Come and support the club on November 5th and enjoy a fireworks spectacular. Bring friends, family and any random people you find on the street. It's one of the club's main fundraising activities in the year - please show your support for your club!

Interesting match that began inauspiciously with the late arrival of the visitors who last year hammered our Sunday X1. Luckily for them they won the toss and elected to bat as they did not have a full complement of eleven even at the delayed start time of 1.30.(match reduced to 35 ov).TMs Sunday X1 was skippered by Rizwan leading a team representative of all four X1s.....always a pleasure and part of what Sunday cricket is all about.

Asif Sutaria (2-37), our sole 1s rep, soon realised that some Sunday teams do have Prem League players and that he was certainly in for a challenge as Hainault & Clayhall's Atif plundered 14 (inc a towering 6)of the his and the inning's first over. However Shakeel W.G. Durrani (2-28) showed the young pup how it was done with two wickets in his opening over. Asif upped his game and eventually....deservedly, got his man before much damage was done. Good support for the opening pair was found in the revelation that is Krishna (1-15), a wrist spinning offie, Waqas (3-24)and Vivek (1-9). Fielding in general was superb, capped off by an astonishing 70 yard run out effected by Waleed and sharp catches from Haaris, Krishna and Rizwan. With relentless pressure being applied , Eastside struggled and were eventually bundled out for 133 in the 30th over.

TMs innings also began with a bang as Aleem crashed a four and a six off consecutive deliveries, however this was followed up by a loose prod resulting in a catch to 1st slip. The rest of the top order struggled as a combination of sharp pace bowling allied with a cheap, heavily lacquered ball (resulting in appreciable swing) was difficult to counter. At 51-5 in the 16th the outlook was bleak.

Once again WG Durrani (36)showed his class and experience by constructing a measured innings, however there is no hiding from old father time and having opened the bowling, WG had the attack of the cramps which left him needing a runner. Immediately this led to confusion and despite his runner reaching the non strikers end after a delicate late cut, WG had a senior moment, forgot he had a runner and set off for a single.......he was promptly run out. With A.B., Vivek and Asif also departing soon after, the game tilted Eastside's way once more.

Enter 10th wicket pair Rizwan (14*) and Waqas, with 26 still needed. The pair whittled this total down to 9 with a mixture of boundaries and nudges before Waqas decided to launch one into Finchley and only succeeded in edging to the keeper. As Krishna (12*)walked to the crease he informed his captain that he feared no-one and would 'do his duty'.

Well, he took guard and on his third delivery waltzed down the track to the opening bowler, who had returned for his final over, and drove him over mid on for a boundary. Next over, with 5 needed he smashed a four through covers off the other seamer, before once again playing a lofted on-drive and finishing the match. Where has this guy been all season!!!

Congratulations to the 1st XI, securing promotion from Division 1 of the Herts League by a mammoth 40 point margin!

Congratulations also to the 4th XI who rise to Division 7, only just missing out on their own divisional championship after losing their final game by just 1 run.

The 2s and 3s survived in their own divisions despite some late season scares.

All in all, a very successful season, and one we will use as a foundation for even bigger and better things.

1st XI secure league and promotion in final game of the season. A proud moment for skipper Shaun O'Brien as he leads his side to an emphatic league win, and promotion to the Herts premier league. Having lost the toss, TMs were set a 'gettable' target of 202 after O'Brien tore into the visitors, finishing with figures of 11 overs 4 for 73. Khan and Bhinjiyani chipped in with 3 and 2 wickets apiece. Bomber bowled a tidy 6.2 overs finishing with the final wicket, a fitting end to a fine season by the player awared 1st XI player of the season. Bomber then anchored the TMs innings with a sublime 74, including 12 4s. Although no one else managed to Bomber him with the bat, Justin Le Fort [26], Asif Hussain [22], Bicky Sandhu [18*] and Imran Khan [30*], saw the side safely home. Well done lads!!

Shall I write it? I think I will. Chris has one or two other things on at the moment, like finding a cure for the (un)common hangover, and analysing his stunning contribution to his 'Stag' match a week after the 'Fosters epic, so I'm subbing for him.

