Clapham Nomads beat Wimbledon United by 2 wickets in a closely-fought, high-scoring Conference game at Cottenham Park, SW20. Wimbledon notched approx 205 all out off approx 36 overs. Stand-out bowler was Hassan Khan who took a five wicket haul. Emil took 2 wickets, Amin also bowled well. For Nomads, Prasanth scored a 50 as did Jim Joyce. One Nomads player had to leave at tea for domestic reasons so when, with 7 wickets down, Emil joined Hassan at the crease there was only John Crossland still to come in and about 20 runs needed to win (overs weren't a problem.) These were achieved with Emil smiting a mighty 4 and Hassan completing his 50.
Man of the Match was obviously Hassan for achieving a rare double. Fielder of the Day was Jim Joyce.
Match stats and possibly a fuller report will follow.
In the meantime there are some match photos and there will be a match report on Wimbledon United's website http://wucc.org.uk/
For some reason, they think our club name is Clapham Bells. NL
Tuesday 30 June 2009
Saturday 27 June 2009
Clapham Nomads v Energy Exiles - 21/6/09
"The Longest Day" was the subtitle assigned to this 21st June fixture against old rivals the Energy Exiles. Images were evoked of bitter adversaries locked in mortal combat under a blazing sun but these images were false; firstly the temperature never climbed above average and secondly we really like the Exiles and we hope they like us too.
The only true whiff of danger was provided by the Nursery Road pitch, one of Merton Council's worst; under-prepared, with a green strip resembling a mini-runway just outside off stump on a good length. Having said that, the danger was to the batsmen's averages rather than to their health, though there was one injury, more of which later.
There had been rumours of 45 overs a side but eventually 40 each was settled on and Nomads were inserted by Exiles' skipper Phil Ling. Exiles had numerous bowling options but stuck to the same formula as in the previous game. Andy Wingfield was lively and more accurate than last month, while Naren Patel began from the Pavilion End with a Todorow-esque mixture of wides and deadly deliveries. Patel produced his deadliest with the penultimate ball of the first over and it provided the wicket the Exiles wanted most. Mark Bradshaw was undone by a ball which hit the green strip, diverted sharply inwards and hit the stumps low down. With Bradshaw's departure, some of the spice was removed from the contest but he still averages 55 in 3 innings for the Nomads against his former team.
Jim Joyce came in and consolidated for 3 overs before starting to launch his T20-honed shots. He hit one particularly nice off-drive against Wingfield but hearts were in mouths at times as he only just got the bat down to Patel on several occasions. In the 10th over Patel finally got his man bowled - another one that kept a bit low. Worse was to follow in the next over; Hassan got a leading edge to a straightener from Andy Wingfield and the ball was pouched with a roar of delight from the bowler who realised the importance of this wicket. 30 for 3 and three men in the pavilion whom you would back to score 100 between them. Ben Fewson was beginning to resemble General Custer and he cracked 3 boundaries in 8 balls to prompt a double bowling change.
Phil Ling's first ball had the umpire's arms twitching in readiness to call an off-side wide when the Reader cherry suddenly arced in quite beautifully and clipped Ajmal's leg bail. Four balls later, Ben Fewson looped a short ball up into the leg side and we were suddenly 48 for 5 with the last 2 of Nomads' much-vaunted Top 7 at the wicket. Amin and Abdul provided much-needed stabilisation. The left-hander Amin hit 5 boundaries in this partnership while Abdul was steadier before being caught off Ling for 6 out of a partnership of 29 in 33 balls. Nick Lefebve aimed to continue the Anchor Man role and was just beginning to settle when Uttley got one to straighten and lift a bit and Lefebve was snapped up at short Cover Point by his former Battersea Spinners 2nd XI captain and former Nomads team-mate Martin Thomas.
92 for 7 and a lot now depended on Amin. Nissar Khan provided further support before Amin himself was adjudged leg before off the bowling of Gwyn Thomas, out for a valuable 45 including eight 4s. Nissar fell 2 overs later. 118 for 9 and it was Entertainment Time with John Crossland joining Emil Todorow at the crease. Incident inevitably ensued but it was not the type for which we were hoping. Simon Gundry, after bowling an over of spin, "greeted" Todorow with a bouncer. The wicketkeeper duly retreated a few yards but a few deliveries later the ball popped up alarmingly on its second bounce just in front of the wicketkeeper resulting in a deep cut just below the eye. A crowd of players including "Club Doctor" Todorow dispensed advice, water, ice and toilet tissue before the keeper was driven to hospital by Naren Patel where we trust he was patched up with no problems.
Nomads lent Exiles 2 fielders and they sledged Todorow gleefully, but this cannot be blamed for the final wicket; a good 'un from Martin Thomas.
128 all out and Exiles were favourites but, thanks largely to Amin, they would have to bat well.
It didn't appear to be Exiles' strongest-ever batting line-up and hopes were quickly raised when Hassan Khan had Martin Thomas LBW early on. Opener Keith Roberts was joined by John Tither and this pair dug in. Opening bowlers H. Khan and Emil Todorow continued for 12 overs at which stage Hassan's figures were 6-6-0-1. A few shots were played off Todorow but the skipper was only costing about 3 an over. If this had been any other opposition it might have been felt that they were going just a little too slowly but most Nomads were aware that Exiles are one of the canniest teams around and wickets were paramount.
Ajmal replaced Hassan but Exiles' left-hand / right-hand combination made his radar a bit more elusive than usual and acceleration occurred. Amin looked tight from the Pavilion End though.
A breakthrough finally came with the score on around 60. Ajmal held a sharp catch off Keith Roberts who "hit the ball straight to cover" off the bowling of Amin. No.4 was bowled first ball and, with Simon Gundry at No.5, we were in amongst Exiles' hitters. Gundry played a couple of nice shots but was bowled by a pea-roller from Amin.
