The curse of Dundonald Road re-asserted itself as we arrived to find that the home team's stumps were locked in a garage for which the owner had no key. Several solutions were tried including looking for a sports shop, trying to borrow stumps from the League teams on Pitch 2 who had lost their umpire (the curse of DR) and fashioning six stumps out of broom handles. One of the Theatres Team has been a Stage Manager and can make a prop out of just about anything; he had already produced two rather beautiful sticks by the time John arrived back with the Nomads' stumps and play began at 3.45.
Nomads were missing 3 openers in Mark Bradshaw, Ben Fewson and Peter Moth and so skipper John Crossland turned to the "experience" of Mahesh Vyas and Nick Lefebve. During the delay of well over an hour the padded-up pair paced the boundary, if not liked caged tigers, then certainly like mildly frustrated house-cats.
A reduced game of 30 overs a side was agreed on. The young Owen opened for Theatres but began too short and Vyas carted him away for two 4s in the first over. Lefebve faced Cal Robertson who was bowling for the first time since breaking his finger in the corresponding fixture last year and, in a rather comical first over, attempted to sweep the spinner three times but received only a bruise on the stomach and two close LBW shouts for his trouble.
Vyas began to play nicely and, strong on the leg side as ever, he dominated the strike for the next few overs. Lefebve finally got off the mark when Vyas was in the 20s. There was no great threat from the bowlers, though Robertson was quite accurate and Owen bowled the odd short one on off-stump which didn't suit these batsmen at all.
Veteran off-spinner, and star of The Bill and Ali G IndaHouse, John Warnaby was first change. He can tweak it but tends to overpitch and both openers managed to flick him away to leg regularly to take the partnership past 50. Vyas began to look assured as he raced into the 40s but then Warnaby made the breakthough as the Character Actor lured Lefebve forward once too often and the ball was spooned up to short square leg to end a decent stand of 71 in 13 overs, of which over 60 were scored on the leg side.
Prasanth was No.3 and provided stylish support to Vyas who soon reached his half-century. The opener took 13 off an over from the quickish Ian but then fell to the same bowler for a fine 60. Prasanth was caught for 17 in the same over and, with the score on 113 for 3 and only 11 overs remaining, a contest was on the cards. Hassan Khan reduced the likelihood of this by despatching the first two balls of Ian's next over straight back into the road in the manner of Gary Sobers, or even Rhys Adams - it was almost an anti-climax when only 19 came off the over. Jim Joyce "played himself in" by producing the shot of the day off his very first ball - a very classy straight drive out of the textbook of Sachin Tendulkar, or even Emil Todorow.
It was pure entertainment for everyone except the weary fielders as these two got going. A few spectators even lingered to watch the fun. 29 balls of mayhem, with not a single defensive shot played, produced 75 runs before Hassan Khan was LBW, perhaps slightly unluckily, to a short skidder from the splendidly-named Olivier Pigeon. This produced no respite for the Theatres, merely an encore as Riaz Khan, who appears to have been working out in both gym and nets and is in unstoppable form, took over from his namesake and just increased the tempo. Jim Joyce sprinted to possibly the fastest 50 in Nomads' history (off approximately 20 balls) with a murderous assault on Dirk Fieldhouse - 27 in on over including successive sixes to bring up the landmark before falling leg before to a yorker from the returning Owen.
Gopi provided good support to Riaz with two boundaries but Mr. Khan took centre stage, powering shot after shot straight and over mid-wicket. 20 came off Warnaby's last over, 18 off Owen's. Theatres were finally put out of their misery with the score on 264 for 5. A scoring error meant they bowled either 29 or 31 overs - nobody knows which - and Riaz was left stranded 9 runs short of a half-century which would probably have come up in fewer balls than Joyce's.
It was agreed that Theatres would face 30 overs with 265 to win at a rate of 8.83 per over.
After tea a stiff breeze had picked up to enliven a quite stunning afternoon and this caused both Emil Todorow's hair and his bowling to float and drift in a way that appeared to confuse the batsmen. Dangerman Ben Tranchell, who once scored 96 against us, chipped the first ball straight up to Jim Joyce at Cover Point and Todorow also bowled the No. 3 in the same over. Assad, fastish and straight, bowled numbers 4 and 5 in the second over to leave Theatres on 2 for 4 after 12 balls. Various tactical suggestions were made to captain John Crossland at this point, including that he bowl all 11 men for one over each or that he polish off Theatres quickly so that we would have time for a beer match. To be fair to Crossland, he took this mickey-taking in good part and, with a ruthless gleam in his eye, merely handed the ball back to Todorow.
Cal Robertson and Dirk Fieldhouse began to defend well in a manner that could have made the game interesting had the original plan to play a Time Game been possible. They survived 6 and a half overs before Todorow produced his quicker bouncing leg-cutter to find Robertson's thin outside edge. The hirsute Medium Pacer claimed another scalp in this over and had 6 balls to achieve his first five-fer in 14 years. Sadly, fans of the Bulgarian-born legend and fans of free beer were to be disappointed but Emil finished with the remarkable analysis of 6-2-5-4.
Assad claimed another wicket in his last over and Gideon Reeve and Gopi took over with Theatres on around 15 for 7. Reeve deployed his uncanny knack of finding variable bounce, producing a lifter and the only shooter of the match in successive balls in his second over. Reeve accounted for the No. 9 with some sharp lift to generate a caught and bowled. This brought John Warnaby to the crease and the talented thespian played some nice shots while keeping the excellent and impassable Dirk Fieldhouse company. The ball went in the air frequently and Nomads slip cordon had some fun at Riaz Khan's expense by blaming the Nomads Legend for every lost catching opportunity. Reeve eventually bowled the No. 10 to bring his sister, Kate Warnaby, to the crease. "Come in Riaz, she's not exactly Kevin Pietersen," shouted Crossland to the amusement of all. If only Kate had slog-swept her first ball for 6, the moment would have been complete, but she did see off the over with no alarms.
Gopi had used his full range of variations and had gone close a few times but finally found success in bowling Fieldhouse, last man out for an obdurate 10 off 90 balls, an excellent innings in the context of the game and ample repayment for having lost the stumps.
So Theatres were out for 38 in the scorebook, though if you add up the analyses and add on the smattering of byes and leg byes, it must have been around 43.
Obviously it was an easy win but what was satisfying was that we played some very entertaining cricket and everyone in the team either scored double figures or took a wicket or, in the case of John Crossland, took a catch and captained ruthlessly. This was not sufficient for the skipper though; he looked around at the pitch and at the scorebook at close of play and, shaking his head, muttered; "You know the only thing I enjoyed about that match - Assad's bowling."
