Scorecard

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI v Preston II on Sat 09 May 2009 at 13:30
Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club Won by 8 wickets

Match report Who do you think you are kidding Preston II's, if you think we're on the run...

Dad's Army is how one of our number (not too short in the tooth himself, I might add) described the TMs Third Eleven last Saturday as we assembled to do battle with Preston II's at our new second ground at Rowley Lane.

It was true to say that, as with all great conflicts, Tuesday's selection meeting had robbed us of a great deal of our youth. But don't panic, I chuckled to myself, as I elected to bowl first on a flat, hard track with a lightening-fast outfield. The old guard won't let me down.

Ho hum. 59-0 after 10 overs. What to do about this dreadful business? I mused, as Preston's village blacksmith carted another boundary over mid-wicket from a reasonable length ball that pitched outside off stump.

Of course, I thought, when you're desperate for an extraction, call for a dentist. Thankfully, we had one in the side. And, thankfully again, our dentist is insane. You see, no one with all their faculties intact would sandwich a lengthy game of cricket in between two 10-hour night shifts pulling out teeth for the NHS. So, either a) Shahrokh is mad about cricket or b) his wife is very mad about something else.

Either way, I don't mind. Because by the end of Shahrokh's 23 overs, the dentist had rendered Preston a toothless beast.

During a wonderfully tight and lengthy spell, Shahrokh bowled, caught, lbw-ed and ran out 7 of them for just 70 runs. At the other end, a never-ending supply of 'Sweet T' Alderton was doing nothing to calm the shell-shocked opposition. His 20 overs were served up at a cost of just 2.05 each. Indeed, if it hadn't been for 'an ecstacy of fumbling' in the slip cordon, Tony would have had a deservedly better return than the single wicket. Still, that run rate had this Yorkshireman drooling all over the scorebook (albeit a scorebook that was incorrectly filled in, it was later pointed out).

Mentioned in fielding dispatches:

Kit Hutcheson – for an inspiring and athletic performance
Hilton Nathanson – for a calm run out at a pivotal point in the game
Stewart Wernham – simple, elegant and excellent, as always
Jeremy Graves – unstinting in his efforts for the team
Kris Water – a valiant performance and a smart catch
Al Denham – because long on to long on is, after all, a younger man's game. And for loudly exclaiming 'POINT?' when directed to field in said position by the captain
Mo Raza – injured early on, yet remained on the pitch for the full 53 overs, cunningly disguised as a fielder

And so to our innings, which began with a bang and ended with a comfortable victory.

After taking 10+ off the first Preston over, Matt Crutchlow and Kris Waters progressed serenely passed the fifty mark, when Kris was harshly given out lbw for 10. The arrival of Hilton Nathanson at the crease did nothing to brighten the mood of the visitors as he calmly stroked the ball about in a lovely knock of 68 n.o. and when the Captain departed for 81, Al Denham saw us home with a sprightly 19 n.o. coming in at number 4.

So, a fantastic performance all round and we departed happy, with the A10 thrumming in our ears, to enjoy a well-earned drink. Not at Rowley Lane, however. But that, as they say, is a whole other story.

P.S. Anyone who isn't aware of the late, great J.L. Carr might fancy a look at his Dictionary of Extra-Ordinary Cricketers – a dictionary of cricket's most eccentric and quixotic practitioners, funnily enough.


Preston II Batting
Player name Runs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
183 (0.0 overs)
M. Burleigh Lbw  S. Navaee 33
M. Pierce Caught  C. Low Bowled T. Alderton 19
B. Hill Caught  S. Wernham Bowled S. Navaee 21
J. Garnham Run out  (H. Nathanson) 8
J. Byford Caught  & Bowled S. Navaee 1
P. Morrell Caught  K. Waters Bowled S. Navaee 6
S. L. Harrington Run out  (S. Navaee) 33
G. Hearne Bowled  S. Navaee 22
D. Allen Not Out  13
B. Burrows Bowled  S. Navaee 5
G. Byford  

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Charles Low10.005800.005.80
Tony Alderton20.0541141.002.05
Shahrokh Navaee23.0670611.673.04

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 2 wickets
0
187
(0.0 overs)		    
Matt Crutchlow Bowled  D. Allen 81
Kristian Waters Lbw  D. Allen 10 1
Hilton Nathanson Not Out  68 1
Al Denham Not Out  19
Kit Hutcheson  
Jeremy Graves  
Shahrokh Navaee   1 1
Mohamad Raza  
Stewart Wernham   1
Tony Alderton  
Charles Low   1

Preston II Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
D. Allen14.0161230.504.36
J. Byford8.022300.002.88
P. Morrell12.004900.004.08
B. Burrows4.001600.004.00
J. Graham4.002400.006.00
J. Byford1.20800.006.00

  • Umpire :
    Bob Chandler
  • Scorer :