Cricket is a game that never ceases to surprise. At one point in the run up to the games on Saturday 8 August selection was looking akin to a scene from Apocalypse Now; slain bodies everywhere and loads of people tragically missing in action.

Quite how Hinay Dassani and Jon Bosier managed to pull together enough players to get their games on is not clear. Let’s just say that if you live in the South-East of England and didn’t get a Watsapp message about availability then you’re in a very exclusive group. No stone was left unturned.

Come Saturday morning Bosier in particular had performed a miracle in getting 55 players on the roster. For both the 4s and 5s to then go off and win their games – and for the 4ths’ win at high-flying West Harrow to be described by one long-standing (we’re talking decades of cricket) member of the side as being “up there with the best wins I’ve ever had with TCC” – really was pretty remarkable. Respect due to all involved.

Sensational 4s win a thriller at top-of-the-table West Harrow
It is 144 years since Australia managed to defend a total of 85 to beat England at the Oval. England could only manage 77 in their reply. That game prompted The Sporting Times to write its famous obituary about English cricket and the ashes (no capital letter just yet) to be taken back to Australia.

The 4s weren’t defending 85 (they managed to get to 89) and no obituaries will be written about West Harrow 3rds’ season. But when West Harrow were 61-1 no one – and I really do mean no one – was expecting the Ts to come back from the dead and ruin the hosts’ promotion party (see here for the card). Cricket, eh….

On a track that made Test pitches at Lord’s look flat, the Ts battled long and hard to get to 89. Liam Tebb was positively heroic at the top of the order, keeping 57 balls out and putting 27 runs on the board. The war wounds were plentiful, but make no mistake about it – that knock was the cornerstone of the 4s' unlikely triumph. Terone Alexander (13 off 22) was the only other man – byes (9) notwithstanding – in double figures.

West Harrow’s opening pair of Rajveer Rathod (33 off 34) and Amit Patel (17 off 56) started the hosts’ reply in good form, sailing merrily along to 48. Debutant Jake Mendel then removed Rathod, bringing keeper Chinmay Bhatt to the crease. West Harrow were still firmly in control.

The rest is a story of Mehran Iqbal (again) showing that when the chips are down he is a man who simply refuses to believe that a game is lost. Bhatt was bowled for 8, Suketoo Patel without troubling the scorers. When skipper Dassani then had Amit Patel (17 off 56) caught by Dan Humphrey the Ts were starting to believe.

Even then though, at 72-4 West Harrow still only needed 18 to win. Cue carnage; three wickets fell on 72, Mehran Iqbal claiming two and Hinay Dassani his second of the day.

The Ts had their tails up, and at 72-7 there was a case to be made that they were suddenly favourites. Pressure? Mehran Iqbal doesn’t know the meaning of the word.

The redoubtable Hardik Kathiriya was caught by Liam Tebb for 8 (19 balls) and the Ts really were closing in on a remarkable win. These things, however, are rarely as straightforward as they seem. Number ten Dhaval Dalwadi decided that if West Harrow were going to do this then they were going to do it via hitting the boundary ropes. He sent two balls over them for four.

Suddenly West Harrow needed just six to win (with two wickets left). Was all Twickenham’s hard-work going to be undone? Nope….. Iqbal steamed in, Dalwadi hit the ball at Andy Donelan and the Wounded Giraffe made no mistake whatsoever. 84-9.

Shubh Patel came to the crease with skipper Brjesh Chachapura at the other end. Iqbal strode in once more. Patel missed. Iqbal hit. 84 all out and the fours were home and hosed.

The win won’t scupper West Harrow’s promotion hopes. They remain 30 (!) points clear with four games left (see here for the table). The 12 points do, however, really help the Ts. They’ve now shot up to fifth, 14 points ahead of London Tigers in 9th. Hinay Dassani’s side aren’t completely safe from relegation yet, but Saturday’s win represents a huge step forward in achieving that aim.

5s continue their winning form
Never in a month of Sundays were the fives going to be able to match that drama, but they did find themselves coming out on top in what proved to be a fascinating game of cricket (see here for the card).

The Twickenham top four all reached double figures but none got beyond 20. Kim Abbott (19) got closest there. It was skipper Jon Bosier (82) who did most to get the 5s up to an eminently respectable 172. Sam Somerville-Ryan’s 8-57 caught the eye for Actonians.

