North Middlesex 1st XI vs Acton 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 5 September 2009

North Middlesex travelled to Acton for the last game of the season in the knowledge that promotion was out of sight and that only pride was at stake against opponents that had already clinched their place in next season's Middlesex Premiership. Skipper Alex Hill lost the toss and The Midd were put into bat on a surprisingly poor looking wicket.

North Middlesex offered very little with the bat and struggled to cope with the variable bounce and the accuracy of Acton's bowlers. For the third consecutive week The Midd found themselves shy of 90 runs with 7 wickets down. Zulfi Azom (24), Jaron Semper (17) and Matt Drew (23) made the only notable contributions before Packard (11), Nightingale (10 not out) and Honour (6) edged the visitors up to 125 before the last wicket fell in the 40th over.

Although Acton's openers also found the conditions tricky, and looked uncomfortable in the first 10 overs, a run out from Flowers, and Nightingale's catch at mid-off off the bowling of Ben Honour were the only moments of excitement for North Middlesex. Acton's Hunt secured his fifty shortly before hitting the winning runs to secure the Division 2 championship. Acton finished on 126-2 off 32.5 overs.

In addition, to the first team's results, North Middlesex 3rd team survived relegation in their last game of the season and our 4th team won their league. This was in addition to our 2nds winning the 3rd Division championship.

If you would like any quotes summing up the season please contact Alex Hill on 07974143277 or on the email cc'd above.

Thanks for your coverage this season,

Kind regards,

James

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Brentham 1st XI (Home)

Saturday 29 August 2009

A much changed North Middlesex first team took on Brentham at Park Road on a sunny but blustery afternoon. Last year's captain Brad Sculley returned for a cameo appearance, and bowled well alongside fellow opener James Nightingale after Alex Hill had won the toss. At 95-2 in the 29th over Brentham looked in a strong position, but after a second wicket for Nightingale, two run outs, and the introduction of Jaron Semper, Brentham had collapsed to 116-7. Nick Packard (2-13) replaced Nightingale (2-61 off 15 overs) from the Pavilion End and, after a brief resurgence from the visitors, helped Semper (4-18 off 11.2 overs) bring the Brentham innings to a close at a below par 146 in the 39th over.

In response, North Middlesex threatened to repeat the poor batting performance of the previous week as Alex Hill (2), Matt Drew (2), Maxwell Creese (4) and Jaron Semper (0) all fell to the impressive swing bowling of Brentham's 18 year old Lwen (4-30 off 10 overs). At 18-4 North Middlesex looked in dire straights, but as wickets fell around him opener Adam Holmes maintained his composure and held the home team's innings together. Anthony Holloway looked good for his 33 before Brahmbhatt (3-43) bowled him, and after the young Azom (6) and Beppo Wallace (0) also fell victim to the same bowler soon afterwards, The Midd looked vulnerable at 87-7.

But the returning Sculley began to build an important innings with Holmes. With plenty of overs in hand, the pair carried the score up to 118 before a calamitous mix-up left Sculley scrambling back to the creese without success, run out for 13. As Packard walked to the middle the home side still needed 31 runs to victory, a daunting task considering the chaos that had preceded it. But Packard (11) batted solidly and, with the impregnable Holmes still batting on, North Middlesex passed their target with 17 overs to spare. Adam Holmes was the North Midd hero as he carried his bat through the innings for a patient 55.

Despite 10 points, Southgate and Twickenham's victories confirmed that promotion was now out of site for The Midd. Brentham, in contrast, are still right in the relegation mix-up for the final day of the season.

By James Nightingale

 North Middlesex 1st XI vs Uxbridge 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 22 August 2009

North Middlesex made the long journey to Uxbridge knowing that a 100% record in their final three games would probably be needed to secure promotion. Uxbridge, desperately in need of all 10 points as they prop up the Division Two table, opted to bat first and despite losing one opener for a duck (caught and bowled Nick Brand) reached 95 before losing another wicket, Mike Stafford bowled by Evan Flowers (1-27). It was the home side's Malkeet Dhaliwal (89) who made the most of the good wicket to lift the tally to 178-3 before he was run out. Off-spinner Ben Honour, pictured, then immediately removed Jibram Azam (37) at 178-4 and Tony Stephens for a duck to leave Uxbridge suddenly not looking so comfortable on 180-5. Honour (5-54) then had Nick Hardy (11) caught by Maxwell Creese and instantly took his fourth consecutive wicket when he removed Andre Jason (26) - again caught by Creese. Ryan O'Connor (13) was the sole remaining Uxbridge batsman to reach double figures as the home side were dismissed for 230.

The Midd's chase began well with Flowers reaching 29, before his departure sparked a batting collapse, the visitors staggering to 85-7 with only Adam Holmes (17) adding a meaningful score. Somebody had to stop the rot and it came in the form of an eighth-wicket partnership between Anthony Holloway (23 not out) and Nick Brand (44 not out) which settled nerves as the pair sensibly batted out the remaining 20 overs to deny the hosts a precious win. However, with top two Acton and Twickenham both winning, one point for North Middlesex now makes promotion seem unlikely, although they still have a mathematical chance of going up if they can beat Brentham on Saturday in their penultimate game.

By James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs North London 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 8 August 2009

In a game that both teams needed maximum points for very different reasons, stand-in skipper Evan Flowers lost the toss and The Midd were put into bat on a surprisingly wet pitch. 10 points for North London would greatly increase their chances of survival, whilst North Middlesex knew that, realistically, they needed a victory to keep pace with promotion.

