Edmonton 210- All Out      J.Gordon 5-41

Twickenham 214- 4 M.Freeman- 75* G.Sanchez - 40 B.ALDWORTH- 40!

The 5^th team started of the second half of the season on a positive note with a sensational win against Edmonton as we chased down an epic 212 runs. A very hot and muggy day and worst of it all was to travel on the North Circular with traffic left, right and centre with the car speed of 10mph or in Uzzi’s case 2mph.

Twickenham managed to reach on time and Dassani lost the toss and surprisingly was put into the heat first. This showed that Edmonton had the belief and confidence to get a huge total. Bowman and Dassani took the new ball and wickets started to come early as Dassani was the first one to break the deadlock as batsman Wassy was the first to depart for a juicy duck as the off stump went flying off. The second wicket was soon to follow as JP Bowman got his first wicket as batsman Shavon Looped the ball to square leg and Stephan Cowley is never in doubt to drop any sort of catch.

Edmonton then started to look towards the leg side region as they got away with a lot of shots towards there. Some shots were not timed but still managed to creep its way to the boundary and there were other shots which they punished for short bowling. The third wicket came and it was Dassani who bowled out Ben for a quick fire 22. JP Bowman was persistently bowling short and Edmonton’s very own JLS did not hesitate to clobber the ball away to the square leg boundary.

The first two bowling changes were enforced and Twickenhan’s very own Harbajhan Singh but an Afghan version Harmeet Singh was introduced to the attack. This was his debut as well so it was tense times for him. JLS Joseph Gordon replaced Dassani. Both bowlers bowled some really fantastic deliveries but then there were also the short ones which were instantly dispatched. This was not a good track to bowl on but for Joesph Gordon it did not bother him at all as Irfan was caught behind by Uzzi Khan as JLS deadly out swing produced the magic.

Harmeet was replaced by the white Majid a.k.a David Henderson. It was a promising start from Harmeet but the short balls were becoming more consistent and therefore a change was required. JLS also came as he was jaded. A Jamaican jaded??? ORRENDOUS! Joseph you need to get back on the rice, peas and chickaaaannn. It was a good little 3 over spells despite a few short balls.

Dassani came back on again and instantly started to give Ramsey and Edmonton JLS a hard time as they hit a few in the air but unlucky enough did not reach the fielders. There were a few deliveries just narrowly whisked its way past the stumps Hendo and Dassani both kept it tight for a very long period of time but as both bowlers became more tired they took advantage of it and became more attacking. Both Dassani and Hendo did the best they could but no breakthrough arrived as both bowlers deserved more. Credit goes to Hendo who really worked his cut off with the ball. Gordon and Singh were given a second stint but both from different ends.

Harmeet yet again bowled a few short deliveries which were instantly hooked away to the boundary by the experienced Ramsey and young Jack who both respectively reach their well deserved half century. It was really hard work in the heat but both plugged away and cruised Edmonton to a very decent total but Ramsey’s fun came to an end as Harmeet trapped him for LBW. Ramsey departed on 61 but Harmeet showed him that Singh is King!

Then Joseph’s Brother Jack also had enough and departed on a very courageous 68. He was caught and bowled by his JLS rival Joseph who got his second wicket of the game. Wickets then came and went as Joseph bowled the most destructive second spell as he walked out with a 4fer in his second spell and overall a very sublime 5fer haul. JP Bowman also returned to the bowling scene with a wicket.

The innings ended on 210- All out of 41 overs. Joseph Gordon was the pick of the bowlers with a destructive 5fer haul and he definitely set the platform for the batsman to have enough time at the crease. Dassani and Bowman both claimed 2fer hauls each.

The second innings kicked off and inform Gilbert Sanchez and Uzzi Khan opened up the innings and both started off on a high with positive shots. Both played patiently and waited for the bad balls to arrive. Gilbert and Uzzi gradually became more aggressive with Uzzi clearing a massive 6 out of the ground and into the allotments. Both of the batsmen were running efficiently between the wickets and took every opportunity in their stride to run quick singles.

