4th XI Reports

North Middlesex 4th XI vs GWR 4th XI (Away)

Saturday 5 September 2009

The Mighty 4’s Do It Again

Needing only 2 points to guarantee promotion and 8 points to secure the title for the second season in a row the all conquering NMCC 4’s travelled to Ealing to take on Great Western Railways ( who were running late again.... )

Given that competition leaders Shepherds Bush had faltered over the last weeks and had the bye in the last round all we needed to do was win the toss and score 150 before breaking out the champers... Pete lost the toss though ....

Thankfully the GWR skipper was none to confident in his teams batting lineup ( with good reason as it turns out ) unlike NMCC’s finest leader who in his own wisdom decided to mix up the batting order upon being sent in, as it was the last game of the season – ( cue heart palpitations from a nervous vice captain ). With Rich and Mark getting the Midd off to a steady start, the loss of Mark and Luke and Charlie with the score approaching 50 was going to test out the new look middle order. Glazer was sunning himself in Twiz’s Turkish love shack and Timmy Allen had school detention so it was left to another Midd veteran to put up his hand – and Mustard batted a dream getting the Midd to within touching distance of the 150 in partnership with Rich who played decisively through the covers for his 43 - when you are that far down leg side its tough to score anywhere else!!! His battle with the GWR quick a highlight of the day. Mustard though stole the show – driving elegantly and a mature innings illustrated his value to the team. Auni batting at no 6 – his first bat for the year made a good impression for 18 but it was Dave Shields with a customary hoick through mid-wicket that brought up the magical 150 and secured the title for the Midd.

Some quickfire runs from Mustard ( before being retired ) Dave, Hemi and Hassan saw the score race to 203 before the innings was closed.

From there the festival atmosphere continued with some of the most bizarre dismissals and bowling choices ever. Highlights included Pistol switching mid spell to become a leg spinner ( Mickeys leg spinning classes have done little to improve his skills ), the vice skipper claiming just his 4th wicket for the season with a slow wide bouncer and Mustards figures of 1-0-5-2 Don’t let him tell you any different though the first one was a snails pace half tracker that was so slow the GWR batsman mistimed his attempt at belting it for 6 and the second one was a double bouncing yorker that hit something on the pitch on the second hop to bowl a bemused looking GWR skipper. 2 wickets to Charlie whose off spinners all pitched in his own half and the only reason that everybody didn’t get a bowl was the fact that the wickets tumbled so frequently that we didn’t have enough time. GWR all out for 51 and NMCC 4’s win the title.

Congratulations to all involved with the team – a hard fought season full of great performances ( despite the mid season slump ) . A special thanks goes out to Pistol for his outstanding efforts both on and off the field – a fine character on a Saturday afternoon and a outstanding servant to the North Middlesex Cricket Club .

Well done all

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Richmond 4th XI (Home)

Saturday 29 August 2009

The calculators and Croakulators ( see http://www.pappapete.com/calculator.html) were out during the week to work out the permutations and combinations going into the penultimate round of Division 4 1987 League Cricket. With competition leaders Shepherds Bush a mere 6 points ahead of the Midd and faltering fast and the fact that they were without a game in the last round, we had to keep in touch with them as well as putting some distance on 3rd placed Richmond, our opponents for this vital round 17 clash at E17 and take a further step towards the 1st goal – promotion.

With this in mind the brains trust reasoned that batting first and playing Richmond out of the game would serve both goals well enough and leave us room to manoeuvre in the last round against lowly ranked GWR. An early start on a tricky looking Walthamstow track – posting a good total and batting long into the overs was the order of the day if Pistol could keep up his extended run of winning the toss ( into its 3rd week !!! ) but as we waited around for the oppo to turn up Pete got the call that Richmond had arrived at the Midd ! so a delayed start and Pete enforcing the force majeure – if you cant show up on time we claim the toss... ( the good tossing form continues by default !! ) saw us batting first.

New opening combination Timmy Allen and Mark Teal faced a youthful looking Richmond lineup with a steady start taking advantage of anything loose – Timmy riding his luck a little with his customary charge down the wicket not looking too elegant on an up and down pitch but took the Midd past 50 in the first 12 overs before Richmond unleashed their spinners. With Mark batting sensibly and VC Seano continuing on where Tim left off the Midd total progressed steadily and despite the customary middle order wobble, new boy Mark batted superbly for an excellent century – cover drives and working the spinners to the gaps the highlight and maintained his concentration throughout – even with a 30 minute ambulance hiatus due to a Richmond casualty.

Some heavy hitting towards the end saw the run rate upped dramatically – Mark turning it on in conjunction with Uzi and the Skipper to post an excellent 233 of 42 overs and effectively play Richmond out of the game.

