V Winchmore Hill 29/8/10

With the great result the previous week against North London leaving our promotion prospects in prime position – 3 points required in the remaining 2 rounds the 3’s hosted perennial easy beats Winchmore Hill at Park Road after a particularly wet week in London.  The boys turned up early ready to mop up and chase away the ducks in the outfield only for Oz to have  worked a miracle and produced a belter. 

The pre match plan was to win the toss and send them in but Mikey lost the toss again so a hasty re-jigging of the plan was to post heaps of runs and then roll them. In the event of rain or resolute batting a winning draw and 4 points would suffice.

Lakey and Seano set about the task in fine fashion – their opening combination blossoming over the second half of the season and the runs started to flow – taking full advantage of the Winchmore Hills skippers bowling that lacked both variety and skill. It was not until their young ‘Joel Garner’esq’ quick came on whose height and pace were quite a handful did the Midd batsman face a real challenge. His few wickets pre drinks kept the score in check after a solid opening stand. His wickets though ushered in the entrance of Viral who blazed away in truly memorable style – his first fifty coming off what seemed about 30 balls and his 100 brought a rousing cheer from the growing crowd to watch the match.  Well supported by Richy Nic and the lower middle order V’s breathtaking innings just took the game away from Winchmore Hill who showed their frustration at being outclassed by attempting to verbal everyone ( umpires included )in a most unsportsmanlike way, but the Midd’s superior skill and team ethic  left the boys  poised to take victory at the half way stage. Special mention to Dykie’s back foot drive for 4 off the last ball of the 50th over was textbook Dykie.  In all the boys posted a excellent 9 – 296 off 50 overs and were in pole position to take at least 4 points with the weather looming.

Viral’s magnificent hundred guaranteed that he would do something special with the ball and after an early onslaught by the W.H openers – Virals swing and a sharp chance in the office took care of the main protagonist. The Winchmore Hills young opener showed a touch of class  by anchoring the innings but the rest of the top order fell by the wayside after that and Sanjays pace and accuracy ripped through the heart of the lineup ( 5 wickets in all to Sanjay ) and 4 for the other Doctor ---  Dr Dre and despite a short spell of rain the Midd were home!  A grandstand finish with spectacular catches in front of all the teams and supporters ( take a bow Will Armstrong Fox and yours truly ) and the boys had done it. 10 points , Guaranteed promotion to the Premier League and 8 games straight undefeated ( 6 wins and 2 washouts ).  Cue the celebrations – NMCC 3’s are going to the Premier League !

V Richmond 4/9/10

With promotion secured the previous week it was time to take down the premiers. Riding on a high from last weeks promotion securing thrashing of Winchmore Hill, the boys travelled to West London took take on the as yet undefeated Champions of the Division , Richmond.  With a much changed and youthful side turned out the Midd boys lead by the chief Jazzers Mikey and Lakey arrived about 10 minutes before kickoff waving bottles of Bollinger in their opened topped sportscar ready to take on the Richmond establishment in true North Midd style.

Once Blazers and ties had been doffed for the toss – which Mikey won for a change  the Midd boys elected to bat on a wicket which looked more Rawalpindi than Richmond and was guaranteed to spin and deteriorate even further as the game progressed.  The Richmond opening bowling duo – both left arm quicks had the Midd’s slugger caught early ( the ole drop the long on back to the boundary trick, to which the big Aussie duly fell to ) and then proceeded to tie the top order into knots right up to the drinks break. The low slow wicket combined with some good fast bowling saw the run rate squeezed to a crawl and the Midd boys already thinking about batting for 55 overs . A Blazing 50 by the man of the moment Viral – who was well supported by Simon ( until he ran him out that is ... ) and some late order hitting by Dr Dre saw the mid go into top gear but lose wickets at a quick rate.]

In all 164 on that track against a good bolwing attack a respectable score but the loss of all our wickets by the 42 over leaving Richmond 57 overs to chase was going to take a masterstroke of ingenuity and gamesmanship.....

