NICKELS POLISHED PERFORMANCE NOT ENOUGH AS T’S LOSE

Twickenham 4’s 170 for 9 in 50 overs (Nickels 71), Teddington 4’s 173 for 7 

Teddington win by 3 wickets

Twickenham playing their last home league game of the season lost to local rivals Teddington, for the second time this season, as the visitors claimed the league title and promotion back to the top division of the 1987 League following last year’s relegation.  Both games had ebbed and flowed wonderfully and with a little more good fortune Twickenham may well have won both encounters. As it was the boys from the Green were left to wonder at what might have been

After the heavy rain all week it was a wonder the game was on but as all locals know the Broom Rd pitch is a very well draining ground and with early morning sun and wind playing on the track it was perfectly playable. Skipper Kriess was away, sunning himself somewhere in Spain, so it was left to trusty (?) lieutenant Walker to take charge of affairs once more.

The day started on a sombre note as a minutes silence was held to mark the sad passing of Twickenham stalwart , and fourth team regular over the past few seasons, Bill Wright on the Friday. This was impeccably observed by both teams. To paraphrase Roy Harper, a not-so-old cricketer has left the crease; a very sad day indeed.

Twickenham were inserted after having lost the toss and Quantrill and Nickels, making his Saturday debut, were charged with the opening duties. Both played confidently and runs were accumulated mainly through good front-foot drives and square pulls. The total was also helped along by some excellent running between the wickets as the T’s gained the early ascendancy putting on 35 in the first 10 overs. This rapidly increased to 67 in the 16’th before Quantrill fell to a loose shot, getting caught in the covers, just as it looked he was opening up and on his way to a big score. Singh came in and the run-rate kept improving  aided, in truth, by some fairly average bowling from the river end although Abbassi was keeping things tight from his end. Nickels passed his fifty and looked to be heading towards a ton. Singh’s eyes lit up as young leg-spinner Clark was introduced into the attack but he failed to connect properly with a full toss and top edged a catch to backward square just as it looked like the T’s were about to run away with things.

As drinks were taken on the 25’th over the T’s had amassed 113 for the loss of 2 wickets and everything looked rosy. Unfortunately the next passage of play saw a complete reversal of fortune as the home side struggled to come to terms with the assured bowling of Master Clark. Ubale was bowled having left his wicket unguarded as Abbassi got one to nip back. Nickels perished going for one too many boundaries  in the over  from Clark and was caught, on the second attempt at mid-off, for an accomplished 71.

 Walker stood firm at one end as the runs dried up and wickets fell with monotonous regularity. After having set a decent platform the T’s were now in danger of getting skittled for less than 150 as Clark deceived the bats with a full array of bowling tricks to take a further 3 victims. Bowman joined Walker in a rearguard action and ultra-orthodox, defensive,  batting became the order of the day. The crowds may not have been flocking to watch proceedings but the gritty display would have earned plaudits, one feels, from messrs Boycott, Tavare, and Donelan.  This pair added 38 before Bowman was caught, acting on team orders to hit out, on the penultimate ball of the innings for a useful 14. Kulkarni just had time to skip to the wicket and leg-glance 2 more as the T’s ended up on 170 in their 50 overs with Walker left on 24 not out.

Tea was taken and yet again a decent spread (sorry – can’t compete with ‘crescendo of awesomeness’ from last weeks 2’nd team report!) was provided by John Freeman with a variety of sandwich fillings, samosas, pakoras, cakes and fruit on offer. Long term readers will know I do not rate home teas but suffice it to say each week the food is gratefully gobbled up by both teams with many plaudits being offered by the opposition. Good work John.

With 4 potential opening bowlers in the side it was a tough call as to who was going to get the call but the skipper decided upon Burman and Bowman. In fact the T’s had a plethora of bowling options with only the skipper and Nickels (pressed into keeping duties) not having been called upon to turn their arm over in the league this season from the assembled 11. The T’s got off to a tidy start and the Teddington openers started slowly. The more expansive of the pair , Idroos, looked sporadically threatening but he fell early on to an O’Brien catch off Bowman and the T’s were up and running. Number 3 bat, young Bailey, looked nervous and was not allowed to settle as both bowlers got after him. He was removed as  Bendelow ,coming into the attack to replace Bowman, struck with his second ball thanks to a Quantrill catch in the covers. If he had held on to a similar, although slightly tougher chance, 3 balls later who knows how the rest of the game would have unravelled. As it was the Teddington skipper, D’Mello, survived and went on with Cobill to forge a solid 4’th wicket partnership.

The bowling was rotated and whilst wickets did fall the travelling side accumulated runs at the required rate. A couple of other catches went down although these  were immediately followed by wickets, leaving a couple of very relieved fielders (names available upon request!) and a happy T’s side. The game was most certainly in the balance and once the perennial thorn in the Twickenham side Cobill had been removed for a battling 51 a T’s victory was a definite possibility.  Unfortunately the less-accomplished but harder hitting middle order took the game away from Twickenham and despite a couple of late wickets, including a stunning catch by Singh at extra-cover, Teddington prevailed with 15 balls remaining.

It was a disappointing end to the day as the T’s looked to be in charge early on and on course for an unassailable total following an excellent opening stand from Quantrill and Nickels. However it was not to be as some excellent bowling from Clark, aided by poor batting, stopped the home side in their tracks.

With one league game remaining, away to Edmonton, the T’s will be looking for a final hurrah to sign off the season in style before retiring to their winter-sports programme and Match-Of-The-Day.