A quick turnaround whilst we checked the football scores and had a sandwich would leave the Midd around 40 overs to take as many wickets as possible and gain the vital points we would need to execute the plan. Richmond we thought would be going after the runs all guns blazing given their position on the table but didn’t really take up the challenge. One Richmond opener played a few shots and batted well causing openers Pistol and Uzi to mix it up a bit on the wearing track but struggled to get the most out of the pitch. Uzi got the first breakthrough in the 9th over when the other Richmond opener played on but wickets were proving hard to take. The skipper then elected to change it up a bit with Auni’s legspinners accounting for the no 3 off a wide long hop well caught by Glazer at point and VC Seano banging a few into the pitch – which unsettled the Richmond opener a little but couldn’t claim the vital wicket.

With drinks and the final 20 overs being called we still had claimed only 2 wickets but had restricted the runs completely and we could attack on all fronts without any danger of Richmond getting close to the 234 required. Just about everybody got a bowl to try and get the next breakthrough but the Richmond top order remained resolute and despite a couple of late wickets to Pete and Auni, Richmond held on for a draw posting 170 and denying the Midd a well earned maximum point victory.

Some keen texting by the skipper after the game informed us that Shepherds Bush had gone down again and the only other possible contenders Crouch End gaining 20 points leaves us needing only 2 points in the last round to guarantee promotion and 6 points to claim the title and 2 championships in a row for the mighty NMCC 4’s.

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Twickenham 4th XI (Away)

Saturday 22 August 2009

The recent run of good form continued on Saturday with an impressive victory away at Twickenham. After making the long trek to South West London the mighty 4’s were confronted with a decidedly average looking park strip in the opulent surrounds of Hampton Wick by the Thames for the 3rd last game of the season against promotion outsiders Twickenham CC.

With a fresh faced team coming together late in the week after the usual selection dramas and late changes – most notably the promotion of Luke Garland fresh from his tonne in the 5’s the previous week as well as relative newbies Charlie, Auni, Arthur and a veteran in the form of Steve Edwards, the 4’s were faced with the choice of playing to their recent strength in bowling (and 20 points ) or batting first and going for the 25. With league frontrunners Shepherds Bush faltering badly over the last few weeks and the fact that we have a game in hand on them, the brains trust elected to send in the opposition on a bowler friendly track after winning the toss. (yes pistol won the toss !!!! ) and attempt to continue to erode the margin between She Bu and the mighty NMCC 4’s at the top of the table.

Openers Pistol and Uzi were both off their game to start with – Pete lacking rhythm and his usual ‘sting’ and Uzi’s usual accuracy and pressure having deserted him somewhat with his namesake Usman the twickers opener whacking anything loose. Not until his 6th over did the big fella make the initial breakthrough having the elder statesman opener well caught in the gully. The injection of spin in the form of Auni, who despite bowling some good balls saw the run rate climb with the Twickenham Uzi taking advantage of anything loose. It was not until the Vice Skipper Sean was injected into the bowling attack did the Midd make their move – slowing the run rate and then claiming the 2nd wicket after softening up the no.3 with a few brutish shorter ones before hitting the timber. As drinks approached and Twickenham approaching 2-100, the reintroduction of Pistol was the tonic that the Midd needed, going straight through the no.4’s defences and then having the ‘other’ Uzi well caught at Mid On by Luke.

From then on Pistol (4), Hemi(2) and later on Hassan all slowed the run rate rapidly and claimed wicket after wicket as Twickenham faltered under the pressure – eventually dismissed for 151 of 47 overs. A fine effort in the field after a slowish start by the Midd bowling machine.

With lunch and Ramadan prayers concluded, openers Luke and Seano took the attack to the mixed bowling attack. The combination of pace from one end and loopier just short of a length donkey drops from the other presented few problems with Luke progressing at a good rate and the VC taking the attack to the opposition. With the partnership approaching 80 the introduction of leg spin brought about the VC’s downfall caught of a rank long hop for 43 and soon after Luke playing all round a donkey dropper for a well made 38. Glazer continued the hard hitting ( boosted by his recent century ) and took the Midd to within shouting distance of the 152 needed but with his dismissal and Hemi falling for a blob next ball the middle order looked a little shaky. Charlie and Arthur both placed sensibly to take us to 140 before being dismissed just short of the line and the heart started to race a little.... please don’t blow this !!!!

The calm head of Stevie Edwards was just the thing to sure up the run chase, as he and Uzi spared us the heart palpitations that the padded up skipper at no 10 would have caused if left to guide us to the winning post.

In the end a pretty comfortable win for the boys and a much needed 20 points. A good performance next week against Richmond – who along with Crouch End Calthorp and Lohana are the only challengers left in the race for promotion should see us attaining the first goal of promotion and well placed to have a crack at the title in the last round.

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Lohana 4th XI (Home)

Saturday 15 August 2009

With the battle for the 4th Division championship and second promotion spot still well and truly up for grabs, North Midd took on Lohana at Douglas Eyre with both teams very much still in the mixer for both honours. After and entertaining ride to the ground with our Somalian cab driver and some ripping leg breaks on the practice pitch from our part time non-spinners, a rare toss win was achieved and the Lohana openers were padding up on a day which looked sunny and warm and certain for a good day’s cricket. Some tight initial bowling from the North Midd openers Ian Benioré and Pistol saw the score creep along slowly until a few loose shots saw some top order stumps flying before their eager number 5 played a ball straight to Richie at point and set off immediately with a loud call for a single. Unfortunately for him, the experienced number 4 at the other end saw the danger and held his ground and Richie made a good throw over the stumps and Charlie did the rest to complete the run out.

