Washington Cricket Club - 40th Anniversary Year

Wash were pipped at the post in a tense finale on Sunday. Berkampstead outfit Northchurch held their nerve to edge past Washington’s total of 161 with just 7 balls remaining.

 

Speaking later, skipper Luke Mitchell reflected: ‘I felt we could have done with an extra 30 runs on that pitch. As it was, I reckon the lads did really well to get as close to victory as they did’.

 

Mitchell won the toss, and on a broiling afternoon decided to take first bat. There was little to cheer about in the early stages, however. Within 4 balls, talismanic batsman Shawn Hill was back in the hutch, feathering a wide ball to the keeper; he was followed in the third over by Kevin Read (1). 

 

Leo Lang (14) and Tom Allot (9) looked to be getting the innings back on track with some handsome shots, but both perished within seven balls and suddenly Wash were 26-4 with just 8 overs gone.

 

Retrenchment was called for and it came from Clinton Dugmore (30) and Matt Cheviot (20). The pair added 51 for the fifth wicket before Dugmore was, tragically, the victim of some calamitous calling while the batsmen debated taking a run on a misfield.  

 

Cheviot followed soon after, and the Wash, at 86-6, were still a long way short of a defensible total. Fortunately, the tail wagged. Vinay Gupta(38) mixed aggression with discretion to good effect and Peter Kloss (24 not out) notched his highest score for two years. He remained unbeaten at the end, and received good support at the death from Stuart Marsh (9) and Mitchell (1).

 

The total of 161 was never goingnto be an easy one to defend, especially given the speed of the outfield. Wash, however, started strongly, as Hill (2-5) and Mitchell (1-25) shared a fabulous spell with the new ball. Runs, as Hill’s figures of 8-4-5-2 suggest, were exceptionally hard to come by, and the run rate required by Northcurch climbed steadily: by the 20-over mark, the home side required 6 an over, having begun the innings needing 4.

 

Wickets were falling, too, and when Mitchell removed dangerous opener, Bateman (21), the home side were rocking on 41-4.

 

Once Hill and Mitchell had completed their allotted overs, however, Northchurch fought their way back into the game – chiefly thanks to Howlett (38) in the first instance, whose good eye and unorthodox stroke-play enabled him to cart both Marsh (1-41) and Pendry (1-25) into cow corner several times. 

 

Marsh eventually induced a mishit, but by then the balance was swinging back towards the home team.

 

Peter Kloss (0-33) and Gupta (0-22) strove in vain to find a way through, and home batters Calder (50 not out) and Chapman (41 not out) shared an unbroken stand of 84 to see their side home.

 

As skipper Mitchell said, another 30 runs would have made a big difference; as it was, Washington found themselves on the wrong end of the result at the end of an exciting game.