Saturday 30th July 2011 vs Arkley C.C.
 
Wash hold on in tight finish
 
Arkley C.C. 197-5 dec
Washington C.C. 198-6
 

Matthew Cragoe reporting

Washington held on to win an exciting encounter at Arkley on Saturday.  Ninety overs were bowled in the day, and it all came down to the last which began with Wash needing 5 to win.  Brian White secured the result with a sweetly timed boundary behind square leg – a fitting climax to another superb innings from the South African averages-topper. 

Skipper Aff Naseem was upbeat after the game:  ‘We played really well today after a shaky start.  To be honest, I thought we were going to wrap it up a lot quicker given the way we were batting, but Arkley put up a real fight: who said declaration cricket was boring!’

The afternoon began with Wash In some administrative disarray, the ten-man team arriving without the kit bag.  The afternoon was saved by the kindness of club president Terry Tidey who drove out the bags from Belsize Park to Whetstone. 

Arkley won the toss and batted first, but Wash took a little time to settle to the task in hand.  The pitch was slow, the field large, and the afternoon hot, so containment was the priority.  Clinton Dugmore (0-37) bowled rapidly but without any luck; from the other end, however, after a couple of experimental overs from Gary Malcolm (0-14), Rory Guy enjoyed more success. He bowled the dangerous Jega Sittampalam (25) and then trapped Clive Townsend (3) lbw to leave the home side 49-2. 

The resbuilding of Arkley’s innings fell on to the young shoulders of keeper James Barber, who batted very well for 85 not out.  Wash skipper Naseem, sensing the need to make the batsman do all the work for their runs on the sluggish surface stuck mainly to his spinners once the shine had gone off the ball. Tom Allott bowled 16 overs and took two return catches to finish with 2-56 while, at the pavilion end, Russell Pendry (1-55) bowled twelve overs, picking up the scalp of skipper Nick Anson along the way.    

It wasn’t Washington’s finest afternoon in the field, as a couple of catches went down; but there was an excellent debut from James Cook who turned in a very stylish performance behind the stumps. 

Arkley’s tea-time declaration on 197-5 off 48 overs set Wash a gettable total, and the top order set about the task with alacrity.  Although opener Matt Cheviott (9) was quickly back in the hutch, Glen Matthews (26) and Rory Guy (17) mixed prudent aggression with equally sensible defence and kept up scoreboard moving. 

Both fell with the total on 64, and this brought together White and Cook for an 87-run 4th wicket partnership.  In the hour they were together, Wash appeared to be heading for a comfortable victory;  White (68 not out) was his usual self, using his feet to get into position and unleashing a series of beautiful drives and cuts;  Cook (37)  was more solid, cutting and sweeping with authority.  It came as a real surprise when Cook played all over a straight one from Jake Sittampalam and was trapped lbw. 

That wicket, however, changed the complexion of the match.  Arkley picked up their game; almost immediately Naseem was very well run out by a throw from George Coles, and Wash were 167-5 – still 30 runs short of their target and with time ticking away.  Allott (4) looked good but was very well caught on the boundary by a sprawling Jake Sittampalam, which brought Dugmore into the action. 

Bat flayling, he kept the scoreboard moving and off the first ball of the last over scurried a single; it was left to his fellow countryman, White, to pick off the boundary required for victory.

So, a rare victory for Wash in this strangely uneven season.  But as the skipper suggested, the side battled well at Arkley and showed a good spirit. Hopefully the result will be the harbinger of better things in August and September! 

MoM:  Terry Tidey.

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Batting
Player Runs How out
Glenn Matthews 26 LBW
Matthew Cragoe 9 Bowled
Rory Guy 17 Caught
Brian White 68* 
James Cook 37 LBW
Aff Naseem 5 Run Out
Tom Allott 4 Caught
Clinton Dugmore 6* 
Did Not Bat
Gary Malcolm
Russell Pendry
Partnerships
Wkt Runs Batsmen
1 20 Glenn Matthews  &  Matthew Cragoe
2 44 Glenn Matthews  &  Rory Guy
3 0 Glenn Matthews  &  Brian White
4 87 Brian White  &  James Cook
5 16 Brian White  &  Aff Naseem
6 16 Brian White  &  Tom Allott
7 5 * Brian White  &  Clinton Dugmore



Fielding
Player Cts Wkt Cts Stmps
Tom Allott 2 - -
Bowling
Player Overs Mdns Runs Wkts
Russell Pendry 12.0 0 55 1
Gary Malcolm 2.0 0 14 0
Tom Allott 16.0 1 53 2
Rory Guy 8.0 1 28 2
Clinton Dugmore 10.0 2 37 0
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