The stuff of which dreams are made
Cast your mind back 12 months and you may recall Middlesex CCC winning the County Championship. And, they did it in quite some style, Sunbury's (and now England's) Toby Roland-Jones taking a hat-trick in the final few minutes of the season to secure the trophy (see here).

Not many bowlers take hat-tricks. Even fewer take hat-tricks to decisively win games. But taking a hat-trick that secures you a league title? Unheard of, surely. Well, it would appear not. In fact, such occurrences seem to be like London buses; wait ages for one and before you know it two come along in quick succession. Ask Anu Agarwal.

The man with more nicknames than Apollo Creed (see here from 3m10 if that means nothing to you) has spent most most of the season in the 3rd XI. The Sheikh of Tweak has performed admirably there, too, and going in to Week 18 he was the club's leading wicket taker in league cricket with 33 scalps to his name. That led to promotion for what was a do or die clash between the 2s and Shepherd's Bush 2s. Win, the 2s were promoted (and maybe champions). Lose, they were third and Shay Boo would be going up. It was all on the line.

Dunning provides the impetus
In an interesting twist, skipper Eugene Berger asked the The Earl of Twirl to open the bowling. That wasn't, however, where the drama came. The Ts were defending 224, a brutal Simon Dunning 100no (off just 64 balls) being the centre-piece of what in truth was a bit of a rickety batting display (see here for the card). The Bush would have fancied their chances.

The Ts nonetheless knew that they had bowling depth, bowling variety and bowling experience. Robbie Watts's presence at the top of the order was nonetheless a real challenge, and as he settled in it became clear that Berger had some wheeling and dealing to do. An excellent catch from Dan Taylor removed the other opener, Tom Bryan, but at 108-1 the Bush were in control.

With the whole season coming down to the last hour of the last game, the Ts nonetheless began a bit of screw-turning. The Knuckle-Duster, a man who's had a quietly impressive season with both bat and ball, removed number three George Collins, whilst Eugene Berger and Tom Field also began chipping away at the middle order. By the time experienced skipper Ben Colback was run out the hosts were wobbling.

But, Watts was still there and whilst he was at the crease the Bush were very much in the game. Cue the (re-)entrance of the Earl of Twirl. He quickly removed number seven Dan Goodyear, but it was the dismissal of Watts (95 in 129 balls) that really turned the game. The Bush were now behind the rate and losing wickets. Number 10 Matt Wookey followed suit next ball, caught at log on, leaving last man Alex Todorov needing to score 22 off 8 balls. He had to try and go big. He did. The ball, however, ended safely in Simon Dunning's hands at mid-wicket. 10 points, promotion and a championship trophy for the 2s.

4s pipped at the post
With the 1s and 3s already promoted, attention turned to the 4s to see if Twickenham could make it an unprecedented four promotions in a season. Hinay Dassani's side knew, however, that the odds were against them. Not only did they need to win, but they needed two other sides in their division to lose.

The 4s certainly did their bit. Batting first they posted a very competitive 191-7 off 45. Uzzi Khan was the mainstay of the innings, posting an impressive half-century. Fellow promotion-chasers Perivale had every incentive to go for the total, and that they did. But, they lost wickets on the way, Kranthi Akulpay and JP Bowman doing the early damage as they struggled to 65-5.

A concerted effort by HD and the rest of the bowling attack ultimately saw Perivale fall on their swords and the Ts claim ten points. But, Highgate's win at Teddington and Crouch End's defeat of champions MTSSC (!) means that the 4s will have to make do with another season in Division 2. By no means the end of the world, but promotion very much the aim for 2018.

Ballistic Bosier
The threes, meanwhile, found themselves (much like the 2s) playing Shepherd's Bush. Steve Watts's men had secured promotion the week before, but there was the small matter of a title on the line. The skipper led from the front, hitting a jug-avoiding 49 out of 198.

The threes have made a point of batting first and defending totals this year. Saturday proved no different. At 66-7 the Bush were soon in massive trouble, Robbie Bosier and Ozzie Qavi causing total carnage with the ball. Bosier's 6 wickets took him to 26 in what's been an impressive season, whilst the rapidly improving Qavi's 3 illustrate what a bright future the TCC colt has in the senior game.

Shay Boo ultimately succumbed for 92. The threes were champions, finishing 9 points ahead of Southgate (see here).

Nail-biter on the Green
Amidst all the drama it was easy to forget that the 1st team were also playing. They, too, were long-since promoted and no matter what transpired on the Green against Harrow St Mary's they were going to finish in second place.

The Ts, as has often been the way this year, batted first. The hosts didn't have things at all their own way, either, HSM putting Carlos Nunes's side under pressure from the get go (see here for the card). Ashley Gray (28 in 52) put up stubborn resistance at the top of the order, whilst Clint McCabe (21 in 41) and Amardeep Rehncy (20 in just 19 balls) got going before getting out later on. 154 looked below par.

When dangerman Syed Kazmi was removed by Gurjit Sandhu the Ts nonetheless looked like they were going to sweep the visitors anyway. Cue a strong rearguard from HSM and by the time the visitors were 108-3 the pendulum had clearly swung back in their direction. But, throw a rapid middle order collapse in to the mix (largely caused by Clint McCabe's 4-20 off 9) and it was the Ts who seemed to be back in the box seat.

Respect is nonetheless due to HSM's Tom Pettet. He came in at eight and scored at better than a run a ball to end on 38no. He saw HSM home with just one wicket to spare putting on an impressive 36 with Harindu Gunasekara for the last wicket.

5ths end with a loss at Lohana
The Fifths, meanwhile, were playing in a dead rubber at Lohana 3rds. A grumpy game is never the ideal way to end a season, but the 5ths nonetheless have plenty to be proud of. It's been a season of revival, consolidation and ultimately pride for Phil Walker and his charges.

Batting first, the 5s managed 142 in fraction shy of 45 overs (see here for the card). A plethora of 20s littered the book, with Paddy Turish (26no) and Riaz Sulthan (23) leading the way. No one was unfortunately able to go on and post the big score.

Lohana always looked to be fractionally ahead on points, but Zafar Ali (3 for 23 off 10) and Vijay Sanas (2 for 31 off 10) certainly made them work hard for their runs. Once their spells were finished the Ts kept trying to eek out the Lohana middle and lower order, but ultimately it wasn't meant to be. The hosts got home with three wickets to spare.

And breathe ...
2017 has been the polar opposite of 2016 for Twickenham CC. Promotions and strong performances galore, and a marvellous feel around the club. In many ways, the season really couldn't have gone any better. Bring on 2018.