Hi all, I have been contacted by Paul Murphy who played for us last summer. He will be working in London later this summer at a University and needs accommodation for 2 to 3 weeks. He is a nice guy who loves his cricket and he did say that he is a quiet tenant. If anyone has a room or knows anyone that has a room going that Paul can rent, please let me know (you can put a comment on here or text Emil and I will pass the message on to Paul.)
See you all on 2nd July. Nick
Tuesday 30 May 2017
Monday 29 May 2017
Come on you Exiles!!
With Nomads not playing now until 2nd July. The club has transferred its allegiance to local rivals - and friends - the Energy Exiles. Sensationally, Nomads' wicketkeeper, scorer and all-round legend John Crossland has gone one step further, crossed the sectarian divide, and made his debut for Exiles on Sunday 28/5. He shone as well, stepping straight into the keeping position and claiming 2 catches. He was also the not out man in Energy's innings. We can only hope they do not try to poach him. Please, Johnny, don't go. We will offer him a new contract on improved terms. I think I have some coins down the back of my sofa.
Come on you Exiles!!
Come on you Exiles!!
Thursday 25 May 2017
Clapham Nomads v Wimbledon United - 21/5/17
Clapham Nomads lost to Wimbledon United at Cottenham Park last Sunday. It was reasonably close. United were 79 for 0 after 10 overs so we did well to keep them to 207 for 8 off the full 35. Nomads started cautiously against the usual accurate and disciplined bowling - a sprinkling of beamers notwithstanding. We were 66 for 2 at the halfway mark and needed 8 an over at that point. I had to leave early to go to work but Emil told me that Zia was batting really well, bearing down on the total, when he was unfortunately run out. Nomads tailed off a little after that but still finished on a respectable 180 for 6 for a 27 run defeat.
It was Emil Todorow's 250th successive appearance for the club. He hasn't missed a Nomads match since September 2002. The verdict of most people is that this is a fantastic achievement. John's verdict; "Doesn't he have a life?" Mind you, John hardly ever misses a match himself.
Tributes to Emil and to Hassan - who is now on about 5,150 runs for the club - will follow soon.
Wimbledon United 207 for 8 from 35 overs.
Nomads' bowling
Hassan 5-1-38-1
Emil 2-0-22-0
Zia 7-2-32-0
Abbas 7-1-43-3
KK 7-0-37-3
Riaz 7-0-37-1
Clapham Nomads 180 for 6 from 35 overs.
Mahesh 36
Nick 6
Farhan 7
Hassan 25
Darwin 37 not out
Riaz 9
Zia 43
KK 0 not out
Did not bat; Abbas, Emil (captain), John (wkt)
F.O.W. - 15, 28, 78, 83, 99, 166
Nomads lost by 27 runs.
FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW WHEN I GET THE SCOREBOOK BACK
UPDATE......Nomads skipper Emil Todorow, playing his 250th successive game for the club, controversially inserted Wimbledon after winning the toss and our fielders stood apprehensively in the hot sun, watching Dons' prolific opening batsman Dave Hitchman taking guard. After plentiful rain in recent days, the pitch looked quite green and maybe gave hope that we could restrict Hitchman to 80 or so instead of his usual century.
This hope soon looked forlorn as United raced to 79 off 10 overs with Hitchman being outscored by his partner. Emil only bowled 2 overs as he had heavy summer flu (this was never going to prevent him, trouper that he is, from reaching his 250 game landmark.) Around this time, there was a disturbing incident as Javed, our match-winner in the corresponding fixture last year, doubled up with severe stomach pains. An ambulance was called and Javed was rushed to St George's hospital with suspected kidney stones. I hope you are feeling better, Javed.
Excellent bowling by Abbas and, particularly, Zia kept Dons to about 45 for the loss of 3 off the next 12 overs, including the vital wicket of Hitchman for 30. The pace increased again after that but the 6 wickets that were shared equally by Abbas and KK (who was unlucky not to get more) prevented the away side from racing away and our eventual target of 208 off 35 did not seem totally impossible for an in-form Nomads line-up, albeit one that was missing Javed, one of our hardest-hitting players.
Javed's place was taken by Nick Lefebve who had to open as he needed to leave early for work. Not expecting to play, Lefebve was decked out in a sort of Primark Spring/Summer Collection outfit with a loose-fitting helmet and a borrowed box, but he managed a streaky 6 before dabbing one tamely to gully off the bowling of Peter Brown "The Southfields Express."
At the other end, Mahesh Vyas continued his great form and he played out a consolidating stand of 13 from 5 overs with debutant Farhan. Cripps had Farhan caught behind but this brought Hassan out to join Mahesh and this pair have been batting brilliantly together so far this summer. The fiery Greg Dean replaced Brown downhill and had our men in some trouble with some rapid deliveries. We did pretty well to hold on, play a few shots and the score of 66 for 2 at the halfway drinks break looked OK but we now needed to score at around 8 an over.
Sadly, we lost Hassan not long after drinks and then Mahesh and Darwin, who normally have a great understanding, were involved in a run out incident and the opener departed for a fine 36. Riaz played a nice, cameo 9 but his departure put us on 99 for 5 and up against it.
It is a luxury to have a player as fine as Zia coming in at 7 and he has been in great form. Well supported by Darwin, Zia struck 6 boundaries and was on 43 with Nomads back in the hunt when we unfortunately lost him to another run out. That just about ended our chance though we flicked another 14 to bring us to 180 and a respectable defeat by only 27 runs against a fine side.
Man of the Match was Zia. Fielder of the Day is tricky for me as I did not see much of our fielding but Mahesh took a catch and made at least one fine stop at slip so he gets the nod.
No games now until 2nd July. To all those who observe Ramadan, best wishes for the month and for Eid as well. Nick
It was Emil Todorow's 250th successive appearance for the club. He hasn't missed a Nomads match since September 2002. The verdict of most people is that this is a fantastic achievement. John's verdict; "Doesn't he have a life?" Mind you, John hardly ever misses a match himself.
Tributes to Emil and to Hassan - who is now on about 5,150 runs for the club - will follow soon.
Wimbledon United 207 for 8 from 35 overs.
