Following the late withdrawal of Surbiton Imperials, Nomads were forunate to find a replacement fixture against Vishwa; a pleasant and sporting bunch of guys, for our home game at Turney Road, Dulwich.
After wnning the toss and deliberating at length, Skipper Todorow chose to bat but the wisdom of this soon looked in doubt as debutant and formed Burgh Heath player Asim was brilliantly caught in the gully in the 3rd over - 1 for 1.
Javed helped to turn the tide with a pinch-hitting 23 before a stunning 3rd wicket partnership of 127 between Mahesh Vyas (64) and Hassan Khan (117 not out) put Nomads in command. Riaz and Zia kept up the pace and we had a shot at topping 300 at one stage but finished on 297 for 5 - our 3rd highest score.
Another amazing catch - a full-length dive by Mahesh "The Cat" Vyas - came early in Vishwa's reply but a great stand of 80 or so for the 2nd wicket meant that the away side were in the hunt for a while just before tea, needing just over 9 an over but with 9 wickets standing. A well-judged diving catch on the boundary by Asim was vital and, though Vishwa kept up a very decent scoring rate, regular wickets took the edge off their momentum as the required rate moved up into the teens. We eventually wrapped it up in the twilight, dismissing them for 211 in the penultimate over for a fine start to the season.
Man of the Match was Hassan for a superlative century; very classy batting without giving a chance that I can remember. The pick of the bowlers were probably KK and Asim. Fielder of the day was Mahesh who took two top-drawer catches to add to his 64, which was his best Nomads innings for some time.
UPDATE - It's over 3 weeks since this game now and I've been a bit lazy doing my reports so I'm a bit vague about some of the details. It was a lovely way to start the season and a pleasure to play against a sporting club such as Vishwa who really enjoy their cricket and play it in the right way.
For the first time, Nomads were no longer a park team and booked a "proper" club ground and have the hole in our bank balance to show for it. We also had our own tea lady who did a good job - thanks very much, Jackie.
Several Nomads players had been practising hard pre-season and the upshot was a devastating batting performance on a track that was great for the batters but gave the bowlers a little hope too. Mahesh continued his fine form from the end of last season. As ever, he was harsh on anything loose around leg stump but, when he played a Mark Bradshaw -style square cut to the point boundary in his 20s, I knew he was in the zone.
Hassan just looked on top form from the word go and took control from the off. He did not give a chance that I can remember. There was controlled hitting all around the wicket and I would have to pick out his cuts just behind point as the most memorable shots.
Vishwa had some useful bowlers. I would have to pick out the pacy opener Path, and Samir, also the club fixtures secretary - the classic mystery spinner who had an action that made him difficult to read.
Once the main stand between Mahesh and Hassan had been broken, there was an enjoyable 24 from Riaz - inevitably including 2 large sixes - and fine batting from KK and, especially, Zia towards the end. Zia actually outscored Hassan with 41 out of a partnership of 72 for the 5th wicket.
As I said earlier, Vishwa's faint hopes were hit by a spectacular slip catch from Mahesh early on but they remained just about in the hunt with a stand of 80 or so and plenty of batting to come. However, the pressure of keeping up the rate, and some tight stuff from all the Nomads bowlers - with excellent fielding especially from Mahesh and Asim - saw Nomads move into the comfort zone.
With 14 an over required off the last 7, Nick Lefebve tore his hamstring in "sprinting" after a ball heading for the Long Leg boundary. He remained on the pitch, hobbling, at slip. Excellent commitment or a stupid sod? I will leave you to judge, but I am out of action until July (not that that will damage the overall level of athleticism of the team too much.)
There was an amusing postscript to this as the senior players in the club gathered for their post-match drink in Balham and were joined by former Nomads legends the Chance brothers. As Nick left the pub, leaning heavily to one side and dragging his left foot along the ground, he was overtaken by John and Emil, both limping heavily. "Jesus Christ," exclaimed the still fairly athletic 53 or 54 year old Joe Chance, "It's a zombie apocalypse."
Anyway, an excellent start to the season.
Clapham Nomads 297 for 5 from 35 overs
Asim 1
Mahesh 64
Javed 23
Hassan 117 not out
Riaz 24
Zia 41
KK 6 not out
Did not bat; Abbas, Nick, Emil (capt), John (Wkt)
F.O.W. - 1, 37, 164, 207, 279
Vishwa 211 in 33.5 overs.
Nomads bowling;
Zia 6-0-42-0
Emil 7-1-46-1
Abbas 7-0-51-2
KK 5-1-33-1
Asim 4-0-20-3
Riaz 3.5-0-25-1
Hassan 1-0-1-1
Clapham Nomads won by 86 runs.
Man of the Match - Hassan
Fielder of the Day - Mahesh
Tuesday 25 April 2017
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