Nomads - 140 for 8 from 40 overs
Bradshaw, 80 not out
Prasanth, 15
Ferguson, 2
H. Khan, 0
Ajmal, 0
Lefebve, 8
A. Khan, 1
R. Khan, 5
Todorow, 0
Reeve, 13 not out
Energy Exiles - 141 for 8 from 36.1 overs
(Top scorer - Sri, 48)
H. Khan 8-3-13-0
Todorow 8-1-34-2
Ajmal 8-0-30-3
A. Khan 2-0-25-0
G. Reeve 7.1-0-24-2
R. Khan 3-0-4-1
Man of the Match - Mark Bradshaw; make it a century in the return game on 21st June, Mark. Also good all-round performance from Gideon Reeve and a spectacular splintered stump from Ajmal. Fielder of the Day was Riaz Khan - an impassable barrier at deep extra cover.
Thursday 28 May 2009
Energy Exiles v Nomads - 24/5/09 - Exiles innings
A REPORT BY MARK BRADSHAW.
Following the long walk fron Pitch D to the pavilion at CSSG Chiswick, the Nomads and Exiles enjoyed a fairly decent tea before the long walk back to pitch D. The Nomads had at least given themselves a chance against an Exiles batting line-up missing the obdurate Keith Roberts and aggressive Simon Gundry, but one that still had quite a bit of strength.
Hassan Khan and Emil Todorow opened the bowling and both started very tidily before Emil had the dangerous Davies caught in the gully by Hassan. Searle followed in Emil's next over, paying the price for not getting forward to a good length ball. Emil had a close LBW shout turned down against the No. 4 batsman, Sri, and appeared to be affected by this as Sri picked him off with several decent leg-side shots, despite Jim Ferguson's vociferous encouragement.
At the other end, Parker-Jones was fairly steady but did play one or two shots which only just dropped to safety. Hassan (who conceded only 13 runs in 8 overs) and Emil (2 for 34) both bowled their full quota of overs in a single spell and were replaced by Ajmal and Abdul. Ajmal worked up a good amount of pace, but Abdul was unable to find his direction, and Exiles looked as if they were going to get to their target comfortably as they reached 90-odd for 2.
Gideon Reeve replaced Abdul and made an almost immediate impact, dismissing Sri and Parker-Jones in quick succession. Ajmal then gained some reward for his efforts as he dismissed the Exiles' No. 6 and No. 7 batsmen in the same over, with John Crossland completing a fine catch for the second wicket.
With 30-odd still required to win, the Exiles were heavily reliant on Wil Scott and captain Andy Wingfield to complete the job. They played carefully for several overs and looked well set until Ajaml blitzed a low full toss through Andy Wingfield which not only hit the leg stump but broke it in two! Ajmal completed his 8-over stint for well-deserved figures of 3 for 30. Exiles' No. 9, Utley, played a rather rash shot which saw him bowled by Riaz, and the veteran Naren Patel came to the wicket with about 10 required to win. However, despite some very tidy bowling from Riaz (1 for 4 in 3 overs) and Gideon Reeve (2 for 24), Wil and Naren played very sensibly before Naren drove a single to win the game by two wickets.
There was no disgrace in losing to a solid Energy Exiles team. The whole Nomads team gave 100% in trying to defend a low-ish total and bowled exceptionally well. The efforts shown in the field were very encouraging and Ajmal's excellent bowling spell augurs well for the rest of the season.
Following the long walk fron Pitch D to the pavilion at CSSG Chiswick, the Nomads and Exiles enjoyed a fairly decent tea before the long walk back to pitch D. The Nomads had at least given themselves a chance against an Exiles batting line-up missing the obdurate Keith Roberts and aggressive Simon Gundry, but one that still had quite a bit of strength.
Hassan Khan and Emil Todorow opened the bowling and both started very tidily before Emil had the dangerous Davies caught in the gully by Hassan. Searle followed in Emil's next over, paying the price for not getting forward to a good length ball. Emil had a close LBW shout turned down against the No. 4 batsman, Sri, and appeared to be affected by this as Sri picked him off with several decent leg-side shots, despite Jim Ferguson's vociferous encouragement.