With the away side 4 for 70 just before drinks, Ian (9-1-28-0) was replaced by Uzi the enigma. After an initial flurry of runs with their number 4 targeting his early spell, some better bowling brought about a loose chip to mid on and Dave Robson brought off a beautiful diving catch to get rid of him. Another shot was soon gently played down to Richie at point and the new pair took off for a casual single, but a long distance underarm throw hit the non striker’s stumps and the batsman paid the price for not sliding his bat and Lohana were 6 down. Another, this time more simple catch to Dave at mid on, had the away team struggling and Pistol (13-1-35-3) came off and Hemant was introduced from the Walthamstow end to try to “spin to win”.

Uzi (7.4-0-43-5)

Uzi, who was still bowling very well, was now being targeted by the Lohana skipper who was hitting out as his partners fell, but he kept his head while bowling to the tailenders and had their number 9 caught by a good catch by Mustard at second slip and had the next man caught to a brilliant catch and close mid off by Hemant. With Hemant (4-1-6-0) bowling tightly at the other end and Uzi seeming to waver in the hunt for his 5-fer, the threat of asking Dave to warm up did the trick perfectly and the very next ball Uzi (7.4-0-43-5) bowled their number 11 to have Lohana all out for 115 and pick up his second Michelle for the year (and his third ever on the ground).

With a wedding being set up at the clubhouse for later on in the night, a lovely al fresco tea was taken in the sunshine, then after a few stretches, Richie and Timmy walking out to unexpectedly face an opening partnership of spin from both ends, who ended up bowling unchanged for 20 overs until drinks. The spark of some possible action later on at the wedding, which had also kept Timmy Allen going for most of our fielding effort, and which we hoped would carry him through with the bat, sadly did not come through as Timmy chipped an early one to long on, bringing in the ever reliable Jono at number 3. Soon after though Richie followed Timmy back after giving and receiving a bit of a send off, but Dave Robbo and Jono dug in and hit the bad balls when necessary, Jono lifting two successive sixes then a four before getting one which rolled along the ground to take out his stumps. Enter Mustard who batted quite fluently for a quick fire 30 then Will Armstrong Fox made a brief four before Charlie Hierons (4*) and Dave (31*) saw us home comfortably.

A good win for the boys which will definitely keep us right up there in contention for at least promotion, but also a good chance for the league.

Report: Pistol

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Shepherds Bush 4th XI (Away)

Saturday 08 August 2009

With the non game against Mill Hill Village the previous week seeing the NMCC 4's temporarily slide down the table it was without our exalted leader and star bowler see the team travel to Harrow School to take on the table topping Shepherds Bush for the biggest game of the season. After an 'interesting' midweek selection drama that only the Midd could have the 4's had a new look lineup take to the field sporting 4 senior debutants and a stand in skipper who continued in the fine tradition set by Pistol in losing the toss and getting sent in on a flat but spongy looking pitch that was always going to do a bit after the downpour of thursday night. A new opening pair of Rich Burfitt and Mark got the innings off to a steady start with Mark looking solid for his 25 and Rich riding his luck a touch interspersed with some fine strokeplay. His 55 set the platform for the middle order to build on with handy contributions by the senior pro's Seano and Glazer combined with some hard hitting by Dave Shields ( 64 ) in the latter stages building the innings steadily past 180 and maximum batting points. From there the instructions were to launch it to get us over 220 in as quick a time as possible with Hemi and Charlie performing admirably each hitting a quickfire 18 whilst taking the NMCC score to 239 off 44 before the declaration came.

After a fine alfresco tea in the vintage pavilion - complete with the musty wood aroma and old school charm the Midd were ready to take on the Bush. With the opposition skipper and opening bats innings of round one fresh in the mind ( we dropped 13 catches that game to lose ) early inroads to the batting lineup were the order of the day - the stand in skipper grassing a hot chance in the office from the 3rd ball of the innings did little to set the record straight but thankfully Ian Bennets monster spell kept the top order in check before breaking through with some vital early wickets. With the She Bu batting lineup looking a little unsteady it was time to interject the spin twins of Hemi and Auni, both causing confusion and drama amongst the She Bu ranks. When Auni had their big hitting Saffa no 4 brilliantly caught by Robbo in the slips before drinks and the 6:30 time call for the final 20 overs the game was poised to be ours. The victory was sealed soon after the interval when Auni had the oppositon skipper out LBW sweeping for 47 and the rest of the lineup just capitulated - 2 stumpings a run out and some soft dismissals ( and a fine ball by Auni bowling their no 7 around his legs which turned so sharply it hit off stump ) netting Hemi 2 wickets and Auni a man of the match 5 wicket haul.

25 points against the competition leaders was an excellent effort and not only moves us up further to the pointy end of the table but also brings a faltering Shepherds Bush back to the field in the race for the title.