Nomads' bowling
Hassan 5-1-38-1
Emil 2-0-22-0
Zia 7-2-32-0
Abbas 7-1-43-3
KK 7-0-37-3
Riaz 7-0-37-1
Clapham Nomads 180 for 6 from 35 overs.
Mahesh 36
Nick 6
Farhan 7
Hassan 25
Darwin 37 not out
Riaz 9
Zia 43
KK 0 not out
Did not bat; Abbas, Emil (captain), John (wkt)
F.O.W. - 15, 28, 78, 83, 99, 166
Nomads lost by 27 runs.
FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW WHEN I GET THE SCOREBOOK BACK
UPDATE......Nomads skipper Emil Todorow, playing his 250th successive game for the club, controversially inserted Wimbledon after winning the toss and our fielders stood apprehensively in the hot sun, watching Dons' prolific opening batsman Dave Hitchman taking guard. After plentiful rain in recent days, the pitch looked quite green and maybe gave hope that we could restrict Hitchman to 80 or so instead of his usual century.
This hope soon looked forlorn as United raced to 79 off 10 overs with Hitchman being outscored by his partner. Emil only bowled 2 overs as he had heavy summer flu (this was never going to prevent him, trouper that he is, from reaching his 250 game landmark.) Around this time, there was a disturbing incident as Javed, our match-winner in the corresponding fixture last year, doubled up with severe stomach pains. An ambulance was called and Javed was rushed to St George's hospital with suspected kidney stones. I hope you are feeling better, Javed.
Excellent bowling by Abbas and, particularly, Zia kept Dons to about 45 for the loss of 3 off the next 12 overs, including the vital wicket of Hitchman for 30. The pace increased again after that but the 6 wickets that were shared equally by Abbas and KK (who was unlucky not to get more) prevented the away side from racing away and our eventual target of 208 off 35 did not seem totally impossible for an in-form Nomads line-up, albeit one that was missing Javed, one of our hardest-hitting players.
Javed's place was taken by Nick Lefebve who had to open as he needed to leave early for work. Not expecting to play, Lefebve was decked out in a sort of Primark Spring/Summer Collection outfit with a loose-fitting helmet and a borrowed box, but he managed a streaky 6 before dabbing one tamely to gully off the bowling of Peter Brown "The Southfields Express."
At the other end, Mahesh Vyas continued his great form and he played out a consolidating stand of 13 from 5 overs with debutant Farhan. Cripps had Farhan caught behind but this brought Hassan out to join Mahesh and this pair have been batting brilliantly together so far this summer. The fiery Greg Dean replaced Brown downhill and had our men in some trouble with some rapid deliveries. We did pretty well to hold on, play a few shots and the score of 66 for 2 at the halfway drinks break looked OK but we now needed to score at around 8 an over.
Sadly, we lost Hassan not long after drinks and then Mahesh and Darwin, who normally have a great understanding, were involved in a run out incident and the opener departed for a fine 36. Riaz played a nice, cameo 9 but his departure put us on 99 for 5 and up against it.
It is a luxury to have a player as fine as Zia coming in at 7 and he has been in great form. Well supported by Darwin, Zia struck 6 boundaries and was on 43 with Nomads back in the hunt when we unfortunately lost him to another run out. That just about ended our chance though we flicked another 14 to bring us to 180 and a respectable defeat by only 27 runs against a fine side.
Man of the Match was Zia. Fielder of the Day is tricky for me as I did not see much of our fielding but Mahesh took a catch and made at least one fine stop at slip so he gets the nod.
No games now until 2nd July. To all those who observe Ramadan, best wishes for the month and for Eid as well. Nick
Monday 15 May 2017
Ham & Petersham v Clapham Nomads - 14/5/17.
This was the match that had everything. I've run out of time to do the report but there will be a lot to put in it when I do. A few of the home side were less than impressed but Nomads were examplary in every sense and, as you will see from the scores, were very well-matched opponents for the home side. Ham and Petersham are an excellent club - over 200 years old - with fine facilities. It was one of the most enjoyable Nomads games and was a privilege to be a part of - even though I am still only umpiring, due to injury.
A few points. This was the Nomads highest-ever successful run chase and, I believe, our highest total batting second. Hassan also passed the fantastic landmark of 5,000 runs for the club - full tribute to follow. He also appeared to have made his highest score for Nomads but something has gone wrong with the adding up of individual totals (no problems at all with the team total, I hasten to add) and he appears actually to have made only 105 rather than the 122 John arrived at after a hasty tally. We will sort this out next week. I would be severely cheesed off if my scorebook total was ever reduced by 17 but that is because it would usually leave me with a minus score - I suppose ending up on 105 is not so bad.
Time game.
Ham and Petersham 262 for 4 from 35 overs.
Nomads' bowling;
Hassan 6-1-23-1
Emil 6-0-37-0
Abbas 8-0-64-1
Zia 6-0-43-1
KK 4-0-49-0
Mudassar 2-0-19-0
Abdul 2-0-13-0
Javed 1-0-8-0
Clapham Nomads 263 for 5 from 40.4 overs
Mahesh 8 (Returned after retiring hurt in 3rd over.)
Abdul 10
Javed 63 (originally recorded as 58)
Hassan 105 not out (originally recorded as 122 not out)
Darwin 0
Zia 66 (originally recorded as 55)
KK not out 4
Did not bat; Abbas, Emil (capt), John (wkt), Mudassar
F.O.W. - 47, 114, 119, 128, 244
Clapham Nomads won by 5 wickets with 8 balls remaining.
Man of the Match - Hassan (a fairly easy choice)
Fielder of the Day - Mudassar
As I say, there was absolutely no problem with John's recording of the scores or the team total. He just added up some players' totals wrongly (I noticed this this morning when I realised Zia's 55 looked a bit low for the amount of boundaries he had hit.)
So Nomads have one more game before our mid-season break. Wimbledon United - always difficult opponents but we have, in Hassan, a man who is averaging over 250 with the bat.
FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW.