I hope Theatres will continue to play us next season. they are great company and we don't just look on it as a chance to boost our averages.....honestly.
Man of the Match is a tough choice. Emil Todorow produced his best analysis of the Millennium, Mahesh Vyas top-scored with one of his highest scores for Nomads, Hassan and Riaz both batted brilliantly but I will vote for Jim Joyce, whose 51 was classy and may have been the fastest 50 in the club's history. Fielder of the Day is tough for the opposite reason; there was hardly any fielding to do. Jim would have got this as well for taking the best catch and one excellent throw but as he had to leave early I will give it to John Crossland. He did concede a couple of late byes but he didn't let the burdens of captaincy distract him from his main job of flinging himself around vigorously.
CLAPHAM NOMADS - 264 for 5 from 30 overs
M. Vyas - 60
N. Lefebve - 21
P. Pattiyil - 17
H. Khan - 46
J. Joyce - 51
R. Khan - 41 not out
G. Pala - 9 not out
F.O.W. - 71, 109, 113, 118, 221
TOURING THEATRE XI - 38 all out from 24 overs
Todorow - 6-2-5-4
Assad - 6-3-8-3
G. Reeve - 6-2-13-2
G. Pala - 6-1-13-1
Clapham Nomads won by 226 runs
Monday 31 May 2010
Wednesday 26 May 2010
Energy Exiles v Clapham Nomads - 23/5/10
There was a lively build-up to this fixture as Nomads, desperate for their first win over the Exiles in 4 years, spread rumours via e-mail and text that John Chance had been drafted back into the line-up, along with several Australian ringers and the Open University legend Dave Hunter as captain. Sadly (or otherwise) none of this was true and it was a familiar Nomads XI that gathered at Chiswick on a baking-hot afternoon.
Emil Todorow won a vital toss and chose to bat. There was a story going round that, after winning the toss, Emil had insisted we play 40 overs a side rather than 35. This also proved untrue and rather far-fetched - the ruthless Todorow would surely have insisted on 50.
Last year's top batsmen Ben Fewson and Mark Bradshaw took strike. Bradshaw was looking to continue his excellent record against his former club and struck a vital early blow in thumping Andy Wingfield's first ball for 4 through square leg. Fewson faced the bulk of Naren Patel's bowling, mostly back of a length around off stump. Fewson can play this type of bowling all week but a skilfully-set field made scoring difficult. Sound batting on a decent surface made for an unexpected air of serenity in the early overs, broken only when a Patel delivery hit a feather, reared up at Mark Bradshaw and deflected narrowly over the top of the stumps. Normally this type of incident could be written off as a fluke, but N. Patel is quite crafty enough to have aimed for the feather.
Bradshaw continued to play Wingfield well, particularly on the leg-side, and eventually there was a plaintive cry of "bowl it on the off stump, Andy" (not an instruction you often hear when Bradshaw is batting.) The bowler obliged with a beauty which straightened and found the outside edge. Keeper Wil Scott snapped up the catch and the former Exiles man departed for 11, still averaging over 40 for Nomads against the Exiles and having contributed to a useful opening stand of 32.
Peter Moth stepped out at No. 3 and his arrival coincided with the first bowling change. On came paceman Simon Gundry, looking fired-up, but Moth coped admirably with the mixture of raw pace, slower balls and yorkers served up by the big speedster and cracked 3 nice boundaries. Fewson also cranked it up a gear as Exiles captain Martin Thomas joined the attack. Moth saw off Gundry but was then slightly unfortunate to flick Thomas straight out of the springs to square leg and had to leave for 14, with the partnership one short of the 50 it deserved.
Hassan Khan was put down at mid-off (a sharp chance) early on but maintained the momentum against the deceptive swing bowler Phil Ling, and Nomads sped from 38 after 10 overs to 103 for 2 at the 20-over drinks break. Ben Fewson had been treating the appreciative audience to a virtuoso display of crisp hitting and had advanced from 24 to 60 scoring nothing but boundaries. Sadly, with another ton in his sights, last season's Player of the Year fell to a smart catch by Keith Roberts off the deceptive flight of off-spinner John Parker-Jones. Abdul Khan avenged this by hitting Parker-Jones out of the attack with three 4s in an over but was then comprehensively bowled by Simon Gundry, who had been brought back for a crack at Nomads' big-hitting middle order. Amin, in perhaps his final innings for the club, survived Gundry but then mishit a David Thomas delivery up into the covers, depriving us of the farewell 6 we craved. Hassan Khan also departed in the same over, caught at the 5th or 6th attempt in an extraordinary piece of juggling from 1st slip Quentin Davies, who never actually looked like dropping the ball.
At 162 for 6 Nomads were approaching the type of total that Exiles have rarely achieved against us, but on a benign track there was a bit more work to do. Riaz Khan dispelled any fears that his expansive batting style would present an easy target for Gundry's yorkers by smacking some big shots, especially over mid-wicket. A promising partnership with Gopi ended sadly when the Mystery Bowler just failed to make it back to his crease on a disputed run. Emil Todorow sauntered out, looking every inch the Senior Professional in his baggy red cap, and went eyeball to eyeball with Naren Patel, his counterpart in age and cunning. Todorow survived and then went on to produce the champagne moment of the season so far; with elbow high and feet in line, he positively caressed a quick one from S. Gundry to the mid-off boundary. A murmur of admiration spread amongst the watching Nomads who were struck by our skipper's uncanny resemblance to David Gower in his prime, in all respects except his age, hairstyle and right-handedness. Riaz Khan was not to be outdone and proved once again that he is almost impossible to bowl at once he reaches double figures. Again and again he bypassed the weary and sun-baked fielders with a brutal display of power hitting which sadly ended on 42 with 5 balls remaining, within touching distance of his second Nomads half-century. Gideon Reeve played out the final over and Nomads ended on the more than satisfactory 222 for 8, our highest total against Exiles since the era of Benny and Rafi, and a score that Exiles have never achieved against us. Given the recent history of these fixtures though, there was certainly no room for complacency.
Nomads took the field with temperatures thankfully cooling towards about 75 degrees. John Crossland was missing his first game for over 2 years, due to a charity cycle ride, but the ever-keen wicketkeeper turned up at 3 o'clock and kept our morale high by pacing the boundary rope while we were fielding, encouraging us and making the occasional astute tactical suggestion. Fortunately we had a very capable replacement behind the stumps in the shape of former Yorkshire Under-17s wicketkeeper Ben Fewson, a man who shares Crossland's willingness to hurl himself full-length for the cause, as well as his connections to the county of Geoffrey Boycott.