Conditions for batting were difficult, and despite Flowers (26) successfully piercing the offside field with great accuracy and apparent ease, he eventually was undone by a ball that sat up, Wakeford plucking the ball out of the air at short cover. Both Scott Richardson and Maxwell Creese soon followed for ducks as the visitors slumped to 33-3 in the 11th over. Adam Holmes and Jaron Semper then set about rebuilding the innings in a patient manner. Despite no further losses, tight bowling from the home side resulted in just 17 runs in the next 11 overs.

Holmes was eventually trapped LBW by Smith for 14, bringing Matt Drew to the creese with The Midd on 56-4. As Semper settled in and showed his usual flair, including 5 sixes and 6 fours, Drew held his end and the pair put on a 5th wicket stand of 73, before Semper finally mistimed a big shot and found the fielder at deep mid-wicket for an impressive 66. At 129-5, 14 year old Zulfi Azom entered the fray, and as the innings entered the latter stages both he and Drew played with greater freedom, both hitting big sixes to carry the visitors over 150. Soon after Drew departed for 29, the visitors declared on 182-7 in the 53rd over. Azom finished on 25 not out, with Tom Wakeford the pick of the North London bowlers with (3-56).

In desperate need of a victory, and on a pitch that had dried as the day progressed, North London started their innings aggressively, racing to 50 runs in just 8 overs. Both Ridley and Johns dispatched any lose deliveries to the boundary, forcing Flowers to drop the seam attack in favour of spin. The introduction of Ben Honour brought immediate rewards as the left-arm spinner had Johns caught at first slip for 33 with his first ball. By the 18th over, Semper and Honour had successfully slowed the run rate, but North London were still in a strong position on 70-1.

With oversees Ridley still playing well, Hurrell (7) and then Noutch (9) held up the other the end, before the introduction of Nick Packard removed the opener for 59 for LBW. At 117-4 and with 65 runs needed off 60 balls, captain Tom Wakeford joined Battock in the middle and successfully pushed the score up to 155 without further loss. But as Wakeford found Creese at long-on for 28 off 20, Haffeji was caught at deep mid-wicket by Azom for a golden duck, both off Packard (4-39), and then Battock was run out for 19, it looked like the home side might collapse. But it wasn’t to be for North Middlesex as number 8 Gill and number 9 Ben Wakeford kept their heads, and hit the 9 runs North London needed off the last 2 overs, finishing on 185-7.

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Enfield 1st XI (Home)

Saturday 1 August 2009

North Middlesex returned to league action at home to Enfield on a day that was yet again dominated by the weather. Alex Hill won the toss and elected to bowl first and shortly afterwards Nick Brand made a great start as Higgs edged behind for 0. Brand (1-21) and fellow opening bowler James Nightingale (0-24) kept the run rate below 3 an over for the first 10 overs, before all-rounder Evan Flowers bowled Shrimpton for 7. Fifteen minutes later Heraghty (6) gave Flowers (2-29) his second wicket by looping the ball to Brand at point, and Barrey was then run out for 4. At drinks the visitors were 70 for 4 with opening batsmen Plumb nearing his fifty.

Despite Plumb’s stubborn defence, the spin pairing of Semper and Packard eventually bore fruit for The Midd. After a partnership of 43 a sharp catch at short mid wicket by Sanjay Dindyal sent Baig (18) back to the pavilion, and skipper Tilley (0) soon followed after being stunned by a delightful delivery from Packard that turned back through “the gate” and clipped the off stump. Semper then got the crucial wicket of Plumb (76), before Packard, and a direct hit from fielder Connor Nurse, cleared up the tail. Packard, in his return to the first team finished with an excellent 4 for 11. Enfield finished on 145 all out in the 54.3 overs.

After tea, the patchy light drizzle that had fallen during the first innings became heavier, making Enfield’s task of defending 145 even harder due to a wet ball. Opening batsmen Flowers and Nurse played sensibly against the seamers, seeing off the first ten overs without too much concern. However, as conditions deteriorated, Nurse edged Richards to the keeper for 7 with the score on 20. Number three, Jaron Semper, then made his intentions clear by smashing his first ball over the bowler’s head for 4. Semper and Flowers then set about upping the run rate and taking the game to Enfield. By the time Semper was out for 23 off 24 balls, The Midd had advanced to 60-2. At this stage, as showers continued to come and go, all eyes were on the number of overs played with the home side hoping that they could get to the 20 overs required for a result. Scotty Richardson fell to a second ball LBW, before Evan Flowers was caught for 35.

After a short rain delay, Maxwell Creese (5) was bowled by a delivery that skidded through low from Humphries, and Hill (18) was trapped LBW for Jackson’s 4th wicket. North Midd were now 86-6. As the home sides nerves were tested, Nick Brand (10 no) and Dindyal (13 no), saw off 7 intensive overs and kept above the required run rate before the umpires decided that enough was enough and brought the sodden players off the field. North Middlesex finished on 109-6 off 35 overs, enough to take 4 points for a winning draw.

North Middlesex Captain, Alex Hill, said: “Saturday’s match was very frustrating for all involved due to the constant drizzle – this affected both the playing conditions and the achievable overs. I think that we were good value for the 4 points and, had the weather been dry throughout the second innings, I am confident that we would have been pushing for the full 10 points. We were excellent in the field. Our bowling was very solid and Nick Packard bowled superbly on his return to the side. It was also pleasing to be taking the field with 2 of our most promising Colts in the side (Connor Nurse and Zulfi Bipul who were part of last year’s NMCC U13 National Championship winning team) – it is potentially very good for the future of the club.

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Southgate 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 25 July 2009

North Middlesex got their season back on track with a fantastic victory over table topping Southgate at the Walker Ground. Skipper Alex Hill won the toss and elected to bowl on an excellent track on a warm and sunny afternoon.