Andy Wingfield came in looking to up the tempo and he twice rattled the trees on the tramline side. John Tither also joined in with a 6 and continued to play admirably; defending stoutly, not giving a chance that I can recall, but increasingly picking off the bad balls. With 10 overs to go, 48 was still required and, for perhaps the only point in the game, Nomads' hopes were high. Wingfield was out played on but, even with re-introduction of Hassan, the scoreboard never jammed totally. Four an over was the requirement with 24 balls left. An over from Todorow went for 9 but yielded the wicket of Uttley. Todorow struck again when, on the advice of Mark Bradshaw (in one of the tactical interventions of the season so far), he bowled one full and straight at Ling; the umpire's raised finger was the reward.
5 were needed off 12 balls and, amid scenes of buttock-clenching tension, only 2 came from the penultimate over. Nissar Khan bowled the final over. A dot ball was followed by a firm off-drive from Tither for a single. With only Gwyn Thomas still to bat, Naren faced ball No. 3; the edge was found but the ball dropped short of deep slip and a single was scampered to level the scores. Surrounded on all sides by Nomads in variety of crouching poses, John Tither picked a gap and struck the short-ish ball though the covers for 4 to complete a truly excellent 50 and the Exiles' victory.
This was at least the 4th time Exiles have passed our total in the final over and it was hard to evade the feeling that they had scripted the entire match to end this way, and had toyed with us from ball one. Well done though, Exiles, on a good victory. We'll have to do whatever necessary to beat them next season. Rafi? Benny? Dave Hunter? Australian ringers? Are you out there?
Man of the Match was Amin - 45 and 3 for 19, a fine all-round performance. Fielder of the Day was a share between Ajmal (sharp catch, quick around the outfield) and Jim Joyce (several good stops close up, got in the batsmen's faces.) Notable bowling from Hassan; one of the most economical analyses in Nomads; history.
Result- Energy Exiles won by 3 wickets. Match stats to follow soon. NL
The only true whiff of danger was provided by the Nursery Road pitch, one of Merton Council's worst; under-prepared, with a green strip resembling a mini-runway just outside off stump on a good length. Having said that, the danger was to the batsmen's averages rather than to their health, though there was one injury, more of which later.
There had been rumours of 45 overs a side but eventually 40 each was settled on and Nomads were inserted by Exiles' skipper Phil Ling. Exiles had numerous bowling options but stuck to the same formula as in the previous game. Andy Wingfield was lively and more accurate than last month, while Naren Patel began from the Pavilion End with a Todorow-esque mixture of wides and deadly deliveries. Patel produced his deadliest with the penultimate ball of the first over and it provided the wicket the Exiles wanted most. Mark Bradshaw was undone by a ball which hit the green strip, diverted sharply inwards and hit the stumps low down. With Bradshaw's departure, some of the spice was removed from the contest but he still averages 55 in 3 innings for the Nomads against his former team.
Jim Joyce came in and consolidated for 3 overs before starting to launch his T20-honed shots. He hit one particularly nice off-drive against Wingfield but hearts were in mouths at times as he only just got the bat down to Patel on several occasions. In the 10th over Patel finally got his man bowled - another one that kept a bit low. Worse was to follow in the next over; Hassan got a leading edge to a straightener from Andy Wingfield and the ball was pouched with a roar of delight from the bowler who realised the importance of this wicket. 30 for 3 and three men in the pavilion whom you would back to score 100 between them. Ben Fewson was beginning to resemble General Custer and he cracked 3 boundaries in 8 balls to prompt a double bowling change.
Phil Ling's first ball had the umpire's arms twitching in readiness to call an off-side wide when the Reader cherry suddenly arced in quite beautifully and clipped Ajmal's leg bail. Four balls later, Ben Fewson looped a short ball up into the leg side and we were suddenly 48 for 5 with the last 2 of Nomads' much-vaunted Top 7 at the wicket. Amin and Abdul provided much-needed stabilisation. The left-hander Amin hit 5 boundaries in this partnership while Abdul was steadier before being caught off Ling for 6 out of a partnership of 29 in 33 balls. Nick Lefebve aimed to continue the Anchor Man role and was just beginning to settle when Uttley got one to straighten and lift a bit and Lefebve was snapped up at short Cover Point by his former Battersea Spinners 2nd XI captain and former Nomads team-mate Martin Thomas.
92 for 7 and a lot now depended on Amin. Nissar Khan provided further support before Amin himself was adjudged leg before off the bowling of Gwyn Thomas, out for a valuable 45 including eight 4s. Nissar fell 2 overs later. 118 for 9 and it was Entertainment Time with John Crossland joining Emil Todorow at the crease. Incident inevitably ensued but it was not the type for which we were hoping. Simon Gundry, after bowling an over of spin, "greeted" Todorow with a bouncer. The wicketkeeper duly retreated a few yards but a few deliveries later the ball popped up alarmingly on its second bounce just in front of the wicketkeeper resulting in a deep cut just below the eye. A crowd of players including "Club Doctor" Todorow dispensed advice, water, ice and toilet tissue before the keeper was driven to hospital by Naren Patel where we trust he was patched up with no problems.
Nomads lent Exiles 2 fielders and they sledged Todorow gleefully, but this cannot be blamed for the final wicket; a good 'un from Martin Thomas.
128 all out and Exiles were favourites but, thanks largely to Amin, they would have to bat well.
It didn't appear to be Exiles' strongest-ever batting line-up and hopes were quickly raised when Hassan Khan had Martin Thomas LBW early on. Opener Keith Roberts was joined by John Tither and this pair dug in. Opening bowlers H. Khan and Emil Todorow continued for 12 overs at which stage Hassan's figures were 6-6-0-1. A few shots were played off Todorow but the skipper was only costing about 3 an over. If this had been any other opposition it might have been felt that they were going just a little too slowly but most Nomads were aware that Exiles are one of the canniest teams around and wickets were paramount.
Ajmal replaced Hassan but Exiles' left-hand / right-hand combination made his radar a bit more elusive than usual and acceleration occurred. Amin looked tight from the Pavilion End though.