UPDATE - Nomads arrived promptly and all on time for this fixture - arranged in midweek via The Fixture List - against Ham and Petersham at their excellent Ham Common ground. Nomads skipper Emil Todorow, in his 249th successive appearance for the club, won the toss and elected to bat, maintaining quite audibly that this gave us the additional option of drawing this Time Game if things didn't go well. This had the result of causing H & P to underestimate us slightly, which might have been of benefit later on.
The home side got off to a good start with their more senior opener milking the short square boundaries well; however we had a stroke of good fortune when he edged one from Hassan into the ground and it rolled languidly back onto the stumps - approx 20 for 1.
From then on it was hard work for our bowlers and fielders. I had a long chat with Ham's Fixtures Secretary Bobby Jordan who told me some of the history of this 202-year-old club. They have close links with the mega-rich Goldsmith family. The former MP Zac Goldsmith has played on the ground along with, I think, Imran Khan, Shane Warne and several Crystal Palace footballers. It was an interesting conversation but, when I looked up, the score had moved on to about 65 for 1. The batting was very sound but Nomads were not quite getting the rub of the green when several close LBW shouts rebutted and a couple of fiery overs from Abbas which produced a string of edges flying harmlessly over the keeper and slips.
We kept our shape in the field for a long while - though Emil was unlucky with several misfields off his bowling - but Mudassar, the youngest member of the side, showed us the way with some excellent stops and running dragbacks just short of the rope. He then finally caused the breakthrough with a well-judged catch at Short Third Man.
Ham kicked on in the second half of the innings. Excellent batting from the young Reddish, aged 15 or so and he represents his district at his age group, was a highlight. Nomads fielding became a little ragged with three Overthrows for 4 causing unnecessary runs. A nice catch was taken by Darwin at Square Leg and it was good to see Abdul back on the pitch and close to his deadly best with a Direct Hit from two-thirds of the way back and a good throw in to KK which resulted in a run out - our only other wicket. The declaration came at tea with 262 for 4 on the board. Nomads' over rate was 14.5 per hour which was not too atrocious given the amount of time we had spent collecting the ball from various parts of Ham Common, and the lack of spinners in the side. Hassan had the only really decent bowling figures with 1 for 23 off 6. Everyone else went for above 6.
Nomads were a little downhearted while we munched the excellent tea but one of the opposition did assure us there were still plenty of runs in the pitch.
As we commenced our reply, it was clear H & P were going full throttle for the win. At one end, the distinctly quick and bouncy S. Khan roared in, encouraged by vocal close up fielders, and looked a handful. At the other end. A slow bowler fed us short-ish stuff in what was clearly an attempt to gift us some runs and keep us interested in the chase. In the third over, a bouncer from Khan caught Mahesh on the top edge of his visor and our opener had to go off with facial bleeding. One of the Nomads implied that the level of concern shown to Mahesh by the home side was not exactly overwhelming but, as umpire, I am not sure that was the case and anyway, as former Nomads' paceman Jason Srhoj put it; "it's not a softcock game;" (even in Sunday non-league fixtures.)
Abdul kept up a stout defence against some fiery stuff from Khan while Javed creamed the slow bowler to the leg-side and straight boundaries - there was no-one deep - and raced into the thirties in no time. In the 9th over, with the score already on 47, Khan - who had had a half-hearted leg before shout turned down, got Abdul to glove one to the keeper. Abdul had showed guts to tough it out early on and boost our chances of achieving our target - at that stage, holding on for the draw.
Hassan came out and good, untroubled progress was maintained at both ends with the paceman tiring. Ahmed replaced Khan at the Park End and angled the ball in sharply at good pace. Runs were still on tap at the Pond End but Ham's ploy to keep us interested almost paid off as Javed skied one off the slow bowler, but fortunately for us it fell between 3 men. As the score passed 100, a paceman was also brought on at the Pond End. Javed and, particularly, Hassan were playing brilliantly but the game looked like petering out into a draw as we were well behind the rate. Then the game suddenly changed as Ahmed jagged one back to bowl Javed, Hamid bowled Darwin and Mahesh, brave and bandaged, resumed but did not last too long.
There was a very strong LBW shout against Mahesh which was turned down by Umpire Todorow resulting in the following gem from Ham's angriest fielder who was becoming incandescent with rage about .....just about everything. "They obviously don't give LBWs in Bulgaria." Interesting, as it seems they don't give a lot in Ham and Petersham either.
Around this stage, Ham's skipper got his side to start racing through the overs before the 6.30 deadline. The skipper emphasized that it was the clock on the scoreboard that counted and, at one point, I thought I heard him say that he had moved the clock back 5 minutes to ensure enough overs were bowled. Hmmm....
If this is not the case, I apologise, but if it was the case, then it backfired spectacularly. Ham bowled 15.5 per hour in the period up to 6.30 which, if you take into account that they scurried through the last few, was on a par with Nomads' rate.
After 6.30, the final 20 overs kicked in but Nomads needed around 150 and, once we were 4 down, a draw seemed to be the only target. A few more overs from slow or part-time bowlers were used to keep us chasing but this only had the effect of allowing Zia to play himself in and start to bat brilliantly, seeing it like a football. Hassan had been doing so for quite a while already. Ham seemed shocked by the power of our middle-order (a few whispers had indicated they had expected the opposite) as successive enormous sixes flew off Zia's bat - the second one right out of the ground.
Suddenly only around 65 were needed from the last 10. It was all out attack from Ham as Reddish and Ahmed steamed in, but it was sensible, controlled cricket from our boys as they chipped away at the rate.
Towards the end, Reddish bowled Zia for a fine 66. There was slight pressure on new man KK but he shrugged this off with a resounding pull for 4 (which actually looked like 6.) We were almost over the line and 5 were needed from 2 overs. Man of the Match Hassan achieved this in 4 balls to put a seal on what was a fantastic win for the Nomads.
It could be said - and was - that Nomads faced more overs than the opposition but remember that the home side did declare. Obviously, a tea-time declaration is expected but it was clear they thought they had enough runs on the board to avoid defeat and were going all out to maximise their number of overs to go for the win.
