Gentlemen of West London

Runs

London Owls

Runs

Sanjay and Madhu masterclass rescues Gents

A match played out in sepulchral gloom and drizzle ended in a comfortable Gents’ win against an inexperienced but game bunch of lads, yet the margin of victory belied the drama of the first innings, in which an astonishing opening spell of four for 8 from visiting skipper Jonathan Wasse reduced The Gents’ top order to rubble. Andy Morton followed in Wasse’s footsteps, and at 31 for 6, and later 61 for 7, the hosts were almost dead and buried before a superb eighth-wicket stand of 83 turned the game on its head. Skipper Sanjay Patel went on to a masterful, chanceless 78 (10 fours) in 26 overs at the crease. He was brilliantly supported by debut boy Madhu Ramaiah with 39 (7 fours) in the major stand plus, for the penultimate wicket, David Bender, one of three Beggars who helped out as their own match was rained off. Though the Owls’ openers, one of whom was Mr. C. Wright, resisted a compelling opening blast from Nabil Husain and the evergreen Snarler Snelling, spin brought its reward and Hemin’s two wickets off his first two balls gave The Gents an advantage they never surrendered, despite Bignell’s plucky and attractive 32.

The game was played in a relaxed spirit, except perhaps when the Gent quicks were making Mr. Wright hop about, though it had a slightly surreal (and far from unpleasant after some recent intense battles) jumpers for goalposts feel, with nobody, least of all the respective organisers, sure of how many players were going to turn up or for which side they would play. Neither Ketan Patel, nor his neighbour and pal, schoolboy Kamran Khan nor Madhu Ramiah (originally slated to play for the Owls) was on the Gent teamlist at 12.30pm – it was that sort of day! The captains decided that whoever turned up would get a game, quite the correct decision.

For a while, it seemed that any stragglers might miss the whole game, such was the clatter of early Gent wickets to Wasse and Morton. Snelling and Husain, the latter playing on off a mistimed pull, were bowled, while Buck spiralled a catch to ’keeper Bignell. Ken, discombobulated no doubt by the day’s organisational kerfuffle (he had raised the Owls’ team only to see his careful selection be dismantled in front of his very eyes) cut too early to short cover, Mr. Gilkes swatted to Wasse for 12 and Hemin reprised Buck’s dismissal.

Sanjay had a grin on his face and was merrily chatting to the oppo. Beware him in this mood, for he is dangerous. Unobtrusively at first, he won the game for his side, beautifully supported by Ramaiah, who played a masterful wet wicket innings. The 83 stand came in only 11 overs and was fittingly ended by a contender for catch of the season, an athletic one-hander by Woolfson at backward point. Sanjay, having overhauled Nabil and Jim at the northern tip of the aggregate list, was stumped Wright (his first ever such dismissal) after he and Dave Bender had added a useful 25. The innings closed on 172.

The Owls’ openers added a brave 18, surviving two tough, finger-breaking chances to Ken at slip, before Wright’s dismissal, bowled Hemin, heralded a flurry of wickets. Mansha was caught and bowled next ball (H Bomb would go on to take his first four-wicket haul) and when Nabil also did a two in two the win was assured. There is no point in going into triumphalist detail hereafter as a lot of the Owls were not regular cricketers. Bowlers were changed, chances were given and catches were caught in the gloaming, the match ending at 6 o’clock. The main point is that thanks to no small effort by Ken, a match was played and 24 players plus scorer Ian Colley (to whom thanks are due) and umpire Burman had a good day out.