Sunday Club XI begins 2007 with convincing 98 runs victory at Englefield Green

The T’s Sunday Club XI began 2007 in convincing style, brushing aside Englefield Green with plenty to spare.  After a shaky start the T’s recovered to set a challenging target of 251-7 (40 overs), with debutant James Jordan contributing an authoritative 77no and Srinjoy (‘Doris’) De an ebullient 55no.  Twickenham’s version of Warne and Macgill, skipper Dave Henderson and (another) debutant Fraser Donaldson, ripped the heart out of the Englefield reply, picking up 8 wickets between them as the hosts closed on 153 a/o.

The day started well for the T’s when Henderson won the toss and elected to take first knock on what looked like a decent enough pitch.  Although the bounce was a little tennis ball-like on occasions, it was a true surface and if batsmen got in then there were likely to be runs to be made.  The T’s top order didn’t really take much heed of this and decided to take on the Englefield openers – not always successfully – with cavalier confidence.  Dan Hough smashed one short delivery through point for four, and then proceeded to whack another long hop straight down cover’s throat.  Fellow opener Matt Huntington played some nice shots, hitting through the covers with some panache, before he too perished (for 17) to a catch in the covers.  Simon Hawley, batting at three, took a liking to Perschke, the opening bowler, and boshed him for two fours and a sweetly struck six in one over before he feathered a catch being for 29.  The quick departures of Suvan Sharma and Matt Bendelow – both to Suma, who was in the middle of an excellent 8 over spell that yielded 4 wickets for just 14 returns – left the Twickenham ship creaking a little.  Once Holger Kriess managed to locate his missing shoe laces (!), he looked to offer keeper/batter James Jordan support – he didn’t, however, last long, becoming Gerry Brennan’s first lbw victim of the season.

Fraser Donaldson, batting at eight, realised that it was time to take stock a little and he was quite content to push the ball around whilst Jordan looked after the run rate.  Jordan mixed some nice straight hitting the odd violent pull, illustrating that he could well be a very useful acquisition this season.  Their 49 run partnership ensured that the T’s had enough wickets in hand to launch something of an assault on the bowling in the last ten overs – a task that Srinjoy De in particular warmed to very well.  He cut and drove with gusto, accelerating his innings nicely as the bowling tired.  His quickfire 50, off a mere 31 balls, pushed the T’s well over the 200 mark and – alongside a resolute Jordan – they began putting the game completely out of Englefield’s reach.  Jordan and De took 17 of the penultimate over, scoring 108 runs in the last ten overs and the final Twickenham total of 251 looked like it was going to take some beating. 

After a decent tea (B+ on the Hendo tea-meter, the major failing being a distinct lack of drinkable tea.  Always a bit of a downer), the Englefield openers tried to start in positive fashion.  Ireland looked keen to smash the ball square of the wicket whilst Lorimer-Thomas played some nice drives off the front foot.  Jacques Grobler and Srinjoy De began – as befits the first game of a season – with a few loose deliveries, but they soon found their rhythm and began to reel the home side’s openers back in.  Grobler found a nagging off stump line and eventually reaped his reward – and his first wicket for the T’s – when he bowled Ireland for 19.  The opening stand of 35 was Englefield’s best of the innings, and a steady stream of wickets followed.  Grobler struck again to remove Oberai lbw for 3 and was good value for his 2-26 off 8.  It was the spin twins of Donaldson and Henderson who did the real damage, however, picking up wicket after wicket as the Englefield middle order buckled under their barrage of googlies, toppers and zooters (as well as the long hops, half volleys and half trackers!).  Donaldson, pushing the ball through a little quicker, had Srinjoy De to thank for his first week, as he pouched a sharp chance at cover, whilst James Jordan snuffled a caught behind to give him his second.  De – who was having quite a day – took an excellent diving catch in the deep to give the TCC curry eating champion (Henderson) his first wicket of the new campaign, before getting in on the catching act himself as he held on to a sharp chance of a Donaldson full toss at short fine leg.  The wickets continued to tumble and both bowlers can be very pleased with the figures; Donaldson ending with 5-53 off 8 and Henderson 2-38 off 8.  The crowning glory fell, however, fell to Saturday 5ths skipper Holger Kriess who bowled one ball and took the last wicket with it to finish proceedings shortly before 7pm.

Although Englefield Green posed only a modest challenge, it was good to see a number of T’s players use the opportunity to spend some time at the crease/some overs under their belts.  Stronger tests will follow, but the T’s nonetheless did what they had to do and can be pleased with a convincing start to the 2007 season.