A breakthrough finally came with the score on around 60. Ajmal held a sharp catch off Keith Roberts who "hit the ball straight to cover" off the bowling of Amin. No.4 was bowled first ball and, with Simon Gundry at No.5, we were in amongst Exiles' hitters. Gundry played a couple of nice shots but was bowled by a pea-roller from Amin.
Andy Wingfield came in looking to up the tempo and he twice rattled the trees on the tramline side. John Tither also joined in with a 6 and continued to play admirably; defending stoutly, not giving a chance that I can recall, but increasingly picking off the bad balls. With 10 overs to go, 48 was still required and, for perhaps the only point in the game, Nomads' hopes were high. Wingfield was out played on but, even with re-introduction of Hassan, the scoreboard never jammed totally. Four an over was the requirement with 24 balls left. An over from Todorow went for 9 but yielded the wicket of Uttley. Todorow struck again when, on the advice of Mark Bradshaw (in one of the tactical interventions of the season so far), he bowled one full and straight at Ling; the umpire's raised finger was the reward.
5 were needed off 12 balls and, amid scenes of buttock-clenching tension, only 2 came from the penultimate over. Nissar Khan bowled the final over. A dot ball was followed by a firm off-drive from Tither for a single. With only Gwyn Thomas still to bat, Naren faced ball No. 3; the edge was found but the ball dropped short of deep slip and a single was scampered to level the scores. Surrounded on all sides by Nomads in variety of crouching poses, John Tither picked a gap and struck the short-ish ball though the covers for 4 to complete a truly excellent 50 and the Exiles' victory.
This was at least the 4th time Exiles have passed our total in the final over and it was hard to evade the feeling that they had scripted the entire match to end this way, and had toyed with us from ball one. Well done though, Exiles, on a good victory. We'll have to do whatever necessary to beat them next season. Rafi? Benny? Dave Hunter? Australian ringers? Are you out there?
Man of the Match was Amin - 45 and 3 for 19, a fine all-round performance. Fielder of the Day was a share between Ajmal (sharp catch, quick around the outfield) and Jim Joyce (several good stops close up, got in the batsmen's faces.) Notable bowling from Hassan; one of the most economical analyses in Nomads; history.
Result- Energy Exiles won by 3 wickets. Match stats to follow soon. NL
Thursday 18 June 2009
K.Lefthanders v Nomads - 14/6/09 - match summary
CLAPHAM NOMADS - 233 for 7 from 34 overs
Bradshaw, 5
Fewson, 110 not out
Joyce, 40
A. Khan, 17
Ajmal, 0
R. Khan, 0
Amin, 40
Todorow, 0
Reeve, 1 not out
KINGSTON LEFTHANDERS - 69 for 9 from 37 overs
Assad, 8-2-8-1
Todorow, 9-3-14-1
Ajmal, 10-2-16-4
Reeve, 4-0-11-2
R. Khan, 3-1-3-0
Amin, 2-0-8-1
Joyce, 1-0-6-0
Match Drawn
Bradshaw, 5
Fewson, 110 not out
Joyce, 40
A. Khan, 17
Ajmal, 0
R. Khan, 0
Amin, 40
Todorow, 0
Reeve, 1 not out
KINGSTON LEFTHANDERS - 69 for 9 from 37 overs
Assad, 8-2-8-1
Todorow, 9-3-14-1
Ajmal, 10-2-16-4
Reeve, 4-0-11-2
R. Khan, 3-1-3-0
Amin, 2-0-8-1
Joyce, 1-0-6-0
Match Drawn
Kingston Lefthanders v Nomads - 14/6/09
NOMADS' INNINGS
On a very pleasant and sunny day in Surbiton, Clapham Nomads found themselves batting first against Kingston Lefthanders in a timed game. The pitch looked dry and likely to break up as the afternoon went on. Mark Bradshaw and Ben Fewson opened the batting for Nomads against the the Lefthanders' medium pace opening attack. However, Bradshaw made only five runs before he steered a short-ish ball from Lewis straight to slip. Jim Joyce then joined Fewson in a rollicking partnership of 82 at 7 an over as both players slapped the ball all over the place. Both were given a life by the Lefthanders' fielders before Joyce was bowled by Connett for 40.
Abdul made good use of the sweep shot in a partnership of about 30 with Ben Fewson and kept our run rate up around 6 an over. Abdul was eventually caught behind for 17. Ajmal and Riaz were both dismissed for ducks by the Lefthanders' young medium pacer and the innings was in the balance at about 130 for 5. Amin made a tentative start before he unfurled some outstanding drives. After slowing down around his 50, Ben Fewson attacked once more, playing some particularly good shots off the leg-spin of Connett. Lefthanders continued to drop catches - one poor chap displayed admirable bravery with his ground-fielding but really should have been moved from the catching firing line by his captain. However, the Lefthanders ground-fielding was pretty sound throughout. Ben completed his maiden century with a short single to mid-wicket. Amin fell LBW to Connett for 40 - a very encouraging innings from a new player. Emil Todorow was promptly run out without scoring and Gideon Reeve got off the mark and the innings closed on 233 for 7. Ben Fewson made an outstanding unbeaten 110. The Lefthanders over rate was pretty poor - 34 overs in 2 and a half hours - especially so as none of their bowlers had much of a run-up and there were few fielding changes made. This is one of the reasons why I don't really enjoy timed matches as it can reward such indisciplined cricket. MB
KINGSTON LEFTHANDERS' INNINGS
Kingston Lefthanders took the field facing a daunting target of 234 for victory in 1 hour plus 20 overs. They are a formidable defensive batting unit. Nomads have set a target of over 100 on 9 or 10 occasions in time games against them and have only managed to dismiss them twice. At least a repeat of last season's defeat looked unlikely, though with a comparatively new-look Lefthanders side we couldn't be certain.