The visitors started brightly with James Nightingale and Will Wootton containing Southgate’s Alvin Durgacharan and Johnson. After 13 overs, and with just 32 runs on the board, Nightingale had Johnson (8) caught behind fetching a rising delivery outside off stump. Shortly afterwards Wootton, who had bowled a tidy 0-15 off 6 overs, injured himself fielding off his own bowling. The innocuous looking incident left the unfortunate Wootton with a broken metacarpal which will rule him out for the season. Nick Brand finished Wootton’s over and then continued the pace attack. Shortly after number 3 Allen had nicked one through the slips, he fell victim to Brand for 15, caught by Evan Flowers in the covers. Brand followed this up by removing Falkner for 0, Hill taking another catch. The home side were now 64-3.

After drinks, Nightingale (1-48) and Brand (2-18), were replaced by Jaron Semper and Evan Flowers. Within 3 overs Semper brought an end to Durgacharan, bowling him 5 shy of his fifty, before a middle order batting collapse ensued. With Southgate on 117-4, the aggressive Mullahzadah lofted Flowers (1-28) into the hands of Semper at mid-off. This quickly became 120-9, when Nightingale took a diving catch from Hartman (35) as he tried to smash Semper through gully, and then the spinner rattled through Dunnett and Edrich with neither contributing to the score.

However, despite the chaos around him, Woffingden maintained his composure and with the support of Katyal, looked to salvage something from the innings. The pair batted sensibly and made a 50 partnership before some excellent fielding from the 14 year old Connor Nurse ran out Katyal for 19 with Southgate on 170. Semper (5-34) rounded off an impressive bowling display by trapping Guppy for 1, leaving Southgate all out for 179 in the 55th over. Woffingden finished with a gritty 42 not out.

With a below par total on a pitch that was only going to get better, Southgate opted to use the old ball and open with a spin attack. For the first hour of the innings this looked like a good decision as the young Connor (5) was stumped, Evan Flowers was trapped LBW for 15, and Khan was caught for 6. As Maxwell Creese joined captain Alex Hill in the middle, North Middlesex were struggling on 35-3. However, the pair brought much needed to stability to the innings, taking the team up to 83-3 at drinks. With 20 overs remaining The Midd still had their sights set on the 150 runs needed for 4 points, but as both Hill and Creese grew in confidence the run rate increased and boundaries became more frequent. With both players reaching their fifties, the visitors passed the 150 mark with 8 overs to go. Alex Hill was eventually caught off the bowling of Woffingden (2-52) for 59, and Creese followed soon after, bowled by Mullahzadah (1-50) for an outstanding 62. With 18 runs needed for victory, the team watched on as the showman Jaron Semper smashed four quick fire boundaries to secure the full ten points for North Midd with overs to spare.

North Middlesex Captain, Alex Hill, said:

"This was an enjoyable and, ultimately comfortable, win for the team. We probably had the better of conditions both bowling and batting so it was a good toss to win. We bowled very well and, if not for missing a couple of chances in the field, we might have bowled Southgate out for a lower total. The big disappointment in the field was the break that Will Wootton suffered to his hand - that was a big loss for us. Having lost three early wickets in our chase things might have worked out differently, but, Maxwell Creese was batted very well and it was a good partnership that we shared. Jaren's cameo at the end of our innings was also entertaining and it rounded off a good all-round performance from him. Hopefully we can continue this form next week against Enfield."

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Harrow 1st XI (Home)

Saturday18 July 2009

After the frustration of the previous week’s abandoned game North Middlesex entertained Harrow at Park Road. Harrow won the toss and chose to bowl. North Midd lost two early wickets, Flowers (4) and Hill (5), before the in form Scotty Richardson steadied the ship. On a very difficult batting track the home side progressed to a respectable 80-2, with Richardson and Arnold looking steady. However, a string of marginal umpiring decisions, poor shots and confusion between batsmen led to another middle order batting collapse with Khan (5), Semper (0), Richardson (44) Drew (0) and Brand (0) quickly following Arnold back to the changing room. Within the space of 15 minutes The Midd had fallen to 95-8 with the impressive Cook taking 6 wickets. Wootton (20), Nightingale (7) and Honour (4 not out) provided a brief recovery for North Middlesex, who ended on 124 all out after 40.4 overs. South Hampstead’s Cook finished with an impressive 7-for.

After tea, Harrow’s reply was contained by some disciplined bowling. The run rate was kept below 3 an over for the first 15 overs, with an inspiring piece of fielding by Brand bringing the first wicket via a run out. Flowers and Semper then shared an impressive spell bringing Harrow to 60-6. However, despite the pressure of the situation and a pitch that continued to misbehave, the visitors managed to bat sensibly and edge towards the target. Further wickets by Honour and Semper offered a chink of light for The Midd, but despite batting into the 59th over the innings, and with the light deteriorating, South Hampstead’s skipper managed to flick the ball of his pads to secure the final 2 runs, with 8 wickets down, and hand the away side 10 points for victory. North Middlesex bowled well with Flowers picking up four wickets and Semper conceding just 25 runs off 24 overs, but in the end the first innings total was simply not enough. 

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs South Hampstead 1st XI (Away)

Saturday11 July 2009

North Middlesex travelled to South Hampstead hoping to banish the memories of the previous week's poor performance. On a green but flat deck, and with rain forecast, South Hampstead won the toss and opted to bat.

