Happy Anniversary

The Gents took a 1-0 lead in the 2008 Bob Ashton Memorial Cup with a resounding victory, outbatting, outbowling and, crucially, outcatching their old rivals to post a convincing win. It was a day when almost everything captain Sanjay Patel tried came off, from his decision to put Ravi Inkollu (80 the week before opening the batting) at No.7 to stiffen the middle-order to calling back Nabeel Husain for a second spell to dislodge Chris Wright. Both sides scored 75 runs in their first 20 overs, but whereas The Gents scrapped their way to an above-par total of 162, West XI collapsed in a heap after their captain was out, only 4 further runs accruing. West XI had no complaints but will doubtless come back hard in the July return. This was an historic day, for on the equivalent Sunday 20 years before, The Gents had played their inaugural fixture, against the same opposition. Steve Bignell and Andrew Burman from that treasured day were in attendance here, the former kindly presenting the latter with a framed scorecard of that game.

After Sanjay Patel and Peter Denton had cut through the red tape to claim the right pitch, a few hundred yards from where the players had originally convened, Chris Wright won the toss and inserted The Gents, a decision vindicated early with three maidens first up and the wicket of Denton bowled Taylor in the fifth over. Khan and Husain then batted superbly to add 60 with entertaining calling but excellent running between the wickets, boundaries being at a premium with huge boundaries and long grass in the outfield. Indeed, though he struck five threes, Husain did not find the white lines once, asserting that he could not possibly have hit the ball any harder. Only four fours were scored all innings, compared to five, all by Wright, in the Beggars' knock.

Khan was dropped four times but gritted it out for 25 overs, though he lost Rana caught behind and Iqbal, not the first nor, one suspects, the last Gent to have an attack of the red mist on facing Laing's teasing flight for the first time. The innings was stalling, but after Bhatt caught Khan off Rowan Allerton for a priceless 46, skipper Patel and the powerful Inkollu injected it with adrenalin before Bender took an excellent slip catch running back off Allerton to dismiss Sanjay Patel and Bhatt bowled Inkollu. It was now run for everything time, particularly when Husain returned as runner for the hobbling Chayya, who showed good attitude in his innings. Sciberras edged behind and Hemin Patel was run out as Husain tried to turn a two into a three. The innings closed on 162.

After a brief tea, battle resumed. An astonishing period of play followed, in which the Beggar top order was blown away. In the first over Prab Bapu top edged a pull to mid-wicket Sciberras. Denton then dropped Taylor down the leg side in the second, only for the left-hander to be out two balls later, gully Inkollu taking a miraculous one-handed catch as the ball looked to have passed him. Sanjay Patel soon bowled Bhatt and when in Husain's next over gully Hemin Patel flung himself to his right to pouch Chris Dane an inch above the ground, The Gents were in cricket heaven.

Credit, then, the defiance of Chris Wright, who interestingly did not bowl himself in The Gents' innings and Andy Cox, who added a composed 44, the second best stand of the day, against the pace of Iqbal, the guile of Sciberras and the slightly below par off-spin of Hemin Patel. The introduction of Inkollu's accurate, challenging pace and the reintroduction of Husain turned the match inexorably to The Gents. Inkollu bowled Cox and Rennie and Husain had Wright caught behind off a spiralling edge and outed Allerton with a simple caught and bowled next ball. McGirr parried a short one from Husain to Rana at silly mid-off - the Saudi's first five-for - and victory was completed when Khan bowled Bender with 9.4 overs left, just as the park-keeper was beginning to lock up the ground. Had West XI's innings lasted only a few more overs, the game would have had to be abandoned.