Mark Bradshaw's Top 10

With another Clapham Nomads v Energy Exiles fixture looming this week, it is time we finally produced a tribute to Mark Bradshaw who rejoined Exiles in the spring after 5 successful years with the Nomads.  We thoroughly enjoyed having you in the side, Mark.
I watched most of his innings, usually from an umpire's vantage point, but his quality and consistency as a batsman are told most clearly by the stats.  50 innings in which he scored 1686 runs at an average of 42.15.  Only 2 ducks, 14 half-centuries and most tellingly of all, he scored 30 or more in a majority of his Nomads innings (27 out of 50.)
Here are, in my opinion, his Top 10 innings for the Nomads;

1)  On 24/5/09 at Civil Service Sports Ground, Chiswick.  Clapham Nomads 140 for 8 (BRADSHAW 80 NOT OUT)  lost to Energy Exiles 141 for 8 by 2 wickets.
An incident-packed classic at Chiswick.  Baking sun, banter, sledging, a broken stump, arguments, hissy fits and the worst LBW decision I have ever seen (to remove Hassan for 0).  Just an average Nomads/Exiles game really.  Somehow Mark, in only his 2nd game against his old club, carved out 80 runs with no other Nomad exceeding 15.  I remember 2 things; a clip off Andy Wingfield over Square Leg for 4, and Mark staggering off the pitch at tea, exhausted from the effort of coping with his Nomads team-mates as much as seeing off a classy Exiles attack.

2)  On 11/9/11 at Joseph Hood Rec.  Surbiton Imperials 139 for 9 lost to Clapham Nomads 143 for 4 (BRADSHAW 63 NOT OUT) by 6 wickets.
A terrible start to the day but a sublime finish.  A council double-booking meant a 2-hour delay while they found us another pitch.  Surbiton made 139 but Nomads were well behind the rate and requiring 70 off the last 10 overs when a biblical rainstorm flooded the ground.  Everyone wanted to go home with the exception of Surbiton's skipper (fair enough, they were clear favourites) and he managed to talk the team back out there.  After taking a couple of overs to adjust to barely being able to stand up on the skidpan, Bradshaw smacked the strong Imperials attack all around the park - six 4s in this passage of play despite the drenched outfield - and even outscored Hassan while they were together to complete a glorious victory with 10 balls to spare.  The best attacking innings I've seen him play.

3)  On 20/7/08 at Fairfield Rec, Kingston.   Kingston 192 for 7 drew with Clapham Nomads 88 for 8 (BRADSHAW 43).
Nomads needed 193 to beat a Kingston side featuring the searing pace of Plunkett and Declan McArdle who got through 25 overs between them in this time game.  A draw was probably the best we could hope for on a dodgy track at Fairfield (with its usual audience of street drinkers) and - below Hassan at 3 - one of Nomads' weakest batting line-ups.  Mark stuck it out almost single-handedly with no-one else making more than 11 and, although he was out with 3 balls to go, the draw was ours.  This was a classic defensive innings which had John raving all evening (in a good way.)

4)  On 12/9/10 at Raynes Park Sports Ground.   Clapham Nomads 220 for 4 (BRADSHAW 81 NOT OUT) beat Surbiton Imperials 186 for 8 by 34 runs.
This was memorable for a stand of a top class stand of 133 between Mark - hitting it straighter than usual if I remember - and Hassan.  It was just brilliant chanceless batting from both players which brightened up a bitter-sweet day (it was Gopi's last game for us.)  We hadn't played Imperials for years before this and the batting seems even better in retrospect when you consider how we have often struggled to make runs against them since.

5)  On 3/8/08 at Dundonald Road, SW19.   Clapham Nomads 294 for 5 (BRADSHAW 83) beat Kingston Lefthanders 70 for 7 on faster scoring rate.
A great knock despite the distractions of a dead crow lying on the outfield, lager cans lining the boundary, and balls being continually hit onto our field by Sri Lankan League players on the other pitch - to the chagrin of some Lefthanders Fielders who wanted to go and fight them.  The bowling, led by "Meerkat" and "Brains" was only moderate but you've still got to hit it and Bradshaw did just that, stacking up 83, his highest score for Nomads, and sharing in our all-time club record partnership of 197 with Cameron Russell.  Bradshaw batted so well that the former Rutland Schools player was described by the opposition as an Australian Ringer.

6)  On 17/7/11 at Cox's Lane, Dulwich.  Streatham & Marlborough 150 for 2 lost to Clapham Nomads 151 for 3 (BRADSHAW 56 NOT OUT) by 7 wickets.
Bradshaw led an excellent unbeaten 4th wicket stand of 72 with Darwin to secure a fine victory in a game that had looked lost - certainly to John who remarked loudly at one point (to the opposition's amusement); "We can't win this.  We haven't got Riaz."

7)  On 16/5/10 at Fishponds Rec, SW17.  Clapham Nomads 180 for 8 (BRADSHAW 47) beat Kempton 72 for 4 by 4 runs (Duckworth Lewis Method).
A really memorable, amusing, game on a dreadful pitch.  Mark's 47 held us together and his only consolation for missing out on his half-century was that he was dismissed by a spinner called Warne, who was an uncanny Andrew West lookalike.

8)  On 14/9/08 at Dundonald Road.   Energy Exiles 158 all out beat Clapham Nomads 94 all out (BRADSHAW 30) by 64 runs.
Mark's first game for Nomads against his old club and, despite facing severe sledging (or, as Exiles website put it, "some very droll remarks"), his hard-fought 30 was the only thing that gave some respectability to a Nomads batting order severely weakened by Ramadan and late season apathy which was basically put to the sword by a strong and fired up Exiles bowling line-up (Wingfield, Uttley, Gundry, Zielenewski and G. Thomas)

9)  On 5/7/09 at Raynes Park Sports Ground.  Caribbean Mix 169 all out lost to Clapham Nomads 175 for 3 (BRADSHAW 74) by 7 wickets.
This was a long way off Mark's best form, but he survived a string of chances to notch a match-winning 74 (though Hassan actually hit the winning runs with a 6 - happy days).  As Mark snicked another one into the wicketkeeper's gloves - and out again - one of Caribbean's fielders memorably intoned; "Yes!  Today is your day!  Today you can do anything you want.  Anything!"

10) On 6/6/10 at Northey Avenue, Cheam.  Clapham Nomads 191 for 7 (BRADSHAW 51) lost to Bec Old Boys 194 for 8 by 2 wickets.
Just an archetypal Bradshaw innings really.  Sound batting to hold the top order together on a decent track against strong and varied bowling.