The old firm of Hassan Khan and Emil Todorow opened the bowling and, with good pace and accuracy, Khan soon frustrated the dangerous Quentin Davies into skying a chance which Fewson collected comfortably. No. 2 Sri Pathmanathan and No. 3 John Parker-Jones had made a match-winning partnership in the corresponding fixture last year. Sri hits the ball in the air quite a lot and does give hope to the fielders, but has the uncanny ability to just clear their heads. He was dropped off H. Khan but soon began to give the innings some much-needed momentum. Emil Todorow always bowls well against the Exiles however and a well-disguised lifter found Pathmanathan's top edge; the ball appeared to have cleared Amin at slip but Mister Six turned nimbly and pouched a vital wicket. Parker-Jones was looking untroubled but on 9 he flicked first-changer Gideon Reeve hard and low to Mark Bradshaw at square leg, a fine catch from Mark, given the added pressure of the stick he would have got from his former team-mates had he dropped it.
Reeve took another wicket straight away to have Exiles reeling at 46 for 4. Keith Roberts rarely misses out completely against Nomads but he had little time on this occasion to play himself in. He received a bonus, though, when his usual nemesis Emil Todorow mysteriously took himself off. Roberts played nicely, especially between point and gully and his correctness and left-handedness made it awkward for Nomads. Amin and Reeve kept a lid on things though and the required rate rose steadily until drinks were taken at 80 for 4; 143 to win off 20 overs. With Roberts and Wil Scott looking settled and some big-hitters to come this was by no means impossible but a direct hit to savour from Amin disposed of Scott on 90. Nomads' final bowling pairing was Riaz Khan and Gopi and Riaz struck early, bowling Roberts for a useful 25.
Exiles' biggest hitters, Simon Gundry and Andy Wingfield, were now at the middle. 8 an over was required and, if any Exiles pair could achieve that, it would be these two. Wingfield told me later that they had every intention of going for it but Riaz bowled so accurately that he proved almost impossible to get away. Gopi did go for a few more runs but his endless string of variations means that few batsmen can really get into a scoring groove against him. Standing almost behind the wicketkeeper, I realised that he does get remarkable sideways movement through the air at times.
Both of Exiles all-rounders struck a few lusty blows but Riaz bowled Gundry and then Fewson claimed Wingfield off Gopi's bowling to just about secure victory. It was nostalgia time as former Battersea Spinners team-mates, and former members of the legendary Renato Philip's Cricket Circus, Martin Thomas and Riaz Khan faced each other, Riaz triumphing by bowling his friend for 2. Phil Ling showed he is one to watch in future with a couple of big shots but Hassan returned to trap him LBW and leave Exiles all out for 130.
This was not perhaps the most eventful Exiles/Nomads match but from our point of view it was the most satisfying; a great all-round performance and a fine victory against a pretty-much full-strength Exiles line-up. The only thing that could slightly sour the taste of victory is that we have only 4 weeks to savour it. Exiles are sure to come back very hard for revenge in the return fixture at Dundonald Road on 20th June. I was inclining towards Ben Fewson for Man of the Match as his devastating play in the second half of his innings really set up our total, but the consensus in the pub was that Riaz Khan should get it; 42 runs of pure punishment and an analysis of 7-2-12-3, made even better by Exiles' confirmation that they were trying to accelerate against him, but just couldn't. Mark Bradshaw, Gideon Reeve, Abdul Khan and Ben Fewson all fielded well but Amin shades it for Fielder of the Day. A vital catch and a direct hit were a great way to say goodbye - but we've said goodbye to him before, haven't we?
CLAPHAM NOMADS - 222 for 8 from 40 overs
M. Bradshaw -c Scott b Wingfield- 11
B. Fewson(wkt) - c Roberts b Parker-Jones - 64
P. Moth - c Gundry b M. Thomas - 14
H. Khan - c Davies b D. Thomas - 39
A. Khan - b Gundry - 16
Amin - c Wingfield b D. Thomas - 1
R. Khan - b Patel - 42
G. Pala - Run Out - 5
E. Todorow(capt) - Not Out - 15
G. Reeve - Not Out - 0
N. Lefebve - Did not bat
F.O.W. 32, 81, 108, 138, 141, 162, 174, 220
ENERGY EXILES - 130 All Out from 34.3 overs
Q. Davies - c Fewson b H. Khan - 6
S. Pathmanathan - c Amin b Todorow - 20
J. Parker-Jones - c Bradshaw b Reeve - 9
K, Roberts - b R. Khan - 25
D. Thomas - c A. Khan b Reeve - 0
W. Scott (wkt) - Run Out - 13
S. Gundry - b R. Khan - 14
A. Wingfield - c Fewson b G. Pala - 12
M. Thomas (capt) - b R. Khan - 2
P. Ling - lbw H. Khan - 7
N. Patel - Not Out 1
Nomads bowling;
H. Khan 5.3-0-14-2
E. Todorow 5-1-18-1
Amin 5-0-13-0
G. Reeve 5-0-31-2
R. Khan 7-2-12-3
G. Pala 7-0-38-1
Clapham Nomads won by 92 runs
Emil Todorow won a vital toss and chose to bat. There was a story going round that, after winning the toss, Emil had insisted we play 40 overs a side rather than 35. This also proved untrue and rather far-fetched - the ruthless Todorow would surely have insisted on 50.
Last year's top batsmen Ben Fewson and Mark Bradshaw took strike. Bradshaw was looking to continue his excellent record against his former club and struck a vital early blow in thumping Andy Wingfield's first ball for 4 through square leg. Fewson faced the bulk of Naren Patel's bowling, mostly back of a length around off stump. Fewson can play this type of bowling all week but a skilfully-set field made scoring difficult. Sound batting on a decent surface made for an unexpected air of serenity in the early overs, broken only when a Patel delivery hit a feather, reared up at Mark Bradshaw and deflected narrowly over the top of the stumps. Normally this type of incident could be written off as a fluke, but N. Patel is quite crafty enough to have aimed for the feather.
Bradshaw continued to play Wingfield well, particularly on the leg-side, and eventually there was a plaintive cry of "bowl it on the off stump, Andy" (not an instruction you often hear when Bradshaw is batting.) The bowler obliged with a beauty which straightened and found the outside edge. Keeper Wil Scott snapped up the catch and the former Exiles man departed for 11, still averaging over 40 for Nomads against the Exiles and having contributed to a useful opening stand of 32.
