Ones travel to Arden Field
You don’t get the cricketing equivalent of six-pointers in July, but if you did then, well, this game would definitely be one. The ones sit bottom of the MCCL’s Premier League table and Finchley are just the one place above them. However, if Twickenham win they’ll be within striking distance of the rest of the pack. If the ones lose then that pack will be beginning to stretch away into the distance.

Neither side did particularly well in Week 8. Finchley lost by 67 runs at Brondesbury, Twickenham put in a performance worth forgetting against North Midd. Both will be looking to move on and start again.

As far as the Twickenham side goes, Carlos Nunes will be pleased to see both of his first choice openers back in the saddle. Pat Dixon and Neville Talbot come in for Sanjit Sandhu and Blake van der Linde. Gurjit Sandhu is a miss, although John Fisher will be hoping to make an impact in his stead. Mayank Malhotra has also recovered from an iffy hand and will be back with both bat and ball.

The full 1st XI is Carlos Nunes, Pat Dixon, John Fisher, Ben Leale-Green (wk), Don Manuwelge, Adam Mather, Angus McKenzie, Mayank Malhotra, Akash Multani, Preet Patel and Nev Talbot.

Twos host Finchley
The twos took the strain in Week 8, settling for a losing draw at Tivoli Road against Hornsey. That draw saw them slip to sixth in the table, but they are still only four points off second placed Highgate. In terms of promotion, Nakul Vishvanath’s troops remain very much in the hunt.

In Week 9 they have a great opportunity to jump back into the top half; they host bottom of the table Finchley. In Week 8 Finchley put 173 on the board, Brondesbury chased it down with a little to spare.

Vishvanath returns to lead the side and he’s found himself being forced to make a number of other changes. Blake van der Linde is down from the ones, and he adds value with bat and ball. Twickenham’s resident thespian, Rajdeep Chaudhary, makes a welcome return, as does the indomitable Kevin Cavilla. Cameron Fraser adds firepower, as does Alex Waddell. Vishvanath has the toolkit to hand, let’s hope the side now goes on to deliver.

The 2nd XI is Nakul Vishvanath, Mo Ahmad (wk), Kevin Cavilla, Rajdeep Chaudhary, Prabhu Dhev, Cameron Fraser, Tapan Kumar, Monish Malhotra, Geoff Stothert, Blake van der Linde and Alex Waddell.

Threes are off to Essex
The threes were disappointed not to have got more out of their game with Harrow St Mary’s in Week 8. They gave it a decent go, came close but ultimately no cigar.

In Week 9 they make the hike over to Walthamstow (in Essex) to play North Middlesex. The Midd currently sit top of the pile and will be hoping to build on the eight point advantage that they hold over Actonians.

Robbie Bosier is off on his travels so Jonty Hunt returns from the twos to lead the side. VP Singh has been in decent form in 2023 and he deservedly gets called up from the fours. Ali Sheik and Shaan Sohail both offer plenty of promise, as do the team’s young guns, Frankie Lingeman and Max Hunt. The Ts travel in hope.

The 3rd XI is Jonty Hunt, Colin Blunden, Sean Daly, Max Hunt, Frankie Lingeman, Ali Sheik, VP Singh, Shaan Sohail, Divij Suri, Nihal Tomar (wk) and Vamshi Yelugam.

Fours entertain Southgate
The 4th XI lost at Harrow Town in Week 8, but they put up a decent fight and there’s reason to be optimistic moving forward.

Their game this week takes on even more importance as they host bottom of the table Southgate 3s. Southgate currently have six points and are still searching for their first positive result of the campaign.

Hinay Dassani has nonetheless been around long enough to know there’s no such thing as a walk in the park in the MCCL and he’ll be briefing his side to make sure they bring their A game.

Dassani has an intriguing blend of youth and experience to call upon. Alfie Gales, fresh from some magnificent midweek batting with the juniors, is very much in, as is a fellow youngster with plenty of potential, Adi Udanani. Oscar Prescott-Brann is the final member of the 4ths’ young triumvirate.

At the other end of the spectrum, Martin Fairn is back to add plenty of the old grey matter whilst Andy Donelan and Praween Siriwardena have both been there and done most things many times before. Vijay Sanas is also in and he will in all likelihood be let loose with the new ball. Nitin Parab and Hiran Dissanayake also play, and both will be hoping to (continue, in Hiran’s case) get(ting) runs on the board.

The 4th XI is Hinay Dassani, Hiran Dissanayake, Andy Donelan, Martin Fairn, Alfie Gales, Nitin Parab, Oscar Prescott-Brann, Vijay Sanas, Praween Siriwardena, Liam Tebb (wk) and Adi Udanani.

Fives travel to Actonians’ 4s
Say it quietly, but the fives are in a promotion race. Quite where that’s come from is not altogether clear, but no matter; they have 46 points and are joint second. They are looking very much up rather than down.

Actonians, however, are one of two other teams also on 46 points. They won against Old Isleworthians in Week 8 and they are generally one of the sides that does well in this division year in, year out. Chris Wylde will be well aware that the 5s face a tough game at Boddington Gardens on Saturday.

The big news in terms of selection is that the legendary Salford Stopper is back. Yep, Paul McLoughlin plays. Luke Jefferies has also finished his university year and so comes in for his seasonal debut. He’ll definitely be an asset with the ball.

Deep Dasgupta did well with the bat last week and he’ll look to be continuing that on into Week 9. One of the more consistent Twickenham twirlers, Harry Tebb, returns to the 5s, as do both Asa Jennings and Thomas Stanton. The fives look good to go.

The 5th XI is Chris Wylde, Jonny Bosier, Deep Dasgupta (wk), Chinni Devabhaktuni, Nilesh Gajjar, Luke Jefferies, Asa Jennings, Paul McLoughlin, Prakash Mohan, Thomas Stanton and Harry Tebb.

Go well everyone.