The first wicket came in the 14^th over and it was Uzzi who departed unluckily on 21. It was a silky 21 and he defiantly deserved more but a fantastic catch from the keeper wasn’t meant to be for Uzzi. The partnership ended on 60 runs which shows yet again that 4^th time running the opening pairs have managed to go over 50 runs which is very promising.

Ben Aldworth was the next in looking to extend his runs from the cameo against Lohana. It was a nervy start for Crouchy with two close LBW appeals but he stayed composed and continued to support Gilly who really became more aggressive. He played some brilliant drives and hooks to the boundary which boosted the run rate and obviously increased runs to the tally.

The second wicket arrived and unfortunately it was Gilbert who was bowled out. It was a huge shame as he departed on a well crafted 40 who definitely deserved a half century.

Ben and fourth team rookie Matt Freeman were at the crease looking to resume the momentum and they certainly did not fail as they ran well between the wickets and dispatched all the bad balls away to the boundary. After a slow start from Matt out of nowhere the devil started coming from inside and literally every delivery was bashed away to the boundary. It was not pure slogging it was played technically and in very orthodox style.

Crouchy continued playing his normal game by rotating the strike and hitting the bad balls away to the boundary but he also wasn’t afraid to give the occasional bash. The Clapham prince continued to shine away whilst Matt just continued to play with substantial amount of confidence and smash the ball all over Edmonton and he shot to his half century very rapidly. The Ron Weasley (Harry Potter Character) lookalike really played with real venom and defiantly deserved his half century as everything was played off with a straight bat.

Matt just carried on playing his game whilst Edmonton tried other alternatives with their bowling options but the damage was done by Matt. The third wicket went down and it was the Clapham prince Crouchy to depart on a fantastic effort of 40 runs. A half century would’ve been the icing on the cake but nevertheless it was a solid knock. Well done Crouchy keep up the good work as Holger is keeping tabs on you! Paul Johnson is definitely off the bacon butties for a while.

Twickenham’s very own Ghurkha Pranav came onto bat but unfortunately for the Nepalese it wasn’t meant to be as he came and went. Young hot prospect Stephan Cowley came onto bat at number 6 and he saw off the runs with a crisp boundary. Once again credit to Matt Freeman who was 75*. A very top class match winning knock.

Overall it was a tremendous display from the T’s. Everything was right in terms of fielding, bowling and batting. The bowlers fought out well in the first innings as the pitch had more than 210 runs to offer. It was tough out there with the heat but the team stuck to their task. Special credit to the batsmen who batted with great composure and patience as Edmonton bowlers did plug away with some nail biting deliveries.

 Keep this up boys we have done well this year we just need to keep striving on. There is still plenty more to give and we can definitely finish in a higher position. Let’s all stick together and believe in ourselves for the second half of the season because we have the potential.

Special praise to Edmonton who played with great attitude and there is plenty of rising colts in their side who will be talented cricketers for the future. 

Player Points

1. Matt Freeman/Joseph Gordon- 5 player points each
2. Gilbert Sanchez/Ben Aldworth- 4 player points each
3. Uzzi Khan- 3 player points
4. David Henderson- 2 player points-  a very good effort with the ball
5. Harmeet Singh/ Pranav Poudal- 1 player point each. A very promising debut.

Jonty Moment- Pranav Poudal was rock solid on the field and everyone put in a huge contribution. Catches were taken and there was only the odd miss-field.

Monty Moment- I cannot recall any shockingly.

Jonno Cockney Column: ASOULOUTELY ORRENDOUS! I ave ad enough of crickit. Ow does that monk Gilbert it 40 and that Crouchy. They mas ave been facing Ethiopians. Those 2 are diabolical and as for that Joe Gowdon e finks e finks is blaady Cowtney Walsh. Jas because e is Jamaican e finks e is an eroooww. E should bowl to mayyy and I will make im retire after his first over. I erd a lot about that Afghan Sikh Fella Armeet. He reckons e is 16 years old but when I raid iz ouse in Southall and check iz visa I bet e is 25 married with 10 kids. As for Endo and Inay I will let you 2 off for this week but I know you 2 clowns will do something shambles next week. I’ve ad enough naa. This is just absolutely ORRENDOUS. I ave to see me local GP about this. Taaa Raaa