At the other end, Parker-Jones was fairly steady but did play one or two shots which only just dropped to safety. Hassan (who conceded only 13 runs in 8 overs) and Emil (2 for 34) both bowled their full quota of overs in a single spell and were replaced by Ajmal and Abdul. Ajmal worked up a good amount of pace, but Abdul was unable to find his direction, and Exiles looked as if they were going to get to their target comfortably as they reached 90-odd for 2.
Gideon Reeve replaced Abdul and made an almost immediate impact, dismissing Sri and Parker-Jones in quick succession. Ajmal then gained some reward for his efforts as he dismissed the Exiles' No. 6 and No. 7 batsmen in the same over, with John Crossland completing a fine catch for the second wicket.
With 30-odd still required to win, the Exiles were heavily reliant on Wil Scott and captain Andy Wingfield to complete the job. They played carefully for several overs and looked well set until Ajaml blitzed a low full toss through Andy Wingfield which not only hit the leg stump but broke it in two! Ajmal completed his 8-over stint for well-deserved figures of 3 for 30. Exiles' No. 9, Utley, played a rather rash shot which saw him bowled by Riaz, and the veteran Naren Patel came to the wicket with about 10 required to win. However, despite some very tidy bowling from Riaz (1 for 4 in 3 overs) and Gideon Reeve (2 for 24), Wil and Naren played very sensibly before Naren drove a single to win the game by two wickets.
There was no disgrace in losing to a solid Energy Exiles team. The whole Nomads team gave 100% in trying to defend a low-ish total and bowled exceptionally well. The efforts shown in the field were very encouraging and Ajmal's excellent bowling spell augurs well for the rest of the season.
Energy Exiles v Nomads - 24/5/09 - Nomads innings
This traditional Whit Sunday match against Energy Exiles at the Civil Service Sports Ground, Chiswick, is always keenly anticipated, but has been rained off for the past two seasons. The hottest day of the year so far was therefore a nice surprise. An even nicer surprise was that, after losing the toss, we were put in to bat.
New opener Prasanth walked to the crease accompanied by Mark Bradshaw, playing against his old club. Exiles were missing several regulars; Keith Roberts, Simon Gundry, Amil Patel, Martin Thomas but, with some new faces who were rumoured to have impressed in the nets, they were not an outfit to be underestimated.
The first four overs were steady; the left-armer Andy Wingfield finding some bounce at above medium and Naren Patel using his deceptive pace and box of tricks. The lively banter directed at Bradshaw by his former team-mates ensured there was no shortage of interest.
The fifth over provided some acceleration. A Wingfield bouncer was despatched over square leg for 3 by Bradshaw and a flurry of boundaries at both ends followed. Good running between the wickets made the scoring rate even healthier but, with Wingfield finding Prasanth's inside edge on several occasions and Bradshaw snicking Patel between keeper and first slip for 4, the bowlers were never out of the contest.
The 10-over mark saw the total in the high 40s and a double bowling change. 50 was passed but an inswinger from the tricky Adam Utley accounted for Prasanth, bowled for a useful 15, shortly afterwards. The other change bowler, Knight, offered more hope to the batsmen but also offered fairly lavish swing; a hittable-looking full toss changed direction late and shaved Jim Ferguson's off stump.
There followed perhaps the key moment of the game. Regular umpire Emil Todorow had donned walking boots, crampons and rucksack and set off on the lengthy hike to the pavilion to collect the drinks. Utley rapped the front pad of Hassan Khan (who had taken a couple of decent strides forward.....decent for Usain Bolt.) Faced with a lengthy and vociferous appeal from Utley, the substitute umpire raised his finger. Now I'm all for generosity but let's just call this decision "very interesting" and move on quickly.
