Happy New Year to all, especially Nomads players.
We will have our annual meeting on Sunday 15th February at the Namak Mandi in Tooting. More details soon.
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Energy Exiles v Clapham Nomads - 14/9/14
Energy Exiles 227 for 7 from 35 overs
Nomads' bowling
H. Khan 7-1-28-3
E. Todorow 7-2-28-0
Abbas Khan 7-0-31-2
A. West 7-0-52-0
Abdul Khan 6-0-79-1
Gul 1-0-9-0
Clapham Nomads 127 all out from 34.5 overs
M. Vyas 10
P. Pattiyil 0
Gul 22
H. Khan 50
D. Gunewardena 14
Paul McColgan 2
Abdul Khan 0
E. Todorow (capt) 3
Abbas Khan 4
J. Crossland (wkt) not out 0
A. West 0
F.O.W. - 3, 27, 76, 114, 120, 121, 124, 127, 127, 127
Nomads lost by 100 runs to a strong Energy Exiles side featuring many of the old favourites. Vicious late acceleration took Exiles up to 227 at tea. Nomads could never really match that scoring rate and were all out on the penultimate ball for 127. The final Nomads action of 2014 was Andrew West sliding through the dust and chalk in earnest discussion with John. More to follow...
REPORT.
The last game of 2014 was a trip to Nursery Road to play the Energy Exiles. It was a more traditional line-up for our old rivals (compared to last month's) with many old favourites on show - notably Andy Wingfield, Simon Gundry and skipper John Tither.
For Nomads, a late withdrawal by Riaz meant a call-up for Andrew West and there was a debut for Paul McColgan, who saw West walking to the ground in his cricket gear and, understandably inspired by such a sight, asked if he could play. With one eye on building a squad for next season, we included McColgan, hoping that we could convince the Exiles that he is a Brisbane Grade cricketer (Paul's Glaswegian cadence gave the lie to that one.)
Nomads elected to field and the Auld Firm of Hassan and Emil took the new ball. The more hirsute of the pair immediately found a nagging length just short of half volley. John Tither dug in ominously but there was an early wicket when Vishal Shete skied it to Hassan for a caught and bowled. As the batsman came off he credited the wicket to Todorow's pressure; "The other fella got me. He's just so frustrating with his length and taking so long to bowl and he's got an unusual action."
Good early pressure was maintained with the score on 25 for 1 after 10 and around 3.5 an over at drinks. Emil had only gone for 20 with 2 balls of his spell to go but John Tither hit boundaries off both of Emil's final deliveries.
Gradual acceleration took place but 2 further wickets for Hassan, who looked more of a threat as he slowed down, backed by a good spell from Abbas and excellent catching from several Nomads kept the contest pretty even.
Andrew West, top of the bowling averages at the start of the game, had an enormous shout for caught behind turned down when Karamvir Mangat was on around 30 but it was declined, much to keeper John Crossland's bemusement and the bowler's extreme and possibly Anglo-Saxon consternation.
With 6 overs to go, the score was 155 with Exiles just slightly ahead on points. Energy have often kicked on sharply against us at the death but never as spectacularly as they did in this match. Barry Whiteman, plus proven hitters Gundry and Wingfield, knocked it about most entertainingly but Mangat was an absolute star, racing from 50 to a scintillating ton in only 19 balls. Probably the finest innings in a Nomads/Exiles game. The only knock that could rival it would be Hassan's match-winning century 4 weeks previously.
Exiles raced away at exactly 12 an over off the last 6 to close on 227 for 7 off the full 35. Nomads had scored 208 for 3 off 33.4 in the August game against Exiles on the same ground (and would have got close to 220 off 35), so on paper 228 was not an impossible target with our batting line-up slightly stronger than on 17/8. However, with Wingfield and Gundry set to bowl, we were massively up against it; even more so when Terence Moynihan bowled Prasanth round his legs early on.
With Moynihan obtaining sharp inward movement (making LBWs difficult to give - even for Nomads' umpires) and Andy Wingfield back close to his best, the next few overs were tough but Mahesh Vyas and Gul did a good job to keep their wickets intact and match Exiles' 10-over score of 25 for 1.
Wingfield broke through in the 11th over, having Vyas caught behind for a gritty and useful 10. Last month's hero Hassan joined Gul and steady progress was made against Phil Ling. Skipper Tither played his trump card at this point, introducing Simon Gundry to the attack. The big man generated good pace and conceded only 3 runs from his first 3 overs, leaving Nomads with just a bit too much to do.
Ling bowled Gul for a combative 22. Darwin joined Hassan and the pair played with considerable dash. The pressure was on though and one risky single too many was attempted, Darwin being run out on 114.
After a streaky start, the left-handed McColgan played nice and straight but was the victim of another run out.
Hassan reached another excellent 50 but became Gundry's first victim. The innings then began to tail off. Abdul and Abbas were bowled by Gundry and Moynihan respectively. As the last rites approched, it was pretty much Gundry versus Todorow, West and Crossland - a distillation of all that we love about Exiles/Nomads fixtures. Todorow played a quite glorious Cover Drive against the big paceman; it had grace, command, elegance, everything but power (it was as if a dark-haired, right-handed David Gower was batting with a piece of driftwood) but it still went for a most enjoyable single. The bowler responded with a series of snorting lifters. Emil finally managed to get a thin edge to the 4th one, departing and bringing No. 11 Andrew West out to join John Crossland for the penultimate delivery of the innings. West was incandescent with irritation that he was unlikely to bat so (as umpire) I whispered to him that he should run if the ball beat the keeper or the inner field. Crossland parried the ball towards his feet and West charged up the pitch only to be turned back indignantly by John. West turned - eventually - and dived for the crease but was run out by a yard; and so another golden summer of Nomads cricket ended in a haze of dust, chalk, slanting sunlight and oaths.
It was an enjoyable day despite the heavy defeat. It was good to see all the old faces including the semi-retired Naren Patel who showed up at tea. Exiles have always been a tough bowling unit and a crafty and professional batting side, but they have now added a streak of frighteningly fast-scoring flair and they are going to be very difficult to beat next summer. I may be putting out an inter-continental trunk call to a certain Mr Copeland. One new feature of Exiles' play was the interval huddle. Just in case any Nomad is thinking of suggesting at the meeting that we do this, then please don't. I'm not sure we could afford the Policing fees.
Man of the Match was Hassan, with another fine half-century and the best bowling figures. Abbas took 2 well-judged catches in the deep to claim Fielder of the Day but a much-improved performance from John Crossland behind the sticks ran him close. If Andrew had not played in this match he would have topped the bowling averages. He has dipped below Hassan after this game but has still done well to finish miles clear of any other regular bowler.