Their ploy of gifting us runs and trying to induce shots was worth a try. I could see the point in it but it backfired with Nomads having batsmen as destructive as Hassan, Javed and Zia. Overall though, it was a splendid match between two sides who were a very good match-up in terms of batting (we had slightly the most destructive players), bowling (Ham had the best bowler), scoring rate and over rate. Ham had the edge in fielding but both sides had very good wicketkeepers.
I don't know if they will want to play us again. The vibe was that they won't, but it will be a game to look forward to if they do.
Man of the Match - Hassan. Originally it seemed he had made 122, his highest Nomads score, but after a recount it looks like 105. Still probably his second-best Nomads innings of all time. He was the best bowler as well. He also brought up his 5,000 runs for the Nomads. This is well clear of any other Nomads player and will almost certainly not be achieved by anyone else. I cannot think of anyone else that has managed 5,000 runs for a club of our type. Full tribute to follow.
Fielder of the Day - Mudassar.
If you check out Ham and Petersham's website (search Ham and Petersham cc on google) you will find the details of this match.....kind of. Apparently H & P lost to Battersea Eagles. Oh, close one! Clapham and Battersea do have a kind of symbiotic relationship (Clapham Junction station is in Battersea town centre). And then there is that whole Nomads and Eagles connection.....well, maybe if you live in the Atlas Mountains. To be honest though, I enjoyed this win so much I wouldn't mind if it was credited to the Mitcham Turtles.......The plot thickens, not only were we the Battersea Eagles for this match but, according to Ham and Petersham's (fake) news department, our batting was opened by Jonny Rosenthal. They must mean the Surbiton Imperials skipper, which would be great if it was true - he is a brilliant player.
A few points. This was the Nomads highest-ever successful run chase and, I believe, our highest total batting second. Hassan also passed the fantastic landmark of 5,000 runs for the club - full tribute to follow. He also appeared to have made his highest score for Nomads but something has gone wrong with the adding up of individual totals (no problems at all with the team total, I hasten to add) and he appears actually to have made only 105 rather than the 122 John arrived at after a hasty tally. We will sort this out next week. I would be severely cheesed off if my scorebook total was ever reduced by 17 but that is because it would usually leave me with a minus score - I suppose ending up on 105 is not so bad.
Time game.
Ham and Petersham 262 for 4 from 35 overs.
Nomads' bowling;
Hassan 6-1-23-1
Emil 6-0-37-0
Abbas 8-0-64-1
Zia 6-0-43-1
KK 4-0-49-0
Mudassar 2-0-19-0
Abdul 2-0-13-0
Javed 1-0-8-0
Clapham Nomads 263 for 5 from 40.4 overs
Mahesh 8 (Returned after retiring hurt in 3rd over.)
Abdul 10
Javed 63 (originally recorded as 58)
Hassan 105 not out (originally recorded as 122 not out)
Darwin 0
Zia 66 (originally recorded as 55)
KK not out 4
Did not bat; Abbas, Emil (capt), John (wkt), Mudassar
F.O.W. - 47, 114, 119, 128, 244
Clapham Nomads won by 5 wickets with 8 balls remaining.
Man of the Match - Hassan (a fairly easy choice)
Fielder of the Day - Mudassar
As I say, there was absolutely no problem with John's recording of the scores or the team total. He just added up some players' totals wrongly (I noticed this this morning when I realised Zia's 55 looked a bit low for the amount of boundaries he had hit.)
So Nomads have one more game before our mid-season break. Wimbledon United - always difficult opponents but we have, in Hassan, a man who is averaging over 250 with the bat.
FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW.
UPDATE - Nomads arrived promptly and all on time for this fixture - arranged in midweek via The Fixture List - against Ham and Petersham at their excellent Ham Common ground. Nomads skipper Emil Todorow, in his 249th successive appearance for the club, won the toss and elected to bat, maintaining quite audibly that this gave us the additional option of drawing this Time Game if things didn't go well. This had the result of causing H & P to underestimate us slightly, which might have been of benefit later on.
The home side got off to a good start with their more senior opener milking the short square boundaries well; however we had a stroke of good fortune when he edged one from Hassan into the ground and it rolled languidly back onto the stumps - approx 20 for 1.
From then on it was hard work for our bowlers and fielders. I had a long chat with Ham's Fixtures Secretary Bobby Jordan who told me some of the history of this 202-year-old club. They have close links with the mega-rich Goldsmith family. The former MP Zac Goldsmith has played on the ground along with, I think, Imran Khan, Shane Warne and several Crystal Palace footballers. It was an interesting conversation but, when I looked up, the score had moved on to about 65 for 1. The batting was very sound but Nomads were not quite getting the rub of the green when several close LBW shouts rebutted and a couple of fiery overs from Abbas which produced a string of edges flying harmlessly over the keeper and slips.
We kept our shape in the field for a long while - though Emil was unlucky with several misfields off his bowling - but Mudassar, the youngest member of the side, showed us the way with some excellent stops and running dragbacks just short of the rope. He then finally caused the breakthrough with a well-judged catch at Short Third Man.
Ham kicked on in the second half of the innings. Excellent batting from the young Reddish, aged 15 or so and he represents his district at his age group, was a highlight. Nomads fielding became a little ragged with three Overthrows for 4 causing unnecessary runs. A nice catch was taken by Darwin at Square Leg and it was good to see Abdul back on the pitch and close to his deadly best with a Direct Hit from two-thirds of the way back and a good throw in to KK which resulted in a run out - our only other wicket. The declaration came at tea with 262 for 4 on the board. Nomads' over rate was 14.5 per hour which was not too atrocious given the amount of time we had spent collecting the ball from various parts of Ham Common, and the lack of spinners in the side. Hassan had the only really decent bowling figures with 1 for 23 off 6. Everyone else went for above 6.
Nomads were a little downhearted while we munched the excellent tea but one of the opposition did assure us there were still plenty of runs in the pitch.
As we commenced our reply, it was clear H & P were going full throttle for the win. At one end, the distinctly quick and bouncy S. Khan roared in, encouraged by vocal close up fielders, and looked a handful. At the other end. A slow bowler fed us short-ish stuff in what was clearly an attempt to gift us some runs and keep us interested in the chase. In the third over, a bouncer from Khan caught Mahesh on the top edge of his visor and our opener had to go off with facial bleeding. One of the Nomads implied that the level of concern shown to Mahesh by the home side was not exactly overwhelming but, as umpire, I am not sure that was the case and anyway, as former Nomads' paceman Jason Srhoj put it; "it's not a softcock game;" (even in Sunday non-league fixtures.)
