Scorecard

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI v Old Cholmeleians on Sat 15 May 2010 at 1:00pm
Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club Won by 4 wickets

Match report Mill Hill 1 – 0 Highgate

The 3rd XI took on a Highgate Old Boys side (Old Cholmeleians for those of you not up on your alumnus network etymology), the first of two OC’s sides playing in Div 6. In what turned out to be an absolutely thumping victory for TMCC, after a game of over 480 runs at The Ridge, there were highs and lows galore, none better exemplified than by Arjun’s rollercoaster performance which included both the match-finishing innings and a concession of 22 runs in an over.

Jim again took the gloves, and complained at the end of the warm up that he had a sore thumb, having taken one on the end of it. The bruising got worse, he took painkillers, got it strapped up (albeit by an IT consultant rather than a doctor), but soldiered on through the first innings after stand-in skipper Charlie again won the toss and again stuck the oppo in.

Throughout the course of the match Hutch asked several teammates for their prognosis of his thumb – it turns out that the combined musings of said IT consultant (probably a bad bruise), a brand consultant (you can move it, must only be bruised) and an economics teacher (you’ll have to amputate), were off the mark, with only the mining journalist’s diagnosis coming up trumps. It’s fractured, said Pablo, and, two days after the event, it turns out he was right. So it seems Hutch kept wicket – and kept wicket well – with a broken thumb. Now that, ladies and gents, is dedication.

So to the fielding effort itself – with a dry track, a short uphill boundary and lightning quick outfield, Charlie elected not to hand the ball to 8-wicket Arun, instead falling back on the tried and tested Low'n'Alderton combo. Things started as you might imagine: tight. Tight like a tiger. Some sharp ground fielding and good persistent lines meant the OC’s skipper was trapped in front by Tony early on.

The rest of the innings was a quick-swinging pendulum of feast and famine – an aggressive number 4 with a good eye and a heavy bat dispatched on average one ball an over either to the boundary or over it. The rate shot up from the 20th to the 30th over, inducing an increasingly frantic fielding effort to work out how to stem the flow.

The inspiration came not so much in bringing Arjun on, but in keeping him on after a decidedly indifferent first over. His second over produced a beauty that befuddled the big hitter, sliding beautifully onto his off stump. Another lean spell for the OC’s followed, but with wickets in hand they were very well placed to sprint – and slog – right through to the end of the innings. And slog they did, with some awful yet effective swipes, taking them up to an imposing 241-6 at the end of 53. Captain Charlie had plugged on through from start to finish, maintaining an excellent rhythm, claiming 4 wickets at a highly respectable 24.5.

Special mention here goes to Tony’s back-peddling catch at slip off a thick, looping outside edge – suffice it to say that his loud, unprintable exclamation immediately before taking it, one-handed, had not given the watching fielders too much confidence, but made it all the sweeter when he held on!

The TMCC innings transpired to be a thing of beauty. Jeremy Book and new boy Peter Leslie started superbly, a first wicket stand of well over 50 in little more than 10 overs providing the perfect platform. Peter (28) fell but Jeremy bashed on, unveiling a wide selection of delectable drives and cuts on his way to 57. Hilton, fast becoming TMCC’s very own Mr Cricket, was celebrating the birth of Baby Boy number 3, and oh Baby, oh Boy, our number 3 was awesome. He anchored the remainder of the innings, unflappable when the rate slipped over 6, and ruthless in bringing it back down again. Aniket, Pablo and, to a far lesser extent, Alex all came and supported, Aniket in particular unlucky to see the finger after getting bat on an LBW shout.

TMCC were 5 wickets down, with 7 overs remaining and 40-odd still to get, and in strode Arjun, ready to avenge the mauling and heckling meted out by the OC’s by going about his batting in the manner he does it best. The first six missed Stewie’s parked Jag by mere inches, the second was well held by Charlie just in front of his own motor, and a T20-inspired paddle sweep had suddenly brought the required rate down to less than 4. Arjun fell just before the end but Arun and Hilton (72*) saw it home with 3 overs to spare. Pablo’s shout of ‘You’re not so chippy now, are you?’ may or may not have been justified.

It hadn’t been a good effort in the field, with some sloppiness and lapses in concentration, from fielders and bowlers alike, and with luck the 3s will learn from the experience and tighten up next week – the batting has been solid, built around Nathanson Rock, but we can’t expect to dig ourselves out of that kind of hole every week. But it’s a well-deserved 1-0 to Mill Hill, with a chance to double the lead against the OC’s 2nd XI in a few weeks time.

Old Cholmeleians Batting
241 for 6
Player name Runs
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Charles Low27.0798424.503.63
Tony Alderton17.0367167.003.94
Arun Madhasaravanan1.001100.0011.00
Arjun Chopra8.0249149.006.12

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI Batting
245 for 6
Player Name RunsCatchesStumpingsRun outs
Jeremy Book Bowled  Khalique (2) 57
Peter Leslie Caught  Barber 28
Hilton Nathanson Not Out  72 1
Aniket Gocoldas Lbw  Khalique (2) 16
Pablo Martin Caught  Swindell 14 1
Alex Book Bowled  Khalique (1) 5
Arjun Chopra Bowled  Khalique (3) 30
Arun Madhasaravanan Not Out  0
James Hutcheson  
Charles Low  
Tony Alderton   1

Old Cholmeleians Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

  • Umpire :
    Bob Chandler
  • Scorer :