Nomads' bowling
H. Khan 7-1-28-3
E. Todorow 7-2-28-0
Abbas Khan 7-0-31-2
A. West 7-0-52-0
Abdul Khan 6-0-79-1
Gul 1-0-9-0
Clapham Nomads 127 all out from 34.5 overs
M. Vyas 10
P. Pattiyil 0
Gul 22
H. Khan 50
D. Gunewardena 14
Paul McColgan 2
Abdul Khan 0
E. Todorow (capt) 3
Abbas Khan 4
J. Crossland (wkt) not out 0
A. West 0
F.O.W. - 3, 27, 76, 114, 120, 121, 124, 127, 127, 127
Nomads lost by 100 runs to a strong Energy Exiles side featuring many of the old favourites. Vicious late acceleration took Exiles up to 227 at tea. Nomads could never really match that scoring rate and were all out on the penultimate ball for 127. The final Nomads action of 2014 was Andrew West sliding through the dust and chalk in earnest discussion with John. More to follow...
REPORT.
The last game of 2014 was a trip to Nursery Road to play the Energy Exiles. It was a more traditional line-up for our old rivals (compared to last month's) with many old favourites on show - notably Andy Wingfield, Simon Gundry and skipper John Tither.
For Nomads, a late withdrawal by Riaz meant a call-up for Andrew West and there was a debut for Paul McColgan, who saw West walking to the ground in his cricket gear and, understandably inspired by such a sight, asked if he could play. With one eye on building a squad for next season, we included McColgan, hoping that we could convince the Exiles that he is a Brisbane Grade cricketer (Paul's Glaswegian cadence gave the lie to that one.)
Nomads elected to field and the Auld Firm of Hassan and Emil took the new ball. The more hirsute of the pair immediately found a nagging length just short of half volley. John Tither dug in ominously but there was an early wicket when Vishal Shete skied it to Hassan for a caught and bowled. As the batsman came off he credited the wicket to Todorow's pressure; "The other fella got me. He's just so frustrating with his length and taking so long to bowl and he's got an unusual action."
Good early pressure was maintained with the score on 25 for 1 after 10 and around 3.5 an over at drinks. Emil had only gone for 20 with 2 balls of his spell to go but John Tither hit boundaries off both of Emil's final deliveries.
Gradual acceleration took place but 2 further wickets for Hassan, who looked more of a threat as he slowed down, backed by a good spell from Abbas and excellent catching from several Nomads kept the contest pretty even.
Andrew West, top of the bowling averages at the start of the game, had an enormous shout for caught behind turned down when Karamvir Mangat was on around 30 but it was declined, much to keeper John Crossland's bemusement and the bowler's extreme and possibly Anglo-Saxon consternation.
With 6 overs to go, the score was 155 with Exiles just slightly ahead on points. Energy have often kicked on sharply against us at the death but never as spectacularly as they did in this match. Barry Whiteman, plus proven hitters Gundry and Wingfield, knocked it about most entertainingly but Mangat was an absolute star, racing from 50 to a scintillating ton in only 19 balls. Probably the finest innings in a Nomads/Exiles game. The only knock that could rival it would be Hassan's match-winning century 4 weeks previously.
Exiles raced away at exactly 12 an over off the last 6 to close on 227 for 7 off the full 35. Nomads had scored 208 for 3 off 33.4 in the August game against Exiles on the same ground (and would have got close to 220 off 35), so on paper 228 was not an impossible target with our batting line-up slightly stronger than on 17/8. However, with Wingfield and Gundry set to bowl, we were massively up against it; even more so when Terence Moynihan bowled Prasanth round his legs early on.
With Moynihan obtaining sharp inward movement (making LBWs difficult to give - even for Nomads' umpires) and Andy Wingfield back close to his best, the next few overs were tough but Mahesh Vyas and Gul did a good job to keep their wickets intact and match Exiles' 10-over score of 25 for 1.
Wingfield broke through in the 11th over, having Vyas caught behind for a gritty and useful 10. Last month's hero Hassan joined Gul and steady progress was made against Phil Ling. Skipper Tither played his trump card at this point, introducing Simon Gundry to the attack. The big man generated good pace and conceded only 3 runs from his first 3 overs, leaving Nomads with just a bit too much to do.
Ling bowled Gul for a combative 22. Darwin joined Hassan and the pair played with considerable dash. The pressure was on though and one risky single too many was attempted, Darwin being run out on 114.
After a streaky start, the left-handed McColgan played nice and straight but was the victim of another run out.
Hassan reached another excellent 50 but became Gundry's first victim. The innings then began to tail off. Abdul and Abbas were bowled by Gundry and Moynihan respectively. As the last rites approched, it was pretty much Gundry versus Todorow, West and Crossland - a distillation of all that we love about Exiles/Nomads fixtures. Todorow played a quite glorious Cover Drive against the big paceman; it had grace, command, elegance, everything but power (it was as if a dark-haired, right-handed David Gower was batting with a piece of driftwood) but it still went for a most enjoyable single. The bowler responded with a series of snorting lifters. Emil finally managed to get a thin edge to the 4th one, departing and bringing No. 11 Andrew West out to join John Crossland for the penultimate delivery of the innings. West was incandescent with irritation that he was unlikely to bat so (as umpire) I whispered to him that he should run if the ball beat the keeper or the inner field. Crossland parried the ball towards his feet and West charged up the pitch only to be turned back indignantly by John. West turned - eventually - and dived for the crease but was run out by a yard; and so another golden summer of Nomads cricket ended in a haze of dust, chalk, slanting sunlight and oaths.
It was an enjoyable day despite the heavy defeat. It was good to see all the old faces including the semi-retired Naren Patel who showed up at tea. Exiles have always been a tough bowling unit and a crafty and professional batting side, but they have now added a streak of frighteningly fast-scoring flair and they are going to be very difficult to beat next summer. I may be putting out an inter-continental trunk call to a certain Mr Copeland. One new feature of Exiles' play was the interval huddle. Just in case any Nomad is thinking of suggesting at the meeting that we do this, then please don't. I'm not sure we could afford the Policing fees.
Man of the Match was Hassan, with another fine half-century and the best bowling figures. Abbas took 2 well-judged catches in the deep to claim Fielder of the Day but a much-improved performance from John Crossland behind the sticks ran him close. If Andrew had not played in this match he would have topped the bowling averages. He has dipped below Hassan after this game but has still done well to finish miles clear of any other regular bowler.
