Honours even in the sun

A superb day's cricket saw a great development of relations between landlord and tenant. In the first match, The Gents demonstrated their profound comprehension of the strategies and tactics underpinning declaration games, collapsing ridiculously from 48 for 0 to 72 all out, Taverners cruising home for two down. In the Twenty20 hastily arranged after tea, Taverners perhaps got overconfident and struggled to 109/6 against a rejuvenated Gents, who in a mirror-image of the first game then romped to an eight-wicket win.

Sanjay Patel had said when this fixture was offered at six days' notice that to play it would be "f***ing suicide", citing the risk of injury to bodies unused to much recent cricket coming into a double-header and the potential despondency that might result from a slaughtering by talented oppo. He had a point, though the five who played both days were alright physically, if tired. And his second argument would have been most perceptive if The Gents had gone home after the first drubbing. But they regrouped and won a famous victory.

Taverners surprisingly gave The Gents first use of a good pitch and Dhruv ("If he offered to open for our Saturday League seconds I'd bite his hand off" opined one of the four OT's first teamers here) and the phlegmatic Toft gave their side a perfect start of 48 in 11 overs. Nine wickets thereafter fell in 11.5 overs as Taverners kept their excellent, accurate opening pacemen on almost all innings, young Varney ending with a five-for. Dhruv and Toft edged to gully and 'keeper respectively. Ken bemoaned that he only scored five, but nobody would exceed his score and only Husain would equal it. Young was run out after a foolish call from guest Naveed Khan, who, eager to avoid Alex in full wrathful spate and profoundly apologetic later, at least stayed in for 9 overs as all around him unravelled. H Bomb got two victims, but the hosts won comfortably.

Spectators could scarcely believe the transformation from the ramshackle twits of the first game to a slick unit of accurate bowlers, demon fielders and assertive, hard-running batsmen. Taverners never broke free, though they doubtless thought that their 109 would be enough as the teams swapped round. An interesting quirk of this match was that all overs were bowled from the pavilion end (a) to speed things up and (b) to preclude annoyance to neighbours in the event of a Kain six-onslaught. But Hemin Patel bowled him attempting a reverse sweep and Gent Mr. Wahed hit the only six of the day. The Gents' reply was superb in the face of accurate bowling and some superlative fielding, Wahed and Husain leading the charge after early Gilkes fireworks.