Washington Cricket Club - 40th Anniversary Year

To begin at the beginning. It was a day to win the toss, and unluckily, skipper Justin Gurney called it wrong, consigning Wash to a broiling afternoon in the field. Despite an early success for the tireless Nick Tidey (1-38), the innings belonged to one man, Dave Jenkins. Playing with an admirably straight bat, hitting the ball hard and efficiently when anything loose came along, the Calthorpe opener made a stunning 150 not out in one of he best innings ever scored against the Wash.

As Gurney himself said, ‘he never looked like getting out’.

Jenkins shared in a profitable stand of 101 for the second wicket with Ranil who played fluently until stumped by John Roche off Gary Malcolm for 49; thereafter, Washington’s bowlers fought their way back into the game, and there were wickets for Gary Evans (1-18), Alex Quinn (1-25) and a truly stupendous caught and bowled, full-length and flying, from Eric Stoughton (1-23).

Calthorpe’s skipper called proceedings to a halt at tea and set Wash a competitive 235 to win. Alex Quin set off like he meant to get them all himself, pounding a brisk 23 before mistiming a cut and perishing at point; then Grant MacDonald kept up the tempo, firing a huge 6 on the way to 36 before being caught and bowled.

Meanwhile, Matthew Cragoe was proceeding steadily to the fifty that has eluded him all season, and had added 40 with David Gluckman when the game suddenly turned: 142-2 became 145-5, as Cragoe (65), Gluckman (11) and Gurney (0) all fell in quick succession.

The ship needed steadying, and Wittet found an able partner in John Roche; together they rebuilt Washington’s innings, adding 34 for the 6th wicket, before Roche (19) was caught off a top edge. Nick Tidey (8) played a couple of handsome drives but was then adjudged lbw to one that might have gone over the stumps, and when Evans (5) and Stoughton (0) followed him back to the pavilion in quick succession, the straightforward victory that had seemed likely ten overs earlier had evaporated.

All the responsibility now fell onto the shoulders of Wittet and Malcolm, the latter carrying a leg injury picked up in the field. Some great hitting, and some even greater running, made it a heart-stopping five overs for the spectators, but they proved equal to the task and Wittet went to 49 not out with the winning boundary.

Last word to the skipper, before he goes off to pack the kit: ‘That win was all about team effort: we never gave it up. But my man of the match would be Dave Jenkins –great innings, mate!’

Washington: Gurney (*), Quin, Cragoe, MacDonald, Gluckman, Wittet, Roche, Evans, Tidey, N., Stoughton, Malcolm.

Man of the Match: Dave Jenkins: fabulous 150 Packing the Kit: only one man for the job – Skipper Justin Gurney