Dulwich v Clapham Nomads - 7/9/14
7th September saw another trip to Dulwich Sports Ground, the Turney Road home of Dulwich cc's increasingly formidable Development XI.
Dulwich advertise themselves as South London's top club and it would be hard to argue with that - certainly if you are talking of SE and SW post codes only - their facilities and coaching are excellent.
Nomads won the toss and had a bowl, but once again learnt a lesson that is being drummed into us more and more often; it is almost impossible to dismiss a side full of well-coached youngsters on a good track. Hassan bowled excellently and had at least 2 good chances missed off his bowling, while Emil turned in the best figures with 1 for 29 off his 7 overs. It took the extra pace of Abbas to provide some kind of cutting edge, with 2 wickets for the young paceman. 3 run outs gave the scorebook a slightly healthier sheen from our point of view; John Crossland and Riaz combining for 2 of them.
Dulwich closed on 190 for 6. Nomads had managed 198 against them last year but that was off 43 overs. Our chances took a mortal blow at tea when Hassan had to leave for urgent family reasons. Dulwich supremo John Lawrence sportingly allowed our 12th Man Adnan to bat in Hassan's place.
Mark Bradshaw concluded his fine comeback season with a well-crafted 32. Mahesh Vyas provided some support with 7 and helped see off the openers. Mahesh has done this several times this summer and has had a slightly better season than the averages will suggest.
The highlight of our knock was when Darwin, who had scored 193 runs in the previous 3 games since he was last out, made 10 here to bring up a kind of Double Century; possibly the first Nomad to achieve this feat.
Below Darwin, however, there was little support for Mark and a series of rash shots and soft dismissals caused a steady subsidence. Dulwich had 2 excellent spinners who caused carnage. When I started playing for Open University and Nomads 25 years ago, spinners/slow bowlers were a) fat, b) slow, c) drunk and d) unable to turn the ball. I had 3 of the above characteristics myself. These Dulwich guys, however, had none of the above. They were well-coached and may have been watching video footage of Warne, Murali and even Swann and Panesar. Almost cheating, that is.
Nomads ended on 104 all out. How much difference did Hassan's absence make? Well, Adnan scored 8, so Hassan would have needed to score 95 for us to win, all else being equal.
Man of the Match goes to Darwin for passing the 200 landmark (even though almost all the runs were scored in previous games.) He also took 2 catches to claim Fielder of the Day as well, with Riaz a close second. John Crossland had one of his rare off days behind the stumps and was quite downhearted, but I am so late in writing this report that I already know he bounced back well.
Dulwich 190 for 6 from 35 overs
Nomads' bowling
H. Khan 7-0-24-0
Sami 7-0-41-0
Abbas Khan 7-0-41-2
E. Todorow 7-0-29-1
R.Khan 3-0-14-0
Abdul Khan 4-0-35-0
Clapham Nomads 104 all out
M. Bradshaw 32
M. Vyas 7
R. Khan 0
Hamid 5
D. Gunewardena 10
Adnan Khan 8
Abdul Khan 13
Sami 10
E. Todorow (capt) not out 1
J. Crossland (wkt) 0
Clapham Nomads lost by 86 runs.
Dulwich advertise themselves as South London's top club and it would be hard to argue with that - certainly if you are talking of SE and SW post codes only - their facilities and coaching are excellent.
Nomads won the toss and had a bowl, but once again learnt a lesson that is being drummed into us more and more often; it is almost impossible to dismiss a side full of well-coached youngsters on a good track. Hassan bowled excellently and had at least 2 good chances missed off his bowling, while Emil turned in the best figures with 1 for 29 off his 7 overs. It took the extra pace of Abbas to provide some kind of cutting edge, with 2 wickets for the young paceman. 3 run outs gave the scorebook a slightly healthier sheen from our point of view; John Crossland and Riaz combining for 2 of them.
Dulwich closed on 190 for 6. Nomads had managed 198 against them last year but that was off 43 overs. Our chances took a mortal blow at tea when Hassan had to leave for urgent family reasons. Dulwich supremo John Lawrence sportingly allowed our 12th Man Adnan to bat in Hassan's place.
Mark Bradshaw concluded his fine comeback season with a well-crafted 32. Mahesh Vyas provided some support with 7 and helped see off the openers. Mahesh has done this several times this summer and has had a slightly better season than the averages will suggest.
The highlight of our knock was when Darwin, who had scored 193 runs in the previous 3 games since he was last out, made 10 here to bring up a kind of Double Century; possibly the first Nomad to achieve this feat.
Below Darwin, however, there was little support for Mark and a series of rash shots and soft dismissals caused a steady subsidence. Dulwich had 2 excellent spinners who caused carnage. When I started playing for Open University and Nomads 25 years ago, spinners/slow bowlers were a) fat, b) slow, c) drunk and d) unable to turn the ball. I had 3 of the above characteristics myself. These Dulwich guys, however, had none of the above. They were well-coached and may have been watching video footage of Warne, Murali and even Swann and Panesar. Almost cheating, that is.
Nomads ended on 104 all out. How much difference did Hassan's absence make? Well, Adnan scored 8, so Hassan would have needed to score 95 for us to win, all else being equal.
Man of the Match goes to Darwin for passing the 200 landmark (even though almost all the runs were scored in previous games.) He also took 2 catches to claim Fielder of the Day as well, with Riaz a close second. John Crossland had one of his rare off days behind the stumps and was quite downhearted, but I am so late in writing this report that I already know he bounced back well.
Dulwich 190 for 6 from 35 overs
Nomads' bowling
H. Khan 7-0-24-0
Sami 7-0-41-0
Abbas Khan 7-0-41-2
E. Todorow 7-0-29-1
R.Khan 3-0-14-0
Abdul Khan 4-0-35-0
Clapham Nomads 104 all out
M. Bradshaw 32
M. Vyas 7
R. Khan 0
Hamid 5
D. Gunewardena 10
Adnan Khan 8
Abdul Khan 13
Sami 10
E. Todorow (capt) not out 1
J. Crossland (wkt) 0
Clapham Nomads lost by 86 runs.
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Clapham Nomads v Touring Theatres - 31/8/14
Theatres were only able to raise 6 for this game at Abbey Rec. Nomads' batting order had a threadbare look to it, especially after we gave Mahesh Vyas to the opposition, We should probably have given them 2 players to make it a 9-8 contest.
There was a welcome return to Nomads action for Abdul, his broken fingers still strapped up.
Skipper John Crossland's search for a replacement opener to accompany Mark Bradshaw led him to Emil Todorow, who has opened the batting many times for the club, though not for a while, and has produced some memorable moments against pace bowlers.