53 for 0 had suddenly become 59 for 3, but with the explosive shot-maker Ajmal in at No. 5 there was still hope of some very rapid scoring. Ajmal did play an explosive shot to his first ball but it unfortunately did not connect. Bowled Utley - 59 for 4.
No. 6 Nick Lefebve was suddenly and frantically trying to fasten his pads and find the lucky bat donated to him by the great Dave Hunter. He arrived at the crease somewhat shell-shocked. In the midst of all this madness, Bradshaw was quietly building a major innings. The new pair at least partially stopped the rot with a partnership of 19 in 6.5 overs.. Lefebve swept Knight for a couple of 4s before being trapped leg before by the same bowler.
Bradshaw reached his half-century with the score in the 80s. This blunted Exiles' banter somewhat. They were ahead on points with Nomads on 80-odd for 6, but their former skipper had scored an individual Moral Victory. Exiles' wicketkeeper Wil Scott did comment, though, that Mark appeared to be playing for his Not Out.
Abdul Khan, Riaz Khan and Emil Todorow lasted a few overs each, with Bradshaw taking careful but valuable runs off all bowlers except the almost unplayable Utley. At 103 for 8, Gideon Reeve came out and, after surviving a desperately close LBW shout, provided nice support. Good running and some judicious shots saw the score creep up to an almost acceptable 140 for 8 off the full 40 overs.
Cooked by sun and exertion, Mark Bradshaw trudged off the pitch to well-deserved congratulations from both teams. To have scored 80 Not Out against his old team - with all the extra tension and spice that that brings - and some decent bowling, with an extraordinary collection of batting partners and incidents at the other end, and against a field skilfully set to stop him cashing in on his favourite areas; this was one of the top 2 or 3 innings in Nomads history.
It was almost a shame that we weren't all out so he could have achieved that rarest of feats; carrying his bat through a completed innings.
New opener Prasanth walked to the crease accompanied by Mark Bradshaw, playing against his old club. Exiles were missing several regulars; Keith Roberts, Simon Gundry, Amil Patel, Martin Thomas but, with some new faces who were rumoured to have impressed in the nets, they were not an outfit to be underestimated.
The first four overs were steady; the left-armer Andy Wingfield finding some bounce at above medium and Naren Patel using his deceptive pace and box of tricks. The lively banter directed at Bradshaw by his former team-mates ensured there was no shortage of interest.
The fifth over provided some acceleration. A Wingfield bouncer was despatched over square leg for 3 by Bradshaw and a flurry of boundaries at both ends followed. Good running between the wickets made the scoring rate even healthier but, with Wingfield finding Prasanth's inside edge on several occasions and Bradshaw snicking Patel between keeper and first slip for 4, the bowlers were never out of the contest.
The 10-over mark saw the total in the high 40s and a double bowling change. 50 was passed but an inswinger from the tricky Adam Utley accounted for Prasanth, bowled for a useful 15, shortly afterwards. The other change bowler, Knight, offered more hope to the batsmen but also offered fairly lavish swing; a hittable-looking full toss changed direction late and shaved Jim Ferguson's off stump.
There followed perhaps the key moment of the game. Regular umpire Emil Todorow had donned walking boots, crampons and rucksack and set off on the lengthy hike to the pavilion to collect the drinks. Utley rapped the front pad of Hassan Khan (who had taken a couple of decent strides forward.....decent for Usain Bolt.) Faced with a lengthy and vociferous appeal from Utley, the substitute umpire raised his finger. Now I'm all for generosity but let's just call this decision "very interesting" and move on quickly.
53 for 0 had suddenly become 59 for 3, but with the explosive shot-maker Ajmal in at No. 5 there was still hope of some very rapid scoring. Ajmal did play an explosive shot to his first ball but it unfortunately did not connect. Bowled Utley - 59 for 4.
No. 6 Nick Lefebve was suddenly and frantically trying to fasten his pads and find the lucky bat donated to him by the great Dave Hunter. He arrived at the crease somewhat shell-shocked. In the midst of all this madness, Bradshaw was quietly building a major innings. The new pair at least partially stopped the rot with a partnership of 19 in 6.5 overs.. Lefebve swept Knight for a couple of 4s before being trapped leg before by the same bowler.