Peter Moth stepped out at No. 3 and his arrival coincided with the first bowling change. On came paceman Simon Gundry, looking fired-up, but Moth coped admirably with the mixture of raw pace, slower balls and yorkers served up by the big speedster and cracked 3 nice boundaries. Fewson also cranked it up a gear as Exiles captain Martin Thomas joined the attack. Moth saw off Gundry but was then slightly unfortunate to flick Thomas straight out of the springs to square leg and had to leave for 14, with the partnership one short of the 50 it deserved.
Hassan Khan was put down at mid-off (a sharp chance) early on but maintained the momentum against the deceptive swing bowler Phil Ling, and Nomads sped from 38 after 10 overs to 103 for 2 at the 20-over drinks break. Ben Fewson had been treating the appreciative audience to a virtuoso display of crisp hitting and had advanced from 24 to 60 scoring nothing but boundaries. Sadly, with another ton in his sights, last season's Player of the Year fell to a smart catch by Keith Roberts off the deceptive flight of off-spinner John Parker-Jones. Abdul Khan avenged this by hitting Parker-Jones out of the attack with three 4s in an over but was then comprehensively bowled by Simon Gundry, who had been brought back for a crack at Nomads' big-hitting middle order. Amin, in perhaps his final innings for the club, survived Gundry but then mishit a David Thomas delivery up into the covers, depriving us of the farewell 6 we craved. Hassan Khan also departed in the same over, caught at the 5th or 6th attempt in an extraordinary piece of juggling from 1st slip Quentin Davies, who never actually looked like dropping the ball.
At 162 for 6 Nomads were approaching the type of total that Exiles have rarely achieved against us, but on a benign track there was a bit more work to do. Riaz Khan dispelled any fears that his expansive batting style would present an easy target for Gundry's yorkers by smacking some big shots, especially over mid-wicket. A promising partnership with Gopi ended sadly when the Mystery Bowler just failed to make it back to his crease on a disputed run. Emil Todorow sauntered out, looking every inch the Senior Professional in his baggy red cap, and went eyeball to eyeball with Naren Patel, his counterpart in age and cunning. Todorow survived and then went on to produce the champagne moment of the season so far; with elbow high and feet in line, he positively caressed a quick one from S. Gundry to the mid-off boundary. A murmur of admiration spread amongst the watching Nomads who were struck by our skipper's uncanny resemblance to David Gower in his prime, in all respects except his age, hairstyle and right-handedness. Riaz Khan was not to be outdone and proved once again that he is almost impossible to bowl at once he reaches double figures. Again and again he bypassed the weary and sun-baked fielders with a brutal display of power hitting which sadly ended on 42 with 5 balls remaining, within touching distance of his second Nomads half-century. Gideon Reeve played out the final over and Nomads ended on the more than satisfactory 222 for 8, our highest total against Exiles since the era of Benny and Rafi, and a score that Exiles have never achieved against us. Given the recent history of these fixtures though, there was certainly no room for complacency.
Nomads took the field with temperatures thankfully cooling towards about 75 degrees. John Crossland was missing his first game for over 2 years, due to a charity cycle ride, but the ever-keen wicketkeeper turned up at 3 o'clock and kept our morale high by pacing the boundary rope while we were fielding, encouraging us and making the occasional astute tactical suggestion. Fortunately we had a very capable replacement behind the stumps in the shape of former Yorkshire Under-17s wicketkeeper Ben Fewson, a man who shares Crossland's willingness to hurl himself full-length for the cause, as well as his connections to the county of Geoffrey Boycott.
The old firm of Hassan Khan and Emil Todorow opened the bowling and, with good pace and accuracy, Khan soon frustrated the dangerous Quentin Davies into skying a chance which Fewson collected comfortably. No. 2 Sri Pathmanathan and No. 3 John Parker-Jones had made a match-winning partnership in the corresponding fixture last year. Sri hits the ball in the air quite a lot and does give hope to the fielders, but has the uncanny ability to just clear their heads. He was dropped off H. Khan but soon began to give the innings some much-needed momentum. Emil Todorow always bowls well against the Exiles however and a well-disguised lifter found Pathmanathan's top edge; the ball appeared to have cleared Amin at slip but Mister Six turned nimbly and pouched a vital wicket. Parker-Jones was looking untroubled but on 9 he flicked first-changer Gideon Reeve hard and low to Mark Bradshaw at square leg, a fine catch from Mark, given the added pressure of the stick he would have got from his former team-mates had he dropped it.
Reeve took another wicket straight away to have Exiles reeling at 46 for 4. Keith Roberts rarely misses out completely against Nomads but he had little time on this occasion to play himself in. He received a bonus, though, when his usual nemesis Emil Todorow mysteriously took himself off. Roberts played nicely, especially between point and gully and his correctness and left-handedness made it awkward for Nomads. Amin and Reeve kept a lid on things though and the required rate rose steadily until drinks were taken at 80 for 4; 143 to win off 20 overs. With Roberts and Wil Scott looking settled and some big-hitters to come this was by no means impossible but a direct hit to savour from Amin disposed of Scott on 90. Nomads' final bowling pairing was Riaz Khan and Gopi and Riaz struck early, bowling Roberts for a useful 25.
Exiles' biggest hitters, Simon Gundry and Andy Wingfield, were now at the middle. 8 an over was required and, if any Exiles pair could achieve that, it would be these two. Wingfield told me later that they had every intention of going for it but Riaz bowled so accurately that he proved almost impossible to get away. Gopi did go for a few more runs but his endless string of variations means that few batsmen can really get into a scoring groove against him. Standing almost behind the wicketkeeper, I realised that he does get remarkable sideways movement through the air at times.
Both of Exiles all-rounders struck a few lusty blows but Riaz bowled Gundry and then Fewson claimed Wingfield off Gopi's bowling to just about secure victory. It was nostalgia time as former Battersea Spinners team-mates, and former members of the legendary Renato Philip's Cricket Circus, Martin Thomas and Riaz Khan faced each other, Riaz triumphing by bowling his friend for 2. Phil Ling showed he is one to watch in future with a couple of big shots but Hassan returned to trap him LBW and leave Exiles all out for 130.
This was not perhaps the most eventful Exiles/Nomads match but from our point of view it was the most satisfying; a great all-round performance and a fine victory against a pretty-much full-strength Exiles line-up. The only thing that could slightly sour the taste of victory is that we have only 4 weeks to savour it. Exiles are sure to come back very hard for revenge in the return fixture at Dundonald Road on 20th June. I was inclining towards Ben Fewson for Man of the Match as his devastating play in the second half of his innings really set up our total, but the consensus in the pub was that Riaz Khan should get it; 42 runs of pure punishment and an analysis of 7-2-12-3, made even better by Exiles' confirmation that they were trying to accelerate against him, but just couldn't. Mark Bradshaw, Gideon Reeve, Abdul Khan and Ben Fewson all fielded well but Amin shades it for Fielder of the Day. A vital catch and a direct hit were a great way to say goodbye - but we've said goodbye to him before, haven't we?