The opening pair played nicely to see off some testing bowling from Ben Tranchell and Hansell, the latter recording figures of 0 for 9 off 7 overs (very economical with such a sparse field.)
Todorow looked sound. If only he was a bit quicker between the wickets, he would be a very useful standby opener. On 31 though, with the shine seen off and the hard work done, Emil middled the 7th ball (including 4 wides) of Pensen's first over, but unfortunately straight to Short Mid-Wicket where Dirk Fieldhouse held onto a sharp catch.
Numbers 3 and 4 Sami and Hamid didn't last too long but Bradshaw was starting to punch it about confidently against the change bowlers. The 3rd wicket fell on 58 and brought Darwin out to join Mark. These two were the only batsmen in out side with any kind of recent form in the book. Fortunately it was absolutely cracking form. This was maintained here; Darwin spanking it straight and towards Mid-Off, with Mark solid as ever, consolidating and rotating the strike, making it look easy.
The pick of Theatres' change bowlers was Nomads Legend Chris Kennedy who got through a 6-over stint conceding only 1 boundary. He was milked for regular singles, but 5.5 an over is not bad at all against a classy pair of batsmen and supported only by a keeper and 5 other fielders.
Great 3rd and 4th wicket stands have been the high spot of our batting this summer and the undefeated 113 put on by Mark and Darwin took Nomads up to 171 at the close. This seemed likely to be enough but the visitors had 2 new players, 1 of whom had travelled all the way from the Isle of Thanet to play, and we still remembered the century scored by another Theatres debutant, John Warnaby's cousin, last summer.
Dirk Fieldhouse's partner Maureen set out our tea for us and it was a more professionally presented meal than we usually get from Nomads. Thanks again for that, Maureen.
Skipper Crossland twirled his moustachioes thoughtfully and produced the tactical rabbit from his cap. The new ball would be shared by Abbas and Andrew West, who are very different in age, build and pace, but alike in their fiery determination.
Our own Mahesh opened with Ben Tranchell and the Theatres star was soon run out. Any suspicions that Mahesh was acting as our 5th Column were soon dispelled as he played smartly for 19, the away side's top score.
There is usually no let-up from a Crossland-captained bowling unit. The openers shared 3 wickets (West's 2 taking him to the top of the 2014 club bowling averages) and bowled their full 7 overs each. Change bowlers Sami (3 overs, 3 maidens) and Abdul (2 for 2) then polished the job off professionally.
It was a pleasant, sociable afternoon. The comedy highlight was when Hassan turned up with his family at half-time and jokingly offered his batting services to the opposition. John Crossland, not realising Hassan was joking, was distraught - his recent 100% record as skipper suddenly seeming under threat.
Man of the Match was Mark Bradshaw who saw off some useful stuff early on in his 68 to underpin our total. Darwin was a close second though, his unbeaten 62 means that, at the end of this game, he had scored 193 runs since he was last dismissed. Fingers crossed for the Double Century in the next game. I can't remember the fielding all that well (early-onset Alzheimer's - it was only 17 days ago) but I will give the fielding award to Hamid who set up the run out of Theatres' best batsman.
Clapham Nomads 171 for 3 from 35 overs
M. Bradshaw not out 68
E. Todorow 5
Sami 0
Hamid 6
D. Gunewardena not out 62
Did not bat; Abdul Khan, Abbas Khan, N. Lefebve, A. West, J, Crossland (capt/wkt)
F.O.W. - 31, 40, 58
Touring Theatres 37 all out from 19.3 overs
Nomads' bowling
Abbas Khan 7-0-17-1
A. West 7-2-8-2
Sami 3-3-0-0
Abdul Khan 2.3-1-2-2
Clapham Nomads won by 134 runs
There was a welcome return to Nomads action for Abdul, his broken fingers still strapped up.
Skipper John Crossland's search for a replacement opener to accompany Mark Bradshaw led him to Emil Todorow, who has opened the batting many times for the club, though not for a while, and has produced some memorable moments against pace bowlers.
The opening pair played nicely to see off some testing bowling from Ben Tranchell and Hansell, the latter recording figures of 0 for 9 off 7 overs (very economical with such a sparse field.)
Todorow looked sound. If only he was a bit quicker between the wickets, he would be a very useful standby opener. On 31 though, with the shine seen off and the hard work done, Emil middled the 7th ball (including 4 wides) of Pensen's first over, but unfortunately straight to Short Mid-Wicket where Dirk Fieldhouse held onto a sharp catch.
Numbers 3 and 4 Sami and Hamid didn't last too long but Bradshaw was starting to punch it about confidently against the change bowlers. The 3rd wicket fell on 58 and brought Darwin out to join Mark. These two were the only batsmen in out side with any kind of recent form in the book. Fortunately it was absolutely cracking form. This was maintained here; Darwin spanking it straight and towards Mid-Off, with Mark solid as ever, consolidating and rotating the strike, making it look easy.
The pick of Theatres' change bowlers was Nomads Legend Chris Kennedy who got through a 6-over stint conceding only 1 boundary. He was milked for regular singles, but 5.5 an over is not bad at all against a classy pair of batsmen and supported only by a keeper and 5 other fielders.
Great 3rd and 4th wicket stands have been the high spot of our batting this summer and the undefeated 113 put on by Mark and Darwin took Nomads up to 171 at the close. This seemed likely to be enough but the visitors had 2 new players, 1 of whom had travelled all the way from the Isle of Thanet to play, and we still remembered the century scored by another Theatres debutant, John Warnaby's cousin, last summer.
Dirk Fieldhouse's partner Maureen set out our tea for us and it was a more professionally presented meal than we usually get from Nomads. Thanks again for that, Maureen.
Skipper Crossland twirled his moustachioes thoughtfully and produced the tactical rabbit from his cap. The new ball would be shared by Abbas and Andrew West, who are very different in age, build and pace, but alike in their fiery determination.
Our own Mahesh opened with Ben Tranchell and the Theatres star was soon run out. Any suspicions that Mahesh was acting as our 5th Column were soon dispelled as he played smartly for 19, the away side's top score.
There is usually no let-up from a Crossland-captained bowling unit. The openers shared 3 wickets (West's 2 taking him to the top of the 2014 club bowling averages) and bowled their full 7 overs each. Change bowlers Sami (3 overs, 3 maidens) and Abdul (2 for 2) then polished the job off professionally.