Abdul kept up a stout defence against some fiery stuff from Khan while Javed creamed the slow bowler to the leg-side and straight boundaries - there was no-one deep - and raced into the thirties in no time. In the 9th over, with the score already on 47, Khan - who had had a half-hearted leg before shout turned down, got Abdul to glove one to the keeper. Abdul had showed guts to tough it out early on and boost our chances of achieving our target - at that stage, holding on for the draw.
Hassan came out and good, untroubled progress was maintained at both ends with the paceman tiring. Ahmed replaced Khan at the Park End and angled the ball in sharply at good pace. Runs were still on tap at the Pond End but Ham's ploy to keep us interested almost paid off as Javed skied one off the slow bowler, but fortunately for us it fell between 3 men. As the score passed 100, a paceman was also brought on at the Pond End. Javed and, particularly, Hassan were playing brilliantly but the game looked like petering out into a draw as we were well behind the rate. Then the game suddenly changed as Ahmed jagged one back to bowl Javed, Hamid bowled Darwin and Mahesh, brave and bandaged, resumed but did not last too long.
There was a very strong LBW shout against Mahesh which was turned down by Umpire Todorow resulting in the following gem from Ham's angriest fielder who was becoming incandescent with rage about .....just about everything. "They obviously don't give LBWs in Bulgaria." Interesting, as it seems they don't give a lot in Ham and Petersham either.
Around this stage, Ham's skipper got his side to start racing through the overs before the 6.30 deadline. The skipper emphasized that it was the clock on the scoreboard that counted and, at one point, I thought I heard him say that he had moved the clock back 5 minutes to ensure enough overs were bowled. Hmmm....
If this is not the case, I apologise, but if it was the case, then it backfired spectacularly. Ham bowled 15.5 per hour in the period up to 6.30 which, if you take into account that they scurried through the last few, was on a par with Nomads' rate.
After 6.30, the final 20 overs kicked in but Nomads needed around 150 and, once we were 4 down, a draw seemed to be the only target. A few more overs from slow or part-time bowlers were used to keep us chasing but this only had the effect of allowing Zia to play himself in and start to bat brilliantly, seeing it like a football. Hassan had been doing so for quite a while already. Ham seemed shocked by the power of our middle-order (a few whispers had indicated they had expected the opposite) as successive enormous sixes flew off Zia's bat - the second one right out of the ground.
Suddenly only around 65 were needed from the last 10. It was all out attack from Ham as Reddish and Ahmed steamed in, but it was sensible, controlled cricket from our boys as they chipped away at the rate.
Towards the end, Reddish bowled Zia for a fine 66. There was slight pressure on new man KK but he shrugged this off with a resounding pull for 4 (which actually looked like 6.) We were almost over the line and 5 were needed from 2 overs. Man of the Match Hassan achieved this in 4 balls to put a seal on what was a fantastic win for the Nomads.
It could be said - and was - that Nomads faced more overs than the opposition but remember that the home side did declare. Obviously, a tea-time declaration is expected but it was clear they thought they had enough runs on the board to avoid defeat and were going all out to maximise their number of overs to go for the win.
Their ploy of gifting us runs and trying to induce shots was worth a try. I could see the point in it but it backfired with Nomads having batsmen as destructive as Hassan, Javed and Zia. Overall though, it was a splendid match between two sides who were a very good match-up in terms of batting (we had slightly the most destructive players), bowling (Ham had the best bowler), scoring rate and over rate. Ham had the edge in fielding but both sides had very good wicketkeepers.
I don't know if they will want to play us again. The vibe was that they won't, but it will be a game to look forward to if they do.
Man of the Match - Hassan. Originally it seemed he had made 122, his highest Nomads score, but after a recount it looks like 105. Still probably his second-best Nomads innings of all time. He was the best bowler as well. He also brought up his 5,000 runs for the Nomads. This is well clear of any other Nomads player and will almost certainly not be achieved by anyone else. I cannot think of anyone else that has managed 5,000 runs for a club of our type. Full tribute to follow.
Fielder of the Day - Mudassar.
If you check out Ham and Petersham's website (search Ham and Petersham cc on google) you will find the details of this match.....kind of. Apparently H & P lost to Battersea Eagles. Oh, close one! Clapham and Battersea do have a kind of symbiotic relationship (Clapham Junction station is in Battersea town centre). And then there is that whole Nomads and Eagles connection.....well, maybe if you live in the Atlas Mountains. To be honest though, I enjoyed this win so much I wouldn't mind if it was credited to the Mitcham Turtles.......The plot thickens, not only were we the Battersea Eagles for this match but, according to Ham and Petersham's (fake) news department, our batting was opened by Jonny Rosenthal. They must mean the Surbiton Imperials skipper, which would be great if it was true - he is a brilliant player.
Saturday 13 May 2017
Energy Exiles v Clapham Nomads - 7/5/17
After a bright start - 114 for 2 at one point - and another excellent partnership beteen Mahesh and Hassan, Nomads threw it away a bit against some professional and enterprising Exiles bowling and finished on a rather under par 147 all out. At least we had a chance to savour a 10th wicket stand between Emil and John; always worth the admission money.
In reply, our 2 veteran heroes struck early to remove Steve Parkinson - who scored an all-time Exiles record score of 141 against us last year - with a fine diving catch behind the stumps. However a well-paced stand of 90 or so between Keith Roberts - whose 50 came up with the score on only around 85 - and skipper Chris Plume took the Exiles within striking distance of victory, and they got home comfortably despite 2 late wickets from Zia.
FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW - In the meantime there is a report on Exiles' website. If you search Energy Exiles on google and then go into Match Reports and 2017 Match reports - there it is.
UPDATE - A slightly disappointing defeat against our perennial nemesis (or to use the Clapham vernacular - bloody awkward sods who always beat us) the Energy Exiles.