CLAPHAM NOMADS - 222 for 8 from 40 overs
M. Bradshaw -c Scott b Wingfield- 11
B. Fewson(wkt) - c Roberts b Parker-Jones - 64
P. Moth - c Gundry b M. Thomas - 14
H. Khan - c Davies b D. Thomas - 39
A. Khan - b Gundry - 16
Amin - c Wingfield b D. Thomas - 1
R. Khan - b Patel - 42
G. Pala - Run Out - 5
E. Todorow(capt) - Not Out - 15
G. Reeve - Not Out - 0
N. Lefebve - Did not bat
F.O.W. 32, 81, 108, 138, 141, 162, 174, 220
ENERGY EXILES - 130 All Out from 34.3 overs
Q. Davies - c Fewson b H. Khan - 6
S. Pathmanathan - c Amin b Todorow - 20
J. Parker-Jones - c Bradshaw b Reeve - 9
K, Roberts - b R. Khan - 25
D. Thomas - c A. Khan b Reeve - 0
W. Scott (wkt) - Run Out - 13
S. Gundry - b R. Khan - 14
A. Wingfield - c Fewson b G. Pala - 12
M. Thomas (capt) - b R. Khan - 2
P. Ling - lbw H. Khan - 7
N. Patel - Not Out 1
Nomads bowling;
H. Khan 5.3-0-14-2
E. Todorow 5-1-18-1
Amin 5-0-13-0
G. Reeve 5-0-31-2
R. Khan 7-2-12-3
G. Pala 7-0-38-1
Clapham Nomads won by 92 runs
Thursday 20 May 2010
Victory for the Nomads
The rain-affected game against Kempton last Sunday didn't feel like a victory, even after John's splendid catch off Gopi's bowling to take the 4th wicket. The balance of the match felt quite even and we guessed Kempton had plenty of batting to come. However, you cannot have a draw in a limited-overs game; only a win, a tie or an abandoned match where either side has not had more than a stated percentage of its allotted overs (usually between 25% and 40%.) This was not the case in Sunday's match as Kempton faced 47.6% of their overs before the heavens opened.
Until the mid 1990s, most matches were decided on faster run rate - which would produce a Nomads win by 5.14 per over to 4.32.
More recently, Messrs Duckworth and Lewis have cast their barely comprehensible mathematical cloud over one-day cricket and, after wrestling with their website for several hours, I have reached the following conclusion about the Kempton game;
Nomads won by 4 runs.
Not that we are desperate for a victory of course, or that I have a sad life. NL
Until the mid 1990s, most matches were decided on faster run rate - which would produce a Nomads win by 5.14 per over to 4.32.
More recently, Messrs Duckworth and Lewis have cast their barely comprehensible mathematical cloud over one-day cricket and, after wrestling with their website for several hours, I have reached the following conclusion about the Kempton game;
Nomads won by 4 runs.
Not that we are desperate for a victory of course, or that I have a sad life. NL
Tuesday 18 May 2010
Welcome back Mr Six
It turned out that the attractions of playing for Nomads at Fishponds Road were too strong and Amin didn't leave the country after all. We hope he will be around for a while yet.
Clapham Nomads v Kempton - 16/5/10
Clapham Nomads took on new opposition, Kempton, at the last-resort ground of Fishponds Road Rec in Tooting. There was a delayed start as some of the away players had the misfortune to get stuck in traffic behind Chelsea's FA Cup-winning parade through Wandsworth.
Kempton are a very strong league club and, as they have only one Sunday side, we were up against several Surrey County League first-teamers including an Overseas Player. We had to play on a used pitch as our allocated track was much too close to the cemetery boundary.
Openers Mark Bradshaw and Peter Moth faced the music from the Overseas Player, an Aussie called Henderson who obtained movement both ways at a lively Fast-Medium, and from the distinctly rapid Parks who deployed away swing and some short stuff. It was tough going, particularly when Parks began to find a spot from which the ball barely bounced; thankfully not on the stumps. Both batsmen coped admirably, with Bradshaw playing possibly the shot of the season so far - a textbook square cut for four. Moth looked very solid and hit Parks imperiously back over the paceman's head before succumbing in the 7th over to the first low bounce from Henderson's end. This was Peter's second unlucky dismissal in successive weeks but he played a useful part in blunting some of the new ball attack's edge. This bowling was high quality and there was a sense that they could have run through a Nomads batting line-up containing its share of flamboyant stroke-makers.
Abdul Khan made a welcome return from injury at No.3 but soon flicked Parks up to point. Hassan Khan joined Bradshaw and took Nomads safely through to a double bowling change after 10 overs with the score around 30 for 2. Henderson was replaced by the young spinner Danny Loveridge who gave notice of dangerous intent by turning his 5th ball in very sharply from the off side. He followed this in his next over with possibly the Sunday cricket "Ball of the Century" which jagged alarmingly in from well wide outside off and flicked Mark Bradshaw's shoulder on its way down the leg side. Extraordinary stuff. Fortunately the spinner bowled 1 or 2 looser balls in every over and Hassan Khan was particularly harsh on these with firm straight hitting and excellent use of his feet. The other change bowler was quickish but not that accurate and both batsmen took a heavy toll on him. The fifty partnership was passed with our lads in charge but the tide was stemmed by a brilliant diving catch by Square leg Gavin Miller to dismiss Khan. the fielders acknowledged the importance of this wicket with a football-style celebration.
Out stepped the Comeback Kid Amin who saw off a few tricky deliveries before the familiar twinkle returned to his eye and we realised only one thing was on his mind. Several of his clean hits dropped just short of the rope but he finally got his and our heart's desire to take him from 37 to 43. He fell shortly afterwards; his job done.
Meanwhile, another spinner - the aptly named Trevor Warne - replaced Loveridge. He had been genuinely mistaken for Andrew West when we saw him approach the ground and he soon showed that he shared some of the Nomads legend's accuracy and could also turn the ball. In his 4th over, with Nomads starting to dominate at 133 for 3, Warne struck twice, having Mark Bradshaw leg before for a crucial 47, one of his best Nomads innings, and Riaz Khan, also LBW, 2 balls later.
The innings petered out somewhat after Amin's dismissal but Gopi, Gideon and Emil all chipped in with runs in fading light as rain threatened and Nomads finished on 180 for 8 from the full 35 which seemed more than reasonable against a classy attack on a less than classy pitch.