Lively Medium-Fast bowler Assad, another find from the Riaz Khan production line of talent, took one end with skipper Emil Todorow supplying his usual trickery uphill at the other end. Lefthanders' openers made their intentions clear from the first over, anything accurate was met with a firm, dead bat; pretty much anything else was waved through to wicketkeeper John Crossland. Opener Nick Crouch was particularly solid in a role he has played many times in these fixtures. Excitement was in short supply but, with the score in the teens, Todorow found a bit of extra life and had Crouch's partner magnificently caught, one-handed, in the slips by Ajmal.
The No. 3 proved just as competent as Crouch and, as time drifted by towards the one hour mark with very little acceleration, a draw seemed fairly inevitable. A few spectators approached the boundary, eager to watch some more of the game that has been filling TV screens lately (the one starring Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi,) but left quite suddenly after an over or two, scratching ther heads in bafflement.
Assad and Todorow bowled right through to the drinks break which was taken with 20 overs remaining and the score on 31 for 1. Ajmal replaced Assad after the break and was into his stride with good pace but the batsmen still seemed fairly untroubled. Gideon Reeve replaced Emil Todorow 3 overs later. Reeve had been picked out by Mark Bradshaw in the field as the bowler most likely to find "the ridge" from the Surbiton End and, right on cue in his second over he produced a shooter to send the No 3 on his way. When Gideon followed this by bowling Crouch around his legs in his next over the door had opened slightly. It was forced wide open in the next over when Ajmal scattered the stumps of Dave Connett, one of the best defensive players at this level. With 6 wickets to be claimed in 11 overs, and Kingston's less defensively-minded players to come, there was hope. Ajmal ratched up the excitement level with 3 further wickets - all bowled. Reeve was replaced by Riaz Khan who didn't really find his radar. Likewise the left-armer Amin, though he did claim a wicket.
With 4 overs to go, we needed 2 wickets and the skipper turned to the spin of Jim Joyce. Halfway through the over, the batsman chipped the ball just over Joyce's head. The bowler wheeled back and looked odds-on to claim the catch but he unfortunately collided with the non-striker and the chance went astray. This was now more exciting and incident-packed than any 20-20 rubbish. In an inspired piece of captaincy, Assad was brought back at the Surbiton End and his full toss was steered at waist height straight to the waiting Gideon Reeve at gully. The final over was bowled by Assad and, with 9 wickets down, the Lefthanders batsman known by his team-mates as "Brains" faced the music with stout defence the requirement. Several extravagant strokes failed to connect but, from the fifth ball, Brains smacked it into the off-side and scampered a single; with one wicket in hand and 165 runs required off the last ball, the batsman called for a quick second (the ball was in the fielder's hand) but this was declined by his partner.
The last ball was safely negotiated and an unexpectedly exciting game ended in a draw.
There had been some debate between John and Emil as to whether Emil should have declared with 4 overs of Nomads innings to go (after Ben had completed his 100) and obviously the extra 4 overs could have been decisive, but sometimes the perceived insult of a before-tea declaration can galvanise opposition. Anyway, it was an enjoyable game; certainly more enjoyable than the facile victories we have recorded over Kingston in Limited Overs games at home.
Man of the Match was Ben Fewson for his career-best 110 Not Out, the 6th highest score in Nomads history. Fielder of the Day is a tougher choice. There was very little fielding to be done as very few shots were played. John Crossland was busy and good, but he has been even better at times this season. There were only 2 catches and Ajmal's was tougher so I will nominate him.
NL
On a very pleasant and sunny day in Surbiton, Clapham Nomads found themselves batting first against Kingston Lefthanders in a timed game. The pitch looked dry and likely to break up as the afternoon went on. Mark Bradshaw and Ben Fewson opened the batting for Nomads against the the Lefthanders' medium pace opening attack. However, Bradshaw made only five runs before he steered a short-ish ball from Lewis straight to slip. Jim Joyce then joined Fewson in a rollicking partnership of 82 at 7 an over as both players slapped the ball all over the place. Both were given a life by the Lefthanders' fielders before Joyce was bowled by Connett for 40.
Abdul made good use of the sweep shot in a partnership of about 30 with Ben Fewson and kept our run rate up around 6 an over. Abdul was eventually caught behind for 17. Ajmal and Riaz were both dismissed for ducks by the Lefthanders' young medium pacer and the innings was in the balance at about 130 for 5. Amin made a tentative start before he unfurled some outstanding drives. After slowing down around his 50, Ben Fewson attacked once more, playing some particularly good shots off the leg-spin of Connett. Lefthanders continued to drop catches - one poor chap displayed admirable bravery with his ground-fielding but really should have been moved from the catching firing line by his captain. However, the Lefthanders ground-fielding was pretty sound throughout. Ben completed his maiden century with a short single to mid-wicket. Amin fell LBW to Connett for 40 - a very encouraging innings from a new player. Emil Todorow was promptly run out without scoring and Gideon Reeve got off the mark and the innings closed on 233 for 7. Ben Fewson made an outstanding unbeaten 110. The Lefthanders over rate was pretty poor - 34 overs in 2 and a half hours - especially so as none of their bowlers had much of a run-up and there were few fielding changes made. This is one of the reasons why I don't really enjoy timed matches as it can reward such indisciplined cricket. MB
KINGSTON LEFTHANDERS' INNINGS
Kingston Lefthanders took the field facing a daunting target of 234 for victory in 1 hour plus 20 overs. They are a formidable defensive batting unit. Nomads have set a target of over 100 on 9 or 10 occasions in time games against them and have only managed to dismiss them twice. At least a repeat of last season's defeat looked unlikely, though with a comparatively new-look Lefthanders side we couldn't be certain.
Lively Medium-Fast bowler Assad, another find from the Riaz Khan production line of talent, took one end with skipper Emil Todorow supplying his usual trickery uphill at the other end. Lefthanders' openers made their intentions clear from the first over, anything accurate was met with a firm, dead bat; pretty much anything else was waved through to wicketkeeper John Crossland. Opener Nick Crouch was particularly solid in a role he has played many times in these fixtures. Excitement was in short supply but, with the score in the teens, Todorow found a bit of extra life and had Crouch's partner magnificently caught, one-handed, in the slips by Ajmal.