Nomads were surprisingly inserted by the Exiles - what were they up to this time? Also surprisingly, Simon Gundry was missing from the line-up but in Jibran Ahmed they have an opening bowler who does not quite have Gundry's accuracy but may have the slight edge on pace at times. He roared downhill and soon claimed the scalp of Darwin. A quality catch in the gully by Keith Roberts. 8 for 1. KK made his debut in this fixture last year and produced a similar pinch-hitting performance - 5 boundaries in his 22 - to lift the gloom a little. Mahesh's excellent form was continuing and his usual mixture of obduracy, flamboyant footwork and crunching leg-side blows was rapidly improving our position. When Hassan joined him, the pair picked up where they left off 2 weeks previously and produced a really high-class stand of 81 for the 3rd wicket. They kept up a good rate against the openers but Exiles fielding was, as ever, tight - particularly newcomer Geoff Ng. Having overheard that this was Ng's first competitive cricket match, our heroes tried to take a cheeky single to him, not realising that he is a Canadian baseball player. "Thwack" went the bullet throw into keeper Chris Plume's gloves right over the stumps. We survived by millimetres. Andy Wingfield and Bernard Leuvinnink took over the bowling. With the 20-over drinks break in sight, Hassan played his only loose shot of the innings, cutting one from Leuvinnink that was a little too close and being unlucky to get a thick inside edge onto the stumps. An absolutely crucial wicket.
114 for 3 quickly became 114 for 5 as Riaz - a fine catch over the fielder's shoulder - and Naeem departed either side of the drinks break. Javed and Mahesh stroked another valuable 22 runs but Exiles had, in Wingfield and Phil Ling, a pair of thinking bowlers who get a lot of movement - Ling in the air; Wingfield usually off the seam. Wingfield was not fully fit but even at 80% pace down the hill he was a handful and bowled Javed followed by the vital wicket of Zia - clipping leg stump. Meanwhile Mahesh, who had played very well for his 35 (possibly his best score against the Exiles) was deceived by an inswinger from Ling that did not move as much as Ling's usually do and was bowled. Abbas hit our only 6 of the day but departed to bring together Emil Todorow and John Crossland in what, as ever, was a treat for fans of adult entertainment. The pair stayed together for 5 overs in what Exiles' report described diplomatically as a gritty stand. It was fairly uncontroversial by their standards but they did have a sharp exchange of views about who played the most shots which, when you have just made a stand of 5 in 5 overs is rather like 2 UKIP candidates arguing about who has the greater love for the EU Parliament. Eventually Crossland holed out - his first dismissal for over a year and a half - and left Nomads with 2 unused overs and a total of 147 which was probably at last 50 below par for Cottenham Park in the sunshine.
An excellent tea was enjoyed as Nomads mulled over the possible methods of avoiding defeat. A sudden torrential thunderstorm appearing out of the bright blue sky? Mining subsidence causing the pitch to disappear? Just going home? What was not helpful, when defending 147 on a batting paradise, was seeing a man who scored 141 against us last year taking strike. Surprisingly, Exiles highest individual innings man, Steve Parkinson, was undone by a brilliant combination from Emil Todorow and John Crossland. The keeper diving forward to snaffle a ball that the veteran seamer had drifted onto the outside edge of Parkinson's bat. A fine start but Keith Roberts and Chris Plume soon began to look very assured. Roberts has always been extremely difficult to get out but he is even more adept these days at using the pace of the ball and the short straight boundaries at Cottenham Park facilitated this. Plume is also an accomplished accumulator of runs and the pair were in little trouble and took singles at will against a field that was too deep in places. Roberts passed his 50 with the score still well below 100. Some small hope was revived when Zia produced a beauty first ball up after drinks to have Roberts caught behind. Zia and John Crossland combined again for the third wicket but Plume led his side safely home for a victory that had never been in doubt from about 40 for 1 onwards.
Well done Exiles ... yet again. It was actually a fine achievement to dismiss a Nomads line-up who, in our other 3 matches this season to date (15/5), have scored a total of 703 runs for the loss of only 14 wickets.
We had an enjoyable drink afterwards in the Raynes Park Tavern where we learned that Keith Roberts' son, an off-spinner, has just made his debut for the Exiles. So there is another generation rising up to torment us. Is there no hope?
We also met Simon Gundry, taking an afternoon constitutional with his excellent dog - a pug called Beefy. Yes, named after Ian Botham, an opponent only slightly less formidable than Gundry himself. I do not know whether any Nomads have pets but, if Emil Todorow had a dog, one assumes it would be called Hick, or Graeme, after his favourite player/obsession (it would therefore have to be a Rhodesian - or Zimbabwean - Ridgeback). Being a keeper, I imagine John Crossland would have a Jack Russell. Maybe we will just hire a big, fluffy, animal mascot (like football teams have) and bring it along for the return match against Exiles on 20th August. It is worth trying anything to put them off.
Man of the Match was Hassan who scored 44.
Fielder of the Day was John Crossland; a hat-trick of catches (the only wickets we took) and only one ball went past him for byes.
Clapham Nomads 147 all out from 33 overs
Mahesh 35
Darwin 4
KK 22
Hassan 44
Riaz 0
Naeem 0
Javed 13
Zia 0
Abbas 6
Emil not out 2
John 3
F.O.W. - 8, 33, 114, 114, 114, 136, 136, 142, 142, 147
Energy Exiles 148 for 3 from 27.2 overs (K. Roberts 57)
Nomads' bowling;
Hassan 5-2-15-0
Emil 4-1-24-1
Riaz 4-0-22-0
Abbas 5-0-32-0
KK 4-0-24-0
Zia 4-0-16-2
Javed 1.2-0-8-0
Clapham Nomads lost by 7 wickets
In reply, our 2 veteran heroes struck early to remove Steve Parkinson - who scored an all-time Exiles record score of 141 against us last year - with a fine diving catch behind the stumps. However a well-paced stand of 90 or so between Keith Roberts - whose 50 came up with the score on only around 85 - and skipper Chris Plume took the Exiles within striking distance of victory, and they got home comfortably despite 2 late wickets from Zia.
FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW - In the meantime there is a report on Exiles' website. If you search Energy Exiles on google and then go into Match Reports and 2017 Match reports - there it is.
UPDATE - A slightly disappointing defeat against our perennial nemesis (or to use the Clapham vernacular - bloody awkward sods who always beat us) the Energy Exiles.
Nomads were surprisingly inserted by the Exiles - what were they up to this time? Also surprisingly, Simon Gundry was missing from the line-up but in Jibran Ahmed they have an opening bowler who does not quite have Gundry's accuracy but may have the slight edge on pace at times. He roared downhill and soon claimed the scalp of Darwin. A quality catch in the gully by Keith Roberts. 8 for 1. KK made his debut in this fixture last year and produced a similar pinch-hitting performance - 5 boundaries in his 22 - to lift the gloom a little. Mahesh's excellent form was continuing and his usual mixture of obduracy, flamboyant footwork and crunching leg-side blows was rapidly improving our position. When Hassan joined him, the pair picked up where they left off 2 weeks previously and produced a really high-class stand of 81 for the 3rd wicket. They kept up a good rate against the openers but Exiles fielding was, as ever, tight - particularly newcomer Geoff Ng. Having overheard that this was Ng's first competitive cricket match, our heroes tried to take a cheeky single to him, not realising that he is a Canadian baseball player. "Thwack" went the bullet throw into keeper Chris Plume's gloves right over the stumps. We survived by millimetres. Andy Wingfield and Bernard Leuvinnink took over the bowling. With the 20-over drinks break in sight, Hassan played his only loose shot of the innings, cutting one from Leuvinnink that was a little too close and being unlucky to get a thick inside edge onto the stumps. An absolutely crucial wicket.
114 for 3 quickly became 114 for 5 as Riaz - a fine catch over the fielder's shoulder - and Naeem departed either side of the drinks break. Javed and Mahesh stroked another valuable 22 runs but Exiles had, in Wingfield and Phil Ling, a pair of thinking bowlers who get a lot of movement - Ling in the air; Wingfield usually off the seam. Wingfield was not fully fit but even at 80% pace down the hill he was a handful and bowled Javed followed by the vital wicket of Zia - clipping leg stump. Meanwhile Mahesh, who had played very well for his 35 (possibly his best score against the Exiles) was deceived by an inswinger from Ling that did not move as much as Ling's usually do and was bowled. Abbas hit our only 6 of the day but departed to bring together Emil Todorow and John Crossland in what, as ever, was a treat for fans of adult entertainment. The pair stayed together for 5 overs in what Exiles' report described diplomatically as a gritty stand. It was fairly uncontroversial by their standards but they did have a sharp exchange of views about who played the most shots which, when you have just made a stand of 5 in 5 overs is rather like 2 UKIP candidates arguing about who has the greater love for the EU Parliament. Eventually Crossland holed out - his first dismissal for over a year and a half - and left Nomads with 2 unused overs and a total of 147 which was probably at last 50 below par for Cottenham Park in the sunshine.
An excellent tea was enjoyed as Nomads mulled over the possible methods of avoiding defeat. A sudden torrential thunderstorm appearing out of the bright blue sky? Mining subsidence causing the pitch to disappear? Just going home? What was not helpful, when defending 147 on a batting paradise, was seeing a man who scored 141 against us last year taking strike. Surprisingly, Exiles highest individual innings man, Steve Parkinson, was undone by a brilliant combination from Emil Todorow and John Crossland. The keeper diving forward to snaffle a ball that the veteran seamer had drifted onto the outside edge of Parkinson's bat. A fine start but Keith Roberts and Chris Plume soon began to look very assured. Roberts has always been extremely difficult to get out but he is even more adept these days at using the pace of the ball and the short straight boundaries at Cottenham Park facilitated this. Plume is also an accomplished accumulator of runs and the pair were in little trouble and took singles at will against a field that was too deep in places. Roberts passed his 50 with the score still well below 100. Some small hope was revived when Zia produced a beauty first ball up after drinks to have Roberts caught behind. Zia and John Crossland combined again for the third wicket but Plume led his side safely home for a victory that had never been in doubt from about 40 for 1 onwards.
Well done Exiles ... yet again. It was actually a fine achievement to dismiss a Nomads line-up who, in our other 3 matches this season to date (15/5), have scored a total of 703 runs for the loss of only 14 wickets.
We had an enjoyable drink afterwards in the Raynes Park Tavern where we learned that Keith Roberts' son, an off-spinner, has just made his debut for the Exiles. So there is another generation rising up to torment us. Is there no hope?
We also met Simon Gundry, taking an afternoon constitutional with his excellent dog - a pug called Beefy. Yes, named after Ian Botham, an opponent only slightly less formidable than Gundry himself. I do not know whether any Nomads have pets but, if Emil Todorow had a dog, one assumes it would be called Hick, or Graeme, after his favourite player/obsession (it would therefore have to be a Rhodesian - or Zimbabwean - Ridgeback). Being a keeper, I imagine John Crossland would have a Jack Russell. Maybe we will just hire a big, fluffy, animal mascot (like football teams have) and bring it along for the return match against Exiles on 20th August. It is worth trying anything to put them off.
Man of the Match was Hassan who scored 44.
Fielder of the Day was John Crossland; a hat-trick of catches (the only wickets we took) and only one ball went past him for byes.
Clapham Nomads 147 all out from 33 overs
Mahesh 35
Darwin 4
KK 22
Hassan 44
Riaz 0
Naeem 0
Javed 13
Zia 0
Abbas 6
Emil not out 2
John 3
F.O.W. - 8, 33, 114, 114, 114, 136, 136, 142, 142, 147
Energy Exiles 148 for 3 from 27.2 overs (K. Roberts 57)
Nomads' bowling;
Hassan 5-2-15-0
Emil 4-1-24-1
Riaz 4-0-22-0
Abbas 5-0-32-0
KK 4-0-24-0
Zia 4-0-16-2
Javed 1.2-0-8-0
Clapham Nomads lost by 7 wickets
Monday 1 May 2017
Burgh Heath v Clapham Nomads - 30/4/17
Nomads made it 2 out of 2 with an emphatic victory against a much-changed Burgh Heath side including several first team league players. A very entertaining match played in an excellent, sporting atmosphere
Although Nomads did not bowl a single maiden, Burgh Heath, despite including several players from their 1st team Surrey Downs League side, could not really accelerate apart from a spell around overs 25 to 30. Zia made the early breakthrough but it was Emil who really put a clamp on the scoring rate. The first man out described Emil's bowling thus; "The old boy's just so frustrating. He doesn't spin it but it just takes forever to come down." I was not going to put this in the report but in the interests of accurate journalistic representation (and not because I want to take the piss out of Emil - I'm not that brave) I have done. Anyway, if you can restrict club players to 2.3 an over on a good track in a 35 overs a side game, you must be doing something right.