Bradshaw reached his half-century with the score in the 80s. This blunted Exiles' banter somewhat. They were ahead on points with Nomads on 80-odd for 6, but their former skipper had scored an individual Moral Victory. Exiles' wicketkeeper Wil Scott did comment, though, that Mark appeared to be playing for his Not Out.
Abdul Khan, Riaz Khan and Emil Todorow lasted a few overs each, with Bradshaw taking careful but valuable runs off all bowlers except the almost unplayable Utley. At 103 for 8, Gideon Reeve came out and, after surviving a desperately close LBW shout, provided nice support. Good running and some judicious shots saw the score creep up to an almost acceptable 140 for 8 off the full 40 overs.
Cooked by sun and exertion, Mark Bradshaw trudged off the pitch to well-deserved congratulations from both teams. To have scored 80 Not Out against his old team - with all the extra tension and spice that that brings - and some decent bowling, with an extraordinary collection of batting partners and incidents at the other end, and against a field skilfully set to stop him cashing in on his favourite areas; this was one of the top 2 or 3 innings in Nomads history.
It was almost a shame that we weren't all out so he could have achieved that rarest of feats; carrying his bat through a completed innings.
Saturday 23 May 2009
Dulwich v Nomads - 17/5/09 (Rained off)
We took the call from the Home captain at 11 after 2 hours of admittedly steady rain and within 2 minutes, a vivid late Spring morning had blossomed, quite breathtaking in its gorgeousness. Possibly one of the loveliest days on which cricket has not been played. At least it was an early call. A shame though, as we had a decent line-up.
Friday 22 May 2009
Morden v Nomads - 10/5/09
It was back to Morden Park for one of our favourite fixtures against a team who have been the opposite of a bogey team for the past few seasons. On a warm day, skipper Todorow won a useful toss and Nomads openers Mahesh Vyas and Nissar Khan took guard. Halfway through the first over, Morden's opening bowler, who had bowled 2 successive leg-side wides, took a long look at the match ball and asked whether it had been bought at Woolworth's. Now you know the Nomads; there is no way they would buy important equipment from such a shop. After all, Woolworths ceased trading months ago. The matter was amicably resolved when Morden rummaged through their pavilion stores, produced a higher grade of ball and the match resumed. Morden's fielders were a mixture of the youthful and the very very experienced but things looked ominous when the most experienced of all swooped majestically to within an inch of the turf and caught Vyas, who had looked in good form, for 9.
Sadly for Morden, this was highspot of their fielding and they proceeded to drop a minimum of 15 chances, a total which surely even Nomads have never equalled. Jim Ferguson was No. 3 and punched it around nicely before holing out on the off-side for 20. This brought Hassan Khan in and he made his intentions clear with two quick 4s. His attitude rubbed off on Nissar Khan who cast aside caution with a towering 6 before being adjudged LBW, though very well forward, for a solid 18.
79 for 3 was the pivotal point of the innings but Morden continued to drop Hassan regularly and, with Ajmal scoring even faster, the innings began to slip away from them. Ajmal departed for 24 with the score on 131 and Abdul went soon afterwards but Prasanth proved an excellent partner scoring 28 and outpacing Hassan in a partnership of 49. Un uncharacteristic knock of 17 (which included 15 singles) from Riaz Khan helped Nomads well into the 200s but it was the final over of the innings that provided the tea-time talking point.
Hassan was on 93 but at the non-striker's end. Emil Todorow struck the second ball deep into the off-side and the pair took 2 comfortably. Hassan called for a third (which the square leg umpire later confirmed was definitely attainable,) but was turned back by his partner. Perhaps piqued by this incident, Hassan then declined a regulation single off the 4th ball which would have given him 2 balls to score the 7 runs needed for his ton. Six of one and half a dozen of the other for the blame, but it is a shame Hassan didn't achieve three figures. He is likely to have further opportunities; against Energy Exiles next week would be nice.