The Midd started promisingly with both James Nightingale and Will Wootton seaming the ball around, repeatedly beating the bat and providing few scoring opportunities for the home side's openers McMahon and Sialvi. However, after a heavy shower 45 minutes in, the pitch became more benign, and Sialvi in particular began to settle in and take advantage of the fast outfield with some tidy strokes off the front foot. Although failing to get the initial breakthrough, Nightingale (0-39) and Wootton (0-21) kept the run rate at a reasonable level before the change of bowling after 17 overs brought spinners Jaron Semper and Ben Honour into the game. Both captain Tim McMahon and Sialvi progressed to their 50s, before Honour had the latter trapped LBW to provide the visitors with their long awaited break through. McMahon was joined at the crease by Williams, who started slowly, until Honour (2-57) struck again, McMahon clipping the ball to Nick Brand at mid-wicket for 56. South Hampstead were now 119-2 off 32 overs.

Patel joined the increasingly expansive Williams in the middle and subsequently lofted Semper to Shahin Khan at long-on for 10, then, Evan Flowers (1-51), the stand-in skipper, had Farley dismissed LBW for 15. As the game entered into the last 10 overs, South Hampstead upped the run rate. Domigan smashed an impressive 39 off 23 balls, and Williams' innings ended on 46 after again finding the safe hands of Khan from Semper's (2-60) bowling. With the rain beginning to fall again, South Hampstead ended with a flurry of runs reaching 235-5 off 54 overs.

After tea, North Midd lost 4 overs to rain, and despite starting in drier conditions, there was significant rainfall soon afterwards. South Hampstead's Domigan started brightly, Flower's (8) edging a ball that skidded through to Agrish in the slips, who held on to the ball at the second attempt. Fellow opener, Scotty Richardson fended off a number of lively deliveries and kept North Middlesex on target for the required run rate, but as Shahin Khan was unluckily adjudged LBW for 9 to Donigan (2-24), conditions continued to worsen, and the umpires brought the teams off after 14 overs. Despite momentary stoppages in the rainfall, the teams were unable to return to the field and the umpires called an end to proceedings at around 6pm, leaving The Midd for the second time this season with one point for an abandoned match. North Middlesex ended on 57 for 2 with Scott Richardson on 30, and Greg Arnold on 7.

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Acton 1st XI (Home)

Saturday 4 July 2009

Following the disappointment of last week’s abandoned match against Brentham, North Middlesex were hoping to distance themselves from the middle table pack with a match at home to Acton. After being put into bat, The Midd then suffered their first batting collapse of the season, with in form Evan Flowers the only man to make a significant contribution with a knock of 36. With seven batsmen failing to make double figures, the home side were dismissed for just 103 runs after 37 overs. Turnell was the pick off the Acton bowlers picking up an impressive 5-12 off 11 overs. The visitors then set about the run chase in a confident manner, reaching their total in just 25 overs with the loss of 3 wickets. Ben Honour picked up a couple of wickets (2-41), but in the end Acton had little trouble passing North Middlesex’s total.

North Middlesex Captain Alex Hill said: " This was our weakest performance of the season by a long way. Acton put in a solid performance but our batting was extremely poor and we did not give ourselves too much of an opportunity to bowl them out - 103 was a well below par score. Performances like ours on the weekend  happen now and again in sport (especially amateur sport) and, provided we responded in positive manner next match, I am not too concerned about it."

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Brentham 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 27 June 2009

On the back of their previous two last gasp victories, North Middlesex travelled to Brentham hoping to make it three in a row. North Middlesex, who started the day in second place made an impressive start with the bat as Scott Richardson reached 45 and opener Evan Flowers (103) raced to his first century of the season. The Midd then faltered slightly, falling to 180-7 off 45 overs, before Will Wootton (27) and Matt Drew (31 not out) successfully increased the run rate, pushing the visitors on to an impressive 255-8 at tea. However, as Wootton and Flowers limited the scoring opportunities for the Brentham opening batsmen, a heavy thunderstorm brought an end to proceedings in just the 11th over of the second innings, with the home side on 23-0. At that stage North Middlesex would have been confident of at least 4 points, but with insufficient overs being completed the umpires were forced to abandon the game, leaving both teams with just the solitary point.

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Uxbridge 1st XI (Home)

Saturday 20 June 2009

For the second consecutive week North Middlesex were involved in a nail biting finale to their Division Two fixture. Newly-promoted Uxbridge were the visitors to Park Road, and after winning the toss, captain Tony Stevens chose to put The Midd into bat. Opening bowler Ryan Connor soon made that look like a good decision as the home team slipped to 35-3 within the first half an hour of play. Both Alex Hill and debutant Scott Richardson were adjudged out LBW for ducks, before the flamboyant Shahin Khan (8) played around a delivery that stayed low, handing Connor his third wicket. Evan Flowers' positive approach had kept the run rate ticking over, but he also eventually fell to Connor, smashing a short ball into the hands of backward square leg for 40.

At drinks The Midd looked vulnerable at 81-4, however, as the consistent Connor continued his mammoth 21 over spell, Matt Drew, who had ably supported the positive batting of Flowers, was joined by Jaron Semper in a middle-order partnership that would prove vital to North Middlesex. As Drew nudged the ball around the park, Semper patiently got his eye in before exploding into action, dispatching the ball to all corners of the ground. With the pair approaching a 50 partnership, Connor picked up his 5th wicket (5-78) as Drew found Dampier in the field for 31. And despite Maxwell Creese's duck, again adjudged LBW, last week's hero Nick Brand entered the fray and joined Semper in an impressive display of attacking batting, carrying The Midd up to 190-6. As the innings approached the 50 over mark, Graham Lines (3-66) bowled Semper (57) and had Brand (52) was caught on the boundary , but by that point the damage had already been done. North Middlesex finished on 219 all out in the 49th over.