The No. 3 proved just as competent as Crouch and, as time drifted by towards the one hour mark with very little acceleration, a draw seemed fairly inevitable. A few spectators approached the boundary, eager to watch some more of the game that has been filling TV screens lately (the one starring Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi,) but left quite suddenly after an over or two, scratching ther heads in bafflement.
Assad and Todorow bowled right through to the drinks break which was taken with 20 overs remaining and the score on 31 for 1. Ajmal replaced Assad after the break and was into his stride with good pace but the batsmen still seemed fairly untroubled. Gideon Reeve replaced Emil Todorow 3 overs later. Reeve had been picked out by Mark Bradshaw in the field as the bowler most likely to find "the ridge" from the Surbiton End and, right on cue in his second over he produced a shooter to send the No 3 on his way. When Gideon followed this by bowling Crouch around his legs in his next over the door had opened slightly. It was forced wide open in the next over when Ajmal scattered the stumps of Dave Connett, one of the best defensive players at this level. With 6 wickets to be claimed in 11 overs, and Kingston's less defensively-minded players to come, there was hope. Ajmal ratched up the excitement level with 3 further wickets - all bowled. Reeve was replaced by Riaz Khan who didn't really find his radar. Likewise the left-armer Amin, though he did claim a wicket.
With 4 overs to go, we needed 2 wickets and the skipper turned to the spin of Jim Joyce. Halfway through the over, the batsman chipped the ball just over Joyce's head. The bowler wheeled back and looked odds-on to claim the catch but he unfortunately collided with the non-striker and the chance went astray. This was now more exciting and incident-packed than any 20-20 rubbish. In an inspired piece of captaincy, Assad was brought back at the Surbiton End and his full toss was steered at waist height straight to the waiting Gideon Reeve at gully. The final over was bowled by Assad and, with 9 wickets down, the Lefthanders batsman known by his team-mates as "Brains" faced the music with stout defence the requirement. Several extravagant strokes failed to connect but, from the fifth ball, Brains smacked it into the off-side and scampered a single; with one wicket in hand and 165 runs required off the last ball, the batsman called for a quick second (the ball was in the fielder's hand) but this was declined by his partner.
The last ball was safely negotiated and an unexpectedly exciting game ended in a draw.
There had been some debate between John and Emil as to whether Emil should have declared with 4 overs of Nomads innings to go (after Ben had completed his 100) and obviously the extra 4 overs could have been decisive, but sometimes the perceived insult of a before-tea declaration can galvanise opposition. Anyway, it was an enjoyable game; certainly more enjoyable than the facile victories we have recorded over Kingston in Limited Overs games at home.
Man of the Match was Ben Fewson for his career-best 110 Not Out, the 6th highest score in Nomads history. Fielder of the Day is a tougher choice. There was very little fielding to be done as very few shots were played. John Crossland was busy and good, but he has been even better at times this season. There were only 2 catches and Ajmal's was tougher so I will nominate him.
NL
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Woodside Green v Nomads - 7/6/09
For a team that never tours, there was slight excitement for Nomads at crossing the border into Surrey; a county that evokes images of tranquil greens surrounded by silent conifer woods, retired stockbrokers strolling on manicured lawns or, as Emil put it, "Welcome to Surrey. Please wipe your feet." Sadly Shelton Avenue, Warlingham is not much like that - just an extension of Croydon really.
After early morning thunderstorms, we were just grateful the game was on. There were several puddles on the outfield but the pitch was ok if spongy. 35 overs a side was agreed on with the proviso from the groundsman that any further rain would see the game called off.
Like Dulwich and Morden, Woodside Green were a mixture of gnarled veterans and youngsters of 16 to 18. The most gnarled of all informed us that "their kids had come on a lot" and the team was now rated Medium rather than Weak-Medium; not good news as we usually lost to them when they were in the latter category.
Captain Emil Todorow won the toss and chose to bat, allegedly despite the home skipper's expressed fear that the game might be all over too quickly. A comment noted by Todorow.
Ben Fewson, making his first appearance for a year, took guard with Abdul Khan. The opening overs were tricky. The captain, Ramsey, was clearly a former League bowler; just above Medium and accurate with the ball doing plenty off the pitch. At the other end, the young Cave was lively and attempted to provide "chin music" though he was hooked for 4 by both batsmen, Abdul's shot narrowly evading Square Leg's fingers. Ramsey had a very close shout for LBW before having Abdul caught behind with the score on 16.
Enter debutant Jim Joyce., a regular 20-20 player who showed this pedigree with some lavish strokes. Sadly, the only one that really connected was possibly the Shot of the Season so far - an absolute tracer bullet of an off drive that a lucky/unlucky fielder somehow got a hand to. In the next over, Ramsey delivered a ball missing leg that rapped both pads before trickling back onto the stumps and Joyce departed unluckily for 2.
Ben Fewson was playing nicely through the covers as ever but on 18 he was slightly unfortunate to smack a short-ish one from the new bowler (Ramsey's son) straight to Square Leg. 30 for 3 and a lot appeared to depend on the old firm of Hassan Khan and Ajmal. They didn't disappoint. Hassan initially steadied things while Ajmal set about demoralising the young bowlers. Two sixes and two fours were the highlights and once again Ajmal outscored his partner, being bowled for 25 out of a partnership of 48. Another debut man, Amin (who guested for Touring Theatres against Nomads last week) announced his arrival with a large 6 but soon departed. Nick Lefebve strolled out with instructions to stay there and give the strike to his partner. Hassan was approaching overdrive, racing past 50 with a brutal assault on Cave; three successive short balls each despatched with aplomb to the boundary. The youngster kept his shape though. In fact all Woodside's young players had a good attitude, though one of them attempted a stern glare at the batsman (more Rory McGrath than Glenn McGrath) quite bizarrely after a rank full toss had been patted away for a dot ball.
