New Barbarian Weasels

Runs

Gentlemen of West London

Runs

Match Summary - Indo-Pak alliance blitzes Home Office boys

The Gents won their sixth successive PALs League game after a blistering unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 127 between Nabil Husain (104 not out, 17 fours) and skipper Sanjay Patel (33 not out), some achievement by a side who had lost five games out of six. Once the duo declared open season on the Weasels' support bowling a record or two was always likely to tumble and in 16 overs and 2 balls of utter Gent superiority the previous club record stand for the wicket (116 set by Bhavesh Vyas and Sanjay against Enterprise in 2003) was eclipsed, though the 138 posted by East Harrow Cheetahs Jaques and Torbe in 1996 was not. Nabil is only the club's fifth centurion after Mark Ashton, Tony Buck, Steve Jones and Jim Wright. Earlier, the Weasels had in the 33 overs bowled set a competitive 174/7, in which Perry scored a sterling fifty (8 fours), a fact of which nobody was aware as none of his team-mates had announced it from the boundary. Only with the 186-3 against Enterprise in 1990 have The Gents posted a higher winning second-innings total with so few wickets lost.

It must be disappointing for the NBW's organiser to be left one short for a league game at such a prestigious venue, but one short they were and it was a fate nearly shared by The Gents, Sanjay securing on the Friday night the services of young schoolboy Pritesh Patel from Hammersmith, who did well, to make up the eleven. Another lost toss and John Bishop, who impressed The Gents all day, decided to bat in the absence of their skipper Dyer, who was late
arriving. He and Perry are a mightily impressive opening pair, opposites in their approach but both fit and with a very good understanding. Nabil and Sanjay troubled them but they settled down and played some good shots though they only broke free in Dhruv's first over (the rest of his spell was fine). Scibo is becoming something of a Basil d'Oliveira with his ability to break stands and so it proved again, Perry firing back a caught and bowled and Bishop playing down the wrong line to be bowled.

From a promising 85/2 at 20-over drinks NBW moved on sharply after the break, but were pegged back by alert, brave fielding, with Mr. Toft, Hemin and SP outstanding, which compensated for patchy bowling with too many full-tosses. Indeed, SP adopted Ashton's old position of deep mid-wicket sweeping the boundary, muttering away to himself about this and that and booming in perfect sixty yard throws. Though three catches went down. Dhruv took a skyer to out Woodhead off Hemin, who then reprised his own spectacular effort against West XI to juggle then snaffle Regnier-Wilson off Buck. Hayes, reprieved early after being given lbw and then recalled, gritted out 42 not out.

		The first innings did not finish until five o'clock and the light now began to deteriorate as the temperature plummeted. HP met his Waterloo once more on reaching double figures and when Dhruv was ridiculously run out after a misunderstanding with Mr. Gilkes, the 120 that Buck had privately hoped for ("to keep some dignity") was looking a long way off. Nabil was dropped at the wicket early but soon began to release some aesthetically delightful cover-drives and straight-drives. His pull and hook were working too and, suitably inspired, MoonCat unleashed a beautiful on-drive for four to the longest boundary before edging behind in the 14th. over. But he had seen off Bishop.
Richard keeps within his crease.

In fading light the support bowlers presented less of a challenge as Nabil and the skipper exerted total control. The days of Weasels Best and Flack coming on to peg you back after Kirkwood's hostility and Owen's accuracy are long gone. The running here was superb with SP content to play the support role, scoring mainly with singles, as fours rained from the young Pakistani's bat. His is a special talent and we should cherish him before he is whisked off to marry his princess one day. The stunned hosts were powerless to stop him and there were 33 balls left when he finished proceedings at 7.15pm. This game was the perfect antidote to recent uncertainties and will be one to cherish by the winter fireside.
		Nabil on his way to a superb 103*.