After tea, the reality of Uxbridge's challenge quickly sank in as openers Andre Jason and Jensen Singarajh struggled to get off the mark against the bowling of Nightingale (0-12) and Wootton, reaching just 13-0 off the first 6 overs. Wootton soon had Singarajh (12) caught behind, and Flowers' then provided wicket keeper Alex Hill with a superbly taken second catch, Jason departing for 13. 36-2 soon became 37-3 as Waheed Safi (1) was sent back to the pavilion by Wootton (2-27) after another LBW decision. The Uxbridge response was then very much left to skipper Tony Stevens who managed to maintain his composure as wickets fell around him. By the 30th over Uxbridge found themselves in a precarious position on 98-7, after Semper (2-44) helped himself to a couple of wickets, Flower's picked up his second, and off-spinner Ben Honour finally brought an end to the aggressive Stevens for 54, caught at deep square-leg by Flowers.

With victory now out of sight for the visitors, the incoming batsmen set about defending their wickets in order to hang on for a losing draw with 20 overs of play left. Despite the likelihood of success appearing limited, the Uxbridge batsmen valiantly fought on. Bilal Khan and Osama Alam survived for almost half an hour, taking the score up to 130-7, before Honour (2-11) bowled Khan (10), and Alam (20) quickly followed after lofting  the ball to Brand at long-on off the bowling of The Midd's Shahin Khan (1-10). North Middlesex were then left with 10 overs to grab the final wicket and claim all ten points. But, as the home crowd watched on in anticipation, the experienced and gritty Connors and Lines stubbornly blocked away everything that North Middlesex could throw at them. As the fielders crowded the bat, and delivery after delivery dropped out of their grasps, the game entered the final over. Responsibility fell on the shoulders of Evan Flowers to come up with something special, but as 5 dot balls passed, the home side could have been forgiven for thinking about what could have been. However, with the final ball of the game, Flowers (3-43) came up with the perfect delivery, slamming the ball against the pads of Connor. As Flowers turned to see the umpire raise his finger, the home players sprinted towards their man of the moment and danced in jubilation. Uxbridge, who had come so close to denying North Middlesex the full ten points, finished on 154 all out.

North Middlesex Captain, Alex Hill said: "This was a really tight match, but, I felt that our win was well deserved. At 35-3 in our innings, with the ball doing a bit, a score of 200 plus did not look likely. However our middle/lower order played incredibly sensibly and I was more than pleased with our total at Tea. Once our bowlers proved so measly at the start of the Uxbridge innings a win always looked unlikely for them and, as wickets tumbled, it looked as though it was going to be a case of when, rather than if, we were going to win the match - but numbers 10 and 11 batted really competently for Uxbridge and almost did enough to earn a point. The League is tight in the top half and these 10 points are important to keep us in contention with the top sides in the Division. "

Report : Alex Hill

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Twickenham 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 13 June 2009

North Middlesex travelled south of the river to face a talented Twickenham team in what proved to be a thrilling encounter. After a frustrating sequence of results, The Midd knew that they would have to learn from their previous inability to convert their dominance into victories and put in a good all round performance.

Skipper Alex Hill won the toss and chose to put Twickenham into bat. The home team made a positive opening, puncturing the field and taking advantage of the lightening fast outfield to maintain a steady run rate. After a handful of boundaries the left-handed opener Clint McCabe (17) edged Will Wootton (1-30) to Matt Drew at first slip in the 4th over. Warwick Paull then joined David Russel at the crease, and with both batsmen looking in a confident mood, Twickenham moved towards triple figures with no further losses. The introduction of medium pacer, Evan Flowers, alongside the accurate Wootton, had helped stem the run rate, but the home side looked as if they had established a very solid platform for the middle order to build on. However, the momentum of the game began to change just before the drinks interval as left-arm spinner Ben Honour tempted Russel (39) forward, leaving Alex Hill with a stumping. And soon after drinks some sharp fielding by James Nightingale caused confusion between Paull and Twickenham captain Carlos Nunes, and after both batsmen ended up at the same end, Paull was run out for 36.

When James Munting joined Nunes in the middle, Twickenham were still in a strong position at 106 for 3 with up to 30 overs to go. But, despite some powerful strokes to the boundary from Nunes, a combination of clever bowling from spinners Honour and Jaron Semper and excellent fielding denied Twickenham the opportunity to really kick on. Nunes (36) eventually skyed a ball into the hands of Evan Flower at mid-wicket off the bowling of Semper. J-P Cronje and Munting then carried Twickenham up to the 180 mark, before Cronje (34) lofted the ball into the hands of Maxwell Creese at long-on. Justin Scriven (4) was run out soon after, again from Nightingale's throw, before two wickets in an over from Semper (3-38) finished off both Ashley Gray (7) and Michaell Vosloo (0). The impressive Ben Honour (4-70) then wrapped up the Twickenham innings as Munting (42) failed to carry the long-on boundary and offered Creese his second catch, and number 10, Daniel Hough, was stumped by Hill for his second of the innings. Twickenham finished on 230 in the 50th over.

After tea The Midd set about the run chase in a confident manner. Both Evan Flowers and Alex Hill fended off Twickenham's seam attack, knowing the value of their wickets with a required run chase of less than 5 an over. After the visitors moved beyond 50, a change of bowling provided Twickenham with their breakthrough. Vosloo had Flowers (31) caught at first slip, and ten minutes later, the spinner J-P Cronje brought Hill's innings to end, bowling him for 30. Shahin Khan, making his first appearance of the season for the 1st XI, then set about stabilising The Midd's innings with Greg Arnold. The pair batted wonderfully putting on a partnership of 99 before Cronje claimed his second wicket, Arnold returning to the pavilion for 35. At 166 for 3, needing 65 to win off 12 overs, North Middlesex looked in a strong position to close out the match.