Some huge games coming up over the next few weeks and performances like that will leave us well placed in the race for top spot and back to back promotions.

Acting Captain Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Perivale 4th XI (Away)

Saturday 25 July 2009

NMCC 4's travelled to Ealing Sports Ground with a youthful side intent on gaining a win over the struggling Perivale Phoenicians on Saturday. With the pitch looking decidedly underprepared after the midweek rain Skipper Pistol was dreaming of winning the toss and bowling first to take advantage of the juicy conditions and ensure the recent trend of winning draws where we couldn't take all 10 opposition wickets in the 2nd innings came to an end. Despite changing his call to tails after much soul searching he still lost the toss but with the unexpected decision by the opposition skipper was to grant us our wish and bowl first - a puzzling choice to say the least.

Ian and Uzi took the new ball - a few early dropped chances cost Uzi the chance to earn marks in the wickets column but Benoir bowled well up the hill and into the breeze making the most of the tacky nature of the pitch with good length balls popping on the batsmen to fall to the waiting short cover. With the Perivale top order looking shaky, the interjection of Crackers leggies proved to be the decisive factor of the day, dismissing the well set opener playing across the line to be caught off the top edge and then bamboozling the rest with a mixture of deft spinning leggies and the occasional long hop to be caught at cow corner with Pistol taking 2 fine running catches reminiscent of his days patrolling the outfield on the softball pitch. Top marks to both Crackers (3 wickets )and the skipper with some fine bowling and captaincy to rip the heart out of the Perivale middle order. from then on it was a bit of a procession, batsman unable to defend against Pistols searing pace and movement off the pitch ( 2 - not many )and some fine pace bowling by Hassan (2 - even less )and Hemi's left arm spin ( 2 - squat ) cleaning up the lower order. Perivale all out for a below par 93.

Chasing a low total Rich Burfitt relished the chance to open the batting with big Tim Allen deputising in the 2's and in conjunction with NMCC's latest colt to make his senior debut Alistair batted soundly to get the run chase under way. Reaching 15 of 5 overs before the tea break the 2 openers looked comfortable against Perivales opening attack until the wiley opposition skipper wrangled out both Alistair and no 3 Joe Bridgeland with a few gentle seamers on the bowler friendly pitch. As the vice captain strode to the wicket at the unfamiliar position of no 4 it was time to consolidate and build a partnership as Perivales legspinner Sachin's difficult length was drying up the flow of runs. It was then that Rich found his touch, punishing anything over pitched by the seamers and loose by the spinners to up the scoring rate and take the run chase by the scruff of the neck. He raced to an excellent half century bringing the Midd close to the line and then unleashed some further fine stokeplay to reach 66* in a fine 70 run partnership with the vice skipper Sean to take the Midd over the line and a well deserved 20 points.

An excellent victory which keeps the dream alive. If only the skipper could win the toss and Uzi get in the wickets column over the coming weeks we might even win this...

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Brentham 4th XI (Home)

Saturday 18 July 2009

Confronted with a green topped E17 pitch due to the recent rain, NMCC 4th XI skipper Pistol had a decision to make after unexpectedly winning the toss - bat first and try to gain the maximum 25 points (given we had rolled Brentham for 40 in the first round an attractive proposition ) or take the safe option and bowl on the unusually luscious seamers track and trust the batsmen to score 1 more than Brentham could manage...... Not being used to winning the toss and forced to make the choice the lure of an extra 5 points proved to be decisive and elected to bat.

From the outset the new ball seamed and 'did heaps' making early doors conditions very difficult and despite losing VC Seano early Richard Burfitt and Glazer managed to get the midd of to a positive start weathering the opening storm then going on the attack. A quickfire 28 from the veteran and a well timed 36 from Rich set the platform and unleash the new look middle order of the skipper ( out 2nd ball having a huge swing ) and the 2 Dave's. Northern Dave and Aussie Dave performed with aplomb - taking advantage of anything loose and defending solidly when called for - each posting a fine half century 64* and 51* to rescue the Midd from a precarious 4 - 90 to a very respectable 4 - 238 of 43 overs before the skipper called them in.

With high hopes of running through the Brentham batting order the Midd bowlers started slowly - Ali was Ali and Pete a little wayward to start until a fine diving catch by Crackers at Mid On of a full bunger got the Midd under way. A further wicket to the skipper who was deadly on a seaming bouncy pitch saw the solid 1st drop back to the sidelines. The interjection of spin looked to be decisive with Hemant claiming wickets with a variety of shortish pies and quicker arm balls - 4 wickets in all and 1 to Crackers who bowled well but his 1 wicket was a skied half tracker.

With 6 down at drinks and 20 overs remaining to claim maximum points the Mid strived valiantly to take the last few wickets but some solid defending by the Brentham middle order proved decisive ( and extremely frustrating ) denying the Midd maximum points and a deserved victory after completly outplaying the opposition.