Heavy rain delayed the reply but bright sunshine then seemed to promise that the game could be completed. Hassan looked in fine form and soon had 2 wickets to his name; a smart catch by Amin under a skier at mid-on and quick revenge by comprehensively bowling Gavin Miller, the youngster who had caught him. Despite these early losses, Kempton were still at the races and No. 3 Natarajan began picking off Emil Todorow for some resounding leg-side boundaries. The skipper did bowl better than last week though, and was perhaps unlucky with a couple of good lbw shouts. A third wicket for H. Khan, from a shocking shooter, was followed by an increase in tempo from Natarajan and a double bowling change after 14 overs with the score on 59 for 3. Gideon Reeve took over from Todorow and set about trying to find the dodgy patch on the pitch. Gopi's second over produced what proved to be the climactic moment of the match as the Mystery Bowler produced a sharp leg-cutter to find the outside edge and keeper John Crossland swooped like a gazelle at full stretch to pouch the chance. As if in appreciation from any Gods that were watching, the heavens then opened and a spectacular thunderstorm brought proceedings to a close with Kempton on 72 for 4. I will discuss the result in the next post when I have looked at Duckworth and Lewis's website. Man of the Match is Hassan Khan again for a barnstorming 39 and 3 quick wickets against a good batting side, though Mark Bradshaw's 47 was a fine innings and puts him a close second. Fielder of the Day can only be John "The Cat" Crossland for his weather-altering moment of brilliance.
CLAPHAM NOMADS - 180 for 8 from 35 overs
M. Bradshaw - 47
P. Moth - 7
A. Khan - 0
H. Khan - 39
Amin - 43
R. Khan - 0
G. Pala - 5
G. Reeve - 6 not out
E. Todorow - 3
F.O.W. - 16,20,88,137,137,162,170,180
KEMPTON 72 for 4 from 16.4 overs
H. Khan - 7-0-22-3
E. Todorow - 7-1-36-0
G. Pala - 1.4-0-6-1
G. Reeve - 1-0-7-0
Result - Clapham Nomads won by 4 runs (Duckworth-Lewis Method.)
Kempton are a very strong league club and, as they have only one Sunday side, we were up against several Surrey County League first-teamers including an Overseas Player. We had to play on a used pitch as our allocated track was much too close to the cemetery boundary.
Openers Mark Bradshaw and Peter Moth faced the music from the Overseas Player, an Aussie called Henderson who obtained movement both ways at a lively Fast-Medium, and from the distinctly rapid Parks who deployed away swing and some short stuff. It was tough going, particularly when Parks began to find a spot from which the ball barely bounced; thankfully not on the stumps. Both batsmen coped admirably, with Bradshaw playing possibly the shot of the season so far - a textbook square cut for four. Moth looked very solid and hit Parks imperiously back over the paceman's head before succumbing in the 7th over to the first low bounce from Henderson's end. This was Peter's second unlucky dismissal in successive weeks but he played a useful part in blunting some of the new ball attack's edge. This bowling was high quality and there was a sense that they could have run through a Nomads batting line-up containing its share of flamboyant stroke-makers.
Abdul Khan made a welcome return from injury at No.3 but soon flicked Parks up to point. Hassan Khan joined Bradshaw and took Nomads safely through to a double bowling change after 10 overs with the score around 30 for 2. Henderson was replaced by the young spinner Danny Loveridge who gave notice of dangerous intent by turning his 5th ball in very sharply from the off side. He followed this in his next over with possibly the Sunday cricket "Ball of the Century" which jagged alarmingly in from well wide outside off and flicked Mark Bradshaw's shoulder on its way down the leg side. Extraordinary stuff. Fortunately the spinner bowled 1 or 2 looser balls in every over and Hassan Khan was particularly harsh on these with firm straight hitting and excellent use of his feet. The other change bowler was quickish but not that accurate and both batsmen took a heavy toll on him. The fifty partnership was passed with our lads in charge but the tide was stemmed by a brilliant diving catch by Square leg Gavin Miller to dismiss Khan. the fielders acknowledged the importance of this wicket with a football-style celebration.
Out stepped the Comeback Kid Amin who saw off a few tricky deliveries before the familiar twinkle returned to his eye and we realised only one thing was on his mind. Several of his clean hits dropped just short of the rope but he finally got his and our heart's desire to take him from 37 to 43. He fell shortly afterwards; his job done.
Meanwhile, another spinner - the aptly named Trevor Warne - replaced Loveridge. He had been genuinely mistaken for Andrew West when we saw him approach the ground and he soon showed that he shared some of the Nomads legend's accuracy and could also turn the ball. In his 4th over, with Nomads starting to dominate at 133 for 3, Warne struck twice, having Mark Bradshaw leg before for a crucial 47, one of his best Nomads innings, and Riaz Khan, also LBW, 2 balls later.
The innings petered out somewhat after Amin's dismissal but Gopi, Gideon and Emil all chipped in with runs in fading light as rain threatened and Nomads finished on 180 for 8 from the full 35 which seemed more than reasonable against a classy attack on a less than classy pitch.
Heavy rain delayed the reply but bright sunshine then seemed to promise that the game could be completed. Hassan looked in fine form and soon had 2 wickets to his name; a smart catch by Amin under a skier at mid-on and quick revenge by comprehensively bowling Gavin Miller, the youngster who had caught him. Despite these early losses, Kempton were still at the races and No. 3 Natarajan began picking off Emil Todorow for some resounding leg-side boundaries. The skipper did bowl better than last week though, and was perhaps unlucky with a couple of good lbw shouts. A third wicket for H. Khan, from a shocking shooter, was followed by an increase in tempo from Natarajan and a double bowling change after 14 overs with the score on 59 for 3. Gideon Reeve took over from Todorow and set about trying to find the dodgy patch on the pitch. Gopi's second over produced what proved to be the climactic moment of the match as the Mystery Bowler produced a sharp leg-cutter to find the outside edge and keeper John Crossland swooped like a gazelle at full stretch to pouch the chance. As if in appreciation from any Gods that were watching, the heavens then opened and a spectacular thunderstorm brought proceedings to a close with Kempton on 72 for 4. I will discuss the result in the next post when I have looked at Duckworth and Lewis's website. Man of the Match is Hassan Khan again for a barnstorming 39 and 3 quick wickets against a good batting side, though Mark Bradshaw's 47 was a fine innings and puts him a close second. Fielder of the Day can only be John "The Cat" Crossland for his weather-altering moment of brilliance.
