Wickets tumble as North Middlesex sweep the Ts aside

North Middlesex          193 all out (58.2 overs)                       David Reid 60, J-P Cronje 5-39

Twickenham                107 all out (31 overs)              Warwick Paull 59no, Darren Eckford 8-43

Twickenham’s run of five successive victories came to an end on Saturday as Darren Eckford produced an exceptional spell of fast-medium bowling to carry North Middlesex to an emphatic 86 run victory.  Although the Ts bowled and fielded well, their batters simply couldn’t handle Eckford’s efforts.  If there was one saving grace, it was that second placed Bessborough also slipped up (losing to Kenton) and fourth placed Highgate only took one point from a drawn encounter with Ickenham.

The day started in identical fashion to the previous five Saturdays.  Jon Varney won the toss and asked the opposition to bat.  Unlike most other Saturdays, however, the Twickenham Green track was never likely to allow a feast of run-scoring.  Rather than the batting paradise that has seen the Ts chase scores of 250 plus in recent weeks, this strip – mainly thanks to the damp and dismal weather conditions of late – offered plenty to keep both batters and bowlers interested.  In short, it was an interesting cricket wicket.

The extra assistance that the bowlers found enabled Twickenham to make a quick start; Dimitri Nicolaides – swinging the ball prodigiously from the Staines Road end – removed skipper Andy Hill for 9 when he edged to Mark Ryan in the slips, while number three Justin Muynarksi (8) – the best man at Ts third teamer Matt Huntington’s wedding last year – was soon trapped leg before to a full ball from Nicolaides.  Justin Scriven then entered the fray from the Pavilion End, Greg Arnold having his castle dismantled without troubling the scorers.  45-3 and the Ts were looking good.

Justin Semper, batting at five, and opener David Reid concentrated more on survival than anything else, Reid in particular playing and missing regularly.  But, they hung in there and slowly started to make progress.  Semper, with an extravagant stride down the track, concentrated on obdurate defence or huge wooshucks to leg, while Reid began to play a few nice drives.  Slowly the score edged towards 100.  Varney, as is his way, chose to mix the bowling up a little, Nicolaides (2-21 off 12) being replaced by Warwick Paull and J-P Cronje coming on for Scriven.  The change worked, the ever-reliable Cronje picking up Semper (22) leg before and then Dan Wooton (0) to a juggling catch by Ryan in the slips. 

103-5 and, again, the Ts looked to be taking control.  When number 7 Khan (13) departed to Carlos Nunes (to yet another catch by Ryan in the office) it looked a matter of time before the North Middlesex innings collapsed.  Reid – manfully battling away – nonetheless passed 50 and Eckford knuckled down to try and eek out a few more runs.  Reid’s vigil eventually came to an end when Cronje produced a bit of low bounce to bowl him for a game 60. 

The next half hour, as opening bowler Brad Scully joined Eckford at the crease, would prove to be crucial.  Scully can make no claim to be a pretty batsman, but he was certainly effective.  He clubbed and hoiked – in traditional tail-ender style – the ball to all corners of the ground, notching 33 in double quick time before Cronje nipped one passed him and Varney executed a stumping with the minimum of fuss.  The quick removal of the tail – Cronje finishing with a highly respectable 5-39 off 17.2 overs – left the Ts needing 194 to win off 41 overs; a challenging, if not ungetable, target on a track that was offering a bit of assistance.

The Ts reply did not get off to a particular auspicious start.  JP Cronje – fresh from a couple of breezy knocks in recent weeks – came and went quickly, snicking Scully to Muynarksi at second slip for 0.  Warwick Paull came in at three and although both Scully and Eckford moved the ball about, he and Pete Carey looked reasonably at home.  Carey left the swinging ball well, whilst Paull drove with plenty of composure.  35-1 off 10 and the Twickenham world was very much in order. 

It was from there on in that things started to go (badly) wrong.  Carey mistimed a pull, spooning a catch to Semper at mid-wicket off Scully, departing for 15.  Eckford, meanwhile, appeared to up his pace a little as the ball started moving in all sorts of weird and wonderful directions.  Quite how Eckford had only taken 14 wickets this season so far is a mystery to anyone watching him bowl on Saturday, although within an hour or so that tally had rocketed up to 22 as he ripped the Ts batting apart.  Al Storey was first on the hit list, bowled by a beauty for 5, and although Carlos Nunes (25) briefly took the fight to the North Middlesex bowlers, he also perished, caught behind by Hill.  Justin Scriven followed next ball – bowled by a fearsome inswinging yorker – and within seconds Mark Ryan was also heading back to the pavilion, plumb lbw for 0.  The Ts were in deep trouble at 92-6.

Warwick Paull, becalmed at the other end as wickets fell with alarming regularity, could do nothing as the procession continued.  Damon Combrinck played on for 0, whilst Dan Hough became another leg before victim.  Nicolaides was cleaned up leaving last man, skipper Jon Varney, wondering why on earth he was out there at such an early stage.  Varney’s attempt to hang on for a draw didn’t last long as he too perished to Eckford, leaving the North Middlesex overseas player with 8-43 off 16; an excellent performance, and one worthy of winning any game.

Although the Ts bowled and fielded well, their batting left plenty to be desired.  But, all good teams need a wake-up call and despite their bad day at the office Varney’s men remain 7 points clear (from North Middlesex) at the top of the MCCL division three.  Next week sees another interesting encounter on the Green when Twickenham entertain fourth placed Highgate.