| Sunday 23rd April 2017 vs London Theatres C.C. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Take off for Apollo and the Wash! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| London Theatres C.C. |  |
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| Washington C.C. | |
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Washington got the 2017 campaign off to a flying start with a nail-biting victory over London Theatres at North Middlesex on Sunday. Wash looked dead in the water when the 9th wicket fell with twenty runs still needed and time running out. But a scrambling, slicing, slogging, and ultimately scintillating last wicket partnership between Max Murrain (19 not out) and Richard Creed (10 not out) brought the Wash home with one ball of the 40 overs to spare. Breathless skipper Clinton Dugmore said after the game: ‘Great oppo – great character in the team –great result: welcome to the new cricket season!’
Cricket genuinely was the winner on a truly oh-to-be-in-England-now-that-April’s-here afternoon in North London.
London Theatres batted first. Opening pair Natchel (25) and Chisnall (81) played steadily against some excellent swing bowling, notably from Stuart Marsh (0-25), and scoring was kept in check by some smart ground fielding, with newcomer Brian Wingfield outstanding.
However, a breakthrough eluded the Wash attack and it was not until the 19th over that Jonathan Hall finally found a way through Natchel’s defences. By then the thespians were well past 50, and that turned into a hundred as the impressive Young (30) got into his stride.
It took two great catches to swing the game back in Washington’s favour. First Creed clung on to a steepling drive from Young at deep long on and then Hall executed a superb swallow-dive at cover to pick up the ghost of a chance from Chisnall.
Wickets now fell regularly: Nick Kripps (2-40), Luke Mitchell (2-17) and Murrain (2-48) bagged two apiece, while Hall completed an excellent spell with 1-38.
Wash were left facing a target of 190, and Mike Turner (51) and Aftab Akram (12) set off in determined pursuit. The latter unluckily chopped a ball into his stumps but skipper Dugmore kept up the tempo before falling for a disciplined 25.
All the while Turner was offering a text-book lesson in the art of opening, crafting a high-quality half century in an hour and a half of patient batting, and enjoying another excellent partnership with Hall (47).
But his dismissal opened an end, and suddenly Washington began to lose wickets quickly: Cragoe (0), Marsh (1), Wingfield (0), Kripps (0) and Mitchell (0), all came and went too soon, and when Hall’s noble innings finally closed, Wash were still 20 runs shy of the target. Cue heroics from Messrs Creed and Murrain and as dramatic a finale as even the London Theatres will see this season!
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