As the promotion points race enters the last furlong, 13 points keeps us in their but left the 4's pretty dejected, Noth Midd Skipper said: " Despite being the better team the final result really sucks "

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Crouch End Calthorpe 4th XI (Away)

Saturday 11 July 2009

The start of the second round saw NMCC 4th XI travel to Mill Hill to take on Crouch End Calthorp in the local derby. After a fine victory over the local rivals in the first round it was with high hopes that the team travelled to the picturesque Mill Hill Country Club to take on Calthorp in the return fixture on a wet and dreary Saturday afternoon. With the pitch inspection taking place in the light rain it was decided amoungst the brains trust that winning the toss and bowling first was the order of the day but few can lose the toss so competitively as NMCC 4's Skipper Pistol Pete.

Sent in with the testing conditions NMCC's plan was to get to the maximum batting points as quickly as possible and therefore gain 10 points should the weather intervene prematurely but the early loss of Timmy Allen to a contested catch saw early honours go to Calthorpe with the loss of the dominant opening bat. VC Seano and Johnno Maher set about to add some stability after an initial onslaught taking advantage of anything short and steadying the ship in what were some difficult batting conditions with the new ball skidding a touch especially when we played through the light rain. Whilst Johnno played a restrained hand at first (possibly due to the rain and fog in his glasses ) Seano (64)when about blasting anything overpitched or short, dominating the scoring and taking the NMCC total over 100 prior to the drinks break. As no 4 Mustard eased into his innings and Johnno continued at a sedate pace some sage words of advice bellowed from the sidelines by the skipper in the 30th over had the desired effect, with Johnno going into overdrive and Mustard chipping and slashing perfectly. Both batsman raced past 50 as the overs ticked on prior to an early declaration by the skipper. In the end Johnno fell for a superb 95 and the Mus remained unbeaten on 56 when the NMCC innings was declared in the 43rd over at 234-3. Despite the rain and the slow nature of the pitch a super total.

After a quick lunch and towel down as the light rain persisted the NMCC bowlers set about their task with gusto. An early snick behind of Pistol saw Calthorpes opening bat depart, but as the ball got more and more waterlogged and harder to grip the wickets dried up as did the runs, Pistol Pete took the only 2 early wickets. Ian and Raj both toiled well with the wet ball downhill with the breeze but to no joy ( both also fell victin to the dreaded no-ball = end of spell rule .... thanks Ali ) as did Hemant ( now the proud owner of the nickname Hamster - cue uproarious laughter when Timmy Allens repartee kicked in - the wheel / cage / various anecdotes )** This paragraph has been edited so as not to offend the committee members!

With Calthorps opener playing a solid defensive hand and the No 4 riding his luck on plenty of occasions, the home team managed to keep up thier scoring rate in an attempt to gain some batting points and deny the Midd victory. A late wicket to the vice skipper managed a 3rd wicket but that was all she wrote. Calthorp held on to a hard fought draw gaining just the 6 points to NMCC's 11.

A touch dissapointing we couldn't drive home the advantage after a superb batting performance, with conditions not conducive to the quicks with most of the game played in light rain. Hopefully it bucketed down at Shepherds Bush and Richmond and we manage to eak out a 5 point advantage for the week on our main competition.

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs GWR 4th XI (Home)

Saturday 4 July 2009

With the mighty 4's languishing in 4th place on the table, well placed to make their mark as the first round of games drew to a close, the 4's hosted Great Western Railway (GWR) on a better than normal looking E17 track down Walthamstow way. Just like thier trains GWR were late so the team had an extended warm up to sharpen their skills while waiting on the platform for the GWR locomotive to arrive.

After Pistol Pete lost the toss again, GWR elected to bat thus unleashing the 2:05 express direct from Lahore otherwise known as UZI. In his first over he had the GWR opener caught in the slips and No 3 at gully ( a fine catch by Mustard ) and from then on proceeded to steam through the top order as the GWR batting derailed, ending up with 5-14 off 8 overs. Wickets to Pete, new boy Hemant and on his return from the wilds of Costa Rica Benny ' House of ' Commens provided further breakthroughs and despite some enterprising strokeplay by the GWR caboose they only managed to struggle their way to 93 all out - well short of thier destination. An excellent bowling effort coupled with some fine fielding including a well held sky ball by Andrew Glazer was all too much for the GWR boys, the first half of the journey saw NMCC stationmaster Pistol the happier of the 2 skippers at the break.

With only a small target to chase the NMCC 4's top order had a bit of a false start both openers falling cheaply as GWR's quicks let rip. With Johno holding up one end admirably Mustard provided the early impetus before an inside edge onto his stumps claimed his wicket.When Rich Burfitt and the senior of the 2 Glazers were out cheaply a solid stand to take us to the line was required. Timmy Allen does not do solid - crash bang whallop... see you! a magic little cameo coming in down the order netted a quickfire 37* and the NMCC express crashed through the winning line at speed for 20 points- next stop Mary Cracknells BBQ !!!