It was a pleasant, sociable afternoon. The comedy highlight was when Hassan turned up with his family at half-time and jokingly offered his batting services to the opposition. John Crossland, not realising Hassan was joking, was distraught - his recent 100% record as skipper suddenly seeming under threat.
Man of the Match was Mark Bradshaw who saw off some useful stuff early on in his 68 to underpin our total. Darwin was a close second though, his unbeaten 62 means that, at the end of this game, he had scored 193 runs since he was last dismissed. Fingers crossed for the Double Century in the next game. I can't remember the fielding all that well (early-onset Alzheimer's - it was only 17 days ago) but I will give the fielding award to Hamid who set up the run out of Theatres' best batsman.
Clapham Nomads 171 for 3 from 35 overs
M. Bradshaw not out 68
E. Todorow 5
Sami 0
Hamid 6
D. Gunewardena not out 62
Did not bat; Abdul Khan, Abbas Khan, N. Lefebve, A. West, J, Crossland (capt/wkt)
F.O.W. - 31, 40, 58
Touring Theatres 37 all out from 19.3 overs
Nomads' bowling
Abbas Khan 7-0-17-1
A. West 7-2-8-2
Sami 3-3-0-0
Abdul Khan 2.3-1-2-2
Clapham Nomads won by 134 runs
Monday, 25 August 2014
Barnes Occasionals v Clapham Nomads - 24/8/14
Sunday 24/8 saw another trip to our old friends Barnes Occasionals at their ground opposite Ham House. Nomads' skipper Emil Todorow had done well to raise 11 on what is traditionally a difficult weekend to put out a full team.
This is an excellent venue. It has the reputation of being a bit remote but Emil Todorow made it door-to-ground in 32 minutes (driving at 29.5 mph all the way.) It has a semi-rustic feel; surrounded by allotments, historic buildings and farm animals and with the faint tang of horseshit (mostly in the literal sense) in the air. As you will see from the scores, it was possible to bat well on this pitch but there was plenty of assistance for both fast and slow bowlers as well.
A strong-ish Nomads batting order was inserted by Occasionals for this time game. It was nice to see two Barnes regulars; Mark Lichfield and Mike Webster, who had not played against us for a while. It was a shame the legend Keith Seed was missing but this could only help our cause.
As ever, Ollie Hogg was one of the New Ball bowlers and he bamboozled the batsmen with his mixture of swing, drift, float and occasional temptation. Tom Hooker, at just above Medium, kept it steady at the other end. Hogg rarely seems to miss out against Nomads and he struck twice in his second over; bowling, in quick succession, Gul and Prasanth, 2 players you would always back to score at least 40 between them.
6 for 2. Time for some hard graft. I thought Mahesh did a fine job in knuckling down and seeing off the shine. Tom Hooker was finding some high bounce and rapped Mahesh on the visor with one ball. Together with Hassan, Mahesh took Nomads into the 30s and his firm pull for 4 off Hogg in the 12th over could have heralded a change in the balance of power. Unfortunately, in trying to follow up, he holed out to Short Mid-Wicket. 37 for 3.
At this stage, it seemed 100 might be a fighting total on this pitch. Nomads were confident of reaching that as Hassan and Darwin continued where they left off the previous week. They soon showed that, once played in, class players could capitalise (particularly against anything short) on the lack of pace in this pitch. Hassan had warmed up with successive 4s off Hooker and a 6 off Hogg and, when change bowlers Findon (later revealed to be a former England Schools bowler), Nigel Pettitt and Mark Lichfield came on, our Middle Order stars cranked it up a few gears, taking these 3 bowlers for almost 9 an over between them. Hassan was still in the zone after last week's match-winning ton and he charged to 50. It then became clear Darwin was playing brilliantly as well with firmly-struck groundshots for 4 in the arc between Cover Point and Long Off. Darwin actually began to catch up with Hassan's score as he passed his first 50 for Nomads. Hassan was on 76 (and Darwin on 62) when someone whispered; "Hassan should get his second ton in a row." The very next ball he unfortunately pulled Mark Lichfield straight to Long Leg but the stand had realised 123. If you add that to their unbeaten partnership in the previous game, they scored 202 in no more than 25 overs.
Jonnie Randall was No. 6 and cracked a fine boundary but his main job was to support Darwin who was dominating and securing his place in Nomads' Hall of Fame. With the score on around 170, John started telling Emil he should declare. We reminded him that Darwin was on 74 and looked in no trouble at all. Once Darwin passed his previous lifetime best of 82, even John just concentrated on enjoying the batting. Darwin entered the 90s which proved to be anything but nervous as two successive 4s (his 13th and 14th) brought up a fantastic and very popular century. Emil promptly declared to give his bowlers an extra quarter of an hour (taken after tea) to go for the win.
Barnes were packed with experience but, on paper, the only player who could take them close to 200 in a couple of hours was opener Roger Price. We managed to get Price fairly early for a change; a fast, straight one from Abbas rattling the stumps with the score on 22.
With Peter Carey defending stoutly, Barnes' stall seemed set out for the draw attempt but Sami kept it interesting by inducing a mis-cued hook from No. 3 Benz which Jonnie Randall clung on to at Fine Leg despite a broken nail.
It was still 2 down at the start of the final 20 overs. Hassan entered the fray with some extravagant Leg Spinners before reverting to pace and bowling the obdurate Carey. Emil also bowled some spinners and even produced a genuine googly which No. 4 Makatrewicz just got his bat down on. The batsmen told Emil he had picked the googly but only because of their shared Slavonic blood.
2 further bowleds for Hassan brought the veteran Mike Webster to the middle. Emil put Abbas back on at the bouncier River End and there was an exciting passage of play as the young paceman bowled a fast, hostile spell and Webster did very well to survive some short stuff. In one over, 3 edges went either short or over the cordon but Webster handled the threat very impressively and even played a couple of deliberate Dilshan shots over the slips.
At the other end, Findon took advantage of the close-up field with a series of boundaries. By the time Hassan finally bowled Findon there were only 3 or 4 overs for Webster and Tom Hooker to survive, which they did quite comfortably and with capable defensive players Mark Lichfield and Ollie Hogg in reserve.
I have to say that Barnes drew this game quite easily and I wouldn't even call it a losing draw for them. It was an enjoyable game with the magic century from Man of the Match Darwin the obvious highlight. You wouldn't often score 76 and take 4 wickets and not be Man of the Match but that is what happened to Hassan. Sami was the most economical bowler. Jonnie Randall was Fielder of the Day with the only catch and the best diving stop; Prasanth was a close second.
