Twickenham U10s and Richmond U10s served up a Middlesex South play off final encounter on 10 July that genuinely had everything (see here for the card). Indeed, no one who was watching this brilliant encounter on the Green will see a better game of cricket all year. Guaranteed.

Richmond start fast with the bat
The game was necessary because Middlesex South needs to nominate two sides to represent it in the Middlesex-wide U10 competition. Sunbury are through by dint of winning Division One. The second spot is filled by either the side that come second in Division One (Richmond) or the side that won Division Two (Twickenham). Hence a play off was needed.

Richmond won the toss and had little hesitation in batting first. Given that the thermometer was still touching 30C at 18h, a decision that made plenty of sense.

The Ts as a group have certainly fielded better. Mis-fields crept in, catches were dropped and the Ts did at times drift in the direction of lethargy. Then again, the players are 9 or 10 years old and it was a proper sizzler of a day. Some slack can be cut.

Richmond's batters subsequently made hay. Theo Law started the ball rolling (11 off 14), Zidan Khalid (13 off 17) carried that on and skipper Tom Beaumont (25 off 13) rounded things off impressively.

For the Ts, Jack Baran (2-18) took an excellent caught and bowled, Jaden Mate gave little away (1-9 off 2) and James Marsh (2-14 off 3) was his usual parsimonious self. Still, Richmond closed on 331, a score that will generally win most games of U10 cricket.

Ts launch the fightback
The Ts would not only need to bat well to chase that sort of total down, they'd need, as a collective, to bat out of their skins. Ultimately, they didn't quite get there, but they did everything they possibly could to make the impossible possible.

Sammy Allen got things moving with three nicely thwacked fours, Raf Foster followed that with an immaculate straight drive past the bowler whilst Jonty Thornton faced down the impressive Adnan Baig. Thornton showed bravery in taking all that Baig hurled at him, getting in line and keeping the ball out. On such things are good run chases built.

By the time the fourth pair, Stan and Vince Hough, came in the Ts were underdogs but they were just about in it. Twickenham needed 73 off 8 overs.

The twins did what they often do. They glanced neatly, they drove crisply and the pulled with gusto. Throw in some skilfully controlled lunatic running and the score began to tick over.

The Houghs put on 40 (and neither was out). That meant that the final pair of James Marsh and Faris Iqbal needed to notch 33 to pull off an unlikely victory.

Nine runs came off over 17, five off over 18. And, crucially, no dismissals. The Ts needed 20 off 12 balls. The tension was rising. Four more runs came off the first five balls of the 19th over before Faris Iqbal then skilfully manufactured a boundary. That meant that 11 were needed off the final over.

A big ask that was made much more difficult when Marsh was run out off the first ball of the last over. The pair had scrambled one run before that disaster happened, meaning it was 15 off 5. Surely too much? Three singles off three balls brought it down to 12 off 2 balls. The game was over......

.....but hold on. Kabir Chandok, who had otherwise been excellent, fired a wide down the leg side, past the keeper and past a despairing long stop. Five runs to the Ts. 7 needed off two.

Iqbal and Marsh took the decision to run no matter what. Marsh couldn't really get the ball away, Iqbal nonetheless raced towards the 'keeper's end. In vain. He was run out. Twickenham had (perfectly understandably) gambled, but the gamble hadn't paid off. Richmond were through to play Mill Hill in the Middlesex QFs.

Both sides deserve huge credit for producing such a fascinating encounter. In terms of the Ts, each and every one of the batters - normally Twickenham's weaker suite - performed admirably. So near, yet, ultimately, so far. But you play for the game to be involved in contests like these. Top work one and all.