Washington Cricket Club - 40th Anniversary Year

The pitch, at the Civil Service Ground in Chiswick was damp and slippy and the conditions were not assisted by light rain which fell for an hour or so mid-afternoon. Bowling was not easy, the players having to negotiate the cold, a wet ball and muddy footholes at their point of delivery. However before the rain came Kloss (2-30) and Max Murrain (1-5) exploited the conditions, swinging the ball prodigiously, and reducing Bush to 21 for 3 from the first 10 overs.

Washington skipper Kloss opted for frequent bowling changes and used 8 bowlers in all. Cameron Lynch (2-20) and Irons (2-20) were the most successful with their medium pace, but Russell Pendry (0-20) and Eric Stoughton (1-25) also contributed well, keeping the batsmen relatively quiet. Justin Simonis (0-22) and David Gluckman (0-20) did not find the conditions to their liking, but with the excessive moisture this was not a day for great bowling performances.

Shepherd's Bush declared on 175 for 8 from 40 overs, believing that this would be more than enough on a day such as this. However they did not reckon with the power and determination of Paul Irons. After the first two wickets fell cheaply (Cameron Lynch 5, Taran Persaud 0), Irons took control and built a measured innings of some substance. This was a dramatic contrast with his performance the previous week when he was bowled second ball having been promoted up the order to open. This correspondent certainly believes those events had a lot to do with Irons' determination to succeed on this day.

Irons and Af Nasseem (29), who played an excellent supporting role, achieved a third wicket partnership of 94 in 24 overs. The scoring was not spectacular, but instead steady; Nasseem scoring only 1s and 2s throughout his innings and Irons reaching the boundary only occasionally in the   first part of his innings. The bowling was certainly not straightforward. Lynch had been bowled by a ball which spun from leg to off by about 3 feet, and although Bush did not have pace, they certainly bowled with some accuracy and turn.

When Nasseem was run out following a terrible mix up, Brad Hitchcock (17*) picked up the supporting role beautifully and allowed Irons to continue. His innings was not chance-less however. Irons was dropped probably 3 times, twice in the covers when he cut the ball viciously at shoulder height, but the shivering  fieldsmen could not hold the damp ball. In fact this cut shot is a trademark of Irons' batting; speculation is that he has had some Caribbean coaching in this respect, but Persaud denies all knowledge.

Irons reached his century with a mighty 6 over mid wicket and went on to finish the job for the Washington, ending with 117 not out. Washington had scored their 176 runs in an over and a half less than Shepherd's Bush, and only 5 overs into the last 20.

Washington captain Kloss said after the game “I'm obviously really pleased with the result and that everyone got a game today despite the conditions. It's great to see Irons in the runs again, and Nasseem and Hitchcock supported him really well. It would have been a much closer game without Irons' century.”

Man of the match: Paul Irons, for a gritty century full of determination

Packing the kit: Stoughton, for dropping a dolly off the skipper's bowling

Washington: Cameron Lynch, Taran Persaud, Paul Irons, Af Nasseem, Brad Hitchcock (+), Justin Simonis, David Gluckman, Russell Pendry, Peter Kloss (c), Max Murrain, Eric Stoughton