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Week 11; Saturday Review. Six wins out of six!

Week 11; Saturday Review. Six wins out of six!

Dan Hough21 Jul 2019 - 11:03
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Full house for the Ts as all six Saturday teams do the business

The ones are playing really well. We have to be looking at finishing third in the table now
- Paul Johnson

Twickenham CC’s mid-season, across-the-board revival continued apace on Saturday 20th July; six games, six wins!

Ones ease to seven-wicket triumph
A potentially tricky weather-day led Carlos Nunes to opt to field when winning the toss at Harrow St Mary’s. The track was given a bit of time to dry out meaning that 20 overs were lopped off the day; an old school 100 over timed game subsequently became the way forward.

Nunes opened up with Val Giraud and himself. And, indeed, the skipper wasted little time in getting to work, removing both Pritesh Vaghela and the dangerous Khwar Kazmi before the hosts had got to 20. Nunes was hardly doing Allan Donald impressions, but he was proving – much as is often the case on dampish tracks – really tough to get away. He ultimately ploughed through 18 overs, returning 3-53. The local hospital can expect to see him early on Sunday morning to deal with the state his back will no doubt be in.

At the other end Guiraud was also getting involved. The Guru of Gallic Swing removed Ajay Soni (for 28) before Nunes opted to play what would prove to be the key hand of the game. George Yates didn’t even get on to bowl in week 10; he wasted little time in reminding everyone of precisely what he can do. Total carnage ensued as in little more than six overs Yates helped himself to 6-10. HSM subsequently went from 51-2 to 96-9 and then 108 all out.

Chasing small totals (on damp days) is nonetheless not a task to be taken lightly. Too many sides celebrate victory half way through only to come a cropper. No such pitfalls for the Ts this time round. Scott Newman, fresh from dating his way through the Cricket World Cup Final (listen here to hear more about that), set the tone, hitting nine fours and a six on his way to 67no. Dave Russell (11) and Josh Hinde (21) chipped in along the way as the Ts got home with plenty to spare (see here for the card).

The Premier League table subsequently makes interesting viewing (see here). Ealing and North Middlesex (83 points each) are away and clear at the top, but quite who is going to finish third is very much open to debate. Teddington (60) currently sit in the box seat, but no less than six sides are within 8 points of them. With the Ts having won four on the bounce who’d bet against a place on the podium come Week 18?

HSM IIs are Nakul dustered
As was the way across much of the county, on winning the toss HSM opted to have a bowl. Made sense.

Eugene Berger’s side, fresh from a decent draw at Indian Gym in Week 10, started out well putting 45 on for the first wicket. Nikhil Nomula was the driving force, helping himself to a run-a-ball 36. His departure saw the Ts wobble a little, leaving the experienced middle-order due of Berger and Dan Taylor to keep things on the right track.

Both realised that Twickenham wouldn’t need 250 to win the game so there was subsequently no need to go hell for leather and risk being out for 130. They dug in, and their 35 (Berger) and 54 (Taylor) were the mainstays of a strong 193. Omair Ali was the star for the visitors, helping himself to 3-37.

HSM’s reply got off to a decent enough start, and it was not until the score was touching 50 that the Ts made a breakthrough; Lewis Mitchard removing the dangerous Mikael Wahab for 33 (in just 22 balls).

Following that, the Ts quickly began to exert some control. Ajmal Allahdad ran out Daniel Murphy for 12 and Darshan Malde was trapped LBW by Berger. By this time the 2s’ twirling triplets (Berger, Tom Field and Nakul Vishvanath) were beginning to do their thing. Berger (2-19 off 9) and Field (2-21 off 13) tightened the screw but it was ultimately Vishvanath (4-14 off five and a bit) who finished the job off … with his first hat-trick in senior cricket (see here for the card).

Much as with the first XI, the league looks very tight (see here). The Ts currently sit sixth, but that’s just 10 points behind second placed Hornsey. There is, as they say, still a long way to go in this season yet.

Threes win by 56 runs at Hornsey
The threes had a decent day at the office (see here for the card). A wet track was always going to make scoring runs difficult, but nuggety batting early on alongside some sensible late-ordering hitting ensured that the Ts coped with the conditions much more admirably than did their opponents.

