Washington Cricket Club - 40th Anniversary Year

On a pitch made lively by recent rain, Wash won the toss and batted first.  Opener Aff Naseem (0) went early, deceived by the pace of the wicket, and later batsmen learned the lesson:  this was a pitch where caution was the watchword – especially as the Archway bowlers generally bowled a very tight line outside off stump.

George Hope (34) and Paul Irons (75) took the score to 55 before the former perished to a good catch in the deep;  then Matthew Cragoe (23) and Irons added a further 76 runs for the third wicket. 

Irons played another temperate innings, combining big shots with nicely worked ones and twos, and only perished when deceived by a very good slower ball which bowled him off his pads.

A platform had been set, however, and the later order bristled with big-hitting talent:  skipper Shawn Hill struck some ferocious blows on his way to 40, and Gurney stirred up some memories with a few of his own before being brilliantly caught on the boundary.

An exuberant last wicket partnership of 17 between Grattan McCoach (12 not) and Russ Pendry (7 not) was the icing on the cake:  47 runs came from the last 5 overs and  Wash took tea with a handsome score under their belts.

Archway were facing a tough target, but the task became immensely more difficult as opening bowlers Chris Davis (2-35) and McCoach (2-32) found their length immediately and were rewarded with a wicket apiece.  First change was Gurney (0-38), and he span the ball a vast distance, bamboozling all the batsmen in a fine display of spin bowling; he remained – mysteriously - wicketless, but at the other end, first Hill (2-12) and then Tony Burt (3-30) found exactly the right spot and gradually chiselled out the Archways middle order.

The only man to make a real fist of it was Jahangir, who smashed an imperious 79:  however, the return of McCoach tempted him into one too many pull shots and a top edge ended up at longish leg, where Cragoe pouched his third catch of the innings.

The ground fielding throughout was largely without blemish, and it was fitting that the final wicket fell courtesy of wicket-keeper Hope, who threw down the stumps at the bowler’s end with a direct hit after a fatal hesitation from the batsmen.

So yet another success for skipper Shawn Hill, who has yet to taste anything other than victory since taking over from Gurney – as he said afterwards, ‘teamwork was the key’.

Man of the Match:  a good team effort on the pitch: this week’s award goes to Grattan McCoach and Tony Burt for fetching the kit.

Washinton:  Hill*, Hope+, Naseem, Irons, Cragoe, Burt, Hood, Hill, Gurney, Pendry, McCoach, Davis.