A mid-pitch mix-up accounted for Lefebve, run out for 8 out of a partnership of 42 and, when Hassan followed him in the next over for a fine 71, the score was 143 for 7 and the match was in the balance.
8th wicket pair Chris Kennedy and Rob Jenkins rose to the occasion, and put Nomads slightly ahead on points, with a hugely enjoyable stand of 35 from 23 balls. Kennedy played a nice cover drive for 4 but Jenkins more than fulfilled the promise he had shown in the nets. Lofting it, but hard and accurately for an Ajmal-esque 30 Not out including a 6 and four 4s. Nomads wound up on 178 for 7 from the full 35. It was hard to assess the position; the pitch was tricky, bouncy and drying but the boundaries were short. Woodside Green had never made this many against us so we were hopeful.
The usual excellent tea boosted Nomads' spirits even more and we took the field on a pleasant early evening with the puddles rapidly diminishing. Rob Jenkins worked up a head of steam downhill from the Warlingham End, regularly smacking wicketkeeper John Crossland's gloves at chest height. The young opener Woodham seemed slightly disconcerted by the pace and this was perhaps confirmed when he chipped one to the waiting Fewson at short cover. Caught Hull bowled Sheffield. A wicket Made in Yorkshire.
From the Croydon End, Emil Todorow produced a series of remarkable deliveries, kicking up off a good length to neck height. Some onlookers might have put this down to the pitch but no other bowler had really done it so one would have to credit the natural sorcery of the bowler. As one batsman remarked, to the bemusement of the cerebral Sofia-born Medium pacer, "you're ****ing unplayable, mate!"
Despite this, opener Masterman and No 3 Worrall were making fair progress with a boundary in most overs. When the dangerous-looking Worrall was badly dropped on 18 (the ball went for 4) and followed up with a 6 next ball, an ominous air was developing on about 45 for 1. Happily, Ajmal had Worrall caught behind the very next ball and then ripped out numbers 4, 5 and 6 in fairly rapid succession. A couple of them just couldn't handle the young paceman's bounce, dabbing the ball tamely into the air from which it was plucked, vulture-like, by the salivating Nomads fielders.
Hassan provided a foil for Ajmal; slightly less pacy but more accurate (this mirrors their batting partnerships.) With 15 overs left, Woodside needed another 100, but with 6 wickets down, they were really looking for one of their promising youngsters to grab the initiative. Nomads didn't allow this to happen. Skipper Todorow had a steely glint in his eye - perhaps recalling the conversation at the toss - and didn't ease the pressure for a second. The only way he could have been more ruthless would have been by bringing himself back to bowl.
There was a Chris Kennedy Special to savour (a full-length diving catch at short mid-wicket off Hassan.) Ajmal completed his five-fer with a snorter to have the captain Ramsey caught behind and then provided an assist for the last wicket, delivering a pinpoint throw for Crossland who whipped the bails off to run the final man out and prompt a flurry of pads and expletives from the batsman and a wave of self-satisfaction from the Nomads as they contemplated their best result of the season so far; a 91-run win over tough opposition.
In the clubhouse afterwards, Nomads saw England record a 20-20 victory over Pakistan. The watching Emil Todorow could only admire the cricket on display but despair that his own level of ruthlessness was not matched by his England counterpart, Collingwood.
Man of the Match was Ajmal with 5 for 28, the best Nomads bowling analysis for a couple of years, 25 quick runs and good fielding.
Fielder of the Day was too close to call between Abdul Khan (2 sharp catches and yet another direct hit - that unfortunately didn't result in a wicket) and John Crossland (2 catches and no byes conceded. Yet another vintage performance from the evergreen keeper who modestly asserted repeatedly that "it was easy on a pitch like that".) He made it look easy.
NOMADS - 178 for 7 from 35 overs
Fewson, 18
A. Khan, 6
Joyce, 2
H. Khan, 71
Ajmal, 25
Amin, 7
Lefebve, 8
Kennedy, 6 Not out
Jenkins 30 Not out
WOODSIDE GREEN - 87 all out from 22 overs
Jenkins, 5-2-17-1
Todorow, 5-0-19-0
H. Khan, 6-0-21-3
Ajmal, 6-1-28-5
After early morning thunderstorms, we were just grateful the game was on. There were several puddles on the outfield but the pitch was ok if spongy. 35 overs a side was agreed on with the proviso from the groundsman that any further rain would see the game called off.
Like Dulwich and Morden, Woodside Green were a mixture of gnarled veterans and youngsters of 16 to 18. The most gnarled of all informed us that "their kids had come on a lot" and the team was now rated Medium rather than Weak-Medium; not good news as we usually lost to them when they were in the latter category.
Captain Emil Todorow won the toss and chose to bat, allegedly despite the home skipper's expressed fear that the game might be all over too quickly. A comment noted by Todorow.
Ben Fewson, making his first appearance for a year, took guard with Abdul Khan. The opening overs were tricky. The captain, Ramsey, was clearly a former League bowler; just above Medium and accurate with the ball doing plenty off the pitch. At the other end, the young Cave was lively and attempted to provide "chin music" though he was hooked for 4 by both batsmen, Abdul's shot narrowly evading Square Leg's fingers. Ramsey had a very close shout for LBW before having Abdul caught behind with the score on 16.
Enter debutant Jim Joyce., a regular 20-20 player who showed this pedigree with some lavish strokes. Sadly, the only one that really connected was possibly the Shot of the Season so far - an absolute tracer bullet of an off drive that a lucky/unlucky fielder somehow got a hand to. In the next over, Ramsey delivered a ball missing leg that rapped both pads before trickling back onto the stumps and Joyce departed unluckily for 2.