Report : Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Richmond 4th XI (Away)

Saturday 27 June 2009

On a day full of sunshine and promise, the bulk of the north midd 4s team piled into multiple taxis (along with the confusion and subsequent incessant questioning over cracker’s girlfriend) and made the journey to north acton to find a dry, hard pitch and an enthusiast richmond team, equal in second place with ourselves...a rare toss win by the skipper led to the home team being put into bat…though a good start was made by the openers ali and pistol, many runs were leaked through edges, leading to an even more aggressive field being set, letting the batting side get away with even more quick runs…a break through came with a leg before decision of the elder of the openers, then a bizarre stumping of their number three left them two down and the fielding side thinking of an early tea…two balls into his dig, the richmond first drop had a windy woosh at a ball outside off stump from the skipper and everyone apart from the keeper, glaze, began walking back to their marks…a quick underarm at the stumps by the alert keeper took out leg stump and the unfortunate batsman, who had not moved at all since his outlandish attempted slog, was left with his back foot still outside his crease and was sent back to the cover of the leafy oak tree which the batting side was congregated under…the introduction of the fiery, yet well mannered, ian benoire quickly had the other opener back under the shade of the said tree with a lovely catch by glazer behind the wicket…a partnership then formed between richmond’s skipper and their number 4.until what seemed like a loud nick to the keeper off ian led to the number 4 standing his ground and the umpire scratching his head and some exasperated north midd fielders swapping expletives and wondering what they need to do to get a bit of luck after toiling away strongly on this hot and humid west london afternoon…the smiles soon returned in ian’s next over though after a quality knee high full bunger produced a false shot from the same batsman who dutifully played the ball onto his stumps, only for him to walk off under mislaid cries of “no ball” due to the height of the delivery…the introduction of crackers took out the big hitting number 6 leg before and some lovely line, length and gas from the re-acquainted rajib in his familiar grey “whites” had the midd in good position…the re-introduction of pistol and benno then finished off the tail, both finishing with 4 each, with the midd boys walking off tired and sweaty thinking the oppo got way too many at 221, but still super confident of overhauling the runs on a placid pitch with a fast outfield and one very short boundary…

With no one even noticing the storm clouds looming at tea, more attention was paid to dave trying to chat up the polish girls in bikinis and even more talk of cracker’s recent love interest, timmy and mustard walked out to bat under scattered raindrops from a still sunny sky and began where they left off last week taking six off each of the first four overs until the said drops had increased in frequency, sending the batting side scurrying under the cover of one of the aforementioned oak trees…thunder, lighting, hail stones and a torrent of rain ensued, and though timmy wanted to carry on under the deluge, the 22 cricketers piled into the safety of the single change room as the heavens rained down spectacularly for over half an hour leaving the pitch underwater and the game abandoned…

Hearty handshakes afterwards were given with the knowledge that the finish which was building to a good game of cricket was unfortunately snuffed out by the weather and for the second year in a row the north midd v richmond fixture was left with both teams sharing the points due to the london summer rain

A good bowling and fielding performance by the boys all round leaves us in second position, still equal with richmond, and raring to go for the remainder of the season to chase down a second successive promotion…

Disclaimer: I have no idea about botany and so the oak trees mentioned may or may not have actually been of that variety, but they certainly were big and leafy and provided ample cover until the downpour got too heavy

Report :pistol

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Twickenham 4th XI (Home)

Saturday 20 June 2009

The Mighty 4's returned to their winning ways on Saturday against one of our promotion rivals Twickenham Tree's at the delightful Douglas Eyre SuperSport Multicomplex down E17 way. After 2 consecutive losses due in large part to our own poor performance in the field and failing to post a decent total to bowl too - it was a sound comeback to form on our home patch in Walthamstow. With the worrying downward trend in performance in the forefront of his mind, Skipper Pistol Pete was delighted to be asked to bowl first after losing the toss again, thereby allowing the bowlers to unleash a truly memorable performance and right the wrongs of the last few weeks.

Twickenham's opening combination - labelled Boycott and Athers by Mustard in the gully made a solid start picking off a few loose ones from North Midd's openers Ali and Pistol. Whilst the runs were hardly flowing Boycott especially looked solid taking Twickenhams past 35 in the opening 9 overs before wearing a brute of a delivery in the forearm from Ali courtesy of some inconsistent E17 bounce ( we had the supercharged Ali version this week rather than the pie chucking medium paced short dross version of the previous couple of weeks ) and from then on the wickets tumbled as both openers succumbed to the improved line and length and letting the pitch do its thing. In all, Ali's opening spell netted 4 top order wickets - Bowled and LBW with the Twickenham top order unable to cope with the ball darting around and inconsistent bounce of the E17 track, ably supported by the skipper who claimed a fortunate scalp with an LBW that looked high and going down. ( It sure makes a difference when good shouts for Leg Before are at least considered when the umpires are not exactly neutral. 5 successful LBW decisions must be some type of record when the adjudicators are the batsmans teammates )

Some stubborn batting by the Twickenham lower middle order and bowlers dragged out the first innings for somewhat longer than had been hoped for by the NMCC 4's brains trust but some outstanding bowling by Marcus (3 wickets )on his recall to the 4's and Crackers (2- 30 ) who bowled superbly using flight and turn to bamboozle then trap the bemused batsman LBW were the highlight after the drinks break. The skippers new rule of front foot no-balls bringing about the end of a spell seemed to do the trick as well as providing much mirth - with only 2 offences all day ! Mustard held a well judged catch and Crackers grabbed a brace at mid off to top an excellent spell of bowling and some committed outfielding by Marcus in particular was a dramatic improvement in the field from the last few weeks (lets keep improving in this area boys - it makes a world of difference to all aspects of our game ) so despite a couple of sharpe ones going down we managed to restrict Twickenhams score to 141 off 49 overs.

