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After the disappointment of a cancellation brought about by wet
weather the week before, the Gents kicked off the 2006 season with a
convincing win over the St. Anne’s Allstars at Sunny Barnes Common.
With the prospect of early silverware in the form of the 42-11 cup,
the return of a slim-line Snarler, 2 new debutants and the
opportunity to avenge the previous season’s defeat, there was much
incentive for the Gents to perform and perform they did.
Having won the toss, the Allstars rightly decided to bat on a green
wicket which, apart from the odd rising bounce and southern railway
end offering more for the bowlers, would behave surprisingly well
throughout the game. The formidable opening partnership of Tristan
Haddow-Allen and Simon “Scratch” Begley however didn’t last long,
with Husain castling last years match winner in the 3rd over. With
solid support from Snelling and sharp Gents fielding, runs were hard
to come by and the batsmen were unable to cut loose. Sanjay came
into the attack and took 2 wickets, importantly trapping Tristan lbw
for 14. Nicol offered some resistance but wickets continued to
tumble around him; Scibo taking the wicket of Felix Haddow-Allen and
Turpin taking a sharp catch behind the stumps off of Snelling to
account for Morris. After a slightly nervous start debutant Lloyd
Wahed looked impressive and despite not taking wickets in this game,
looks to be a very decent addition to the Gent’s bowling attack.
When Nicol fell, failing to pick out the slower ball after hitting
two powerful fours off of Scibo, the Allstars looked in trouble on
66 for 7 after 20 overs.
But shortly after the drinks interval came the St Anne’s revival. In
just 30 balls, their number 9 batsman Evans single-handedly turned
the innings on its head. His lightening quick 56 came off just 30
balls in just as many minutes. It included five fours and four
sixes, one of which would have certainly endangered shoppers in
Putney were it not for a giant sycamore tree. His 66 run partnership with Morgan would be a record 8th wicket stand against the Gents. After his demise from
a canny Nabie slower ball, the Gent’s were able to efficiently mop
up the shorter than expected tail. Backus (the first female opponent
this writer can remember) was caught and bowled by Dhruv, whilst
Hemin held on to a pacey pull from Morgan at square leg off of
Snelling, leaving Maxie Haddow-Allen unbeaten on 0. As the teams
left the field, the St Anne’s score of 132 looked to be about par,
and the Gent’s pondered about how difficult the chase would be
against a largely unfamiliar bowling attack.
The Gents opened with the second debutant Sean Carroll, alongside
Dhruv Patel against a tight St Anne’s attack consisting of Tristan
Haddow-Allen and Morris. When Carroll was bowled Morris, the Gents
had made 24 from 8 overs, a stable start but with much work still to
be done. Scibo’s walk to the crease loosely coincided with a change
of bowling, but Backus and Nicol offered more opportunities for the
batsmen. Despite being acutely aware of the potential ribbing in
store should they lose their wicket to a female bowler, both were
able to cut loose and score boundaries all over the ground. After 10
overs together they had put on a partnership of 73 runs, which was
broken by the return of Tristan who bowled Scibo lbw for 44. Nabil
came to the crease next and continued where he had left off the
season before, attacking the bowlers and forcing spectators to cover
their ears as his bat crashed against the ball. By the time that
Dhruv was superbly caught by a diving Begley at mid on for 44, the
game was as good as over and Husain hit the winning runs with a
drive to the boundary.
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The nearby Sun Inn
provided the venue for the presentation of the 42-11 cup (pictured). Although
the scorebook will record a comfortable victory, many Gents wondered
if the outcome would have been so convincing had Evans batted
earlier or if St Anne’s had kept faith with their more trusted and
tried bowlers. However, having made a promising start to the 2006
season and with a bigger squad than ever, the Gent’s can positively
look forward to the upcoming fixtures with excitement and optimism. |
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