Ben Fewson was playing nicely through the covers as ever but on 18 he was slightly unfortunate to smack a short-ish one from the new bowler (Ramsey's son) straight to Square Leg. 30 for 3 and a lot appeared to depend on the old firm of Hassan Khan and Ajmal. They didn't disappoint. Hassan initially steadied things while Ajmal set about demoralising the young bowlers. Two sixes and two fours were the highlights and once again Ajmal outscored his partner, being bowled for 25 out of a partnership of 48. Another debut man, Amin (who guested for Touring Theatres against Nomads last week) announced his arrival with a large 6 but soon departed. Nick Lefebve strolled out with instructions to stay there and give the strike to his partner. Hassan was approaching overdrive, racing past 50 with a brutal assault on Cave; three successive short balls each despatched with aplomb to the boundary. The youngster kept his shape though. In fact all Woodside's young players had a good attitude, though one of them attempted a stern glare at the batsman (more Rory McGrath than Glenn McGrath) quite bizarrely after a rank full toss had been patted away for a dot ball.
A mid-pitch mix-up accounted for Lefebve, run out for 8 out of a partnership of 42 and, when Hassan followed him in the next over for a fine 71, the score was 143 for 7 and the match was in the balance.
8th wicket pair Chris Kennedy and Rob Jenkins rose to the occasion, and put Nomads slightly ahead on points, with a hugely enjoyable stand of 35 from 23 balls. Kennedy played a nice cover drive for 4 but Jenkins more than fulfilled the promise he had shown in the nets. Lofting it, but hard and accurately for an Ajmal-esque 30 Not out including a 6 and four 4s. Nomads wound up on 178 for 7 from the full 35. It was hard to assess the position; the pitch was tricky, bouncy and drying but the boundaries were short. Woodside Green had never made this many against us so we were hopeful.
The usual excellent tea boosted Nomads' spirits even more and we took the field on a pleasant early evening with the puddles rapidly diminishing. Rob Jenkins worked up a head of steam downhill from the Warlingham End, regularly smacking wicketkeeper John Crossland's gloves at chest height. The young opener Woodham seemed slightly disconcerted by the pace and this was perhaps confirmed when he chipped one to the waiting Fewson at short cover. Caught Hull bowled Sheffield. A wicket Made in Yorkshire.
From the Croydon End, Emil Todorow produced a series of remarkable deliveries, kicking up off a good length to neck height. Some onlookers might have put this down to the pitch but no other bowler had really done it so one would have to credit the natural sorcery of the bowler. As one batsman remarked, to the bemusement of the cerebral Sofia-born Medium pacer, "you're ****ing unplayable, mate!"
Despite this, opener Masterman and No 3 Worrall were making fair progress with a boundary in most overs. When the dangerous-looking Worrall was badly dropped on 18 (the ball went for 4) and followed up with a 6 next ball, an ominous air was developing on about 45 for 1. Happily, Ajmal had Worrall caught behind the very next ball and then ripped out numbers 4, 5 and 6 in fairly rapid succession. A couple of them just couldn't handle the young paceman's bounce, dabbing the ball tamely into the air from which it was plucked, vulture-like, by the salivating Nomads fielders.
Hassan provided a foil for Ajmal; slightly less pacy but more accurate (this mirrors their batting partnerships.) With 15 overs left, Woodside needed another 100, but with 6 wickets down, they were really looking for one of their promising youngsters to grab the initiative. Nomads didn't allow this to happen. Skipper Todorow had a steely glint in his eye - perhaps recalling the conversation at the toss - and didn't ease the pressure for a second. The only way he could have been more ruthless would have been by bringing himself back to bowl.
There was a Chris Kennedy Special to savour (a full-length diving catch at short mid-wicket off Hassan.) Ajmal completed his five-fer with a snorter to have the captain Ramsey caught behind and then provided an assist for the last wicket, delivering a pinpoint throw for Crossland who whipped the bails off to run the final man out and prompt a flurry of pads and expletives from the batsman and a wave of self-satisfaction from the Nomads as they contemplated their best result of the season so far; a 91-run win over tough opposition.
In the clubhouse afterwards, Nomads saw England record a 20-20 victory over Pakistan. The watching Emil Todorow could only admire the cricket on display but despair that his own level of ruthlessness was not matched by his England counterpart, Collingwood.
Man of the Match was Ajmal with 5 for 28, the best Nomads bowling analysis for a couple of years, 25 quick runs and good fielding.
Fielder of the Day was too close to call between Abdul Khan (2 sharp catches and yet another direct hit - that unfortunately didn't result in a wicket) and John Crossland (2 catches and no byes conceded. Yet another vintage performance from the evergreen keeper who modestly asserted repeatedly that "it was easy on a pitch like that".) He made it look easy.
NOMADS - 178 for 7 from 35 overs
Fewson, 18
A. Khan, 6
Joyce, 2
H. Khan, 71
Ajmal, 25
Amin, 7
Lefebve, 8
Kennedy, 6 Not out
Jenkins 30 Not out
WOODSIDE GREEN - 87 all out from 22 overs
Jenkins, 5-2-17-1
Todorow, 5-0-19-0
H. Khan, 6-0-21-3
Ajmal, 6-1-28-5
Friday 5 June 2009
Nomads v Touring Theatre XI - 31/5/09
A REPORT BY MARK BRADSHAW
On a second successive warm Sunday, Clapham Nomads hosted Touring Theatre XI at Abbey Recreation ground, South Wimbledon. On a dry wicket which looked likely to break up as the match went on, Emil Todorow rightly elected to bat on winning the toss. Mark Bradshaw and Prasanth again opened the batting for the Nomads. Prasanth quickly got into his stride on a slow wicket and was slapping short deliveries to the boundary on both sides of the wicket. Bradshaw was content to look for singles and the partnership reached 94 with Prasanth completing his first fifty for the team. Just when a century seemed on the cards, Prasanth played on to a dreadful long-hop after making 66 fine runs.