Clapham Nomads 203 for 4 declared from 33 overs
M. Vyas 9
Gul 3
P. Pattiyil 0
H. Khan 76
D. Gunawardena not out 100
J. Randall not out 6
Did not bat; N.Lefebve, Sami, E.Todorow, Abbas Khan, J.Crossland
F.O.W. - 6, 6, 37, 160
Barnes' bowling
T. Hooker 9-2-37-0
O. Hogg 9-2-37-3
J. Findon 9-0-68-0
N. Pettitt 2-0-27-0
M. Lichfield 4-0-36-1
Barnes Occasionals 112 for 6 from 41 overs
R. Price 17
P. Carey 14
N. Benz 4
Makatrewicz 19
M. Webster not out 20
N. Pettitt 2
J. Findon 25
T. Hooker not out 0
Did not bat; M.Lichfield, O.Hogg
F.O.W. - 22, 33, 43, 60, 66, 104
Nomads' bowling
Sami 11-4-15-1
Abbas Khan 11-2-38-1
H. Khan 11-5-18-4
E. Todorow 6-2-23-0
Gul 2-0-13-0
Match drawn
This is an excellent venue. It has the reputation of being a bit remote but Emil Todorow made it door-to-ground in 32 minutes (driving at 29.5 mph all the way.) It has a semi-rustic feel; surrounded by allotments, historic buildings and farm animals and with the faint tang of horseshit (mostly in the literal sense) in the air. As you will see from the scores, it was possible to bat well on this pitch but there was plenty of assistance for both fast and slow bowlers as well.
A strong-ish Nomads batting order was inserted by Occasionals for this time game. It was nice to see two Barnes regulars; Mark Lichfield and Mike Webster, who had not played against us for a while. It was a shame the legend Keith Seed was missing but this could only help our cause.
As ever, Ollie Hogg was one of the New Ball bowlers and he bamboozled the batsmen with his mixture of swing, drift, float and occasional temptation. Tom Hooker, at just above Medium, kept it steady at the other end. Hogg rarely seems to miss out against Nomads and he struck twice in his second over; bowling, in quick succession, Gul and Prasanth, 2 players you would always back to score at least 40 between them.
6 for 2. Time for some hard graft. I thought Mahesh did a fine job in knuckling down and seeing off the shine. Tom Hooker was finding some high bounce and rapped Mahesh on the visor with one ball. Together with Hassan, Mahesh took Nomads into the 30s and his firm pull for 4 off Hogg in the 12th over could have heralded a change in the balance of power. Unfortunately, in trying to follow up, he holed out to Short Mid-Wicket. 37 for 3.
At this stage, it seemed 100 might be a fighting total on this pitch. Nomads were confident of reaching that as Hassan and Darwin continued where they left off the previous week. They soon showed that, once played in, class players could capitalise (particularly against anything short) on the lack of pace in this pitch. Hassan had warmed up with successive 4s off Hooker and a 6 off Hogg and, when change bowlers Findon (later revealed to be a former England Schools bowler), Nigel Pettitt and Mark Lichfield came on, our Middle Order stars cranked it up a few gears, taking these 3 bowlers for almost 9 an over between them. Hassan was still in the zone after last week's match-winning ton and he charged to 50. It then became clear Darwin was playing brilliantly as well with firmly-struck groundshots for 4 in the arc between Cover Point and Long Off. Darwin actually began to catch up with Hassan's score as he passed his first 50 for Nomads. Hassan was on 76 (and Darwin on 62) when someone whispered; "Hassan should get his second ton in a row." The very next ball he unfortunately pulled Mark Lichfield straight to Long Leg but the stand had realised 123. If you add that to their unbeaten partnership in the previous game, they scored 202 in no more than 25 overs.
Jonnie Randall was No. 6 and cracked a fine boundary but his main job was to support Darwin who was dominating and securing his place in Nomads' Hall of Fame. With the score on around 170, John started telling Emil he should declare. We reminded him that Darwin was on 74 and looked in no trouble at all. Once Darwin passed his previous lifetime best of 82, even John just concentrated on enjoying the batting. Darwin entered the 90s which proved to be anything but nervous as two successive 4s (his 13th and 14th) brought up a fantastic and very popular century. Emil promptly declared to give his bowlers an extra quarter of an hour (taken after tea) to go for the win.
Barnes were packed with experience but, on paper, the only player who could take them close to 200 in a couple of hours was opener Roger Price. We managed to get Price fairly early for a change; a fast, straight one from Abbas rattling the stumps with the score on 22.
With Peter Carey defending stoutly, Barnes' stall seemed set out for the draw attempt but Sami kept it interesting by inducing a mis-cued hook from No. 3 Benz which Jonnie Randall clung on to at Fine Leg despite a broken nail.
It was still 2 down at the start of the final 20 overs. Hassan entered the fray with some extravagant Leg Spinners before reverting to pace and bowling the obdurate Carey. Emil also bowled some spinners and even produced a genuine googly which No. 4 Makatrewicz just got his bat down on. The batsmen told Emil he had picked the googly but only because of their shared Slavonic blood.
2 further bowleds for Hassan brought the veteran Mike Webster to the middle. Emil put Abbas back on at the bouncier River End and there was an exciting passage of play as the young paceman bowled a fast, hostile spell and Webster did very well to survive some short stuff. In one over, 3 edges went either short or over the cordon but Webster handled the threat very impressively and even played a couple of deliberate Dilshan shots over the slips.
At the other end, Findon took advantage of the close-up field with a series of boundaries. By the time Hassan finally bowled Findon there were only 3 or 4 overs for Webster and Tom Hooker to survive, which they did quite comfortably and with capable defensive players Mark Lichfield and Ollie Hogg in reserve.
I have to say that Barnes drew this game quite easily and I wouldn't even call it a losing draw for them. It was an enjoyable game with the magic century from Man of the Match Darwin the obvious highlight. You wouldn't often score 76 and take 4 wickets and not be Man of the Match but that is what happened to Hassan. Sami was the most economical bowler. Jonnie Randall was Fielder of the Day with the only catch and the best diving stop; Prasanth was a close second.
