gloucestershire to a five wicket win, with the opener finishing unbeaten on 104 from 91 deliveries.

SACA head to Loughborough tomorrow for their second clash of the season, with Surrey in opposition in another two-day red-ball encounter.

SACA HIGHLIGHTS FROM GLOUCESTERSHIRE MATCH…

Batting:                                                                Bowling:

Aum Patel                       79* (75)                            Eesa Nadeem               10-0-68-3

Dylan Rawal                  43 (42)

Viv Hassen                     41 (68)

Savin Perera                  40 (41)