Further tight spells from KK and a flurry of late wickets from Abbas, Mudassar and Javed meant Burgh only posted 141 which was gettable on paper however, with both the previous week's batting heroes missing, we felt our chances were only around 50 % at tea.
Two early wickets for the home side removed our experimental opening partnership - Zahid and Naeem and a bright start from Riaz was cut off in its prime by a rare leg before decision from Umpire Lefebve (I don't give too many but this was a yorker on leg and middle...sorry. It was given very reluctantly as I really enjoy Riaz's batting.) 35 for 3 and we were in a spot of bother. Fortunately, Darwin played a fine hand on seasonal debut with a hard-hitting 27. Javed was still there and - usually an explosive hitter - played very sensibly (rotating the strike and progressing from 20 to 40 with 2 twos and 16 singles. When Darwin departed on 88 for 4 there was still a lot of work to do but Zia took command - the highlight was a brilliant hook shot - and quickly knocked off 38 of the 53 runs we needed to win.
A great way to secure only our second victory over Burgh in about 7 games. A win that looked in doubt for while but was eventually secured with almost 10 overs to spare.
Burgh Heath 141 for 5 (Masini 49, Matthew 40) from 35 overs
Nomads bowling;
Zia 7-0-28-1
Emil 7-0-16-0
Abbas 7-0-32-1
KK 7-0-25-0
Mudassar 4-0-31-1
Javed 3-0-7-2
Clapham Nomads 143 for 4 from 25.2 overs
Zahid 3
Naeem 8
Javed 47 not out
Riaz 10
Darwin 27
Zia not out 38
Did not bat: KK, Abbas, Emil(capt), John (wkt), Mudassar
F.O.W. - 11, 17, 35, 88
Clapham Nomads won by 6 wickets.
Man of the Match - Javed
Fielder of the Day - Mudassar
Although Javed was Man of the Match on the figures, I must mention the brilliant all-round contribution made to this fixture by Zia who not only opened the bowling, saw us home to victory in an unbroken 50 partnership with Javed, but also brought along 3 new players (including the excellent, youthful Mudassar) as we were hit by injuries and withdrawals. He also played one of the best shots seen from a Nomads player; a stunning hook right off his nose against a lively paceman.
Next up is Energy Exiles and it looks as if we might have a strong side on paper - we are going to need it. If any players with test experience (oh go on, we might also consider county players as well) are reading this, then please contact me and you can have my place.
Although Nomads did not bowl a single maiden, Burgh Heath, despite including several players from their 1st team Surrey Downs League side, could not really accelerate apart from a spell around overs 25 to 30. Zia made the early breakthrough but it was Emil who really put a clamp on the scoring rate. The first man out described Emil's bowling thus; "The old boy's just so frustrating. He doesn't spin it but it just takes forever to come down." I was not going to put this in the report but in the interests of accurate journalistic representation (and not because I want to take the piss out of Emil - I'm not that brave) I have done. Anyway, if you can restrict club players to 2.3 an over on a good track in a 35 overs a side game, you must be doing something right.
Further tight spells from KK and a flurry of late wickets from Abbas, Mudassar and Javed meant Burgh only posted 141 which was gettable on paper however, with both the previous week's batting heroes missing, we felt our chances were only around 50 % at tea.
Two early wickets for the home side removed our experimental opening partnership - Zahid and Naeem and a bright start from Riaz was cut off in its prime by a rare leg before decision from Umpire Lefebve (I don't give too many but this was a yorker on leg and middle...sorry. It was given very reluctantly as I really enjoy Riaz's batting.) 35 for 3 and we were in a spot of bother. Fortunately, Darwin played a fine hand on seasonal debut with a hard-hitting 27. Javed was still there and - usually an explosive hitter - played very sensibly (rotating the strike and progressing from 20 to 40 with 2 twos and 16 singles. When Darwin departed on 88 for 4 there was still a lot of work to do but Zia took command - the highlight was a brilliant hook shot - and quickly knocked off 38 of the 53 runs we needed to win.
A great way to secure only our second victory over Burgh in about 7 games. A win that looked in doubt for while but was eventually secured with almost 10 overs to spare.
Burgh Heath 141 for 5 (Masini 49, Matthew 40) from 35 overs
Nomads bowling;
Zia 7-0-28-1
Emil 7-0-16-0
Abbas 7-0-32-1
KK 7-0-25-0
Mudassar 4-0-31-1
Javed 3-0-7-2
Clapham Nomads 143 for 4 from 25.2 overs
Zahid 3
Naeem 8
Javed 47 not out
Riaz 10
Darwin 27
Zia not out 38
Did not bat: KK, Abbas, Emil(capt), John (wkt), Mudassar
F.O.W. - 11, 17, 35, 88
Clapham Nomads won by 6 wickets.
Man of the Match - Javed
Fielder of the Day - Mudassar
Although Javed was Man of the Match on the figures, I must mention the brilliant all-round contribution made to this fixture by Zia who not only opened the bowling, saw us home to victory in an unbroken 50 partnership with Javed, but also brought along 3 new players (including the excellent, youthful Mudassar) as we were hit by injuries and withdrawals. He also played one of the best shots seen from a Nomads player; a stunning hook right off his nose against a lively paceman.
Next up is Energy Exiles and it looks as if we might have a strong side on paper - we are going to need it. If any players with test experience (oh go on, we might also consider county players as well) are reading this, then please contact me and you can have my place.
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