After the Tea of the Season so far, Morden set about the 253 required for victory. It looked a tough call with a fairly inexperienced-looking batting line up, and opening bowlers Todorow and H. Khan bowled their usual economical opening spells early on to send the required rate up approaching 8 an over. A couple of early wickets were followed by two good partnerships where some of Morden's younger players got on top of, particularly, Ajmal; but a fine direct hit from the deadly arm of Abdul Khan restored Nomads' ascendency. Wickets were fairly evenly shared out - Riaz Khan holding sway with 4 - and there was a stumping from John Crossland to savour, which capped a fine display from the glovesman. Nomads dismissed Morden for 127 in 35.4 overs to complete a 125 run victory and continue our excellent record against these opponents.
Man of the Match was Hassan Khan once again for a 93 Not Out which could easily have been a century. Honourable mentions go to Riaz Khan for a good all round performance. Fielder of the Day was Abdul Khan with John Crossland close behind.
NOMADS 252 for 8 from 40 overs
Vyas, 9
N. Khan, 18
Ferguson, 20
H. Khan, 93 Not out
Ajmal, 24
A. Khan, 3
Prasanth, 28
Darwin, 1
R. Khan, 17
Todorow, 2 Not out
MORDEN 127 from 35.4 overs
H. Khan, 6-1-15-1
Todorow, 6-0-20-1
Ajmal, 6-0-35-0
R.Khan, 8-1-26-4
A. Khan, 6-2-18-1
Darwin, 3-1-5-1
Prasanth, 0.4-0-3-1
Sadly for Morden, this was highspot of their fielding and they proceeded to drop a minimum of 15 chances, a total which surely even Nomads have never equalled. Jim Ferguson was No. 3 and punched it around nicely before holing out on the off-side for 20. This brought Hassan Khan in and he made his intentions clear with two quick 4s. His attitude rubbed off on Nissar Khan who cast aside caution with a towering 6 before being adjudged LBW, though very well forward, for a solid 18.
79 for 3 was the pivotal point of the innings but Morden continued to drop Hassan regularly and, with Ajmal scoring even faster, the innings began to slip away from them. Ajmal departed for 24 with the score on 131 and Abdul went soon afterwards but Prasanth proved an excellent partner scoring 28 and outpacing Hassan in a partnership of 49. Un uncharacteristic knock of 17 (which included 15 singles) from Riaz Khan helped Nomads well into the 200s but it was the final over of the innings that provided the tea-time talking point.
Hassan was on 93 but at the non-striker's end. Emil Todorow struck the second ball deep into the off-side and the pair took 2 comfortably. Hassan called for a third (which the square leg umpire later confirmed was definitely attainable,) but was turned back by his partner. Perhaps piqued by this incident, Hassan then declined a regulation single off the 4th ball which would have given him 2 balls to score the 7 runs needed for his ton. Six of one and half a dozen of the other for the blame, but it is a shame Hassan didn't achieve three figures. He is likely to have further opportunities; against Energy Exiles next week would be nice.
After the Tea of the Season so far, Morden set about the 253 required for victory. It looked a tough call with a fairly inexperienced-looking batting line up, and opening bowlers Todorow and H. Khan bowled their usual economical opening spells early on to send the required rate up approaching 8 an over. A couple of early wickets were followed by two good partnerships where some of Morden's younger players got on top of, particularly, Ajmal; but a fine direct hit from the deadly arm of Abdul Khan restored Nomads' ascendency. Wickets were fairly evenly shared out - Riaz Khan holding sway with 4 - and there was a stumping from John Crossland to savour, which capped a fine display from the glovesman. Nomads dismissed Morden for 127 in 35.4 overs to complete a 125 run victory and continue our excellent record against these opponents.
Man of the Match was Hassan Khan once again for a 93 Not Out which could easily have been a century. Honourable mentions go to Riaz Khan for a good all round performance. Fielder of the Day was Abdul Khan with John Crossland close behind.