Harry Grinstead made batting look as easy as it could be in those conditions and his 41 was well deserved. Steve Watts (31) also looked more at home than most, whilst Robbie Bosier’s important cameo at the end – solid defence, the odd lusty blow plus excellent running – did much to ensure that the Ts remained firmly in control. The undefeated 21 partnership between Bosier and Kit Wilson even allowed Watts to declare on 48 overs rather than 50.

In reply, Hornsey lost arguably their best player, Oscar Wood, early but Cormac Haughton and Niraj Parmar still saw them past 50 without further alarm.

Watts and his side nonetheless knew that if they kept at it then things would turn their way. And, they did. Kit Wilson changed ends and removed both Haughton and Parmer (one thanks to a well-taken skyer from Watts), whilst the ever-reliable Anu Agarwal began spinning his webs from the Hornsey End. Agarwal’s impressive 4-27 saw Hornsey’s middle order crumble, leaving Man of the Match Grinstead to come on and take the final wicket, Ozzie Qavi taking a sharp chance low down.

The threes have now moved up to 5th (see here). Next week they take on third placed Shepherd’s Bush; if a late promotion push is to become a reality then another 12 points next week would be very helpful indeed.

Fours do what they do
It being a Saturday, the fours won. Their record of 10 wins (and a winning draw) out of 11 is truly outstanding. Ealing 5ths, nestling in a lowly 9th place in the league (see here), did their best to make life hard for Hinay Dassani’s men (see here for the card), but ultimately they went down by 7 wickets.

Batting first, opener Mohammed Popal (21 off 76 balls) looked like he might put up some resistance, whilst Will Simpson (14 off 43)) at three also did much the same. JP Bowman nonetheless put an end to that sort of talk, returning the remarkable figures of 2-2 off 5; Popal and Simpson were the two!

There was little of note from the rest of the Ealing order. The honourable exception to that was Yassar Pengli who hit cleanly for 53 not out. The efforts of Stu Amos (3-26) and Chetan Ubale (2-18) nonetheless saw to it that Ealing closed on the dreaded Nelson.

In reply, no Ts player went big, but all five batters made a contribution. Colin Blundon (14, made up of two fours and a six) and Tony Hill (a more sedate 17) got things moving, whilst Hiran Dissanayake (20 in 28 balls) helped push things along. Ultimately it was left to the finisher-in-chief, Nihal Tomar (22no in 19 balls) and Martin Fairn (21no in 17 balls) to see the Ts breezily over the line.

Fives won on Thursday, Sixths win on Saturday
Given that the 5th XI game was called off on Thursday, they had a free week. The 12 points they garnered on account of Harrow Town crying off sees them sit nicely in 5th place (see here); promotion charge, anyone?

The sixths, full of young players and the requisite old-stagers, put in an excellent performance against Hamptonians 5ths (see here). Skipper Pete Burke used captain’s prerogative to open the batting. He took youth section supremo Paul McLoughlin out with him. Burke saw no need to rush, scoring 27 in what – for him – was a becalming 41 balls as the Ts edged along towards 50.

Landon Prescott-Brann, batting at four, showed Burke how to up the run rate, scoring 17 in a little less than a run a ball. Hamish Johnston also followed that cue, contributing 15 from number 6, as did Oliver Prescott-Brown making 19 from seven.

At that stage the Ts were 95-6. A more than decent effort from the TCC juniors in the middle order, but the innings needed a little impetus. Zafar Ali stepped up to take on the task. His undefeated 68 (41 balls) saw the 6ths post an imposing 191 off their 35 overs.

Hamptonians buckled down in reply, Luke Jefferies (0-8 off 5) and Frankie Lingeman (0-17 off 5) giving the openers precious little to hit. With time ticking and the pressure on, the first wicket fell, Nasir Abibi spinning his way in to the party. Bucket-hands Burke took the catch.

Once the first wicket fell, the Ts warmed to their task impressively. Anthony Jones (1-21 off 5) got involved, as did Oliver Prescott-Brann (also 1-21). The start of the show was nonetheless Hamish Johnston, bulldozering his way to 4-21.

With Johnston having caused carnage in the Hamptonians middle order it was left to Landon Prescott-Bran to wrap things up, picking the final wicket up leg before. An excellent performance from the 6ths on the field and also to Pete Burke, Paul McLoughlin and all the off-the-field guys in getting the game on.

So, six wins out of six. As Saturdays go, it really doesn’t get much better.

Further reading