Left Handers Tea-ed Off By Impressive Sanjay

A magnificent 60 from Sanjay Patel, his second successive fifty, enabled The Gents to rebuild their innings to 120-9 after collapsing to 46-6 against the openers' pace and the accurate off-spin of Connett. The pitch helped bowlers all day, however, Gents' bowlers were on the money and Left Handers fell 34 runs short in being dismissed with 6.5 overs remaining in their innings. This was in no small measure due to Suman Rudru, who did not concede a run in his last 28 balls (bowled in two spells) and took four wickets, but all the bowling was up to the mark.

Spinning up in the absence of the briefly delayed captain, young Hemin Patel contemplated a declaration match, as he estimated The Gents' bowling to be a tad thin. Perhaps mindful, however, of the fate that awaits those who incur the captain's displeasure, he opted for the usual 35 overs, won the toss and batted. A pleasant opening stand of 20 runs by triallist Patrudu Labum and Desai senior gave The Gents false hope before six wickets fell for 36 runs, both openers caught in the slips by Jennings. Rudru fell after an eight over struggle before Connett cleaned up Palmer (a shooter pinning the poor chap leg-before in his first Gents innings), Gilkes and Sciberras in short order.

The captain was imperious. His first scoring shot was a six and he also hit eight fours in his 21 over knock, but it was the way he handled the bouncers and toe-crushers that impressed most. Shu Desai gave him immense support in a stand of 50 that more than doubled the score and though both fell Messrs. Toft and Fung batted sensibly, Yu Himm finally getting a bat for The Gents and ending the innings with an average of infinity. Left Handers had bowled and fielded well and, for different reasons, both sides seemed happy at half-time.

The captain had to finesse his bowling so, needing Sachin Desai's medium-pace seamers, he gave the gloves to nephew Shu. It worked well, for although uncle went wicketless he posed a number of challenges and deserved a wicket, while nephew kept without blemish and executed a smart stumping. Left Handers must have been fed up with the sight of SP - having bowled at him for more than half their innings, here he was lolloping in off a few paces to pin Ashby lbw and bowl Jennings for nought. Hemin Patel bowled four maidens, though he was tapped around a bit in his other three. He bowled the big hitter Mackay and caught and bowled Wells, who had batted well for his dogged 20 and Elliott. Rudru and Sciberras rocked Left Handers back to 47-8 before a brave stand of 40 between Fairacre and Connett hauled their side back into the game after an early drop. It was getting tense but Rudru came back to bowl Connett and Ward to earn a satisfying win against able and friendly opponents, who nevertheless in their oddball match report, written by a man with a beard, described a varied and filling tea (incorporating a relatively low percentage of J Sainsbury Plc Value product) as 'terrible'.