Hard-hitting Hughes sends a message of intent

 

Twickenham                329-5 (G. Hughes 176, C. Nunes 70, Kushwala 2-39)

Richmond                    214-5 (Price 60, P. Bail 53, J. Scriven 3-62, G. Hughes 2-42)

 

Twickenham began their maiden season in MCCL Division Two with a bombastic batting performance and a winning draw against near-neighbours Richmond.  Overseas player Grant Hughes posted a thrilling 176 off 138 balls as the Ts closed on a mammoth 329.  Justin Scriven removed Richmond’s dangerman, Middlesex’s Nick Compton, with the fifth ball of the hosts reply and from then on a draw looked very much on the cards.  Richmond eventually closed 115 behind with 5 wickets down.

 

Twickenham and Richmond have played each other on a number of occasions in recent years.  Each and every previous encounter had, however, been in one of the plethora of cups that the sides compete in.  10^th May 2008 therefore marked not only the start of Twickenham’s first ever campaign in MCCL Division, but the first ever league meeting between the two local rivals.  With Richmond no doubt intent on bouncing back to MCCL Division One at the first attempt, an intriguing encounter was on the cards.

 

Richmond won the toss and, on a warm and sticky day, unsurprisingly opted to bowl.  Twickenham skipper, and regular Richmond and Twickenham Times pin up, Carlos Nunes, sent JP Cronje and Grant Hughes out to set the ball rolling.  And, the tone of the day was set with the very first delivery.  Mayur Kushwala’s first ball from the Richmond End was short of a length, enabling JP Cronje to rock on to the back foot and smash the ball through mid-wicket for four.  A more obvious statement of Twickenham’s intent you could not wish to find.

 

Cronje played out the rest of the over without incident, leaving Hughes to face the first six balls from the Kew End.  The Queenslander was equally quick to get into his stride, stroking the second and third balls that he faced effortlessly to the boundary.  After 6 overs the Ts were on 47 and cruising along.  Hughes was cutting and glancing to great effect, whilst Cronje was pugnaciously thumping the ball through the leg side.  Richmond did, however, manage a breakthrough in the seventh over when Cronje (16) mis-timed a drive off Kushwala and was caught at mid off.  He was replaced by Warwick Paull, fresh from a solid pre-season and intent on building on his fine 2007.  It wasn’t, however, to be Paull’s day and he soon departed caught behind for 10.

 

Skipper Nunes came in at four.  The run rate went up and the ball started collecting air miles as both Hughes and Nunes began to enjoy themselves.  100 was passed in the 15^th over, at the same time as Hughes went past 50 (46 balls).  Nunes soon also passed the half century mark (49 balls) as the Ts moved on in the direction of 150.  The high tempo scoring rate continued as Hughes plonked one six over the scorebox and another into the main pavilion, Twickenham’s fifth team skipper Holger Kriess, deprived of a game himself as Lohana III cried off the night before, making a valiant attempt to take the catch despite the fact he had a fag in one hand and a pint of Magners in the other!

 

The 200 came up in the 32^nd over and Hughes smoothly passed the century mark (94 balls).  Not even the departure of Nunes (70 off 72 balls) could slow the scoring rate as the hare-like Justin Scriven pushed Hughes to keep turning ones into twos.  Twickenham had 300 in their sights and by the time Hughes departed, for a mammoth 176 off 138 balls, it was clear that the Ts were going to set Richmond a huge total to chase.  Mark Ryan and Dimi Nicolaides played brief cameos at the end before Nunes called his troops in after 50 overs with 329 on the board.

 

Tea was an enjoyable affair, banishing the ghastly memory of British Airways’s effort the week before.  Nice chicken, very solid sandwiches and a good cake variety.  A-/B+ on the tea-o-meter.

 

Back out on the green, green grass of the Old Deer Park, Richmond made the worst possible start.  If they were going to get near Twickenham’s total then Middlesex batsman Nick Compton was likely to be at the forefront of the Richmond charge.  Justin Scriven clearly hadn’t read Richmond’s script, removing the tall opener fifth ball, caught behind by Nunes.  The Ts were jubilant.  Richmond skipper Steve Price came in at three.  He, unsurprisingly, looked to consolidate and in Ben Griffiths he found a steady partner.  Neither batter played in a particularly expansive manner, but the quick outfield and attacking field settings nonetheless saw 50 passed in the tenth over. 

 

Just as Richmond began to up the tempo, another wicket fell.  Griffiths fished outside off stump and Scriven – in the middle of an excellent spell – claimed another caught behind.  Matt Balch, batting at four, looked to carry on the consolidation exercise alongside Price and although Richmond were slipping behind the required rate, they were at least keeping wickets in hand.  Price reached 50 in 67 balls and appeared to make an effort to be more positive.  Paul Cassidy nonetheless made life very difficult for the Richmond skipper.  His metronomic length strangled Price’s attacking instincts and he had no small part to play in Price’s dismissal – Justin Scriven (3-62 off 17) picking up his third wicket of the day as Price skied an awkward steepler to fine leg.  Cassidy had an age to think about the catch, no doubt dropping it several times in his own mind, but when push came to shove he clung on to it well.

 

It was not long before Balch also departed, caught by Cronje for 33 of Hughes’s leg spin, and it was at this point that Richmond shut up shop completely.  Paul Bail, batting at five, drove nicely as and when the ball was overpitched, but he clearly was not going to take any risks.  Spin-twins Hughes and Cronje probed away, but eeking batsmen out when they don’t really want to play too many shots is always going to be tough.  Bail (53) did eventually perish, again to Hughes (2-42 off 8), but by now time was running out and the game was meandering to a draw.  Three lively overs from Warwick Paull ended proceedings as both sides retired to the bar for a well deserved pint of the amber nectar.

 

Twickenham can be exceptionally pleased with their debut in MCCL Division Two.  They batted in very positive fashion and did more or less all that they could to try and gain 10 wickets in the field.  Next week sees the Ts back on Twickenham Green when the Ts take on Barnes.