Caribbean Mix v Clapham Nomads - 5/7/09

Nomads lined up at Raynes Park Sports Ground against Caribbean Mix for a 40-over per side match, looking to avoid a 4th successive hammering by these opponents, The close links between the teams were underlined by the presence in the Mix team of 4 men who have turned out for the Nomads.
Caribbean supremo Jim Ferguson had indicated that this year might be our best chance of victory as they are in a period of transition. Looking at their line-up, there seemed some truth in this though there were also several faces who inspired painful memories.
Ferguson and former Nomad Mahesh Vyas opened the batting at a fairly sedate pace. Vyas scores exclusively on the leg side early on and, in trying too hard to avoid it, Emil Todorow bowled a number of leg-side deliveries which helped the opener to settle. Ferguson began to play a few shots but the breakthrough came when he smacked it straight back to Hassan Khan who accepted the chance smartly.
Hassan quickly accounted for No.3 and then there was a rousing reception for No.4 Riaz Khan, one of the most popular Nomads players of all time. We all knew what he is capable of but preventing it was another matter. Two leg-side 4s off Todorow were followed by a steepling 6 over long off. The cameo didn't last too long as Riaz was dismissed for about 20 but Mahesh Vyas was still there and beginning to hit straight and through mid off - an ominous sign. Thankfully, Hassan Khan swooped for an excellent diving catch to send Vyas on his way for 38.
4 down with the score in the 80s but the dangerous lefthander Jono was playing some firm shots. It took a fellow lefty to account for Jono; Amin swerving one round the batsman's legs onto his leg stump.
Debutant Shahzad at No.7 soon made it clear he was high class and played the shot of the day over the covers onto the pavilion roof or, as Richie Benaud would have it; "in and out of the confectionery stand."
Nomads were staying in the contest with good fielding - a diving catch by Jim Joyce was a standout - and some competitive bowling - Ajmal earned himself a caught and bowled with a distinctly sharp delivery. Shahzad was eventually removed for a rapid 36 which left some of Caribbean's more experienced players at the crease. Some entertaining and highly vocal running mix-ups were combined with some quality stroke play and it was a distinct relief when the final wicket fell for 169 with 11.4 overs unused. We were later told by one of the late-order batsman, T.Brown, that he had been planning to take the total up to 250 but ran out of partners.
The target seemed achievable with one of Nomads strongest batting line-ups but, given the presence in the Mix team of a couple of players we hadn't seen before, and the history of these fixtures, you wouldn't have taken odds of shorter than 6-4.
Nomads' bowling was generally good though Todorow in particular was hampered by a ridge resembling a mini version of the South Downs escarpment on the edge of the wicket. This didn't affect batting but made bowlers run-ups at one end a matter of careful navigation. Fielding, especially catching, was very good (despite John Crossland's protestations) apart from a mad 5 minutes early on where overthrows became almost compulsory. Again, Todorow was the main victim.
Mark Bradshaw and Prasanth were re-united as opening partners. The left armer Jono caused problems straight away from the A3 end, angling the ball in at deceptive pace off a short run-up. The odd one straightened sharply, notably the 5th ball of the first over which Bradshaw played uppishly. Short Cover dived in but put the chance down. The other opening bowler, Maurice, had excellent variation of pace but bowled the occasional loose delivery. 15 came from the first 6 overs and it was a considerable relief not to have lost a wicket. Bradshaw cracked two successive 4s in Jono's fourth over and this heralded a slight change in the balance of power as Caribbean's heads dropped perceptibly despite being exhorted by Jim Ferguson to show "Sex Appeal." (We were assured later by Jim that this was a coded instruction to bowl 6 inches outside off stump - any other meaning is just too disturbing to contemplate.)
Batting progress was rather more serene than it had been in the first few white knuckle overs. The openers combined well with good running and regular rotation of the strike. There was still the odd alarm with Bradshaw dropped again by wicketkeeper Mahesh Vyas who was promptly replaced behind the sticks by the indignant bowler/skipper Jono.
A double bowling change produced a change of pace with several boundaries taken off the spinner T.Brown while Shahzad produced a hostile spell of pace bowling with plenty of short stuff. Prasanth hooked Shahzad for 4 but was forced to dab the follow-up bouncer gently skywards and was caught for a high class 46 with the Nomads total just one short of the century this partnership deserved.
Mark Bradshaw was continuing to prove a thorn in Caribbean's side and combined excellent shot selection with some let-offs. A regulation catch was dropped by replacement keeper Jono (to the chagrin of the original glovesman, Mahesh Vyas, who said he would have caught it.) Bradshaw completed a valuable half-century but when he snicked another 4 over the slips one fielder intoned oratorically; "Yes, today is your day. Today you can do anything you want; anything."
No.3 Jim Joyce kept up the momentum with a cameo 10 before being bowled by Riaz Khan. 122 for 2 and 48 was required with plenty of batting to come. Ben Fewson came out at No.4 and looked solid from the word go. Mark Bradshaw upped the ante and dominated a partnership of 39 from 31 balls with Fewson to take Nomads to within touching distance. The run rate had never been a major worry but with 30 needed off 8 overs, Jim Ferguson did speculate, to the world in general, that the batsman might be feeling a bit of pressure. If they did, it soon dissipated when 5 came off Usman's first ball, a fast leg-side wide that buried itself deep in the boundary undergrowth. Bradshaw was finally caught for a crucial 74 with the score on 161. Hassan Khan entered with the clear intention of scoring the winning runs with a 6. Part-time spinner Ferguson came on and Hassan's ambition was quickly realised.
An excellent win - our first over Caribbean Mix for 5 years - and a good-spirited game after which we enjoyed some post-match pints and banter with the opposition in the Raynes Park Bowling Club. Rather fittingly, the bar television was showing highlights of England's last Ashes victory. Like Freddie and the boys back in September 2005, Nomads were able to enjoy the booze and 12 months of glory with just the tiniest nagging fear about the type of revenge that might be served up to us next year.
Man of the Mtch. Mark Bradshaw did have a few escapes but don't let that detract from how well he played. Hassan Khan bowled faster than he has for a while; his 4 wickets, 3 catches and climactic 6 are enough to earn him a 50% share with Mark. Fielder of the Day was clearly Hassan. In addition to his catches, he had 2 direct hits (neither of which unfortunately resulted in a run out) and he managed one excellent stop in the deep where he appeared to grow an extra arm.