Wrong Greenford! Classy Salix end unbeaten run

Greenford has two claims to fame. One, Brian Wilson and his shrink Eugene Landy flew in incognito in 1988 to surprise and delight a Beach Boys fans convention in a local church hall, performing three numbers at the piano (including the sublime 'Surfer Girl') and two, it hosted the only benign Gents/West XI game to date, the 1997 May friendly. Thus, in this gentle place, with only the minor controversy of Bhatt's dismissal, a season of promise ended in Gents' disappointment as Salix edged a nervy encounter by 12 runs. On the back foot due to late arrivals and, latterly, injury, the visitors fought hard but Salix gained crucial momentum in the final overs of their innings and then dismissed key batsmen Husain and Bhatt cheaply. Though the lower order fought well, victory was Salix's with 14 balls to spare. Thus The Gents were unable to win what would have been a record seventh successive game, deprived by a worthy opposition. Though few cricketers relish the end of the season, a look around the clubhouse post-match - Snarler and the skipper hobbling, Gilkes unwell and Toft long-term crook - meant that the 2006 season, enjoyable as it was, did not finish a moment too soon.

Missing late arrivals Husain, Wahed and Carroll, Sanjay's tactical options were limited. He chose to field and soon bowled Kluth. He kept Snarler - handicapped by a leg injury in his last few overs - on for his entire allotment, the big man striking off his short run, HP taking the catch off Dyson. A sensational one-handed Husain catch saw off Kulasingam but captain Ben Shaw found a resilient partner in Padmore, adding 60. As Snarler, such a good death bowler, had been bowled out and Husain used up, to surprisingly little effect, in the middle of the innings, Wahed bore the brunt of the inevitable late assault with the bizarre figures of 3-0-33-4, including a rocket of a caught and bowled via a sensitive part of his anatomy. Salix doubled their score in the last eight overs, good going on a dead, end of season pitch.

It was the highest score in the clubs' three fixtures to date but one The Gents, with solid form in recent weeks, felt confident of chasing down. What followed was a competent enough but somewhat atomized reply, in which wickets fell at crucial times. Denton and Gilkes began to reprise their sensible Berkhamsted showing before HP was again yorked. Bhatt then fell caught behind, though he was adamant the ball had clipped his rather comedically outsize pads. He hung around, clearly disappointed at the umpire's decision.

There were no weaknesses in Salix's attack, the pivotal moment of the innings arriving when Heaton deceived Husain with a well-conceived and executed slower ball, bowling him off stump. Gilkes fell bowled by the spinner Lumsden three runs later and Salix were on top. But lo and behold if the middle and lower order did not knuckle down and rally round. Each batman from five to eleven got in, defended well and played some good shots, only to fall when looking well set. There were a couple of panicky shots that were perhaps unnecessary as The Gents were up with the rate, despite canny bowling changes and wise field placing by captain Shaw. Master Snelling's suicide by reverse sweep, for example, rightly caused a minute's silence to be observed.

Wise Buck, the gutsy Carroll, the elegant Wahed, the dashing Snarler and the brave, injured skipper, unable to play anything off the front foot and batting with a runner, gave their team-mates heart but each fell, leaving Hylden and Bender to try to finish it off. Alas, Husain fingered Hylden plumb lbw to a Lumsden full-toss and it was all over. When three batsmen of the calibre of Bhatt, Husain and Sanjay Patel score just 19 runs between them you are not going to win many games of cricket, but the other Gents so nearly did enough. It was not, however, to be.