In that match, to take a leaf from the magnanimous book of the Offally and Stopsit correspondent, 'the opposition skipper (Benn) dropped a sitter in the first over, failed to marshal his rebellious and independent-minded team in the field, served up a generous order of pie when he bowled, and was cleaned up first ball when he 'batted', ha ha'. My how we larfed.

But going back to the League season, of which I have dim and distant memories, CB showed his tactical acumen was as sharp as ever when he inserted a strong batting Fosters side, running the risk of not gathering any points if we failed to win. If? As if!

Vivek Malfeasance took out Rocca's middle pole with a fast off-cutter to bring un point (Ed, no it didn't, we put 'em in) v.quickly, but Cooper and Knight played sensibly and ran well to bring up a 50 partnership for the second wicket. Rakesh ended all that nonsense with a fantastic pick up and throw from backward square leg to run out Cooper, good and honest decision by the ump as there was a lot going on in the vicinity of the stumps at the time. Steve, brought on as an early first change, sort of applied the brakes and when Knight looked to use his feet the break-back beat him and as ever AB did the rest.

Chipping away at the middle order, two lovely offies' wickets for Waqas included, TMs looked to be on the way to glory but the two men who changed everything, White and Wells, had other ideas; throwing everything at anything vaguely pitched up, they crashed the ball about splendidly and changed the whole tone of the match. Vivek's second spell took them both out but their heroics only served to inspire nine, ten and John, who added runs that were more than irritating, they were ... well, you know the rest.

Having had more than a bit of tap from the two Ws Mr Chairman had a second go into the wind and finally got his yorker mojo working to record wickets nos. 48 and 49, the final one with the final ball he reckons he'll bowl in League cricket. We shall see. But 238 - a mighty big ask for what the ever-generous Langleyburgh cricket correspondent terms 'a very average Totteridge Millhillains (sic) 4s, who have somehow reached the summit of Division 8'. Well, average is as average does.

Vivek played in his unique stylee - when he gets a decent bat he'll be unstoppable. Or the ball will be unrecoverable, as he'll hit it on to the back of a lorry on the A1. Kam found yet another way of getting out. Sanjay did what he does best and on reaching 27 attained a magnificent 600 league runs for the season. Sadly he was done for at 601, but what a fantastic season he has had - perhaps no more 4s for him?

Then came the partnership that brought us to within touching distance of the magnificent trophy and the riches, beyond the dreams of Avarice, that the Division 8 championship brings.

Rakesh was nothing short of magnificent, once more playing with a style, grace and selectivity that means he is another one destined for higher XIs in 2011. Ketan reminded us of his true ability, again taking his time to settle in (the bounce was getting low at this stage) before unfurling his trademark booming drives, and one of the biggest sixes seen at RL. The season has ended too soon for Ketan, as this was his best knock all year by many a mile.

But let's not forget the (one of whom was under 17 with the attendant rationed overs) 'Fosters firm, White and Wells, who worked away and gradually began to harvest wickets in abundance. White took the honours statistically (8 wickets, can't knock that) but Wells worked away manfully and ... well, you know the rest by now.

We came, we swished, we perished - obviously a few big hits would have done the job.

It came down, forgive me please for paraphrasing, to 7 needed from 3 balls. Nine down, Steve and Neil (who have previous in this kind of fix, so confidence remained high) at the crease.

Full ball, smear to cow (SL) , four runs. 3 from 2 - gotta favour the batting side, yes? Chairs on strike, scrambled single to mid-on, never a thought of turning it down, leaving 2 needed from 1 solitary ball. It comes down to one ball, to enable an average side led by a non-playing captain to win the league.

You know the rest.

The reactions were interesting. Chris squatted on his haunches on the RL slope, thinking 'what have I done?'. Or was that 'what am I about to do in two weeks' time?'. Steve laughed his head off, and spouted lots of proverbs, which were, like, really helpful. The rest of the guys were totally and utterly dumbfounded, until some gallows humour and the need to attend to the logistics kicked in. Then it was back to the Ridge for some fun and games.

For a more lengthy analysis, please look somewhere else.

This tickle was supposed to go like a Swiss watch: We arrive. We bat. We bowl. We win. We leave. But when I introduce you to the unusual suspects, you’ll see why this raid on London Colney went off more like a Swiss cheese...