Clapham Nomads 203 for 4 declared from 33 overs
M. Vyas 9
Gul 3
P. Pattiyil 0
H. Khan 76
D. Gunawardena not out 100
J. Randall not out 6
Did not bat; N.Lefebve, Sami, E.Todorow, Abbas Khan, J.Crossland
F.O.W. - 6, 6, 37, 160
Barnes' bowling
T. Hooker 9-2-37-0
O. Hogg 9-2-37-3
J. Findon 9-0-68-0
N. Pettitt 2-0-27-0
M. Lichfield 4-0-36-1
Barnes Occasionals 112 for 6 from 41 overs
R. Price 17
P. Carey 14
N. Benz 4
Makatrewicz 19
M. Webster not out 20
N. Pettitt 2
J. Findon 25
T. Hooker not out 0
Did not bat; M.Lichfield, O.Hogg
F.O.W. - 22, 33, 43, 60, 66, 104
Nomads' bowling
Sami 11-4-15-1
Abbas Khan 11-2-38-1
H. Khan 11-5-18-4
E. Todorow 6-2-23-0
Gul 2-0-13-0
Match drawn
Clapham Nomads Centuries
Hassan scored his 5th century for Nomads in the win against Exiles on 17/8. (I thought it was more than that. I'll check through the books again.) And now Darwin has joined the club with a ton against Barnes Occasionals yesterday. With Mark making his debut ton for the club in June, that is now 3 centuries - scored by different players - in the last 5 matches. Quite something when you think that it took the club 8 and a half years to record our first hundred. The 10 century-makers are;
2002 - Rafi (128 not out - our highest individual score)
2003 - Rafi, Acharan
2005 - Jean-Claude, Gaurang Vyas
2006 - Hassan Khan
2007 - Hassan Khan (2)
2008 - Cameron Russell
2009 - Ben Fewson (3)
2011 - Jim Joyce
2012 - Hassan Khan
2014 (so far) - Mark Bradshaw, Hassan Khan, Darwin Gunawardena
It is tough to pick the best one. Rafi's in 2002 was against the weakest bowling (including 4 successive sixes off Renato Philip.) I would say it was between Hassan's match-winning 104 not out last week (which John said was Hassan's best-ever innings), another of Hassan's that Emil picked out (? against Woodside Green a few years ago) and Rafi's century against Caribbean Mix in 2003. Jim Joyce's knock in 2011 was an extraordinary attacking innings. I will put more details and scores on this post soon.
2002 - Rafi (128 not out - our highest individual score)
2003 - Rafi, Acharan
2005 - Jean-Claude, Gaurang Vyas
2006 - Hassan Khan
2007 - Hassan Khan (2)
2008 - Cameron Russell
2009 - Ben Fewson (3)
2011 - Jim Joyce
2012 - Hassan Khan
2014 (so far) - Mark Bradshaw, Hassan Khan, Darwin Gunawardena
It is tough to pick the best one. Rafi's in 2002 was against the weakest bowling (including 4 successive sixes off Renato Philip.) I would say it was between Hassan's match-winning 104 not out last week (which John said was Hassan's best-ever innings), another of Hassan's that Emil picked out (? against Woodside Green a few years ago) and Rafi's century against Caribbean Mix in 2003. Jim Joyce's knock in 2011 was an extraordinary attacking innings. I will put more details and scores on this post soon.
Tuesday, 19 August 2014
Clapham Nomads v Energy Exiles - 17/8/14
A brilliant 104 not out from Hassan Khan secured a sensational 7 wicket win over the Energy Exiles on Sunday. Hassan was also the pick of the bowlers and restricted Exiles' run rate early on. They are a fine batting side though and they hit their way up to 205 for 3 from the full 35. Exiles, boosted by guest fielder Andrew West, and with star bowler Terence Moynihan looking threatening and backed up by Marcin Zielenewski and Phil Ling, took 2 early-ish Nomads wickets but a high-class stand of over 100 between Prasanth and Hassan put Nomads in with a good shout even when the consistent Prasanth fell for 59 with Nomads needing around 70 off 10. Excellent work from Darwin to support Hassan clinched the victory just in time for our star all-rounder to pass his century (his 7th or 8th for the club, I think - it could be more. I will list them next time I update the blog.)
Full report and scores to follow when I get the scorebook back....
REPORT....... I arrived to watch this fixture at 3.15 and was impressed to see Nomads (fielding first) had already bowled more than 20 overs. Our over rate had been excellent as had been the Exiles batting with the score on 90 for 1.
A fine early spell from Hassan had accounted for Exiles' skipper, the useful Chris Plume, early on. It was a new-look line-up for our old rivals with Andy Wingfield, John Tither and Simon Gundry all missing and only 2 stalwarts - Marcin Zielenewski and Phil Ling - from the golden age of Nomads/Exiles fixtures. Judging from their match reports though, these new Exiles were more than capable and they proved this by consolidating well after the early wicket.
I emerged from the pavilion again just in time to see Emil Todorow float down an unplayable delivery onto middle stump for the 2nd wicket. He was hailed with a cry of "Lala" from a fielder (which I'm assured is not only a Teletubby - Emil loves pubs so he would surely be Dipsy - but is also a term of respect which translates approximately as "Elder Brother."
With wickets in hand, there was rapid acceleration and the change bowlers came in for some harsh treatment though Andrew West was reasonably accurate and Hamza claimed a wicket on his debut.
200 was passed but a nasty hamstring injury to top-scorer Vishal Shete, who was in overdrive, probably knocked 6 or 7 runs off the final total which was still a daunting 205 for 3.
We didn't know too much about most of the Exiles bowlers but a few South African accents could be heard which is always a cause for concern. The owner of one of them, Terence Moynihan, was rapid and with the accurate Marcin Zielenewski at the other end, progress was cautious. 22 useful runs were ground out before Mahesh Vyas was narrowly run out in the 9th over.
We were told that No. 3 Hamid had not played in a competitive match before but had had loads of net practice. He crashed his 4th ball for 6 on to the tram line. He may have been lucky to survive a confident caught behind shout (3 or 4 different noises, a cloud of dust, difficult to give) but Marcin Z had him shortly afterwards.
Exiles had requested a spare fielder due to injury. It is customary in these situations to give the opposition someone of athleticism, co-ordination and enthusiasm, and so Andrew West took his place at gully and he it was who caught Hamid; coolly and without moving a muscle. Instinctive close-up fielding at its very best.
Prasanth survived an early chance; a skied caught and bowled opportunity that was spilled. In the form Prasanth has been in, fielding sides cannot afford the luxury of a dropped catch and he took full advantage, racing to 50. (Once he had passed 10 he scored at well over a run a ball.)
At the other end, Hassan settled in straight away and immediately looked impressive. He had a slight exchange of views with a fielder early on and he said this galvanised him. His stand-out shot was the Late Cut just behind Point. He played several of these and they reminded me of Graeme Hick at his best.
The asking rate was daunting (it had already climbed to 7 an over by the 9th over) but the pair managed to take each of the change bowlers for at least 7.5 an over. This included the awkward Phil Ling, a fascinating bowler to watch, who either swings it or angles it inwards very sharply. Ling made the eventual breakthrough, having Prasanth caught for a sparkling 59.
