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Week 6, Preview

Week 6, Preview

Dan Hough8 Jun 2018 - 16:18
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Plenty to play for as everyone moves in to timed cricket

Points, pizza and prosecco. This Saturday could turn in to my dream day!
- Steve Watts

The Ts go in to Week 6 looking to make up some lost ground. Four of the five TCC Saturday sides have struggled to get out of second gear this season thus far, whilst the 5ths - the one team that has started well - will be hoping to jump in to the 1987 League's Division Three Promotion Zone.

Ones travel to Hampstead
The First XI move in to 120 over cricket with a tough looking trip to Hampstead on their agenda. Hampstead won four of their five limited overs games (the other was rained off) and are currently joint top with Richmond (see here). The Ts nonetheless know that their poor start to the campaign has had as much to do with themselves as it has their opponents; play decent cricket and they'll be in with a chance.

Carlos Nunes travels with a side full of batting, the big question will be whether they can prize out enough wickets to enable them to bring the points home. The side is; Nunes, Allahdad, Bhula, Chohan, Davies (wk), Manuwelge, McCabe, Russell, G. Sandhu, Sivaram and Thamby.

Twos welcome Southgate
The seconds welcome bottom of the table Southgate to the Green. Eugene Berger's side started the season well (with a win over Finchley), but lady luck seems to have deserted them of late. Saturday's game is therefore a good opportunity to get the show back on the road and to push on towards mid-table (see here for the ladder).

Berger's side certainly looks like it has plenty of firepower. Jay Plaha returns after a productive week 5 (good knocks in the threes on Saturday and in the Sunday XI), whilst Parampreet Singh comes back in after a soujourn on the sidelines. The full XI is Berger, Field, Nash, Nomula, North Grump (Stothert), Plaha, Rampal, S. Sandhu, Singh, Vishvanath and Wright.

Threes at home to North Middlesex

The threes welcome North Midd to St Mary's looking, much like the twos, to try and get a long overdue win on the board (see here for the table). Steve Watts's men have been the authors of their own demise of late, but that does at least mean they know what they have to do to start winning. Cut out the errors, and play like they did last season.

Mark Smith returns to strengthen the Ts' bowling in what otherwise looks a pretty robust unit. The full side is Watts, Ahmad, Amos, Bosier, Cavilla, Cliffe, Cowley, Finney (wk), Hayden, Hill and Smith.

4s with a chance to make progress
Hinay Dassani's fourth XI welcome Bessborough thirds to Broom Road. Bessborough have been struggling of late and they currently languish in the bottom two. As of yet the visitors don't have a point to their name (see here). The 4s are 13 points better off than Bessborough, but they'll be looking to put some below standard recent performances behind them. A win is high up skipper Dassani's agenda.

The side certainly has plenty of talent in it. Matt Dean makes his seasonal debut, whilst Colin Blunden and Uzzi Khan will be looking to return to run-scoring ways. Oli George has scored runs at a higher level before, whilst JP Bowman has taken poles for the threes in weeks gone by. Sarwant Singh is also due both wickets and runs. So, plenty of reasons to be positive.

Dassani's team is; Dassani, Ahmad (wk), Blunden, Bowman, Dean, George, Khan, Patel, K.Singh, S.Singh and Siriwardena.

Fifth Dimension aim for the top
When the week started the 5ths were in the Division Three promotion zone. By Wednesday they had slipped down to third. Why? Stanmore IV's dropped out of the league, and they took the 10 points the Ts had claimed against them with them.

But, that disappointment to one side, the 5ths are in a good place. They beat an impressive Shepherd's Bush 4s in week 4 and a number of their players are in decent form. Phil Walker and Andy Donelan are ticking nicely at the top of the order, Zafar Ali is proving more than a handful in the middle order (and, injury permitting, with the ball) whilst Paddy Turish and Ijaz Mehmood are regularly putting in good stints. Throw in the likes of young Nikhil Chappaniya and skipper Param Saini has a decent set of tools with which to work.

Saturday sees the 5s travel to a Wembley side that has won one out of five (see here). Saini will nonetheless be quick to ensure that there's no complacency on show; if nothing else Wembley always seem to have a few players who can whack a cricket ball. The 5ths' team is Saini, Ali, Chappaniya, Donelan, Joyce, Mehmood, Parab, Tomar (wk), Turish, Sanchez and Walker

Pizza and Prosecco in the Pavilion
Finally, the Ladies XI are putting together what looks like it's going to be a marvellous pizza and prosecco event in the pavilion from 6pm on Saturday evening. If you're playing, do make sure you come back to the Green to partake afterwards. If you're supporting, form an orderly queue behind the Family Hough for your pizza, ok!

Go well everyone!

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