Washington Cricket Club - 40th Anniversary Year

Washington were lucky to get a game at all on Sunday. Persistent rain had forced the cancellation of the previous day's game and the ground was still damp when the teams met shortly before 2pm. The match was being played at Hampstead Heath Extension, the Washington returning to where they first started playing in the late 1970s. The pitch was soft and the captains debated for a while whether to play, but the sun was out periodically and there was a strong drying wind, so eventually a 30 overs per side game was agreed.

Washington captain Shawn Hill won the toss and chose to bowl. Max Murrain (2-19) and Peter Kloss (1-33) bowled the first 12 overs by which time the Taverners were 57 for 3 thanks to a number of lusty 6s and 4s from opener Reilly (22). Dave Mutton (1-7) and Taran Persaud (3-12 from 6 overs) then came on. Persaud took a wicket with his first ball and from this point the innings completely lost momentum as particularly Persaud bowled superbly. His slower pace turned out to be perfect for the sticky wicket and the wickets continued to tumble. By the end of his spell Persaud had turned in his best ever figures for the club. James Self (3-13) replaced Mutton and quickly mopped up the tail. Andy Rowlett (0-18) also chipped in with a couple of overs. All bowlers were aided by tidy fielding and 4 catches in all.

The Railway were all out for 106.

Pete Demetri (1) and Max Murrain (6) opened the innings and made a slow start, the Wash reaching only 19 after 8 overs. Three wickets had been lost, TJ O'Leary (0) being run out in addition to the departure of the two openers. The wicket was definitely a difficult one.

However Paul Irons (72*) and Andy Rowlett (13) were now at the wicket. Irons is in imperious form at the moment and this performance belied this. He kept out the good balls and struck the bad balls (of which there were quite a few) to the boundary. The strokes he played were stylish and, batting with measure, he didn't give a chance to the opposition. He hit six 6s and six 4s in his 72. At the other end Rowlett played an excellent supporting role but also was able to strike a couple of boundaries. Their partnership of 83 took the Washington close to victory.

Rowlett fell with 7 needed to win. Simon Hemelryk (0) didn't trouble the scorer, and Shawn Hill (8*) hit the final runs required with two 4s in 3 balls. All in all the pitch had played reasonably well and nobody on either side regretted having had the perseverance to play.

Skipper Hill was happy, saying after the game “great that we got a game in today, albeit in not great conditions. The bowlers bowled well and set up the victory for us – Tags stands out I think. Then Irons did his thing. Well done to everyone”

Man of the match: Taran Persaud, for a fine bowling spell

Packing the kit: No strong contenders this time

Washington: Pete Demetri (+), Max Murrain, TJ O'Leary, Paul Irons, Andy Rowlett, Simon Hemelryk, Shawn Hill (c), Peter Kloss, James Self, Dave Mutton, Taran Persaud