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A club-record second wicket stand of 122 between Jim Wright (nine fours and a huge straight six) and Mark Sciberras (seven fours), who scored his maiden fifty, enabled The Gents to post a huge score of 251 on a wicket that was a batsman’s paradise. The Angry Men, on the back foot all day due to late arrivals and two players who failed to turn up, were then skittled for a bizarre, lopsided 97, which included a fifty stand (the second highest of the day) and no fewer than 41 extras. Of the highly skilled Angry outfit who despatched The Gents one year before, only Hibbert and Hylden played here and it is a fact of cricketing life that no matter how game the replacements any side would miss dreadfully the likes of Anderson, Bullock, Shannon and Wilson.
Some swift thinking by Sanjay ensured that a game could go ahead, Norcott and Toft transferring to 12AM during their spell of sub fielding when it became obvious that no further players were arriving. By this time Buck had fingered Dhruv lbw to Craig Bryan, a long way forward but hit on the full, shuffling across his stumps. Thus was Jim’s partnership with Scibo made flesh as they applied first scalpel then knife to the persevering bowlers. At 20-over drinks, Gents were 120 for 1 (Jim 47 not out, Scibo 44 not out) and both men were past their fifties when Jim fell to a high, hanging caught and bowled, the first of Kieran’s three wickets, Scibo following four overs later to a sharp slip catch by Burman. Both innings were splendid.
The prospect of a conjunction of Nabil (who had been pacing up and down the boundary like a caged tiger for an hour and a half) and SP was mouth-watering but alas the skip was soon bowled, which let in the aggressive Lloyd. Runs were coming all around the ground, including a Lloyd sixer off a full bunger that cleared the fine-leg rope by twenty yards. The fielding never wilted, and Bryan took a smart catch at long-on to out Nabil for 36 but Hemin was a fine foil for Lloyd, the two pals adding 40 in four overs. The final total, which included 30 fours and two sixes, was only 13 shy of the club record score of 264 for 6 set against London Rams in 2005.
After two and a half hard hours chasing leather, the Angries batted like a very tired team. Nabil’s opening ball sped for four byes, his third was whacked down mid-on Lloyd’s throat and his third chipped back for a diving caught and bowled, 4 for 2. A prial of Australians would traditionally have been listed to come in from this point, as they did for their record 281-3 in 2001 at Surbiton but not here.
The remaining batsmen showed some spirit but the task was too demanding. Justin was stumped off Dhruv, good work by stand-in ’keeper SP, who was kept busy trying to stop an unusual volume of byes and wides. Rob Babar’s neat spell was wicketless, but Wahed had Hibbert neatly caught by a diving Carroll at square-leg before inducing a disappointed Ken to play on. Sean Carroll’s Gent bowling career had opened with five successive wides but once he conquered his nerves he was controlled and accurate. Phil and Gary added fifty before Hemin had his reward, bowling the former before Sean had Bryan caught Scibo at long-on for a golden duck and Dave Hylden leg-before. Burman, having not been given a bowl despite a promise to the contrary and batted last, was then run out after a cretinous call in a low-key end to a strange match, observed for most of the afternoon over by the sightscreen at the West Barnes Lane End by a huge black and white tom cat, wittily christened the Beast of Motspur Park by quipster Mr. Toft. The groundsman Alan kindly opened up the bar afterwards, regaling a rapt audience with tales of learning his trade at the Oval and Worcester, before presenting Sanjay with two brand new top class cricket balls, a kind touch.
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