Shocker in the Summer Sun as Kew squeak passed lacklustre Twickenham

If, as Sunday’s encounter on Kew Green began at 13h30, Twickenham had had any lingering Thameside championship hopes, they were unceremoniously extinguished by 16h.  Another disappointing batting performance saw Dan Hough’s men slip to a 4 wicket defeat.  A difficult track – you’ll get more bounce if you hit a ball into a bunker on Fulwell golf course that you do at Kew – couldn’t disguise a slack batting display by the Ts and although Kew did their best to mess the run chase up, they eventually reached their target with 4 wickets to spare.

The day started off in entertaining fashion.  Junnaid Mehmood got waylaid on his way to the ground and he eventually made it to Kew Green with ten overs already on the board; thankfully the Ts were batting, so no damage was done.  Kiwi Pete Carey also managed to raise a few eyebrows, if for rather different reasons.  It can be difficult being away from home, particularly when your family, friends and girlfriend are all across the other side of the globe.  Carey, to his great credit, has coped admirably with life in a foreign land and seems to have got used to fending for himself without any hint of a lonely heart.  Or so we thought until Sunday.  Skipper Dan Hough picked the affable Christchurcher up in Richmond and, as he drove up towards Richmond station, it appeared that the straight-down-the-line Carey had made a female acquaintance.  Hough pulled up rather sheepishly and the New Zealander jumped into the front seat – his new-found lady-friend, meanwhile, jumped in the back and announced that she wanted a lift to the other side of town; the fact that she was 50+, had a worryingly large moustache, no, beard, was profoundly smelly and that she had known Carey for approximately 30 seconds seemed not to faze her a jot.  She was in for the long haul.  Pete, we known you’ve been away from home for a long-time, but, please, did you really have to pick up an ugly version of Coronation Street’s Ivy Tilsley?! 

Once the bearded wonder had been deposited somewhere in deepest Richmond, Hough and Carey made their way to the ground and Hough – thankfully, as far as Twickenham were concerned – won the toss.  It was a hot day, and the Ts’ skipper decided to have a bat.  Promising youngster Ashley Gray and the returning Kaleem Abassi took first knock.  Gray played the pace of Grenadian speedster Thomas with no small amount of skill, as the ball raced through at a rate of knots and a variety of heights.  Given time, there’s little doubt that Gray will come good and score buckets of runs for the Ts.  Abassi looked to be a little more expansive, striking Shepherd for a couple of nice boundaries through mid-wicket before spooning a simple catch to square leg for 13.  Eddie Paxton, fresh from scoring 80 the previous week, found the Kew attack a rather more difficult proposition, but it was the obdurate Gray (7) who departed next; again to Shepherd, who finished with a tidy 2-22 off his 9 overs.

Dan Hough came in at four and he was soon joined by Carey at five as Paxton hoiked himself out to left-arm looper Bajaj for 8.  Bajaj was to have field day, tweaking it nicely and generating a fair degree of indifferent bounce.  Carey nonetheless played positively against him, while Hough hit a couple of nice boundaries through the covers as the score pushed on towards 50.

The departure of the skipper – caught behind off Bajaj for 18 – signalled a collapse the likes of which the England team would have been proud.  Matt Bendelow was harshly adjudged leg before off Kohli without scoring, whilst Richie Saunders went the same way to Bajaj for 1.  Debutant Araf decided that the only way to stop the flurry of wickets was to fight fire with fire, and he decided to give Bajaj a bit of the long handle treatment.  His counter-attack didn’t, however, last long and he departed to a good catch in the deep for 7; Carey followed next ball (the batters had crossed), caught and bowled for 5, leaving Bajaj on a hat-trick and last man Karl Rand striding to the crease.  Rand put that big left leg down the track, but umpire Gerry Brennan decided that, as the ball thumped into his pad, he was in line and that the ball would have carried on to hit the stumps.  Rand wasn’t impressed, but Bajaj was – he finished his spell with a hat-trick, figures of 6-5 and the Ts were left on a depressing 64 all out.

Given that the Ts had been dismissed in 24 overs, the teams turned straight round and Kew decided to go gung ho for their small target, openers Bishop and Knowles swinging the willow with plenty of intent.  Bishop’s innings did not, however, last long as the dangerous Junnaid Mehmood trapped the opener leg before as he attempted an over-exuberant pull through mid-wicket to a ball that didn’t get up.  The runs nonetheless came too quickly for Twickenham’s liking, as Mahay joined Bishop and the score moved into the 30s. 

Hough decided that the Ts might as well go down fighting and chopped and changed his bowlers in the hope that one would hit on a decent length and a decent run of luck.  Richie Saunders subsequently replaced Ashley Gray from the river end, and he immediately made an impact.  Knowles departed caught behind for 23 and Kholi chipped a straightforward catch to Gray at mid-wicket for 2.  When the dangerous off spin of Araf – having replaced Mehmood from the Cemetery End – removed Mahay (10) and the Saunders/Bendelow combination struck to somewhat fortuitously remove Phillips (1), the game suddenly looked rather different.  45-5 became 49-6 when Araf held on to a mis-timed drive by Thomas to give Saunders his fourth wicket, the Ts thought that a real shock could be on the cards.

It was, however, not to be.  The experienced Jaffer came out to accompany Dodd to the end, and after a couple of neat drives through the covers the sides were de-camping to the pavilion to enjoy tea.  Although the Ts, again, will have to look at their batting performance, the efforts of Richie Saunders (4-20), Junnaid Mehmood (1-20) and Araf (1-6) meant that the scoreline nonetheless had a venire of respectability.  An awful cricket wicket didn’t help; fingers crossed that things have improved by August Bank Holiday and the Kew six-a-side tournament …