Bradshaw and Abdul Khan put on a small stand before Bradshaw edged behind for a somewhat sedate (actually it was boring) 38. Abdul played some solid attacking shots before he was out for 28, stumped off the bowling of Warnaby, who despite being hardly able to run was probably the pick of the bowlers with his off-spinners. Than the real fun started as Hassan Khan and Ajmal put on over 90 runs in 10 overs, and Ajmal completed his first 50 for us in a splendid display of attacking batting. Hassan was run out for 45 in the last over and Rob Jenkins scored his first run for the team as Nomads closed on 249 for 4 from their 40 overs.
Touring Theatres had a decent top 4 in their batting line-up, but at least 3 of them would need to fire if they were going to challenge our total. However, in the 2nd over, one of their openers swiped across the line against Todorow and paid the price. Trenchell and Nomi then started playing some excellent shots and inducing some fielding errors with some good running. The Nomads appeared a little flat in the field for several overs. There is always a danger when you've made a big total that you can slip into thinking all you need to do is go through the motions to beat the opposition. Thankfully, the dangerous Nomi's innings was cut short as he slapped a full-toss from Jenkins straight to Abdul Khan who completed a one-handed catch at square leg. The wickets then tumbled and after 15 overs Touring Theatres were 49 for 6 with only Trenchell making much headway against the Nomads' bowling as Jenkins finished with 3 for 15 and Todorow 2 for 21. Theatres' 7th wicket partnership did show some spirit, but once Gideon Reeve (4 for 12) had made the breakthrough, the rest of the innings fell away a little with Rob Jenkins taking 3 catches all at short-ish cover off Gideon's bowling. Nick Lefebve bowled 5 overs of his left-arm slows and it was nice to see his arm was still as low as ever in preparation for the Energy Exiles in a couple of weeks and he bemused the batsmen several times with his swerve and flight. The No.11 entertained us with some bold shots before Ajmal was brought into the attack and shattered the No.11's stumps to complete a 157 run victory. Our bowling and fielding performance wasn't quite as good as the previous week, but it was certainly satisfactory against very pleasant opponents who really didn't get much luck throughout the match.
Man of the Match was prasanth for his 66 which set us on the way to our large total. Fielder of the Day was Rob Jenkins for his three catches, but honourable mention should also go to Abdul.
NOMADS - 249 for 4 from 40 overs
Bradshaw, 38
Prasanth, 66
A. Khan, 28
H. Khan, 43
Ajmal, 54 Not out
Jenkins, 1 Not out
TOURING THEATRE XI - 92 all out from 34.2 overs
Jenkins 7-4-15-3
Todorow 8-1-21-2
Reeve 8-4-12-4
Lefebve 5-0-21-0
Nissar Khan 4-2-8-0
Ajmal 2.2-1-6-1
On a second successive warm Sunday, Clapham Nomads hosted Touring Theatre XI at Abbey Recreation ground, South Wimbledon. On a dry wicket which looked likely to break up as the match went on, Emil Todorow rightly elected to bat on winning the toss. Mark Bradshaw and Prasanth again opened the batting for the Nomads. Prasanth quickly got into his stride on a slow wicket and was slapping short deliveries to the boundary on both sides of the wicket. Bradshaw was content to look for singles and the partnership reached 94 with Prasanth completing his first fifty for the team. Just when a century seemed on the cards, Prasanth played on to a dreadful long-hop after making 66 fine runs.
Bradshaw and Abdul Khan put on a small stand before Bradshaw edged behind for a somewhat sedate (actually it was boring) 38. Abdul played some solid attacking shots before he was out for 28, stumped off the bowling of Warnaby, who despite being hardly able to run was probably the pick of the bowlers with his off-spinners. Than the real fun started as Hassan Khan and Ajmal put on over 90 runs in 10 overs, and Ajmal completed his first 50 for us in a splendid display of attacking batting. Hassan was run out for 45 in the last over and Rob Jenkins scored his first run for the team as Nomads closed on 249 for 4 from their 40 overs.
Touring Theatres had a decent top 4 in their batting line-up, but at least 3 of them would need to fire if they were going to challenge our total. However, in the 2nd over, one of their openers swiped across the line against Todorow and paid the price. Trenchell and Nomi then started playing some excellent shots and inducing some fielding errors with some good running. The Nomads appeared a little flat in the field for several overs. There is always a danger when you've made a big total that you can slip into thinking all you need to do is go through the motions to beat the opposition. Thankfully, the dangerous Nomi's innings was cut short as he slapped a full-toss from Jenkins straight to Abdul Khan who completed a one-handed catch at square leg. The wickets then tumbled and after 15 overs Touring Theatres were 49 for 6 with only Trenchell making much headway against the Nomads' bowling as Jenkins finished with 3 for 15 and Todorow 2 for 21. Theatres' 7th wicket partnership did show some spirit, but once Gideon Reeve (4 for 12) had made the breakthrough, the rest of the innings fell away a little with Rob Jenkins taking 3 catches all at short-ish cover off Gideon's bowling. Nick Lefebve bowled 5 overs of his left-arm slows and it was nice to see his arm was still as low as ever in preparation for the Energy Exiles in a couple of weeks and he bemused the batsmen several times with his swerve and flight. The No.11 entertained us with some bold shots before Ajmal was brought into the attack and shattered the No.11's stumps to complete a 157 run victory. Our bowling and fielding performance wasn't quite as good as the previous week, but it was certainly satisfactory against very pleasant opponents who really didn't get much luck throughout the match.
Man of the Match was prasanth for his 66 which set us on the way to our large total. Fielder of the Day was Rob Jenkins for his three catches, but honourable mention should also go to Abdul.
NOMADS - 249 for 4 from 40 overs
Bradshaw, 38
Prasanth, 66
A. Khan, 28
H. Khan, 43
Ajmal, 54 Not out
Jenkins, 1 Not out
TOURING THEATRE XI - 92 all out from 34.2 overs
Jenkins 7-4-15-3
Todorow 8-1-21-2
Reeve 8-4-12-4
Lefebve 5-0-21-0
Nissar Khan 4-2-8-0
Ajmal 2.2-1-6-1
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