In reply, the Ts made a reasonable start. Lloyd Townsend (3-25) bowled Henry Chapman for five and caught and bowled number three Mishel Perera for the same score.

Actonians then rallied, Likhit Perdal (59 off 111) and Saurabh Dhawan (21 off 44) took them up to the 100 mark. Eventually something had to nonetheless give. And, it did. Ryan Oakes bowled Dhawan and the skipper Bosier pouched the crucial scalp of Perdal (caught behind by the ever-reliable Jon Goddard).

Twickenham were on the charge. Former skipper Harmeet Singh was leading it, too. He grabbed the ball and skittled through the Actonians’ ranks. Singh’s 3-14 were very deserved as the fives got home by 28 runs.

The win means that Twickenham do at least close the gap to Teddington 4s by two points (see here for the table). Still, Teddington are going to have to lose two of their last three for Twickenham to have a chance of catching them. Possible? Yes. Likely? Not really. Not that that’s going to stop the Ts from trying.

Cullen and Cavilla battle hard
Elsewhere, the Ts suffered three defeats, but – and it is a significant but – all three Twickenham sides battled right to the very end.

It feels like the ones have had more selection traumas this season than they have in the last decade combined. They found themselves travelling to Stanmore with a genuinely eclectic mix of cricketing talents. The sight of Blake Cullen and Kevin Cavilla walking out to bat after lunch really does tell the story wonderfully well.

Twickenham had first hit and put 144 on the board (see here for the card). Cullen (48 off 70 balls) and indeed Cavilla (19 off 30 balls) put on 36 for the eighth wicket and they did seem to give the Ts half a chance.

The Ts then chipped merrily away at the Stanmore order. Cullen (3-31) made inroads at the top, Ollie White (2-53) and Akash Multani (2-34) helped along the way. And, when Shandy Ratnakumaran committed harri-karri by running himself out the Ts really did think they were in with a chance. For those who have a bit of time on their hands, Stanmore skipper Grant Reingold’s reaction at the other end when Ratnakumaran was walking past him back to the pavilion is worth a look. “Shandy, what on earth were you playing at…” is a likely diplomatic version of what was being thought.

Still, Stanmore ultimately rallied, number 10 Advait Iyer slapping his way to 25no (off 20 balls) to see them home. A decidedly decent effort by the Ts nonetheless.

Threes fight hard
The threes were another side that put in a decent performance against the odds.

Their opponents, Indian Gymkhana, are gunning for promotion and given that the threes were a little threadbare getting anything out of the game was going to be a big ask.

That was even more so when the Ts only put 102 on the board (see here for the card). Coach Cowley (25 off 29) was again at the centre of things, Ollie George (24 off 44) also chipped in. Sourav Salgotra, another who never knows when he’s beaten, was excellent value for his 21no (off 16 balls). Altaf Khan (6-44) bowled impressively for Indian Gym.

The Indian Gym reply was never particularly fluent, but, still, they got where they needed to go. Number four Waqar Bukhari (27 off 67) was arguably the key man, and when Frankie Lingeman trapped him leg before the Ts were still in it. Indeed, Lingeman (3-16) certainly did all he could, as did Rohith Doma (2-32) and skipper Bosier (1-36 off a mammoth 17 overs). Still, Indian Gym got home with three wickets to spare.

Stanmore IIs ease through on the Green
The twos can tell a similar story. They welcomed Stanmore IIs to the Green.

Twickenham batted first and put 164 on the board (see here for the card). That was hard work, too, and Twickenham took a ball over 52 overs to get that far. Varad Rampal (25 off 32) and particularly the ever-reliable Nikhil Nomula (56no off 101) were at the centre of things there. Neal Patel (4-47) led the way for Stanmore.

In reply, all six Stanmore batters got into double-figures and that was the key to them ultimately getting home. Steady contributions from a range of sources. Dhiren de Silva (35no off 45) and the whirlwind Hammad ul Hassan (38no off 27) were there at the end to ensure no slip ups.

The result leaves Twickenham still in eighth place. With the bottom two, Hampstead and Brondesbury, playing each other and indeed drawing (in what looks like it was something of a thriller) the weekend hasn’t been such a bad one for the twos (see here for the table). Two wins from their last four and you’d think they’d be safe.