CLAPHAM NOMADS - 180 for 8 from 35 overs
M. Bradshaw - 47
P. Moth - 7
A. Khan - 0
H. Khan - 39
Amin - 43
R. Khan - 0
G. Pala - 5
G. Reeve - 6 not out
E. Todorow - 3
F.O.W. - 16,20,88,137,137,162,170,180
KEMPTON 72 for 4 from 16.4 overs
H. Khan - 7-0-22-3
E. Todorow - 7-1-36-0
G. Pala - 1.4-0-6-1
G. Reeve - 1-0-7-0
Result - Clapham Nomads won by 4 runs (Duckworth-Lewis Method.)
Tuesday 11 May 2010
Goodbye Mr Six
Sadly we heard on Sunday that Amin, one of last season's stars, has left the country suddenly due to family and business commitments and is unlikely to turn out for the Nomads again.
We first met him in May last year when he came along with his friend Ajmal to watch a match and ended up playing against us for Touring Theatres. Inevitably, he hit a six, a mighty one off a Nick Lefebve floater.
He then played for us for the rest of the season and quickly became a very popular member of the side. His deadpan demeanour belied a mischievous sense of humour; no more so then when, ordered by captain Todorow to play defensively, he grinned, pointed at the sky and growled "six" - one of his few words of English.
Although he had a reputation as a slogger, he played several fine and important innings of around the 35 to 40 mark and had an uncanny ability only to slog when the ball was missing the stumps - often by millimetres. These knocks brightened up the second half of many a Nomads innings. He was also an accurate Medium Pacer who slanted it into the righthander at quite an awkward angle. He scored 220 runs at an average of 22 and took 18 wickets at just over 14. His loss will leave a hole.
Goodbye, Mr Six, we wish you well and hope that you always clear life's boundary rope.
Another loss is Ajmal, who took a record 33 wickets last year. He has gone to play for Dulwich, though it is not impossible that he will play a few games for us, and maybe against us for his new club on September 5th.
We first met him in May last year when he came along with his friend Ajmal to watch a match and ended up playing against us for Touring Theatres. Inevitably, he hit a six, a mighty one off a Nick Lefebve floater.
He then played for us for the rest of the season and quickly became a very popular member of the side. His deadpan demeanour belied a mischievous sense of humour; no more so then when, ordered by captain Todorow to play defensively, he grinned, pointed at the sky and growled "six" - one of his few words of English.
Although he had a reputation as a slogger, he played several fine and important innings of around the 35 to 40 mark and had an uncanny ability only to slog when the ball was missing the stumps - often by millimetres. These knocks brightened up the second half of many a Nomads innings. He was also an accurate Medium Pacer who slanted it into the righthander at quite an awkward angle. He scored 220 runs at an average of 22 and took 18 wickets at just over 14. His loss will leave a hole.
Goodbye, Mr Six, we wish you well and hope that you always clear life's boundary rope.
Another loss is Ajmal, who took a record 33 wickets last year. He has gone to play for Dulwich, though it is not impossible that he will play a few games for us, and maybe against us for his new club on September 5th.
Clapham Nomads v Phoenix Epsom Liberal - 9/5/10
The 2010 season finally got started on a chilly day at Raynes Park against Phoenix Epsom Liberal, a strong side but one that we had managed to beat with good performances in the past 2 seasons.
Phoenix out-Nomaded the Nomads by turning up 45 minutes late and were asked to bat against a Clapham side reduced to ten men by the last-minute emigration of Amin - more of which later.
Mark Bradshaw took guard and was joined at the crease by Peter Moth; a welcome return for a player who last featured in the opening match of the 2009 season.
Bradshaw flicked a nice 4 to leg in the first over but the former Rutland Schools player then settled into obdurate mode, doing well to keep out some lively bowling on an awkward track. Moth was equally solid and played some rather nice straight drives at times. D'Razio found some movement and low bounce from the Bypass End while Gooding, the quicker of the two, was generally a tricky proposition. D'Razio had a good early Leg Before shout against Bradshaw turned down which produced a series of rather amusing protests from Phoenix's second slip. This included sledging, cap throwing and slightly scary staring. In the fielder's defence though, he had drunk quite a lot of whisky - to keep out the cold - and was in a good position to judge the LBW shout, though not as good a position as the umpire.
There was a bowling change after 10 overs with the score on 27 and Carl soon broke the deadlock, having Moth unluckily bowled for 13 with a skidder that bounced at least twice. Bradshaw followed three overs later, also unluckily, bottom-edging a delivery from new bowler Ray onto his bails.
Ben Fewson was now at the crease and the man who it has been revealed was voted Mr Hull 2003 and 2004 in a nightclub in the Yorkshire port city underlined this pedigree with some attractive shots. Hassan Khan began shakily, dropped on the boundary on 3, but a dance down the pitch to smack 4 turned the tempo and Khan began to dominate the bowling, exacting a particularly harsh toll from spinner Ray Ffrench. Fewson departed to a thin edge with the total on 63 but Prasanth provided Hassan with equally valuable support and a fine partnership of 7o put Nomads right back in the game. Ffrench finally took his revenge by bowling Khan for an excellent 70. 133 for 4 from 29 of the 35 overs seemed a reasonable position but a devastating final over from Carl disposed of Nomads' middle order; Prasanth was adjudged LBW for a well-crafted 14, Gopi and Todorow fell on the 4th and 5th balls and the bowler was denied his hat-trick when the keeper put down a sharp chance on the leg-side.
Mahesh Vyas and Nick Lefebve poked around a bit with 9 runs in 5 overs and the 12-year-old Medium Pacer Sofiane showed wisdom beyond his years by floating it up on off-stump to the veteran batsmen, both lovers of the leg side. The returning D'Razio wrapped up the innings in the final over and, with 143 needed to win, it seemed that Epsom Liberal held the balance of power.
Nomads appeared rather short of bowling options, with only Gopi, Hassan Khan and Emil Todorow having been regular bowlers last year. Khan and Todorow opened and, despite good pace and clever use of the slower ball from Khan, P.E.L. were untroubled. One of their openers was particularly accomplished and raced to 50 with the score in the early 70s. Gopi was first change and showed his usual good variety but the star opener managed to hit last season's Best Bowling Average winner for several shots over square leg. Prasanth replaced Todorow and soon showed that we were not so short of bowling options after all with a fine spell of Slow Medium bowling with a hint of turn. He removed the more defensive opener and followed up with 3 further wickets, the highlight being a smart stumping by glovesman John Crossland - sharp as a needle.
At 90 for 4, there was just a sniff of a chance for Nomads but Liberal had plenty of seasoned campaigners still to bat. In the event only one of them was needed, a fine catch on the boundary by Peter Moth only delayed the inevitable and with Nightshift work commitments reducing Nomads to 9 men, the away side reached their target with 6.5 overs to spare - the opener finishing on 85 Not Out.