NOMADS 252 for 8 from 40 overs
Vyas, 9
N. Khan, 18
Ferguson, 20
H. Khan, 93 Not out
Ajmal, 24
A. Khan, 3
Prasanth, 28
Darwin, 1
R. Khan, 17
Todorow, 2 Not out
MORDEN 127 from 35.4 overs
H. Khan, 6-1-15-1
Todorow, 6-0-20-1
Ajmal, 6-0-35-0
R.Khan, 8-1-26-4
A. Khan, 6-2-18-1
Darwin, 3-1-5-1
Prasanth, 0.4-0-3-1
Wednesday 13 May 2009
Morden v Nomads - 10/5/09 - Result
Nomads scored 252 for 8 off their 35 overs at Morden and bowled the opposition out for approximately 125. A full report will follow in due course
Thursday 7 May 2009
Nomads v Dulwich - 3/5/09 - Nomads Innings
A target of 173 from 35 overs looked awkward without star middle-order strokemaker Hassan Khan on a green Raynes Park pitch with a few question marks over it. Openers Mark Bradshaw and Mahesh Vyas faced the young V. Solanki (bowling accurately but without the pace of his Worcestershire CCC namesake) from the Coombe Lane End and the medium-fast Nasiri, spearing it in from wide on the crease at the By-pass End. Progress was slow against some accurate bowling and a few awkward bounces. Most of the early scoring was from byes. In the seventh over, Solanki collected the prize wicket of Bradshaw, bowled with the score on 18. This brought Caribbean Mix captain Jim Ferguson to the crease and he quickly re-established a good understanding with Vyas, his former Mix team-mate. Spinner Ebert replaced Solanki and quickly impressed with excellent variations of pace. Vyas played a couple of nice shots through his favourite leg-side off Ebert before the crafty New Zealander produced a slightly slower one and Mahesh spooned it up to leg, departing for 11. Prasanth was the No 4 and, after a hesitant start, began to hit it around quite hard. Ferguson, a destructive player on his day, also began to up the tempo, and twice steered Ahmad for four over the slips, to the dismay of the young left arm paceman. A nice partnership of 41 developed but Nomads were still languishing behind the rate. Another spinner, Midgley, replaced Ebert and, without looking as dangerous as his predecessor, quickly had Jim Ferguson caught for 23 which, as Jim remarked later, is regarded as a failure in Caribbean Mix. Not at all the case with the Nomads.
Ajmal entered and raced to 10 but was then dropped (a straightforward chance) at mid-wicket. This was probably the one point where Nomads looked to be the favourites. In his first proper innings for the Nomads, Ajmal was looking promising and, if he could capitalise on his luck and play a Hassan-type innings, we just might have a chance. These hopes took a severe pounding when Nasiri returned at the By-pass End and bowled Prasanth and Jenkins in the same over, propelling the ball in from wide through the gap between bat and pad both times. Ajmal was joined by Abdul's brother, Abkara Nissar Khan, and the brief partnership of 30 was dominated by Ajmal who launched a murderous assault on Ebert, taking 22 from one over. The runs required were down to 47 from 8 and a half overs but Ajmal was running out of partners and Ebert exacted a quick revenge, Ajmal sent on his way by the honest umpiring finger of Jim Ferguson, LBW for an exciting 46. "We can still do this" was the whisper amongst the watching Nomads, but it contained more than a hint of irony. The scoreboard never totally stagnated while Enam and Nick Lefebve came and went and, with three overs left and the last pair Emil Todorow (starting to bat quite nicely) and John Crossland at the crease, the 27 runs needed were not a complete impossibility. Sadly, in deepening gloom, strokeplay and slogging were both difficult and the innings rather petered out on 155, with Crossland and Todorow joining each other at the same end for a quite droll Run Out on the last ball.
