Sunday 9 September 2007

With poor availability doing for the first team's game on The Green, it fell to Sunday twos alone to round off the final league weekend of the season with the local hop to Whitton for a friendly 40-over encounter with Chiswick and Latymer's Sunday outfit. Traditionally a fixture with a par score in the 230s and a large boundary offering plenty of scope for leather-chasing, this was clearly a good toss to win. Stand-in skipper D 'Jonty' Henderson, alas, did not oblige.

First up, at the Fence End was S 'Old' McDonald, making only his second appearance for the club. The first, towards the start of the season, resulted in a split digit and two months of osteopathic massage. Everyone had their thumbs crossed today's game would see him fair better.

The line and length was spot on from the off allowing opening partner from the scorebox end, Whitton-boy JP 'English Long' Bowman, freedom to mix it up. Alas despite Sean's fantastic figures of four overs three maidens for one run, and an LBW shout noted by several as "a bit close", neither opener could find a breakthrough so the pace of the attack was switched with A 'Hippo' Phillips on for Bowman and Henderson for Sean.

Still the two Lats openers couldn't be shifted despite Hendo causing some problems in between the booming straight drives. The slower stuff saw chances come, however, one went down at midwicket and a second eluded the clutches of slip. It made sense therefore to get the Chinamen of junior pro R 'Fobby' Freeman on sooner than later. Rewards were immediate with G 'Iron Hands Again' Sanchez comfortably pouching a slice at point to extricate the number two, Suleman, from his crease for 36. Bobby kept things tight at the top end, allowing a man in the peak of health, C 'RM' Marshall, perspiring more Glenmorangie than saline, to roll his arm for three eventful, but unrewarded overs.

After drinks, Henderson switched ends, and saw another chance just fail to be held at point, before completing his spell picking up the remaining opener Thompson, caught low at slip by N 'Tresco' Walder for 54 and the number three, Aliz, who creditably departed to a thick outside edge, plucked out of the air by keeper H 'Poker, I wouldn't kiss er' Kriess, despite a total absence of interest from the bowler 

With runs still ramping, it was time for a moment of madness. After literally years of begging, J 'Joe 90' Porter was unleashed with ball and steamed in for three overs of superb economy. Such was the pressure that the number four was tempted into taking two to deepish midwicket, Henderson, collecting at the second attempt shied with venom and managed to hit the one visible to claim his second run-out in as many days.

Bowman came back and managed to complete a couple of tight overs to to set up the final push wherein McDonald and last-minute call-up N 'Professional sweeper' Parab started the unenviable task of taking the Ts through the last seven. Some ropey ground fielding and lusty hitting from this point saw the runs come rather faster than was comfortable, but McDonald at last gained some scant reward for his earlier heroics, picking up the big-hitting number five, Bitmead, clean-bowled for 38.

The remaining batsmen Britto (40 not out) and Ames (3no) saw through the overs to post the enviable score of 245 for five. Over par for the ground, and looking hard work for the under-strength twos. 

Tea, as is ever the case at Old Lats, was well received and, after the draining and muggy conditions in the centre, the slices of pineapple and melon were as eagerly devoured by the seniors as the multitude of chocolatey comestibles were by the colts.

Facing up first to the task of chasing six-and-a-bit on a wide boundary were Walder and Phillips. The first over saw but one, Walder getting off the mark second ball, but the second yielded ten. The good start was quickly halted when Phillips, undone by some prodigious movement from the fence end was cleaned up for four. That four being a gorgeous off-bosh all the way to the line, mind.

With Tommy 'Multiblob' Huntington pulling out in the morning, still unrecovered from partaking in some housework on Friday afternoon, Nitin graciously stepped into the breech. He'll have been happy with that decision as, after a few dicey overs to start with, he and Walder put the Lats attack to the sword.

The pair were clearly on the same wavelength and both in good touch as their twenty over partnership saw a combination of sweet cuts, pulls and drives along with telepathic quick singles to balls deadbatted to the crease. Indeed Walder caught a pull so well that the aforementioned large square boundary was rendered completely irrelevant as the first six of the innings was chalked up.

Unfortunately, with the score on 162 and with fifteen remaining, Walder finally mis-interpreted the running and failed to regain ground. Falling run-out for a well-crafted 59.

One, as the old cliché goes, brings two. Elevated to number four because of a minor works scheduling error, Sean, alas, proved worn maxims grow from seeds of truth, and had to depart, his locks picked, first ball up. Sanchez was next in and looked to take his share of the strike. An early boundary failed to herald an early acceleration, however, and when Nitin miscued a gentle lob to mid-on to head back, jug won, for 60 and Marshall strode to the centre, the Ts felt the butterflies. 180 for 4.

Marshall departed after a partnership of three, Sanchez and Kriess added eight before, Gil, despite the umpire at stumps confused as to what had happened, again creditably walked, caught behind off his thumb for nine. Freeman failed to get runs on the board and Jim and JP amassed four between them.

With Hendo sauntering out at eleven, fives skipper Kriess had nothing to lose and looked to take on the bowling every ball. The rate required was up to ten. When Holger crashed two fours through the leg side, and Hendo lofted a six, then drilled a four over long-on the rate looked very reasonable, but, with no wickets in hand the first mistake was to prove final. Holger, seeing his straight options plugged, tried to work a line ball to leg and was eventually cleaned up for a rapid 15. The final partnership managed to put on 30 in three overs, Hendo finishing not out 15, but alas the Ts fell agonisingly 21 runs short of their total with two and a half overs remaining. 224 all out.

Stand-out performances with the bat from Parab (60) and Walder (59), combined with good spells from Henderson (2/41 off 8), Freeman (1/42 off 7) and McDonald (1/39 off 8) saw the match finish much closer than many may have been expecting. Sadly poor ground fielding from several rapidly stiffening members of the outfit arguably cost the game finishing closer still. Indeed one wit passed comment on a portly member of the team's legs 'seeing a lot of traffic', sparking much comparison to the cameras at Hangar Lane.

Despite recording the loss, it was a cheered twos outfit that returned to The Green to sup eagerly at the ample jugs of Nik and Nitin and to plan for the last two games. Next, the penultimate, week sees the welcome return of Englefield Green to the home of the Ts.