Twickenham’s Antipodean connection has fun in the sun
Twickenham
313-6 (B. Teece 154no, G. Hughes 42, L. McKenna 32no, J.
Jordan 31, K. Ballth 3-45)
Shepherds Bush
209 all out (P. Todorov 44no, T. Relly 41, J-P Bowman 3-28,
L. McKenna 2-35)
Twickenham’s 2008
Thameside League campaign got off to a flying start at Shepherds
Bush on 11th May.
The Ts posted 313 off their allotted 45 overs with
Brayden Teece (a most impressive 154no), Grant Hughes
(42) and debutant Lachlan McKenna (32no) making hay while the sun
shone. Shepherds Bush
hacked away in a vain effort to chase the huge total down,
eventually falling 104 short.
Other than
skilfully picking starting XIs with enough drivers to actually get
the team to the venue, possibly the most important skill a Sunday
captain can have is that of being a good tosser.
And many would be quick to agree that Ts Sunday skipper Dan
Hough certainly is that.
With the soon to be copyrighted ‘Hough coin theory’ applied,
the Shropshire Lad (once again) called correctly.
No further discussions necessary (it being a Sunday), the
newly re-branded (IPL style) ‘Twickenham Turbo Tractors’ were
batting.
The skipper himself
took first hit, getting off the mark with a nice pull through
midwicket for four.
Although slow, the wicket was true enough and once Hough stroked
four more through the covers and then – much to the surprise of most
hardened TCC watchers on the boundary – six over cover point, it
became clear that there were runs to be had.
Neither opener,
however, ended up getting too many.
James Salmon succumbed lbw to Singh and Hough got carried
away outside off stump, playing one expansive shot too many,
departing for 21. James
Jordan – elevated up the order to three – eased his way into the
days proceedings with some nice drives and a couple of elegant leg
glances and, with Braydon Teece playing gun barrel straight at the
other end, both seemed set fair for big scores.
Teece, in his first
Twickenham innings for four years, made batting look easy.
He drove with panache, pulled with verve and cut with power.
A big score was definitely on the agenda, and when he passed
50 (34 balls) the boundary edge chatter soon turned to whether he
might end up eclipsing Grant Hughes’s 176 from the day before.
Such thoughts didn’t cross umpire Gerry Brennan’s mind, of
course. He was much
more interested in whether the scoreboard was up to date and the
Irish stalwart began a personal campaign to get it updated almost
instantaneously …
James Jordan has
been progressing nicely until his innings was cut short by that
familiar plague that strikes Englishmen in May – a broken
metatarsal. Quite how
it happened was a mystery to most people, but happened something
certainly had;
Liam Steele,
another TCC debutant, strode out at five.
He immediately looked to be positive, running smartly between
the wickets and accompanying Teece on his merry way.
Steele’s innings was nonetheless cut brutally short by a
brilliant bit of fielding; Teece drove elegantly through covers and took one. “Easy
two there” proclaimed Grant Hughes, perched happily on the boundary
edge waiting to bat.
Steele evidently agreed with him and turned for the second. Vallabah, fielding way out on the extra cover boundary, had
other ideas. He hurled
the ball into the bowlers end, hitting direct, leaving umpire
Brennan with little option but to raise the finger of doom.
Steele had to depart for 8.
“Easy two there” indeed … !
4 wickets down, and
time for the gunslinger to enter the fray.
Grant Hughes had completely demolished a highly regarded
With Teece and
Hughes shooting from the hip, the Bush clearly didn’t know what to
do next. Thankfully for
them Hughes tried one bosh too many, falling on his sword for a
buccaneering 42 (24 balls).
Phil Biggs and JP Bowman came and went relatively quickly,
but the Twickenham fun wasn’t over just yet.
Lachlan McKenna, making his debut, illustrated that he too could bat,
accompanying Teece up towards his 150 and Twickenham over the 300
mark. Finally, with
Teece almost out on his feet, the Bush’s misery came to end; McKenna
remained 32no, Teece 154no, and 313 was on the board.
The tea was a solid
enough affair (B on the tea meter).
Good variety, nice fruit and a good solid brew.
And all timed perfectly to see
The Ts started
their stint in the field in an attacking frame of mind.
A couple of slips and a couple of assorted other close(ish)
fielders. Bowman and
McKenna were given the new cherry.
Bowman took a while to find his length, but when he did he
prompted some uncertain prodding on the part of the Bush openers.
S. Dane soon decided that the best form of defence was
outright slog across the line, mullering Bowman over long on for
six. JP remained
unperturbed. He pushed
the next one further up, Dane missed and Bowman hit.
Savvy stuff indeed …
Vallabah (P),
batting at three, didn’t last long, becoming Lachlan McKenna’s first
victim (thanks to a well taken catch by Liam Steele at cover) in
Twickenham colours.
McKenna, clearly bowling within himself, produced a solid spell and
it wasn’t long before he pouched his second scalp; the solid looking
Watts driving airily to Hough who, once he’d completed his juggling
practice, held on to the catch at mid on.
With Kiwi Sukdhoe being well run out by the lethal Hughes
(fielding at cover)/
All was going well
for the Ts. The only
member of the Twickenham entourage who wasn’t at one with the world
was umpire Brennan. If
the Ts players had been sloppy when managing the scoreboard, the
Shepherds Bush boys were downright negligent.
Add to this an unwillingness to acknowledge signals and
Brennan was working up towards some sort of volcanic explosion.
Given his aging frame, not something to be recommended.
Unabated, Brennan began a one man vigil to get things “done
properly”. And woe
betide anyone who got in his way …
With the danger of
floodlights being needed to end the game (largely on account of the
ever longer umpire related stoppages), Hough turned to spin to get
the over rate up. Grant
Hughes wheeled away merrily from one end, dismissing McNeil (24)
thanks to Steele’s second catch of the afternoon.
Phil Biggs also came nicely to the party, bowling a compact
spell and claiming the wicket of number 7 Howard for 1.
7 down should really have soon become 8 down when skipper
Todorov smacked the ball off Biggs to Steele (again!) at cover.
Steele took the catch, but, having damaged his finger in the
process, quickly got rid of the ball.
The fielders clapped, the batsman walked … and Brennan gave
him not out. Make of
that what you will …
Todorov, having
been given this unlikely reprieve, looked to make the most of his
good fortune. And, in
Tony Relly he found an able partner.
Both whacked and whished to good effect, hitting the ball
hard and true. Relly in
particular seemed in no mood to lie down, driving to good effect and
move into the 40s.
Brayden Teece ended his fun – caught and bowled – for 41, leaving
John Relly and Todorov to try and pull off the impossible.
The Twickenham
skipper decided it was high time that his medium pace filth received
its first outing of 2008 and, sure enough, it wasn’t long before
keeper Rand was being made to work hard down the leg side.
Hough did, however, entice Relly junior to edge behind and,
once the returning Bowman trapped last man Singh leg before for 9,
the Ts were safely home.
The Ts – and
particularly the Australian connection – produced a thumping batting
performance to well and truly outplay Shepherds Bush.
The Bush never gave up and skipper Todorov is likely to be
pleased that his side did at least pass the 200 mark.
The Ts put Sunday league cricket on the back burner for the
next three weeks as various cup commitments take centre stage.
The next league game is at home against