Chairman Jon Varney must have been worried. Very worried. One of the most sacred parts of the Twickenham Cricket Club constitution is that if all five TCC sides win on a Saturday then all beers are on the Chairman. Ultimately, Varney was saved from having to re-mortgage the house as only four sides won. But, it was close …

Close but no cigar for the fifths
Paradoxically, the one side that didn’t manage to bring home 10 points – the fifth XI – still put in an excellent performance (see here for the card). Indeed, given that they had managed a meagre 42 runs in total in week one (see here), 237 runs was well beyond what skipper Chris Wylde could ever have envisaged.

Wylde himself did much to set that score up, posting an elegant 53. Jonny Bosier’s 32 – including a monstrous six that had low flying aircraft in its sights – was also useful, but it was Hinay Dassani’s reinvention as a batsman that really caught the eye. Dassani, batting at 10, took on the challenge of pushing the score up to somewhere near, and then ultimately well beyond, 200 and his first 50 since 2012 was greeted with much jubilation on the sidelines. Marlon Samuels would have been proud.

Normally, 237 wins you a game of cricket at Broom Road. Indeed, as Andy Donelan said afterwards, “that’s one of the best TCC batting performances I’ve seen at Broom Road in many a year”. This week, however, it wasn’t enough. No one stood out for Harrow Town, but all of the middle order contributed and ultimately the visitors got home with room to spare.

Dassani did his level best with the ball to put that right, as did Paul McLoughlin (2-31); to no avail. The Ts do nonetheless still pick up a couple of points as they find their feet in the new division six.

Nashtastic
Back on Twickenham Green, the ones got their season up and running with a nerve-jangling win against Harrow St Mary’s (see here for the card). Phil Nash, fresh from a century in the twos in week one, was the star of the show. His five wickets and crucial 29 at the end were key to getting the first big, fat W on the board. A full match report is available here.

Two out of two for the twos
The twos continued their positive start to the season with a four wicket triumph at Harrow St Mary’s (see here for the card). The game had something of an odd start, with four batters – two from each side – walking out to take first hit. Quite who won the toss and quite how both skippers managed to get everyone so confused is a mystery we’re never likely to get to the bottom of.

Once the game did start (with the Ts in the field), the bowlers quickly came to the party. Kit Wilson helped himself to 2-25, whilst Geoff Stothert and Dom Thamby also picked up a couple apiece. Skipper Eugene Berger was, however, the main main, and his four scalps cost a miserly 3 runs.

Chasing small totals can sometimes be oddly challenging, and getting to 89 wasn’t all plain-sailing. Nakul Vishvanath was a beacon of serenity at the top of the order, and his 25 did much to keep everything moving in the right direction. Ultimately, however, it took Nikhil Nomula (18no) and Dan Taylor (12no), batting at 7 and 8, to see the Ts’ ship home.

Cliffe-hanger at St Mary's
The thirds were also involved in a game that went all the way to the wire. Hornsey had first dig. They started positively, with Olli Wood (72) and Rob Devenney (42) setting the visitors up for a decent total.

The Ts then began to rein things back in nicely; The Sheikh of Tweak (Anu Agarwal) helped himself to a couple of wickets, as did Sam Cliffe. Robbie Bosier and Tony Hill also kept a nice lid on the run rate as Hornsey ended on 190.

In reply, Steve Cowley and Steve Watts got things moving for the Ts and, much as was the case in the first innings, they set a decent base. But both Cowley (51) and Watts (30) couldn’t quite go on from there, and it was ultimately an excellent 39no from Cliffe (batting at seven) that saw Twickenham home.

With the fours having long since won (Ealing Vs cried off on Thursday) the Ts can be pretty pleased with the weekend’s work. And the Chairman can breath just a little easier on the beer-buying front.