Sunday 29th June 2014 vs Highgate C.C.
 
From Ridiculous to Sublime!
 
Highgate C.C. 94 all out (35.4 overs)
Washington C.C. 95 for 2 (19.2 overs)
 
Luke Mitchell reporting.

Yesterday we have a very good day out. There was a big turnout well before the game to get some batting and bowling practice in. Following our dismal effort the previous Sunday we needed all the help we could get. The wicket (lower pitch) was greener than we are used to at North Midds, but it was hard and consistent looking.

Skipper Kloss lost the toss, but Highgate obliged us by choosing to bat first. Under leaden skies Mitchell and Murrain opened the bowling, with the contrasting styles proving difficult for the Highgate batsmen to handle. The first wicket came with a top edge off Mitchell that went miles up. Pushpanath kept cool and landed the catch with apparent ease (although to the rest of us it looked bl00dy difficult!). Murrain took an LBW, and then came the first of several magic moments - Murrain at 2nd slip off Kloss took an absolute screamer, low down one-handed to his left, juggling the ball and holding it while balanced on his belly. Another catch off Kloss (who was bowling beautifully) came quickly, and we soon found the game at 4-40 ish.

Kloss switched bowlers again, with Walsh bowling with metronomic accuracy at one end (1 wicket), and bringing Kripps on. I think the idea was to give the opposition the opportunity to post some sort of score. This strategy backfired spectacularly, with Kripps taking a wicket in his first over, causing bewilderment for batsmen, wicketkeeper and fielders alike with nearly every ball bowled. Kripps took another two in two balls at one stage, including a caught and bowled, and after 8 overs had 4 wickets for 21. In one part of his spell was a stretch of 26 balls bowled without a run being scored. There was also a very tidy debut spell from Arthur Henderson, who was unlucky to remain wicketless.

With Kripps on the verge of a 5th wicket, Tom Harper came on and took the final wicket in his first over. The opposition had 94 on the board.

What is incredible about this performance was that along with superbly accurate bowling, came the best fielding performance I have seen. Not a single catch went to ground. Every ball was fought for. It was a totally committed effort.

During the tea break there was a heavy rain shower, but it cleared quickly, with the pitch largely intact.

Washington's innings did not start well, with Walsh and Portas bowled by fairly innocuous straight deliveries. The pitch was playing true and to some extent the rain probably helped settle it down a bit. Pushpanath went about his business in an unhurried way, and when Fogarty came to the wicket he knuckled down quickly and got behind the ball. Fogs and Shyam kept the scoreboard ticking over with quick singles where possible, and within a few overs started to punish the loose deliveries. Both batsmen were effective against balls dragged down leg and were patient with their offside strokes. Pushpanath had a life when he was caught at point off a high full-toss - which was called no-ball. The catcher had thought it was an overly harsh call, but in fact the no-ball was a front foot effort.

As Pushpanath & Fogarty closed in on the score there were displays of supreme confidence in the Washington camp, with Harper and Kloss taking their pads off with about 15 runs to go. The result did seem inexorable at that point, but it is incredible to think that this is the same side that got completely flogged just a week earlier. What we saw in the partnership was a blueprint for success. Sensible and un-hurried, with aggression kept firmly in check until the batsmen were comfortable with the pace of the wicket, constantly communicating and taking singles to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

The skipper said after the game "It was a good toss to lose - I would have fielded first anyway. Today we saw a complete Washington effort in the field and with the ball. When we lost early wickets I thought "here we go!". But this time Shyam and Lee dug in and built a brilliant unbeaten partnership of 89 to see us through".

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Batting
Player Runs How out
Shyam Pushpanath 53* 
Andrew Walsh 0 Bowled
Mylo Portas 0 Bowled
Lee Fogarty 24* 
Did Not Bat
Ash Cruickshank
Tom Harper
Peter Kloss
Max Murrain
Arthur Henderson
Luke Mitchell
Nick Kripps
Partnerships
Wkt Runs Batsmen
1 2 Shyam Pushpanath  &  Andrew Walsh
2 4 Shyam Pushpanath  &  Mylo Portas
3 89 * Shyam Pushpanath  &  Lee Fogarty



Fielding
Player Cts Wkt Cts Stmps
Nick Kripps 1 - -
Max Murrain 2 - -
Shyam Pushpanath - 1 -
Andrew Walsh 1 - -
Bowling
Player Overs Mdns Runs Wkts
Peter Kloss 6.0 1 19 2
Max Murrain 6.0 0 15 1
Luke Mitchell 4.0 3 8 1
Tom Harper 0.4 0 0 1
Nick Kripps 8.0 4 21 4
Andrew Walsh 4.0 1 8 1
Arthur Henderson 7.0 4 11 0
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