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T's come out victorious in run
feast on the Green
Wycombe
House 267 a/o (Brenton Barker 144, Warwick Paull 6-68)
Twickenham
268-4 (Pete Carey 104no, JP Cronje 74, Ben Taylor
2-68)
Twickenham increased their lead at
the top of MCCL Division Three to 7 points thanks to a resounding 6
wicket victory over Wycombe House on 7th July. Brenton
Barker’s dazzling 144 for the visitors was all in vain, as Pete
Carey and JP Cronje steered Jon Varney’s men home with 10 balls to
spare.
On winning the toss skipper Jon
Varney had little hesitation in asking Wycombe House to bat. Given
that both Highgate and North Middlesex – the Ts closest challengers
in the league – both lost their respective tosses and subsequently
had to settle for winning draws (4 points) rather than wins (10
points), this fleeting moment was clearly a not insignificant part
of the day; the Ts knew that they would have the option of
controlling the game by chasing while Highgate and North Middlesex
were going to have to bowl their opponents out to gain maximum
points.
In spite of all the rain, the
track was once again a belter, and it soon became clear that runs
were there to be had. With Dimitri Nicolaides in Yorkshire, Scott
Perry stepped up to lead the attack with Justin Scriven. Wycombe
House, meanwhile, opened up with wicketkeeper-batsman Carl Burdett
and Aussie Brenton Barker. Both immediately signalled their intent;
Burdett drove Perry handsomely through the covers for a couple of
boundaries, whilst Brenton was quick to pounce on anything too short
or too full. The flat surface didn’t prevent Scriven from causing
Burdett in particular one or two problems, but Barker seemed largely
unperturbed, running speedily between the wickets and hitting the
ball nicely into the gaps.
In light of Wycombe House’s good
start, skipper Varney opted to rotate his bowlers; Carlos Nunes
replaced Scriven at the Pavilion End and Warwick Paull came on at
the Staines Road End. The normally metronomic Paull went for 10 in
his first over as Barker whipped him twice over square leg for four,
but it didn’t take long for the Paull to resume normal service as
Burdett nicked behind to Varney for 17. Tirmizi suffered a similar
fate, departing for 2, leaving Barker with former Middlesex 2nds
player James Rodham for company. Rodham was initially circumspect,
but a booming six over long off was something of a warning shot
across the bows. Varney again fiddled with his bowling, bringing
the wily off spin of JP Cronje into the attack. And the bowling
change paid immediate dividends, Rodham cutting Cronje straight to
Scott Perry at point.
The Ts were very much back in the
game and Wycombe House realised that a bit of consolidation was in
order. Ben Taylor, batting at five, showed he realised what was
required, playing straight as well as running well between the
wickets. Barker, meanwhile, continued on his merry way, cruising
past 50 with some nice drives and a couple of well placed forcing
shots off his legs. Taylor was largely content to watch as the
impressive Aussie took control, reaching three figures with the
Wycombe House score on 152. Their partnership was taking on
dangerous proportions and it was only broken when Barker suffered
cramp in his left arm and had to retire hurt on 110.
Wycombe House’s strong position
didn’t stop the Ts from chipping away; Scriven returned to bowl Mann
for 18 and Taylor (44) became Warwick Paull’s third victim thanks to
another catch by Perry. Barker – after a couple of bananas and some
salty drinks – returned to the fold, but he struggled to retain much
of the strike as the innings chugged along in third without ever
really moving up to fourth or fifth gear. Barker’s eventual
departure – to yet another catch in the deep by Scott Perry, this
time off Cronje – for 144 signalled not only the end of a superb
innings but also the start of a rather dramatic batting collapse.
Warwick Paull kept a cool head and simply bowled as straight as he
could, his reward coming in the dismissals of Allen (1), Choudry (0)
and Thamby (0) and final figures of 6-68.
Wycombe House’s final total of 267
was imposing, but also not unobtainable and after an excellent tea
(A- on the teameter), openers Pete Carey and the promoted JP Cronje
set to their task immediately. Carey took his time and settled into
an anchor role as Cronje began to bludgeon the ball to all corners.
Thamby, opening the bowling from the Staines Road End, saw one ball
land in the wine bar across the road, while first change bowler
Allen saw two of his overs go for 24. Carey soon joined in the
six-hitting, clipping Taylor nicely over mid-wicket for a maximum,
while Cronje cruised past 50 (51 balls) as the T’s score moved
towards the 100 mark.
The contrasting styles of Cronje
(brutal on anything short) and Carey (elegant drives and skilful
gap-finding) saw the Ts opening partnership move into the 120s in
the 20th over, well up with the required run rate.
Wycombe House skipper Rodham chopped and changed his bowlers,
searching for the all-important breakthrough - and eventually Ben
Taylor sneaked a wicket, trapping Cronje leg before for 74 (62
balls). Taylor continued his good work, soon dismissing the
dangerous Carlos Nunes thanks to a sharp catch by Burdett, and when
Warwick Paull was run out by a direct hit for 5 the Ts were wobbling
at 140-3.
Enter the steadying force of Andy
Barnes, playing his last game of 2007 before undergoing a knee
operation. Barnes and Carey kept cool heads, playing attacking
shots without trying to smash the ball out of the ground. Barnes
again picked the gaps well, and – as is his way – was not slow to
make the most of over pitched deliveries, smashing the leg spin of
Bruce onto the Hampton Road. Skipper Varney, smoking ever more
cigarettes on the sidelines, was able to relax a little more as
Twickenham passed 200 in good time, and despite the eventual
departure of Barnes (35 in 38 balls) the Ts continued to cruise
towards the required total. Carey imperiously led from the front,
reaching 100 off 124 balls, whilst Justin Scriven hit the ball hard,
straight and very, very far; one six landing nearer to Strawberry
Hill than the centre of Twickenham Green.
With the light fading, the Ts
reached 268 with the minimum of fuss and 10 balls to spare. Despite
a wobble in the middle, the Ts can be very proud of the way they
kept their heads during the run chase. The season is now half done,
and the Ts remain top of the tree. Next week sees the first of the
return encounters, Twickenham entertaining Barnet Bs on the Green
Dan Hough |