However, the visitors' nerves were tested as middle order wickets began to tumble. Khan's superb innings, including three sixes, was brought to an abrupt end for 67 as he was run out, before both Creese (5) and Semper (16) lofted McCabe (2-39) into the hand's of long-on fielders. Matt Drew was also dismissed by Cronje (3-60) for 5 between the two afore mentioned wickets, leaving North Middlesex on 209-7 as Will Wootton walked to the middle to join Nick Brand. With three wickets remaining The Midd now required a run a ball off the last 23 deliveries to secure victory. With just the one boundary off the subsequent two overs, The Midd were left needing seven runs from the last over of the game. After one dot ball from Cronje, Nick Brand responded to the changes in the field by chipping the ball over the recently advanced mid-on and watched the ball race away for four. Brand then ensured hero-status amongst his team mates by smashing the next delivery over the long-off boundary sparking jubilation and relief amongst the North Middlesex players.

North Middlesex Captain, Alex Hill said: "This was a good cricket match, played in a positive and competitive manner by both teams - it is great to have come away from Twickenham with a win. I was really pleased with our all around display in the field. Restricting a talented batting line up to under 250 runs on that wicket was a good effort. Just about everyone in the side made telling contributions in the field and we made very few errors. The majority of our run chase was relatively calm and controlled, but, when Shahin was dismissed, Twickenham did well to create pressure on the incoming batsman, and we provided too many opportunities to them to take wickets. However, Nick (Brand) and Will (Wootton) showed good composure and maturity to see us home."

Report : James Nightingale

For Twickenham Report click link below:

http://www.twickenhamcc.net/Twickenham%20v%20North%20Middlesex%2013.06.09.htm

North Middlesex 1st XI vs North London 1st XI (Home)

Saturday 6 June 2009

North Middlesex entertained local rivals North London in a match that was dominated by both sets of opening batsmen. After a morning of heavy rain, North London captain Askew won the toss and put North Middlesex into bat. Half centuries from Alex Hill (51) and Evan Flowers (58) took the home side into treble figures without the loss of any wickets, before both men were caught in the field in quick succession. Maxwell Creese (20) and Greg Arnold (19) continued the positive batting, carrying North Middlesex up to 160 after 35 overs. With a decent score on the board Matt Drew (20) and Nick Brand (8) batted sensibly, allowing the tail to swing the bat in anticipation of a declaration. North Middlesex completed a highly competitive total of 213 all out after 50 overs. Scantlebury (2-51) and Haffeji (4-51) were the pick of the North London bowlers.

North London started their response on a pitch that had dried considerably during the course of the afternoon. Despite relatively tight bowling from James Nightingale, Will Wootton, and Nick Brand, North Middlesex failed to make early inroads. Askew and Ridley carried the visitors to 70-0 off 19 overs, before the introduction of Jaron Semper finally brought and end to Ridley for 38. Johns quickly followed for a duck driving the ball to mid-off from Nick Brand’s bowling. At 77-2 North London looked to fend off the North Middlesex bowlers and adopted a low risk strategy. Opener, and captain, Askew was eventually trapped LBW by spinner Ben Honour, before Gill, scoring 16 off 55 balls, became Semper’s (2-22) second victim. Soon afterwards Honour (2-36) provided Alex Hill with a stumping to leave North London 5 down with 8 overs of the day left. However, Wakeford (6) and Noutch (9) blocked out the remaining overs to secure one point, North London finishing on 153-5, 60 runs short of the North Middlesex total.

North Middlesex Captain Alex Hill said: “This was a solid 4pts for us. 213 was an above par score on what was a slightly variable wicket and I was satisfied with our batting performance. Having posted a competitive total, a couple of early wickets would have really increased the pressure on the opposition, but this did not happen for us. The combination of wickets in hand and a lack of ambition to win the match meant that North London were relatively comfortable in blocking out for their 1pt.”

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Enfield 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 30 May 2009

Following last weekend's first defeat of the season, North Middlesex looked to get back on track away at Enfield on a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon at the beautiful Lincoln Road ground. On a pitch that had seen over 500 runs scored the week before, The Midd's captain Alex Hill won the toss and chose to bowl first. With an incredibly fast outfield, the Enfield openers found the boundary ropes with relative ease, but some impressive bowling from both James Nightingale and Will Wootton was quickly rewarded. Nightingale removed Enfield's Anthony Heraghty (4) with an inside edge to the keeper with the last ball of the first over before Wootton (2-35) reduced the opposition to 30 for 3, after both skipper Neil Tilley (21) and Chris Barrell (4) also clipped balls into Alex Hill's gloves within the space of 5 minutes. With the Enfield top order struggling to cope with the accuracy of the North Middlesex attack, Nightingale added to his tally with another ball that seemed away, Allen (2) edging to Hill once more, leaving the home team on 34-4.

Enfield then dug deep, with Neil Shrimpton eventually finding himself a partner in Biju Menon. The pair survived the end of Nightingale and Wootton's spell, before developing a patient partnership against the spin of Will Nicoll and Jaron Semper. Semper eventually removed Menon for 36, caught by keeper Hill for the 5th consecutive dismissal. Ben Honour and Jaron Semper (2-59) then sent Andrew Moulding (13) and Nick Jackson (0) back to the pavilion, leaving Enfield on 142-8. As Shrimpton feared he'd run out of partners, Patrick Blair arrived at the crease. After seeing himself in for a couple of overs, Blair preceeded to bat positively finding the boundary on numerous occasions. At the other end, spinner Ben Honour, calmly plucked a powerful straight drive out of the air off his own bowling to bring an end to Shrimpton's innings for 76. Honour (3-34) then provided Alex Hill with his sixth catch of the innings, before Nightingale (3-36) returned to finish off the aggressive Blair for 42. Enfield finished on 212 all out off 54.1 overs, a total that the visitors would probably have taken at the beginning of the day.

