Totton & Eling coach smashes his way into record books with unbeaten 330 (From Daily Echo)

Totton & Eling coach smashes his way into record books with unbeaten 330

4:41pm Monday 7th May 2012 in Local Cricket

David Taylor, Totton & Eling’s new captain/coach, may have set a new world record for the highest ever individual score in a 50 over recreational cricket match.

The 37-year old all-rounder, who joined the Eels from Alton in the close season, smashed an all-time record Southern Electric Premier League score of 330 not out for Totton & Eling’s second team against bewildered Division 3 rivals Trojans at the Linden Oval.

Taylor turned out for the club’s 2nd XI to get some batting practice when his own Premier Division game at Lymington was called off and peppered the Southern Gardens boundary, smacking 31 sixes.

He also hit 19 fours, making his 330 off 160 balls.

Taylor, who played twenty20 cricket for Derbyshire the first season the format arrived on the county scene, almost single-handedly steered Totton to 412-3 – a joint Premier League record score – before Trojans, at one stage 17-6, were dismissed for 103.

Even after tea he couldn't keep out of the action, promptly taking a slip catch to remove Trojans opener Ed Boyd, who became the first of three victims for Nick Edens (3-21).

With Azeem Hamed (3-23) weighing in, Trojans lost six wickets for 17 runs before Mark Oakden (32) and Jamie Donaldson (34) gave some respectability to the Stoneham reply.

Teenager Hakim Peruzi (3-26) had both batsmen caught before Trojans stumbled to 103 all out – and a league record 309-run defeat.

The Southern Electric Premier League believe Taylor’s unbeaten 330 is a highest-ever score in English recreational 50-over cricket.

But, as results secretary Mike Rose points out: "There are often some bizarre high-scoring encounters on the sub-continent, so we need to do some careful checking before we announce any records.”

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