Beggars skip a generation to level series

Tantalus is a character in Greek mythology who is punished by the Gods for stealing their secrets. His fate was to spend eternity with a rock hanging precariously over his head, to be always hungry and thirsty with food and drink in sight, but always - tantalisingly - out of reach. Thus, our beloved Sanjay Patel, having by sheer force of personality dragged The Gents back into a game that had, for much of the afternoon, seemed beyond them, saw the game slip out of reach with a fusillade of late boundaries from Chris Wright and Rowan Allerton. The series was therefore tied 1-1 and Mr. Wright will, for another year, have to foot the bill for the silver polish with which to buff the Bob Ashton Memorial Cup, a price, we suspect, he will be happy to pay. Sanjay meanwhile faces up to two series bravely drawn 1-1 coming on the back of three successive losses, two by 0-3 and one by 1-2.

West XI were worthy winners here as they played more as a team, all their batsmen apart from Taylor getting into double figures, while their bowling was more consistent. Indeed, The Gents' innings never really recovered from hostile, accurate opening spells from Taylor and Dane, stuttering to 43/3 off 14 overs. Husain, in his final Gents game, brought up his 2,000 runs in only his 51st. innings with a splendid 66, but received little help apart from Sanjay, who nevertheless was dropped twice before being yorked by Chris Wright in an otherwise wayward spell. The Saudi was dismissed pulling a full-pitch from Allerton, one of three wickets for the fifteen year-old. One or two Gents thought that it might have been an aerial No-Ball but it wasn't given and that was that and no blame should attach to the highly competent umpire who called it as he saw it. Some brave runs from H Bomb, Snarler and Mr. Turpin belied the stodgy efforts of supposedly senior batsmen to bring up a total of 149, perhaps 30 or 40 south of expectations. Still, it was something to bowl at and far from disastrous.

After a tea described by a West XI player as "bland rubbish" (brother, you should see Salix's lettuce on Mother's Pride finest) Husain bowled Taylor in the first over, but that was to be the only success for the visitors for a long time, with Norcott scoring mainly through gully but not above driving Snarler back up the hill for four (until Wright's late duo of sixes the shot of the day) and Dane lethal off his legs. H Bomb bowled Norcott for 32, deserved success for a fine spell, and the returning Husain had Dane lbw for an accomplished 38.

The run rate slowly crept up to more than a run a ball as the temperature fell, sterling work from H Bomb, Daoud Shanvare and the trio of pacemen, well backed up by lively outfielding in The Gents' best period of the match. Bhatt then holed out off Shanvare to Husain at deep mid-wicket, ditto Walton to long-on Snelling off SP. The Beggar bench was getting nervous but Allerton and Wright took the game to The Gents, bold and effective cricket. Shanvare was lofted for two enormous sixes by Wright and a straight drive by Allerton off Husain won the game at 6.30pm. The Gents had kept at it well - Richard Gilkes and Naveed Khan fielded superbly and must have shed half a stone each in the cause - but the frailty of their earlier batting had left them with too much to do. The irony of this game is that whereas The Gents have had a transfusion of young blood in the last two years, which had a profound influence in the one-sided May encounter, it was the youngest player in either squad who had the most influence here. Rowan's old dad Kevin, sadly absent, must be very proud, though a barrage of sixes and fours are urgently required by Gents batsmen in 2008 to restore discipline to the boy.

Still, 1-1 against such oppo ("The best bowling we've faced this season bar none," opined SP) is not a disaster and the game was played in a good spirit, West XI winning with some grace, understanding how disappointed The Gents were. Thanks are due to those made the effort to travel such a long way. Roll on 2008.