Long Ditton v Clapham Nomads - 6/9/15

Nomads' bowlers avoided the battering they have been receiving in recent weeks with a very decent performance to restrict a young Long Ditton side to 141 for 9 from 35 overs.
Emil and Abdul bowled very tidily to set the tone.  The score was only 65 at the 20 over drinks break.  The later highlight was a "Ball of the Century" wicket from a Hassan leg spinner.  The other bowlers; Qasim, Gul and Imran turned in useful performances as well.  Fielding was good - it felt like a respite for fielders still shell-shocked after the previous 3 games.  Mahesh took the best catch with Hamid chipping in with a juggling effort.  Hamid also engineered a run out.  Ditton closed on 141 for 9 after some late acceleration.
Prasanth took 10 off the second over with some powerful leg side shots but a quiet spell followed, as did a few wickets.  We were very pleased to welcome Hassan back to our line-up and he obliged with a fine 49. At one stage we were 91 for 3 and ahead of the rate but, of the middle order, only Imran delivered and a rash of sloppy shots reduced us to around 105 for 9 with Nick Lefebve and John Crossland at the crease.  Both men managed to hit it past the absurdly close field but a misjudged pull from Lefebve ended our innings on 111 with about 5 overs unused.
A disappointing defeat in a game in which we had the edge for long periods but still an improvement on recent weeks.
There were a couple of things about this match that left a slightly sour taste in the mouth.  I will flesh out the report in the next week or so.

Long Ditton  141 for 9 from 35 overs

Nomads' bowling;
A. Khan  5-0-16-1
Todorow  7-1-22-1
Qasim  7-0-23-2
Gul  5-0-26-2
H. Khan  6-0-25-2
Imran  5-0-28-1

Clapham Nomads  111 from 30.2 overs

M. Vyas  16
Pattiyil  11
Hamid  1
H. Khan  49
Imran  15
Gul  0
Qasim  0
A. Khan  0
Lefebve  4
Todorow  2
Crossland  2 not out

F.O.W. - 23, 25, 62, 91, 100, 100, 100, 101, 108, 111

Man of the Match was Hassan
Fielder of the Day - Mahesh and Hamid come under consideration but a clean sheet (no byes) from keeper John Crossland wins him the award.

Clapham Nomads lost by 30 runs.