Clapham Nomads v Addington 1743 - 20/7/14

Sorry for the delay, I had some problems getting online.
Nomads lost 8 days ago to Addington at Nursery Road.  The margin was 9 wickets - in fact we came close to our first ever 10-wicket defeat - but it wasn't quite the thrashing it sounds.  It was a reasonably enjoyable day against a pleasant and sporting opposition.  FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW,

 Clapham Nomads  74 all out from 25.3 overs

M. Bradshaw  2
P. Pattiyil  34
M. Islam  5
M. Vyas  1
G. Poole  4
N. Lefebve  not out 4
E. Todorow  1
A. Paz  1
J. Crossland  1
A. West  0

F.O.W. - 4, 16, 48, 53, 61, 64, 66, 70, 74

Addington 1743  -  78 for 1 from 17.2 overs

Nomads bowling;

A. Paz  5-0-26-0
E. Todorow  5-1-20-0
A. West  4-1-12-1
M. Islam  3-0-12-0
G. Poole  0.2-0-5-0

Nomads lost by 9 wickets.

Man of the Match was Prasanth Pattiyil, the one batsman to make much headway against a useful, pacy attack on a slightly trappy pitch.  Pick of the bowlers was Andrew West who bowled an accurate spell.  Fielder of the Day was debutant Mohammed Islam who took a splendid diving catch when Addington only required 4 to win, to save us from 10-wicket humiliation.

REPORT........ 20th July saw new opponents visit the Nomads at Nursery Road; Addington (1743) who, as indicated by their name, are one of the oldest clubs in the country and have a fascinating history.  I wonder how long it will be before we are known as Clapham Nomads (1994).  Sometime next century, I guess.  How many consecutive appearances will Emil Todorow have made by then?
One piece of trivia that links us is that both clubs have had a Test cricketer play for them in the past 7 years.  For more details, google Addington Mohammed Amir.
The start was delayed as several Addington players went to the wrong Nursery Road, SW19.  This might have been my fault....sorry, guys!  The visiting skipper Frank Gibson eventually won the toss and inserted Nomads on a pitch that looked dodgier than anything Merton Council have produced for a few years, though this could be explained by the weather of the previous few days which had featured 88 degree heat alternating with torrential thunderstorms.
Amsad and Miah took the new ball against a Nomads line-up depleted by Ramadan and the latter bowler struck with the 9th ball of the innings, bowling Mark Bradshaw with a ball that deviated in off the pitch and kept low.
A boundary apiece for Prasanth Pattiyil and debut man Mohammed Islam could not disguise the threat posed by the pacy openers on a track offering plenty of assistance.  Miah struck again in his 2nd over, having the former Energy Exiles player Islam smartly caught behind.
Mahesh Vyas joined Prasanth and a lot depended on this stand.  These two tend to bat well together but often have a few run out scares as well.  The batting below Vyas had a somewhat threadbare look to it.
Prasanth started to play some powerful shots and, with Mahesh providing solid support, the opening spells were seen off.  38 for 2 off 8 overs was a bit more like it.
Reasonable progress was maintained against the change bowlers McDowell and Rehman but on 48 Vyas snicked one leg side a bit unluckily into the keeper's gloves.
Prasanth managed one further 4 but was bowled by Rahman for a fine 34.
George Poole cracked an excellent 4 behind Point but, in doing so, aggravated a shoulder injury and, understandably, failed to get the bat down onto a pearoller from Rehman.  61 for 5.
Nick Lefebve was digging in and, while Poole, Todorow and Paz - who can all play big shots - were around, he was content to hold one end up.  Unfortunately, Todorow's wicket was soon snapped up by the lethal Rehman and then Gibson rapped Paz's pads; the ball dropped to the ground, hesitated (if an inanimate object can hesitate) and crawled back onto the base of the stumps with just about enough energy to dislodge a bail.  A most unlucky wicket.
Lefebve now had to take the initiative and clipped a few leg-side shots off Gibson but also missed several good opportunities.  John Crossland got off the mark nicely but this was the cue for the openers to return and Miah bagged our wicketkeeper to pave the way for the entrance of Mr Andrew West, the type of batsman Addington may not have encountered before, despite their 271-year history.
Miah knocked back West's stumps second ball with a fast full toss which, despite passing West at knee height, was called a No Ball.  An understandable call, I suppose, given that West was batting and cricket is all about entertainment. It was only a brief reprieve as a slower ball did for our last man to wrap up the innings on 74.
Victory seemed off the agenda against a sharp-looking Away side but, with the irregular bounce, we were hopeful of taking a few wickets and making it interesting.
Adam Paz had first go and bowled as quickly as he has for Nomads.  Emil Todorow featured at the other end.  There were chances; a tricky catch went down in the deep and Todorow lost sight of a gentle caught and bowled opportunity in the fierce sun.  The batsman cracked on at 5 an over though and any pressure soon dissipated.  If I had been captain, I might have brought the change bowlers on earlier.  Andrew West is the most accurate of our 4 main bowlers in this match and makes batsmen play - important on this dodgy track, while Mohammed Islam was reputed to be a quality leggie and so he proved; slow and loopy but extracting some sharp turn.  These two produced our best bowling but the openers were well set and we looked on course for our first-ever 10-wicket defeat when West caused the batsman to chip one up towards short Mid Off where Mohammed Islam took a superb diving catch.
An injured George Poole bowled his first 2 balls for Nomads as the last rites were administered.
A heavy defeat obviously, but I enjoyed playing against Addington, a nice bunch of guys who play the game the right way; tough but fair and sporting. I hope we'll play them again with a stronger Nomads line-up.
We had a drink in the Prince of Wales with 3 of Addington's elder statesmen who were highly amused as John repeated continuously; "That was a complete waste of my time."  I got the impression that John's antics helped to rescue their day from being a waste of time.  There was also quite a poignant moment as Andrew West, who has only been a sporadic selection in recent years, suddenly gazed into the distance and said; "I'd love to play every game."