A 17 run defeat then, the latest in a long series of close games against this opposition, and quite an enjoyable match with the benefit of a few days' hindsight. Dulwich are very well run and have some young players who are well-trained but also have considerable individual flair. We look forward to the return match on 17th May.
Man of the Match by some distance was Ajmal with an innings that was as fun to watch as it must have been to play. He was also the most economical bowler. Rob Jenkins also bowled well on his debut and it was nice to have Prasanth back, with the catch of the season so far.
SCOREBOARD
Dulwich - 172 for 7 from 35 overs
Jenkins - 7-0-34-3
Todorow - 7-1-27-1
Ajmal - 7-0-21-0
Enam - 7-0-22-2
Prasanth - 2-0-16-0
A.N.Khan - 1 for about 30 from 5 overs
Clapham Nomads - 155 all out (35 overs)
Bradshaw, 1
Mahesh, 11
Ferguson, 23
Prasanth, 25
Ajmal, 46
Jenkins, 0
A.N.Khan, 0
Enam, 0
Lefebve, 2
Todorow, 7 Not out
Crossland, 2
Ajmal entered and raced to 10 but was then dropped (a straightforward chance) at mid-wicket. This was probably the one point where Nomads looked to be the favourites. In his first proper innings for the Nomads, Ajmal was looking promising and, if he could capitalise on his luck and play a Hassan-type innings, we just might have a chance. These hopes took a severe pounding when Nasiri returned at the By-pass End and bowled Prasanth and Jenkins in the same over, propelling the ball in from wide through the gap between bat and pad both times. Ajmal was joined by Abdul's brother, Abkara Nissar Khan, and the brief partnership of 30 was dominated by Ajmal who launched a murderous assault on Ebert, taking 22 from one over. The runs required were down to 47 from 8 and a half overs but Ajmal was running out of partners and Ebert exacted a quick revenge, Ajmal sent on his way by the honest umpiring finger of Jim Ferguson, LBW for an exciting 46. "We can still do this" was the whisper amongst the watching Nomads, but it contained more than a hint of irony. The scoreboard never totally stagnated while Enam and Nick Lefebve came and went and, with three overs left and the last pair Emil Todorow (starting to bat quite nicely) and John Crossland at the crease, the 27 runs needed were not a complete impossibility. Sadly, in deepening gloom, strokeplay and slogging were both difficult and the innings rather petered out on 155, with Crossland and Todorow joining each other at the same end for a quite droll Run Out on the last ball.
A 17 run defeat then, the latest in a long series of close games against this opposition, and quite an enjoyable match with the benefit of a few days' hindsight. Dulwich are very well run and have some young players who are well-trained but also have considerable individual flair. We look forward to the return match on 17th May.
Man of the Match by some distance was Ajmal with an innings that was as fun to watch as it must have been to play. He was also the most economical bowler. Rob Jenkins also bowled well on his debut and it was nice to have Prasanth back, with the catch of the season so far.
SCOREBOARD
Dulwich - 172 for 7 from 35 overs
Jenkins - 7-0-34-3
Todorow - 7-1-27-1
Ajmal - 7-0-21-0
Enam - 7-0-22-2
Prasanth - 2-0-16-0
A.N.Khan - 1 for about 30 from 5 overs
Clapham Nomads - 155 all out (35 overs)
Bradshaw, 1
Mahesh, 11
Ferguson, 23
Prasanth, 25
Ajmal, 46
Jenkins, 0
A.N.Khan, 0
Enam, 0
Lefebve, 2
Todorow, 7 Not out
Crossland, 2
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Nomads v Dulwich - 3/5/09 - Dulwich's innings
The afternoon began with the usual early season pitch controversy. The pitch we had booked was suspiciously short, with even more holes than you would expect from a Council strip in May. It looked as if some sort of schoolboy 20-20 match had been played on it. We decided to use an adjacent track which was half-cut at best and quite green, but not dangerous-looking.
