Twickenham 2s 187 all out

Indian Gymkhana 2s 180 all out

 

Twickenham 2s made it four wins from their last five matches with a thrilling triumph at Indian Gymkhana on Saturday to put themselves firmly in the hunt for the Middlesex Championship title.

Defeat at the hands of Southall for league leaders North London makes things at the top of the table look very interesting as the halfway point of the season approaches.

All-round team efforts built upon the not-insignificant contributions of Agha Shahid have brought about the turnaround with the weekend win a fine example of the fighting spirit that has characterised the re-birth of this season's second team.

Once again Ts were up against it at 139-8 after skipper Stuart Amos had won the toss and chosen to take first knock on a pitch that would slowly deteriorate during the course of a backing hot afternoon in Osterley.

Amos (20), Shahid (43) and James Salmon (29) made patient starts in the middle order after opener Aly Vokes fell off the second ball of the innings, but the pitch  - and some charitable umpiring - did for them to leave Ts looking at the prospect of defeat.

But number nine Peter Burke smashed 32 - in a partnership of 42 with wicketkeeper/bowler Jon Trippett - to salvage things and get their side past the 175 mark to post a competitive 187 all out.

Trippet's decision to fall on his sword meant Indin Gym had exactly 50 overs in reply and they were going along nicely at around 140 for four with their overseas player A Archiyar at the crease.

The skipper's decision - with advice from his senior pros - to bring himself on and switch left-arm spinner Agha to the opposite end proved pivotal as the game seemed to be slipping from Twickenham's grasp.

Amos (1-18) got Archiyar caught on the midwicket boundary by Scott Perry off his second ball for 56 and Shahid cleaned up at the other end - taking four wickets to finish with figures of 6-58 - to win the game with seven runs and 2.3 overs to spare.

Boisterous South African Ryan Combrinck even had time to claim the hairy hands of shame for the second time this season, as he made a horrible mess of trying to catch the number 11 Sagoo.

But luckily Rob Dancey pouched a more difficult chance offered up at point two balls later to wrap up a fine victory.

 

Verdict: An absolute pleasure.  The lower order effort of Burke was a key factor in the win, giving Shahid the chance to weave his magic in a solid fielding display that saw everyone contribute to a memorable win.