Diversity awareness

On the same wicket on which 24 hours before Old Tenisonians had skittled their Fuller's League Division 2 opponents for just 40 en route to an eight wicket win, Gents and London Saints repeated the plot almost to the run, the visitors defying the conditions to bat first on a damp but drying pitch on a cloudy, muggy day. The Gents won this low-scoring game after a superb spell of 5-2-7-5 from young Pakistani Ahsan Iqbal, including a Hat-trick, reduced the visitors' batting to rubble. The hosts found things little easier in the reply, losing three cheap wickets and surviving two dropped catches, before Gilkes and Denton steered them home.

"Whatever you do, do not bat first" advised Tenisonian Paul Kain but Dave Thomas had confidence in his batters, though the late arrival of Pete Berkeley probably did not help his cause. He arrived with his team 16-6 courtesy of Mr Iqbal (whose Hat-trick victims were Wathan caught Gilkes, Dallison and Chalmers bowled), Snelling and Husain having previously picked up an opener apiece. Cronin batted bravely but the damage was done even before a direct hit run out by Hemin Patel followed by two wickets for the spinner finished off the innings after 20.3 overs. Toft soon fell to a blistering one-handed catch by Nanton off Loomes who despite a stuttering run up is a very clever bowler. When Thomas bowled Khan and Loomes had Buck lbw The Gents were grateful that the target was not higher, though no further wickets fell.

The subsequent Twenty/20 was a thriller on an easing wicket which saw a spirited if ultimately unsuccessful response by Saints to a run a ball target. The Gents batted methodically, Denton anchoring the innings with steady contributions throughout the order. Saints used nine bowlers: The Gents, rather less democratically, would use only seven. Mr Berkeley took four wickets and would top score in the reply.

Berkeley and Thomas batted beautifully in the hunt for 121 runs. Their stand of 48 was the highest of the day and when, in Hemin Patel's first over (the innings' eighth), Thomas pulled the day's only six, Saints were slight favourites, though Hemin had the skipper lbw next ball. The off-spinner would take three more wickets, though runs were accruing at the required rate. The introduction of pace - despite two regrettable Snelling beamers - finally pegged Saints back in the final two overs, only three runs coming of the seven required in the last. It had been an exciting, tight contest in which The Gents just won out, but it could have gone either way.