After tea it was time to break out the heavy artillery - Timmy Allen was superb, unleashing some quality strokeplay intermixed with a few bombs to post an unbeaten 78 and singlehandedy dominate the Twickers bowling attack as well as threatening to place the young opening bowler and Twickenham skipper on detention after they had given him a little too much lip. Ably supported first by Glazer who made a well compiled 25 and Rich Burfitt 17 who is looking in good touch and deserving of his recent promotion to the 4's middle order, Tim and Mustard saw us comfortably over the line with 16 overs to spare and a well earned 20 points to keep the 4's up at the pointy end of the table and in touch with Crouch End and Shepherds Bush.

A great turnaround boys - keep it up

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Lohana 3rd XI (Away)

Saturday 13 June 2009

With the late withdrawal of Timmy Allen due to swine flu the 4's fielded a much changed side to take on Lohana at the RCT Ground in Harrow. The wet conditions during the week coupled with an underprepared pitch was always going to be a difficult track to bat on, and so it proved to be when NMCC were sent in after the Lohana skipper won the toss. A solid start by Glazer and the VC Sean countered the opening spell admirably, but a costly runout in the 8th over with the score approaching 50 and then the steady flow of wickets as the NMCC middle order struggled to cope with the low and slow pitch conditions soon saw the Midd struggling at 80-5.

Although Richard Burfitt held the innings together well with a fine 35 including some cracking cover drives and good use of the feet against the spinners the rest of the batting lineup slipped by the wayside to leave NMCC 60 runs short of maximum batting points and a well under par score of 117.

It would take an inspired bowling and fielding performance to pull off a victory on a rapidly drying track, and with an early wicket to the skipper Pistol we made a fine start, but breakthroughs from there were hard to come by as the Lohana top order steadily progressed to the target of 118. It was not until the introduction of Rich Verity ( 1 - 18 )and the return to the bowling crease of the VC (2 -14 )that the Midd claimed a few more wickets to keep the chance of an unlikely victory alive and despite a valiant performance by Pistol ( 2-30 ) and Glazer after the drinks break the Lohana batsmen cruised to victory and consigned the NMCC 4's to their second consecutive defeat of the season.

With huge games against Richmond and Twickenham coming up the 4's need a major turnaround in fortunes and performance to stay in contention for promotion.

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Shepherds Bush 4th XI (Home)

Saturday 6 June 2009

With a walkover against Mill Hill Village the previous week the all conquering North Midd 4's met their match against a strong Shepherds Bush CC team at Peter May Sports Club on the weekend. After Pistol recovered from losing the toss ( a shock to us all ) NMCC were sent into bat on a pitch that Biff described as an 'absolute belter - if only all grounds were prepared as well as this one'

In reality though the overnight rain had made the surface a bit of a minefield, with some deliveries plugging in the green like a well flighted 9 iron and others shooting through a touch low. The North Midd opening pair of Timmy and Seano quickly settled into a comfortable rhythm - making the most of anything loose and peppering the shorter boundary with some well struck attacking play - a cover drive from Tim over the covers for 6 was a highlight. The 4's elder statesman was dismissed shortly after a well compiled 50 - with the opening stand just shy of 100 after 17 overs, soon afterward VC Seano was out again in the 40's trying to crash one through the covers, the openers leaving the Midd well placed to attack after the drinks break with a view to an early declaration.

The Bush medium pacers pegged back the free flow of runs and despite some solid batting by Richy Nic and 4's new recruit Jonny 'Lord' Maher, NMCC middle order found the pitch hard work to post a competitive 195 off 40 overs before the skipper called a halt to the innings.

After a sumptuous tea - Biff describing it as 'delightful - a credit to the institution of cricket teas' the 4's then proceeded to drop everything in sight. Half chances, full chances and some absolute dollies were all put down in the field - lots of balls went to hand but none stayed there long enough to claim a catch - so despite a valiant effort by the bowlers - Ali , Johno, Pete and Uzi all bowled well but were let down in the field and She Bu crawled to an agonising victory.

It could be argued that we declared too early and were overly aggressive tactically - but you cannot legislate for a fielding performance as dire as that. This area needs a major improvement if we are to be competitive against the top teams and earn promotion - please report to Sean's fielding school - ( to be renamed Pistols fielding school as the previous instructor has been fired due to grassing too many catches )

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Perivale Phoenix 4th XI (Home)

Saturday 23 May 2009

North Midd 4's came up against a spirited Perivale Phoenicians attack in the 3rd round of the 1987 League 4th Division on a dry and uneven E17 surface this week and earned a comfortable 15 points after the skipper won the toss and elected to bat.

