The second of those encounters took place on Twickenham Green on Wednesday 6 May (see here for the card). The Ts showed good stickability with the bat and when Vince Hough took two wickets in three deliveries it looked like they might perhaps put Sunbury under a bit of pressure with the ball. Some big hitting from the visiting middle order put paid to any hopes of a surprise win, but the Ts still have plenty to think positively about moving forward.

Sammy Allen stars with the bat
One of those positive things was the batting of Sammy Allen. "Negotiations are already underway" so the grapevine is reported to have picked up from one particular parent on the sidelines "to make sure that Sammy's New Zealand passport is all legit and that he remains 100 per cent committed to the Kiwi cause. Someone has to make up for the pain of the 2019 World Cup Final. Give it a decade, young Allen may well be the man......"

Issues pertaining to the 2031/2035 World Cup to one side, Allen (30no off 37) batted superbly. Late cuts were impeccably timed, drives were well placed and the running between the wickets was great (particularly important given last week's catastrophic run out at Indian Gym).

James Marsh (15 off 16) helped the score move along, and a hefty contribution from extras saw the Ts close on a respectable 110. Aryan Patel (2-7) and Ahad Khan (2-9) did an admirable job of sweeping up the tail.

Vince Hough leads the way with the ball, but Sunbury still come through
If the Ts wanted to pull off a surprise win they knew they'd have to claim early wickets.

James Marsh and Jaden Mate started brightly, but no breakthrough came. Vince Hough was the man who provided that, removing Raff Tindall - thanks to an excellent catch by James Marsh at short mid wicket - with his first ball. Hough (V) then snuffled a caught and bowled off his third ball, sending Zach Day back to the pavilion without troubling the (very efficient) scorer.

Would the Ts be able to carry the good work on? They tried, but ultimately Will Dixon blasted three sixes on his way to a quickfire 30 and Samardeep Singh followed that with an equally speedy 32. James Penrose removed stylish opener Dhamanveer Singh for 15, but Jack Hillman came in and saw the Sunbury ship home. Good stuff.

The Ts have a development game to look forward to on Monday 11 May (at home to Hounslow & Whitton), before they visit Bushy Park to play Teddington on Wednesday 13 May. Busy times ahead!