All in all, it wasn't a bad performance from Nomads - the top 5 batsmen all played well (the total could have been 30 higher but for some high-class fielding and captaincy from Phoenix) and the bowling was better than the stats indicate. It was an enjoyable enough match, though slightly muted by disappointment at the loss of Amin and by the freezing conditions.
Man of the Match is Hassan Khan for his high-quality 70 and for being by far the most economical bowler. Prasanth Pattiyil is a close second with 4 wickets and good batting. Every John Crossland stumping is a moment to savour and this smart piece of work earns him Fielder of the Day.
CLAPHAM NOMADS 142 All Out from 34.2 overs
M. Bradshaw - 12
P. Moth - 13
B. Fewson - 14
H. Khan - 70
P. Pattiyil - 14
M. Vyas - 4
G. Pala - 0
E. Todorow - 0
N. Lefebve - 2 Not out
J. Crossland - 0
F.O.W. - 27, 29, 63, 133, 133, 133, 133, 142, 142
PHOENIX EPSOM LIBERAL 143 for 5 from 28.1 overs
H. Khan 7-2-14-0
E. Todorow 7-0-46-1
G. Pala - 7-1-47-0
P. Pattiyil 7-1-31-4
B. Fewson 0.1-0-1-0
Nomads lost by 5 wickets
Phoenix out-Nomaded the Nomads by turning up 45 minutes late and were asked to bat against a Clapham side reduced to ten men by the last-minute emigration of Amin - more of which later.
Mark Bradshaw took guard and was joined at the crease by Peter Moth; a welcome return for a player who last featured in the opening match of the 2009 season.
Bradshaw flicked a nice 4 to leg in the first over but the former Rutland Schools player then settled into obdurate mode, doing well to keep out some lively bowling on an awkward track. Moth was equally solid and played some rather nice straight drives at times. D'Razio found some movement and low bounce from the Bypass End while Gooding, the quicker of the two, was generally a tricky proposition. D'Razio had a good early Leg Before shout against Bradshaw turned down which produced a series of rather amusing protests from Phoenix's second slip. This included sledging, cap throwing and slightly scary staring. In the fielder's defence though, he had drunk quite a lot of whisky - to keep out the cold - and was in a good position to judge the LBW shout, though not as good a position as the umpire.
There was a bowling change after 10 overs with the score on 27 and Carl soon broke the deadlock, having Moth unluckily bowled for 13 with a skidder that bounced at least twice. Bradshaw followed three overs later, also unluckily, bottom-edging a delivery from new bowler Ray onto his bails.
Ben Fewson was now at the crease and the man who it has been revealed was voted Mr Hull 2003 and 2004 in a nightclub in the Yorkshire port city underlined this pedigree with some attractive shots. Hassan Khan began shakily, dropped on the boundary on 3, but a dance down the pitch to smack 4 turned the tempo and Khan began to dominate the bowling, exacting a particularly harsh toll from spinner Ray Ffrench. Fewson departed to a thin edge with the total on 63 but Prasanth provided Hassan with equally valuable support and a fine partnership of 7o put Nomads right back in the game. Ffrench finally took his revenge by bowling Khan for an excellent 70. 133 for 4 from 29 of the 35 overs seemed a reasonable position but a devastating final over from Carl disposed of Nomads' middle order; Prasanth was adjudged LBW for a well-crafted 14, Gopi and Todorow fell on the 4th and 5th balls and the bowler was denied his hat-trick when the keeper put down a sharp chance on the leg-side.
Mahesh Vyas and Nick Lefebve poked around a bit with 9 runs in 5 overs and the 12-year-old Medium Pacer Sofiane showed wisdom beyond his years by floating it up on off-stump to the veteran batsmen, both lovers of the leg side. The returning D'Razio wrapped up the innings in the final over and, with 143 needed to win, it seemed that Epsom Liberal held the balance of power.
Nomads appeared rather short of bowling options, with only Gopi, Hassan Khan and Emil Todorow having been regular bowlers last year. Khan and Todorow opened and, despite good pace and clever use of the slower ball from Khan, P.E.L. were untroubled. One of their openers was particularly accomplished and raced to 50 with the score in the early 70s. Gopi was first change and showed his usual good variety but the star opener managed to hit last season's Best Bowling Average winner for several shots over square leg. Prasanth replaced Todorow and soon showed that we were not so short of bowling options after all with a fine spell of Slow Medium bowling with a hint of turn. He removed the more defensive opener and followed up with 3 further wickets, the highlight being a smart stumping by glovesman John Crossland - sharp as a needle.
At 90 for 4, there was just a sniff of a chance for Nomads but Liberal had plenty of seasoned campaigners still to bat. In the event only one of them was needed, a fine catch on the boundary by Peter Moth only delayed the inevitable and with Nightshift work commitments reducing Nomads to 9 men, the away side reached their target with 6.5 overs to spare - the opener finishing on 85 Not Out.
All in all, it wasn't a bad performance from Nomads - the top 5 batsmen all played well (the total could have been 30 higher but for some high-class fielding and captaincy from Phoenix) and the bowling was better than the stats indicate. It was an enjoyable enough match, though slightly muted by disappointment at the loss of Amin and by the freezing conditions.
Man of the Match is Hassan Khan for his high-quality 70 and for being by far the most economical bowler. Prasanth Pattiyil is a close second with 4 wickets and good batting. Every John Crossland stumping is a moment to savour and this smart piece of work earns him Fielder of the Day.
CLAPHAM NOMADS 142 All Out from 34.2 overs
M. Bradshaw - 12
P. Moth - 13
B. Fewson - 14
H. Khan - 70
P. Pattiyil - 14
M. Vyas - 4
G. Pala - 0
E. Todorow - 0
N. Lefebve - 2 Not out
J. Crossland - 0
F.O.W. - 27, 29, 63, 133, 133, 133, 133, 142, 142
PHOENIX EPSOM LIBERAL 143 for 5 from 28.1 overs
H. Khan 7-2-14-0
E. Todorow 7-0-46-1
G. Pala - 7-1-47-0
P. Pattiyil 7-1-31-4
B. Fewson 0.1-0-1-0
Nomads lost by 5 wickets
Monday 3 May 2010
Barnes Occasionals v Clapham Nomads - 2/5/10
We were put out of our misery at 11 o'clock by a call from the Occasionals' organiser. He had visited the Rocks Lane pitch and found it unplayable. Within 10 yards of the wicket - along with the usual goose droppings - were several large puddles, a pond and a set of rugby posts. At least it saved us from what would probably have been the coldest match in Nomads history.
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