Part 1 of the plan – was to get the Richmond top order drunk at tea – partly successful – plastic cups full of cheap champagne were only going to do some of the job...  Part 2 un-noticed by Richmond at the break was depositing the used ball into umpire Sam’s pocket at the lunch break and then claiming the old ball ( instead of the usual brand new cherub ) and opening up the bowling with the spin twins of Dykie and the Dre.  With our usual pace bowling contingent of Pistol / Sanjay and Jamie either injured away or in the 4’s showdown with the Barnet B’s we played the Joker early and went straight to spin. And it worked a treat ! – Dykie bowled a tempting line outside off and got as much purchase as i could on the ball to get the first 2 wickets playing on ( the bounce in the pitch was dubious at best ...  and despite a fighting knock by Richmonds Aussie opener , the wickets at the other end just kept tumbling, including a marvelous hatrick from the Good Doctor!!! Some spirited bowling , aggressive captaincy and a 2 game changing catches by Lakey saw us roll the Premiers for 130 and wreck their unbeaten season.. Unfortunately not enough to haul them off the top of the table – ( the points ended up 131  and 121 to the Midd )  but we had just beaten the Division winners and posted our 7th win of the 2nd half of the season ( Played 7 won 7 and 2 washouts )

A great performance by the team and a memorable year for all those involved. Congratulations to Mikey as skipper and Lakey as Senior Jazzer and to all those who represented the 3’s over the year as not only a winning side but very sportsmanlike and a fun and enjoyable bunch of guys.

Next year the PREMIER LEAGUE !!!!

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  North London CC 3rd XI   (Away)  21 August 2010

I was dreading writing this report at 4 – 52 after losing the toss and being sent in on a motley looking Ferme Park with our promotion chances on the line.....

After Mikey lost the toss ( again.... he is the new Pistol ! ) and being sent in – the top order, the 4 senior pro’s ( Sean, Lakey , Sanjay and the skipper ) were all dismissed cheaply with a youthful looking North London bowling attack causing havoc on an underprepared / wet / two tone / barely fit for cricket strip on the postage stamp of a ground otherwise known as Ferme Park.  With 3 games left and Richmond’s undefeated season continuing at a pace, 2nd spot on the table and the one possible promotion place looked to be on the line after 2 washouts and the Wembley boys powerful batting lineup only 8 points behind and with only mid table teams to face in the remaining fixtures.  It was all to play for !

With the top order gone in strode Viral at no 5 and not to long later Will Armstrong – Fox with the score delicately poised. Lesser cricketers would have pushed it a round a bit , played out a few overs and looked to advance the score sedately without taking any real risks.  To hell with that !  Viral slapped the North London opening bowler who bowled unchanged throughout the innings to all parts of the ground – a square cut was so powerfully hit that the deep point could not get a hand on one that barely went to his left. All out aggression was V’s answer to the precarious position taking 17 off one over and in the following over a drive was so forcefully attempted that the bat sprayed from his hands and nearly decapitated the square leg umpire !! All this before drinks !!

At the other end Will was not being outdone by any stretch – some of the most stylish lofted cover driving that the boys have ever seen in their cricketing life were pinging of the middle of the bat and both the boys had decided that attack was the best form of defence. In all the partnership contributed an even 100 runs before Viral was caught on the cover boundary taking the score to a much more respectable 5-152 prior to the drinks break.  From there it was a bit of a procession, Will kept going – his cover driving the highlight of the innings and the score raced to 280 after some blistering 6 hitting by the new and improved lower order of Simon, Charlie Heirons ( and Jamie not so much ) our main man at number 11 the all singing and dancing Dykie didn’t even get a bat before Mikey called a halt to the carnage at 9 – 281 off 48 overs.

The light and prospect of rain was the main concern at the half time break, but it was always going to be an uphill task for the North London boys to overhaul a total of 280. And so it proved to be – Virals swing , and Jamie and Sanjays pace all contributed to the early wicket tally but the runs were still flowing – at one stage if the rain had of come and washed out proceedings around the 20th over to constitute a game the North London team would have been marginally in front of the asking rate....