It was a fairly elderly Nomads side that took the field, with 2 men definitely in their 50s, 2 in their very very late 40s and 2 of indeterminate age. Certainly 6 players over 45 anyway. In contrast, most of the Dulwich 3rd XI were nice polite young lads of 16 or 17 who wore the confident smiles of the talented and well-trained.
Dulwich batted first and former Sheffield Schools player Rob Jenkins took the new ball from the Coombe Lane End, with Emil Todorow going downhill from the By-pass end. With both bowlers providing good control, Jenkins supplying some pace and the young Dulwich openers playing correctly, progress was slow and 10 overs passed with only 28 on the board. Jenkins made the first breakthrough and the new batsman provided more of the same. Ajmal and Enam were the change bowlers and Ajmal was particularly impressive; his genuine pace didn't necessarily worry Dulwich's young players but it certainly slowed their scoring rate. Ajmal finished with 0 for 21 from his 7 overs at a time when the opposition were looking to accelerate. Enam's figures were even better, with 2 for 22 off his 7 overs of lively, swinging, medium pace. At this point Nomads briefly appeared to have their noses in front with 3 down for about 70 runs and over half the overs used. In the final 10 or 15 overs, a couple of Dulwich batsman, Ebert and another younger guy who made 50, really took a hold with impressive straight and leg-side hitting. It was here where the age difference showed; Dulwich batsman were able to take many quick singles and, most tellingly, converted a lot of ones into twos. Some of Nomads fielders (the "Stars on 45" ?) struggled a bit with the intense pressure. The commitment was generally there but the speed of movement and reflex sometimes weren't. I suppose this is preferable to the reverse. The cracks in Nomads' morale were beginning to show with some colourful vocabulary. The return of Todorow and Jenkins kept some sort of a lid on things but ultimately Dulwich's total of 172 for 7 from 35 overs came as something of a relief - it felt higher. Nomads' fielding was a mixed bag again but there was one excellent diving catch from Prasanth - though he did miss a much easier one shortly afterwards.
The report for the Nomads innings will follow in a day or two
It was a fairly elderly Nomads side that took the field, with 2 men definitely in their 50s, 2 in their very very late 40s and 2 of indeterminate age. Certainly 6 players over 45 anyway. In contrast, most of the Dulwich 3rd XI were nice polite young lads of 16 or 17 who wore the confident smiles of the talented and well-trained.
Dulwich batted first and former Sheffield Schools player Rob Jenkins took the new ball from the Coombe Lane End, with Emil Todorow going downhill from the By-pass end. With both bowlers providing good control, Jenkins supplying some pace and the young Dulwich openers playing correctly, progress was slow and 10 overs passed with only 28 on the board. Jenkins made the first breakthrough and the new batsman provided more of the same. Ajmal and Enam were the change bowlers and Ajmal was particularly impressive; his genuine pace didn't necessarily worry Dulwich's young players but it certainly slowed their scoring rate. Ajmal finished with 0 for 21 from his 7 overs at a time when the opposition were looking to accelerate. Enam's figures were even better, with 2 for 22 off his 7 overs of lively, swinging, medium pace. At this point Nomads briefly appeared to have their noses in front with 3 down for about 70 runs and over half the overs used. In the final 10 or 15 overs, a couple of Dulwich batsman, Ebert and another younger guy who made 50, really took a hold with impressive straight and leg-side hitting. It was here where the age difference showed; Dulwich batsman were able to take many quick singles and, most tellingly, converted a lot of ones into twos. Some of Nomads fielders (the "Stars on 45" ?) struggled a bit with the intense pressure. The commitment was generally there but the speed of movement and reflex sometimes weren't. I suppose this is preferable to the reverse. The cracks in Nomads' morale were beginning to show with some colourful vocabulary. The return of Todorow and Jenkins kept some sort of a lid on things but ultimately Dulwich's total of 172 for 7 from 35 overs came as something of a relief - it felt higher. Nomads' fielding was a mixed bag again but there was one excellent diving catch from Prasanth - though he did miss a much easier one shortly afterwards.
The report for the Nomads innings will follow in a day or two
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