129 for 3 meant 77 to win with 10 or 11 overs left. A 50-50 chance at best. If Hassan batted to the end, supported by Darwin and/or Jonnie Randall, we would probably win. It would take fine batting and our boys produced just that. Darwin almost matched Hassan's run rate and, with 2 overs to go, just 7 were needed with Hassan on 96 but not on strike. Darwin nudged a single on the second ball and then Hassan just blew any tension away with two successive 4s to bring up the victory, his ton and prompt John to remark in the scorebook; "Best innings I can remember from Hassan." 7 words of praise from the tough John is probably worth 70 from me so I will leave it at that except to say; "Absolutely brilliant innings."
A cracking victory. The first time we have won two in a row against Exiles for 13 years. Man of the Match is quite easy. Andrew West (sorry, it's obviously Hassan but Andrew takes Fielder of the Day even though his golden moment was actually for the opposition.)
I must also praise Merton Council's pitches. I have criticised them occasionally but they play very well in the main. 413 for 6 in this game. I hesitate to praise them too highly in case any other teams reading this (if there are any, you should get out more) decided to book them and make it more difficult for us to get them. Their groundsmen are doing a great job at the moment.
Energy Exiles 205 for 3 from 35 overs
Nomads bowling;
H. Khan 7-3-22-1
Hamza 7-0-44-1
Abbas Khan 7-0-48-0
A. West 5-0-27-0
E. Todorow 5-0-28-1
Hamid 4-0-30-0
Clapham Nomads 208 for 3 from 33.4 overs
M. Vyas 4
P. Pattiyil 59
Hamid 10
H. Khan not out 104
D. Gunawardena not out 31
F.O.W. - 22, 33, 129
Clapham Nomads won by 7 wickets
Full report and scores to follow when I get the scorebook back....
REPORT....... I arrived to watch this fixture at 3.15 and was impressed to see Nomads (fielding first) had already bowled more than 20 overs. Our over rate had been excellent as had been the Exiles batting with the score on 90 for 1.
A fine early spell from Hassan had accounted for Exiles' skipper, the useful Chris Plume, early on. It was a new-look line-up for our old rivals with Andy Wingfield, John Tither and Simon Gundry all missing and only 2 stalwarts - Marcin Zielenewski and Phil Ling - from the golden age of Nomads/Exiles fixtures. Judging from their match reports though, these new Exiles were more than capable and they proved this by consolidating well after the early wicket.
I emerged from the pavilion again just in time to see Emil Todorow float down an unplayable delivery onto middle stump for the 2nd wicket. He was hailed with a cry of "Lala" from a fielder (which I'm assured is not only a Teletubby - Emil loves pubs so he would surely be Dipsy - but is also a term of respect which translates approximately as "Elder Brother."
With wickets in hand, there was rapid acceleration and the change bowlers came in for some harsh treatment though Andrew West was reasonably accurate and Hamza claimed a wicket on his debut.
200 was passed but a nasty hamstring injury to top-scorer Vishal Shete, who was in overdrive, probably knocked 6 or 7 runs off the final total which was still a daunting 205 for 3.
We didn't know too much about most of the Exiles bowlers but a few South African accents could be heard which is always a cause for concern. The owner of one of them, Terence Moynihan, was rapid and with the accurate Marcin Zielenewski at the other end, progress was cautious. 22 useful runs were ground out before Mahesh Vyas was narrowly run out in the 9th over.
We were told that No. 3 Hamid had not played in a competitive match before but had had loads of net practice. He crashed his 4th ball for 6 on to the tram line. He may have been lucky to survive a confident caught behind shout (3 or 4 different noises, a cloud of dust, difficult to give) but Marcin Z had him shortly afterwards.
Exiles had requested a spare fielder due to injury. It is customary in these situations to give the opposition someone of athleticism, co-ordination and enthusiasm, and so Andrew West took his place at gully and he it was who caught Hamid; coolly and without moving a muscle. Instinctive close-up fielding at its very best.
Prasanth survived an early chance; a skied caught and bowled opportunity that was spilled. In the form Prasanth has been in, fielding sides cannot afford the luxury of a dropped catch and he took full advantage, racing to 50. (Once he had passed 10 he scored at well over a run a ball.)
At the other end, Hassan settled in straight away and immediately looked impressive. He had a slight exchange of views with a fielder early on and he said this galvanised him. His stand-out shot was the Late Cut just behind Point. He played several of these and they reminded me of Graeme Hick at his best.
The asking rate was daunting (it had already climbed to 7 an over by the 9th over) but the pair managed to take each of the change bowlers for at least 7.5 an over. This included the awkward Phil Ling, a fascinating bowler to watch, who either swings it or angles it inwards very sharply. Ling made the eventual breakthrough, having Prasanth caught for a sparkling 59.
129 for 3 meant 77 to win with 10 or 11 overs left. A 50-50 chance at best. If Hassan batted to the end, supported by Darwin and/or Jonnie Randall, we would probably win. It would take fine batting and our boys produced just that. Darwin almost matched Hassan's run rate and, with 2 overs to go, just 7 were needed with Hassan on 96 but not on strike. Darwin nudged a single on the second ball and then Hassan just blew any tension away with two successive 4s to bring up the victory, his ton and prompt John to remark in the scorebook; "Best innings I can remember from Hassan." 7 words of praise from the tough John is probably worth 70 from me so I will leave it at that except to say; "Absolutely brilliant innings."
A cracking victory. The first time we have won two in a row against Exiles for 13 years. Man of the Match is quite easy. Andrew West (sorry, it's obviously Hassan but Andrew takes Fielder of the Day even though his golden moment was actually for the opposition.)
I must also praise Merton Council's pitches. I have criticised them occasionally but they play very well in the main. 413 for 6 in this game. I hesitate to praise them too highly in case any other teams reading this (if there are any, you should get out more) decided to book them and make it more difficult for us to get them. Their groundsmen are doing a great job at the moment.
Energy Exiles 205 for 3 from 35 overs
Nomads bowling;
H. Khan 7-3-22-1
Hamza 7-0-44-1
Abbas Khan 7-0-48-0
A. West 5-0-27-0
E. Todorow 5-0-28-1
Hamid 4-0-30-0
Clapham Nomads 208 for 3 from 33.4 overs
M. Vyas 4
P. Pattiyil 59
Hamid 10
H. Khan not out 104
D. Gunawardena not out 31
F.O.W. - 22, 33, 129
Clapham Nomads won by 7 wickets
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