The firm:

Rizla (The Muscle)
Jimmy Caan Ahmed (The Deal Clincher)
Birdseye McDougal (The Honey Trap)
MC Rutchlow (The Draughtsman)
Petay Leslay (The NZ Connection)
Haris Ali Soomro (The Spin Doctor)
Nice One Ali (The Enigma)
Waqar Ali (The Patsy)
Yasir ‘Dani Boy’ Khan (The Usual Umpire)
Roger Luck (Kayser Soze)
Shakeel Durani… you all know.

We arrived on time and staked out the joint: so far, so good. Nothing to fear here. Rizla called correctly at the toss and we batted first, as planned.

Their opening bowler was a big man, but he was in bad shape. Even so, he generated a fair bit of pace and bounce, blowing Petay Leslay’s bloody doors off early on as the NZ Connection snicked a cheeky riser to the ‘keeper.

We were forced to call on The Deal Clincher, Saf Ahmed, far too soon, and the draughtsman, MC Rutchlow, hastily drew up an improvised plan: singles, and lots of them.

It was both a surprise and a delight for their TMs teammates as the pair kept the score ticking along and, as is so unlike us, one wicket didn’t immediately become two or three, or more. So, we’re about 60-1 with 21 overs gone and the rain starts coming down. It was heavy, man. So off we trot for a cup of splosh and an oily rag, before resuming the game (which is now 14 overs shorter, like what Riz said up there ^).

Of course, Saf only goes and forgets all what we’ve done so far and tries to launch one big straight away. He gets caught with his Leslie Crowthers down, playing a loose cover drive in the air, and he’s mullered. What a Jackie Brambles.

Enter The Spin Doctor, Haris Ali Soomro. The first ball arrives and he gets struck somewhere around the point where glove becomes forearm. With the ball safely ensconced in the ‘keeper’s gloves, our umpire, Chemical Ali, made Haris an offer he couldn’t refuse and he departed in angry and high-pitched fashion. It’s understandable, I suppose; no one likes to be caught out getting one off the wrist.

Now their danders are right up (and I ain’t talking Barnet Fair), so who better to get ‘em thinking than The Enigma, Hassan ‘Nice One’ Ali.

Nice One arrives, sporting his trademark mischievous grin. I have to say, it is always a pleasure batting with Hassan – not least because of the way the opposition react to his unorthodox methods. As is his want, Nice One immediately sets about the bowling, swiping one over midwicket off the toe of the bat, which prompted some Alan Border verbals from the bowler. “What the fackin ‘ell was that?” he says.

Nice One replies with a nice one: “Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?” A confused bowler headed back to his mark and charged in again. But no amount of effort will do today for London Colney’s bowlers.

It’s boom time for TMs as Hassan waters the green shoots of our innings and the oppo are forced into a period of recession. Nice One is slamming the ball all over the place, but also adding some subtlety with three reverse, erm, dobs over the ‘keeper’s head which resulted in their skipper posting a man there. Nice try but you simply can’t set a field to Nice One, who made an entertaining 50. And when his partner MC Rutchlow departed for 69, Birdseye McDougal chipped in with well crafted 22. The Nice One ran Rob out. He's an enigma wrapped up in a wassername, locked inside a thingy, is our Nice one.

With The Rizla strongarming a rapid 22 n.o. in the final few overs, we posted 208-7 off 47. Not bad considering a) the rain break and b) the fact that, up until this point, we had only posted 200+ four times this season.

So time for more splosh and a bit of grub and then we hit the turf running to finish the blag.

Well, we did until the rain came again.

To be fair, 209 off 40 overs was a decent ask and they sent in their big guns to open, hoping for a flyer. But tight bowling form The Rizla and Shakeel meant there was little to go after and when their innings was reduced to 29 overs by a heavy shower, they were never going to go for it.

We ended up taking four wickets and leaving with 14 points, four more than if we’d been washed out, so well worth exerting pressure on their umpire to make a game of it. Is it enough to keep us safe though?

Safe? You must be crackers. Although if you want truly loop the loop, I have a feeling the game against Harpenden 3s might be the game to read about.

What a season. It’s been emotional.

both Ridge and Rowley Lane underwater so games are OFF
1s made a start, 15 for 1 after 7 overs, 4s called off before we made the trip to Luton

Two wins out of two. Great cricket, great company and great fun. A definate success.