The Ts move in to the second half of the 2019 season in a positive frame of mind. And, they may well need every ounce of that positivity given the across-the-board tough nature of the fixtures all five sides face.

Availability has been excellent and there was even (serious) talk of fielding a sixth XI. That idea was eventually shelved, but it nonetheless bodes well for the strength in depth that is out there in Twickenham colours.

Teddington come to the Green
The first XI welcome near-neighbours Teddington to Twickenham Green. When the sides met earlier this season they played out a knicker-gripper that Teddington won amidst late, dramatic penalty-runs controversy. Let’s at least hope that there is none of that sort of nonsense today.

Teddington sit in nicely in third (see here), whilst the Ts are down in eighth. But, on their day Carlos Nunes's men are a dangerous outfit and their visitors from Bushy Park won't be taking them lightly.

Nunes has a strong side at his disposal. George Yates is back to bolster the bowling, although Abhi & Parminder Singh are likely to be churning through a fair few overs of spin. The skipper himself missed last week and so returns to bolster the batting.

The team is Carlos Nunes, Rhys Davies, Val Giraud, Ben Leale-Green, Don Manuwlege, Phil Nash, Scott Newman, Gurjit Sandhu, Abhi Singh, Parminder Singh and George Yates.

Seconds go to second placed Indian Gym
The seconds, meanwhile, are on the road; they travel to Indian Gymkhana. Indian Gym have had an impressive first half of the season and they currently sit second in the table (see here). But, a win for Eugene Berger’s side would see them go within touching distance of their opponents.

Berger travels with a strong unit. Lewis Mitchard returns to strengthen both the batting and the bowling, whilst Josh Hinde will also look to fill his boots at the top of the order. Dave Russell will slip in to the middle order to offer a bit of high quality nudge and nurdle.

The team is Eugene Berger, Sam Cliffe, Tom Field, Josh Hinde, Lewis Mitchard, Brandon Newman, Nikhil Nomula, Dave Russell, Sanjit Sandhu, Dom Thamby and Ethan Wright.

Threes welcome Ealing
The thirds go in to the second half of the season with a tough encounter against a strong Ealing 3rds. Indeed, it couldn’t get much tougher; Ealing sit top of the table and will no doubt be very keen on staying there (see here).

Watts can at least call on a decent array of cricketing expertise. The mercurial talent that is Geoff Stothert is in the ranks, as is the in form Ajmal Allahdad. Harry Grinstead and Steve Cowley have both in the runs at times this season, and Kit Wilson will be looking forward to being unleashed with the new ball. Ealing will be tough to beat, but this side will certainly give it a go.

The team is Steve Watts, Anu Agarwal, Mo Ahmed, Ajmal Allahdad, Kevin Cavilla, Steve Cowley, Connor Finney, Harry Grinstead, Ali Jennings, Geoff Stothert and Kit Wilson

4s travel to Teddington
The fourths hit the road, but only to make the short journey to Teddington. Teddington are struggling gamely along in 8th (see here), whilst the Ts are riding high at the top of the tree.

Hinay Dassani has again shuffled his pack and it looks like he has an interesting set of batting and bowling choices to make. The Big Tackle, Stu Amos, offers options in both departments, whilst Parampreet Singh adds a touch more dynamism to the batting order.

The team is Hinay Dassani, Stuart Amos, Colin Blunden, Hiran Dissanayke, Fahrier Hasan, Uzzi Khan, Parampreet Singh, Praween Siriwardena, Nihal Tomar, Alex Waddell

5s face top of the table challenge
The fifths welcome Harrow St Mary’s to Broom Road. Much like the 3rd XI, they face the toughest of tough tasks; HSM are currently top of the league and looking firmly towards promotion (see here).

Chris Wylde, fresh from a couple of weeks away, returns to lead the troops. And, he’ll find a team smack in the middle of a mid-season rejuvenation. Anil Bhatt and Harmeet Singh will be looking to continue their impressive wicket-taking exploits of late, just as Andy Donelan and Jonty Hunt will aim to do what they’ve done consistently all season; get the 5s off to solid starts with the bat.

Vijay Sanas also returns and he’ll certainly add spice to the bowling attack while both the skipper and his very able stand in of late (Phil Walker) will feel they are probably due some runs.

The team is Chris Wylde, Anil Bhatt, Jon Bosier, Andy Donelan, Jonty Hunt, Anthony Jones, Nitin Parab, Vijay Sanas, Gilbert Sanchez, Harmeet Singh and Phil Walker.

All in all, this going to be an interesting weekend. Strong Ts' sides go head-to-head with strong opponents.

Go well and play a straight bat, folks.