Nomads v Barnes Occasionals - 26/4/09

No-one I spoke to had heard of a cricket match being called off because of an adverse weather forecast, but this is what looked like happening on Thursday. Thankfully the Contractors had a change of heart on Friday morning and our traditional curtain-raiser against Barnes Occasionals went ahead on a lovely April afternoon at Fishponds Rec in Tooting which looked as idyllic as is possible for a ground surrounded on two sides by hospitals and on a third by a cemetery.
Nomads batted first in a 35-overs a side game and last season's Batsman of the Year, Mark Bradshaw, opened along with debutant Peter, a former Dorset League player who had impressed in the nets. Both players were rather similar in style; sound defence, an eye for a quick single, but ready to force anything short through the point/cover areas. It was like having two Mark Bradshaws at the wicket.
The score moved quietly along through the new ball period and the most noteworthy event was that it took 10 overs for a ball to shoot along the ground (a Fishponds Special.) The arrival of leg-spinner Luke Bedford at the Springfield Hospital End livened things up. He really gives it a big tweak but both openers handled him with comparative ease - Peter moving forward nicely to negate the spin. At the St George's Hospital End, the opening bowler Soper started to get some movement off the pitch but most of his overs contained something short and appetising outside off stump. Bedford began to find his line and, with the score on 64 in the 18th over, Peter finally skied one and departed for 35.
After drinks, Bradshaw - having survived a chance in the 20s - began to accelerate. Mahesh Vyas joined him for an 8-run cameo - 2 boundaries from Bedford's final 3 deliveries to spoil the spinner's figures - but it was the arrival of Hassan Khan that pushed Nomads on with a partnership of 87 from 68 balls between Hassan and Mark. Mark was eventually dismissed for a valuable 58, with Hassan dashing to 55 and treating Occasionals' 5th bowler Binoy (1 for 64 off 7 overs) particularly harshly. A flurry of fours from Abdul Khan and another debutant, Ajmal, meant that Nomads finished on 179 for 4. A good total but one that Barnes have regularly exceeded against us; not at Fishponds Rec, though, and not without our usual nemesis - Adam Hogg.
Hassan and Emil Todorow opened the bowling for Nomads and it was clear that the pitch had deteriorated somewhat. Hassan kept it tight from the St George's End with the help of some low bounce and dismissed Soper for 2 with the score on 20. At the Springfield End, Todorow treated Price's and Carey's ribs to some sharp lifters. This pair survived and when Ajmal replaced Hassan and bowled far too short, Price's forceful leg-side blows were starting to look menacing. Gideon Reeve replaced Ajmal and gradually found a good rhythm at a lively medium pace, proving a good foil for Terry Bruce-Mills who was floating it down more gently but accurately and this pair kept Barnes below the asking rate. Both bowlers were victims of some mediocre Nomads fielding; at least 4 chances were put down - 3 off the increasingly dangerous Price. None were easy but all were catchable. Reeve finally accounted for Carey and Metcalfe in quick succession, and good teamwork between Hassan and wicketkeeper John Crossland had Mark Lichfield run out for 1. Price was becoming dominant however and a flurry a fours and a six had Nomads more rattled than the asking rate of 9 or 10 an over warranted; wild throwing started to produce overthrows and there was a frank exchange of tactical views between Emil Todorow and John Crossland. No-one could dispute the skipper's tactical nous, however, in bringing Ajmal back at the Springfield End. Downhill, the young fast bowler produced a blistering burst which forced Barnes' No.6, Jim Munday onto the back foot and caused Price to slog at one too many and finally depart, bowled for an excellent 81 with the score 49 behind the Nomads' and only 4 overs remaining.
Occasionals pottered through the last few overs and Nomads secured a 43 run win - only our second victory over these tricky opponents. Whether victory would have been achieved in our usual time game against Barnes or if the Hogg brothers, particularly Adam, had been playing is open to debate but let's just enjoy a fine start to the season and a good all-round performance in a match that could easily have been cancelled.
Man of the Match - Hassan Khan for a quickfire 55 and 1 for 10 off 7 overs.
Honourable mentions to Mark Bradshaw for his usual excellent batting and to Emil Todorow for the tactical intervention of the season so far. Credit also to the three debutants who all played well. Let's hope they play regularly for us this summer.

Scorecard

Clapham Nomads
Bradshaw, Run out 58
Peter, c Carey b Bedford 35
M. Vyas, c Binoy b Tagg 8
H. Khan, c Seed b Binoy 55
A. Khan, Not out 10
Ajmal, Not out 4
Did not bat - Todorow, Lefebve, Reeve, Crossland, Bruce-Mills
F.O.W. - 64, 76, 163, 167
Total - 179 for 4 from 35 overs

Barnes Occasionals
Total 136 for 5 from 35 overs
Nomads bowling;
H. Khan - 7-1-10-1
Todorow - 7-2-16-0
Ajmal - 7-0-32-2
Reeve - 7-0-25-2
Bruce-Mills - 5-0-26-0
A. Khan - 2-0-19-0

First 3 fixtures

The first 3 Clapham Nomads fixtures for 2009 will be;
Sunday 26/4/09 - Barnes Occasionals (H) - Fishponds Rec, Hebdon Road, SW17 - 2 pm
Sunday 3/5/09 - Dulwich 3rd XI (H) - Raynes Park Sports Ground,
Taunton Avenue, SW20 - 2 pm
Sunday 10/5/09 - Morden 2nd XI (A) - Morden Park, Lower Morden Lane, Morden - 2 pm

Contacts

We are a friendly but quite competitive Sunday cricket team based in south-west London. We have a wide range of age groups and nationalities. New players are always very welcome. Please contact Nick on 07910 285635 or John on 0208 673 9545 if you are interested in playing. Or post a reply on this blog.

2009 season

Welcome to the 2009 Clapham Nomads cricket season. The fixtures and details of practice sessions will be posted this week.