A solid opening stand between Tim Allen and Sean saw the score race to 113 at a respectable run rate of 6 per over though the usual fireworks of the 2 batsmen were somewhat tempered given the nature of the pitch and some reasonable bowling by the Perivale openers. It was not until the introduction of Perivales spin attack that things started to happen, Sachin ( not of the Tendulkar family ) began to weave his magic first having Sean caught round the corner for 49 and then racing through the middle order as well as having Timmy stumped for a fine 68. But cometh the hour cometh the man... stand up Mustard and take a bow... and unbeaten 65 guided the Midd to an unsurpassable 250 for 8 off 42 overs and gave the Midd the upper hand at tea.

Perivale started slowly ( an understatement if there ever was one ) only scoring 1 run off the first 6 overs from Pistol and Ali - the clear intention was to bat for points and keep wickets intact. With the first breakthrough by Ali the first wickets started to tumble with Ali claiming 4 scalps in his first spell. From then on the anchors went down and the game slowed to a crawl despite some fine wordplay by Jake and Timmy in the office. Even the introduction of the ever reliable Dilshaan could not break the 5th wicket partnership... some unorthodox thinking was needed. It has been noted that Joe James fancies himself as a legspinner and it was his quicker bouncing leggie that provided the top edge and the breakthrough after a fine running take by Master Allen of the office. A second wicket to Joe restarted the flow of wickets but despite a late surge when the quicks where reintroduced with further wickets to Ali who claimed 5 in total and the skipper Perivale managed to hang on with 9 wickets down when stumps were drawn leaving the North Midd 4's slightly disappointed in not claiming the maximum points despite thoroughly outplaying the opposition.

Keep up the good work boys - some sharper fielding and possibly more aggressive play would have won us that game. With the big games against She Bu and Twickenham coming up in June lets keep up the intensity in all aspects of our play ( including the banter and encouragement of your team-mates in the field ... it wont be censored unlike last weeks match report)

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Brentham 4th XI (Away)

Saturday 16 May 2009

Well not much to report really, rolled Brentham for 44 on a sticky wicket out Harrow way, 60 points (oops i mean 3 wickets each )to the skipper and Ben ' House of ' Commons and 2 each to Dilshaan and Uzi. Joe James, expertly placed at short cover picked up 3 catches with the ball holding up in the pitch and a fine grab from Timmy in the office made short work of it in the field.

Tim and Will Cracknell (promoted to open the batting for the first time in the seniors) got the innings of to a flyer and Richard Verity then made short work of the run chase with 2 pull shots, both going for the maximum the highlight. 20 points - Job done....

Beers and a fine tea ensued whilst we watched the 1's wrap up another 10 points and still made it back to the Midd to see the long faces of the 3's and the end to the 2'nds game.

VC Seano

North Middlesex 4th XI vs Calthorpe 3rd XI (Home)

Saturday 9 May 2009

The long awaited return to E17 and league cricket started with a comprehensive victory over Crouch End Calthorpe in the first competition game of the 2009 season. A strong lineup including Joe James and Richard Nicoll to bolster the batting lineup, it was the bowling lineup who took the honours for the day after losing the toss ( again... ) with an outstanding display of concentrated line and length after weathering the initial onslaught from the Calthorpe openers. Both openers Marcus and Pistol were put under pressure from the outset by some expansive strokeplay in the early stages but once they found their groove slowed Calthorpes runrate significantly and applied the brakes leading to a sharp runout and a steady flow of wickets ensued. Dilshan then had the middle order in a spin and bowled unchanged from the southern end for the remainder of the innings claiming 4 scalps at a very miserly rate. Biff and Ben provided the aggression from the Blackhorse Road end to reduce the Calthorpe batsman to solid defence as their only comeback to the North Midd bowling machine and after 52 overs could only manage 174 after a blistering start.

With lunch and a quite cigarette concluded it was then left to the Vice Captain to go out and do his thing... scoring a quick fire 50 within 12 overs with only 4 runs scored from the other end after the early loss of Timmy Allen and Joe James. Richy Nic then showed his class with an unbeaten 48 displaying some fine strokeplay through the covers and off the pads to guide the middle order towards the winning line. With Sean McMahon losing his wicket caught behind and the skipper losing his head ( the look on Richies face was priceless upon seeing his skipper halfway down the pitch trying to pump the offspinner into walthamstow reservoir on the 3rd ball he had faced) Rich and Ben Commens who played a fine hand in support guided the mighty 4's to the winning line and a valuable 20 point win against a tiring Calthorpe.

Sprited bowling and the aggression that is the 4's batting lineup demonstrated that the Midd will be a force in Division 4 of the 1987 League with Calthorpe finishing just outside the promotion positions of the same division last season. If we continue to play with the same intensity in the field and forthright approach with the bat then the pointy end of Division 4 is at our mercy.

VC Seano