North Middlesex started their innings needing to chase 212 off 45 overs (this equation changed to 212 off 47 overs as a consequence of fast over rates), confident that a couple of partnerships on a good batting track would see them home. Unfortunately all did not go to plan, as some steady wicket-to-wicket bowling from the Enfield openers, Stephen Richards and Patrick Blair, limited The Midd's scoring opportunities. Opening batsman, Evan Flowers (11) fell victim to a ball that stayed low, out LBW to Blair (2-37), and despite Alex Hill's solid batting at the other end, both Jaron Semper (4) and Greg Arnold (7) managed to loft the ball into the hands of opposition fielders. Maxwell Creese soon followed with a duck to Richards (2-43) leaving the visitors at 45-4 off 15 overs. Will Nicoll then joined the skipper in the middle and played very sensibly, together with Hill, successfully putting any lose deliveries to the boundary. However, Enfield's change bowler, Anthony Heraghty then brought an end to the partnership when Hill chopped the ball on to his stumps -  the North Middlesex skipper falling three runs short of his half century. With the top five batsmen all gone, Matt Drew entered the pitch knowing that while the ten points were still not out of reach, the loss of further wickets could equally see the game thrown away. Drew settled in quickly and complimented Nicolls mature innings, the pair putting on 67 runs. With ten overs remaining, and the visitors needing over 70 runs to secure victory, Nicoll was trapped LBW off the bowling of Humphries for 47, followed quickly by Jeevan Fernando for nought. With just three wickets remaining The Midd then set their sights on the more realistic total of 185 for a winning draw. However, despite Drew (38 not out) solidly defending his own wicket, both Wootton (2) and Nightingale (2) failed to last long, resulting in the visitors being left short of their 185 target, needing to survive the last over with only one wicket remaining. Despite Ben Honour edging the ball through the slips, North Middlesex hung on for a losing draw, finishing on 177 for 9, and just the single point.

NMCC Captain Alex Hill said:

"It's always pleasing to pick up a point, but, I certainly felt that on Saturday we should have picked up a few more. Our bowling and fielding was at a good level and it is a shame that our batting never really got going. The target of 213 runs was not unrealistic and I'd back us to chase it in similar circumstances again."

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Southgate 1st XI (Home)

Saturday 23 May 2009

North Middlesex took on Southgate at Park Road in what proved to be a tight tactical encounter between the two early pace setters in Division 2 of the Middlesex County Leagues. North Middlesex captain, Alex Hill, won the toss and chose to bat. Last weeks star performer with the bat, Evan Flowers (7), fell in the third over, lofting a bouncer from Fawad Mullahzadah into the keeper’s hands. The home team maintained a steady run rate, but both skipper Hill (19) and Jaron Semper (20) also fell victim to Mullahzadah (3-52) after making good starts. Greg Arnold and Maxwell Creese (20) then added some middle order stability to the North Middlesex innings, and after Creese’s dismissal, Matt Drew joined Arnold with a patient 18 off 55 balls. After an impressive innings, including 10 boundaries, kiwi-born Arnold eventually fell in a subdued manner to a full toss from Southgate spinner Daniel Millgate, caught behind the stumps for 63 good runs. After Will Nicoll was unfortunately ran out by Drew’s deflected straight drive without facing a ball, the North Middlesex tail looked to bat out the remaining overs leaving a total of 177 all out off 54 overs.

After tea, Southgate took advantage of some sloppy opening bowling to race away to 53-1 after just 7 overs. After the loss of opener Alvin Durgacharan for 7 to James Nightingale, Thomas Allen came in at number 3 and preceded to dispatch every lose delivery to the boundary. The introduction of Will Wootton and the spinner Jaron Semper successfully stemmed the flow of runs. James Jouning (7) eventually clipped Semper into the keeper’s hands, and Wootton (1-27) removed Matt Creese for a duck after edging an elevating delivery to Hill. However, the imposing Allen continued to find boundaries, and, joined by the experienced Ben Hartman, successfully fended off the North Middlesex spin attack of Semper and Ben Honour. Allen was eventually run out by an excellent bit of fielding from Flowers for 59. Hartman was then joined in the middle by the visitors big hitting overseas Millgate. Hartman’s streaky innings eventually ended when bowled by Semper for 29, and Millgate was caught by Nicoll at long-off off the bowling of Honour (1-41). Semper (3-59 off 19.3 overs) then completed yet another superb bowling performance, trapping Hadgie for LBW for a single run. As the game entered the final half hour, and with the overs remaining dipping into single figures, the game was still in the balance with Southgate chasing 25 more runs and North Middlesex needing three more wickets. But it wasn’t to be for the home side, as the visitors skipper Rob Johnson (21 not out) and Fawad Mullahzadah (25 not out) found the boundaries that Southgate needed to clinch victory with just a couple of overs left in the day.

After a competitive total on a difficult batting pitch, The Midd were left ruing their inability to make the most of the new ball, and the uncharacteristic number of mistakes, including 7 dropped catches, that were made in the field. North Middlesex will be looking to put this result behind them as they travel up to Enfield next Saturday.

North Midd Captain, Alex Hill said: “Whilst it is always disappointing to lose a match, there were certainly a lot of positives to be taken from our performance. Having underperformed with the bat, and then started slowly in the field, the team showed good composure and maturity in the manner in which we dragged ourselves back into contention in this match. It is frustrating that we missed a few opportunities that, had we taken, might have altered the result; but it is pleasing that we applied enough pressure and bowled well in the later stages of the match to of created these chances. Overall we performed worse on the day than Southgate and they deserve their victory – however we were certainly not outclassed.”

Report : James Nightingale

Photos : Cliff Tibber

North Middlesex 1st XI vs Harrow 1st XI (Away)

Saturday 16 May 2009

North Middlesex notched a second successive win of the league season in a rain-affected match at Harrow on Saturday with a comfortable six-wicket triumph.

For North Midd, Evan Flower starred with a composed unbeaten 83, while Jaron Semper showed his all-round skills with a match-winning 3-18 from 17 overs and a rapid 44 with the bat as North Midd chased down Harrow's 161 all out (51 overs) in 32 overs.

Eight overs of play were lost to showers, and on balance, North Midd had the better of the conditions throughout the afternoon after captain Alex Hill won the toss and chose to field. The wicket was responsive early in the game, but flattened out an hour before tea, the slope at Harrow and blustery wind drying both wicket and outfield.

Earlier, the giant James Nightingale and the willowy Will Wootton made early inroads, with Nightingale sending opener Wasim Aslam's off-stump cart wheeling and then removing the dangerous Dave Walker and Luke Quinlivan, the Australian overseas player, both caught in the slip cordon. With Harrow reeling at 39 for 4, North Midd dug in, and played a waiting game, Jaron Semper and Gareth Davies replacing the opening attack after 18 overs, leaving the home side 107-7 before a stand of fifty made a game of it. Semper finished with three wickets, Nightingale three, Davies two, Wootton and left-arm spinner Ben Honour a wicket apiece.       

It was another workman-like performance in the field, backed up by intelligent batting led by Flower. After two wins, North Middlesex head the table with Southgate, who are the visitors this weekend at Park Road in round three of the Middlesex League, Division Two.

Report : James Nightingale

North Middlesex 1st XI vs South Hampstead 1st XI (Home)

Saturday 9 May 2009

North Middlesex cc’s 2009 1st XI campaign got off to a winning start with a solid 48 run victory against South Hampstead at the Midd. With the outfield looking the best that it has done for some time, and a well prepared strip, visiting skipper McMahon won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to take advantage of the slightly overcast conditions.

Openers Flowers and Hill (returning for a second tilt at the captaincy) provided a watchful start, taking the score to 25 from 9 overs against some accurate seam bowling from Dorrington and Smith. A flurry of three boundaries by Hill from one Smith over saw the scoring tempo upped, and the bowler withdrawn. Following a three over spell by Akram from the Calthorpe end, legspinner Hewens was introduced in his stead, and struck immediately with Flowers (a solid 20)edging a sharp chance well taken by keeper Sialvi, the first wicket falling with the score at 66 in the 18th over. Joined by Jaron Semper, Hill responded to the loss of his opening partner by lofting Hewens for a six. Akram switched ends, replacing Dorrington from the Pavillion end, and produced a fine spell of seam bowling, keeping the ball up to the bat, allowing the batsmen to make mistakes. Hill was his first victim, chopping a full ball on to his stumps for 48, a score which turned out to be the day’s highest. Arnold was next to go, prodding a catch to midwicket for a second ball duck. With the occasional ball misbehaving from the seamers and the pitch already showing healthy turn, Semper mixed watchful defence with lusty blows against Hewens. After several tight overs Semper (26) was sent back by debutant Drew to be run out. This immolate dismissal was compounded when Drew (5) fell LBW to Akram next ball, leaving the Mid 107/5. Creese (14) looked comfortable before being tempted down the track and stumped. Davies (22), supported by the sensible Wotton (14 not out), chanced his arm striking 4 boundaries leaving the home team 170 all out in the 48th over. Akram returned an impressive 4/38 from 14 overs, supported by Hewens  (4/55 from 13 overs), Dorrigan (1/35) the other wicket taker.

At tea both teams appeared content with proceedings, the Mid reflecting on a start that should have seen a 200+ score posted, South Hampstead confident that a target of 170 in 52 overs was eminently chaseable.

In contrast to the previous innings, South Hampstead raced out of the blocks in pursuit, reaching 22 in the 4th over before Sialvi (13) flicked Wotton to the ageless Davies, who clutched on to a low catch at midwicket. Brand, was next to strike with Williams (4) caught in the covers by Semper. Having been hit for two 4’s, Wotton (2/39) struck again with captain McMahon (18) adjudged caught behind by his opposite number Hill to leave South Hampstead 39/3 in the 10th over. Atherley and Sylvester used their experience and ability against the tight bowling of Brand and Wooton, both enjoying 9 over long spells. The pair had taken the score to 53 with a beautiful cover drive for four by Atherley, whereupon Brand (2/23) unleashed a crafty slower ball which would have knocked out middle stump to have Atherley LBW for 6. Shepherd then joined Sylvester in forming a 40 run partnership which threatened to take the game away from the Mid, the batsmen not allowing first change Davies to settle into a rhythm.  Semper proved a different proposition, keeping things tight and finding the odd ball turning appreciably, he removed Shepherd (17) caught at the second attempt by Drew at slip. Sylvester (a well constructed 34) fell LBW in Semper’s next over. Johnson and Dorrigan were both bowled, the latter leaving the ball as Semper returned fine figures of 4/12 in nine overs. Honour replaced Davies and claimed the last two wickets to finish with 2/21, as the visitors were all out for 122 in the 37th over.

Reflecting upon the match, and the seasons prospects, it was apparent that the Mid have the batting ability to post challenging targets, but must focus on building partnerships and trying to avoid losing wickets in clusters (Plus ça change). The bowling attack was always going to miss the skills of two of the top three bowlers in the league last year, however the increased responsibility sat well with Brand and Wotton, the latter bowling his first league spell in two years due to injury. The spin cupboard also has several options, and is likely to play an important role, especially if the fine weather continues.......

Report : Nick Packard