Enter The DRE  !!!  ( cue Rocky music and much fist pumping  ... )

A slow but tidy start from Andre, in conjunction with his spinning partner Dykie began by testing out the remaining openers resolve. Was he going to keep playing shots or shut up shop and hope for a pojnt or 4.  In the end it didn’t matter – Dre did him cold with a swinging skidder that slammed into the base of middle stump and signalled an end to the North London resistance. From there on it was a matter of survival for the North London batsman and sensing a kill the Dre and Skipper Mikey went on the attack. Fielders crowded the bat and the Dre started circling like a hungry shark, changing angles and skidding a few through at the sticks to trap batsman LBW and downright skittle them with the quicker one.

Some spirited resistance by the 7th wicket partnership held up the Dre’s charge – and with the darkness closing in the quick men were out of the frame at umpire Sam’s insistence so the Mid boys turned to Lakey !!  IT was Dre though that made the vital breakthrough – another victim trapped LBW.  Those in the slips and with the gloves on ( i.e myself and Mikey ) gave a slight chuckle when Dre’s first attempt at a leg spinner ( chinaman for those of you of the left handed spinning fraternity ) barely even threatened the strip we were playing on but it did turn appreciably.... With 10 overs to go and the last partnership at the wicket the North London left handed number 11 was the Dre’s 7th and final victim with a big loopy Chinaman that not only did the number 11 think was going to be called a wide but Sam was just about to give the spread arm signal to the scorers when it pitched spun a mile behind the left handers legs and cannoned into the middle stump ! The Dre was off finger raised in triumph! He had nearly reached Calthorp by the time the rest of the team managed to  tackle him to the ground and congratulate him on a match winning bowling performance. 10 points was ours !

The beer tasted good – and the hangover on Sunday morning was well worth it when the result of the Wembley – Brondesbury game was scanned through hazy eyes on the Middlesex CCL website  Wembley rolled for 130 !  3 points from the final 2 games will bring us promotion !  Bring on Winchmore Hill .

Seano

 North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Wembley CC 3rd XI   (Away)  7 August 2010

The eagerly awaited return clash against Wembley which would go a long way in deciding who would remain in the chase to overhaul Richmond in top spot I am afraid to say was a bit of a damp one.  After losing the toss skipper Mikey and the 3’s were asked to bat on a suspiciously green looking Wembley 2nd ground under increasingly threatening skies.

Despite the nature of the pitch the new opening partnership of Lakey ( fresh from his French odyssey ) and Seano got the Midd boys of to a flyer, with the runs flowing freely and both openers taking advantage of anything loose by the Wembley new ball attack. Lakey was the first to get started with some crisp driving and deft touches ( and the occasional good length ball flying past his North Midd hat ) and was soon joined by his Aussie opening partner in some controlled attack.  Mid wicket conferences revolved around getting toasted at Rich Nicoll’s 60th and the side bet that this would be extra special if we posted a hundred partnership and lasted 20 overs.  We came close – posting 90 of 17 before the introduction of spin first claimed Ed for 38 and then Sean for 40 but the opening pair had set a fine platform from which the team could launch.  And launch they did !

Lee Carlins fine run of form continued – spanking spinners and quicks to all parts and it seemed to be a race between Viral and Lee to create the most carnage. Virals 40 was just what was needed in the Mids run setting objective and Lee’s hard hitting 70 put the Mid even further in the ascendancy.  Some lusty hitting from the Dre , Simon and a standout cameo by Will Armstrong-Fox pushed the runs along at a great clip and in the end Mikey called the boys in at 9 -331 off 50 overs.

If the first rounds game against Wembley was anything to go by ( where batsman 1 through 11 all tried to heave balls out of Park Road in a rain reduce run chase ) todays encounter was going to be tres exciting....  And so  it shaped to be, with aerial cover drives from the second ball and some huge heaves at anything with a bit of width – but Elliot was able to check the onslaught with some fine bowling and expert field placements by Mikey and Lakey ( Lakey was 30 meters out of position on the boundary leaving a huge whole in the covers ) – thankfully Simons speed across the turf saved his blushes with a well caught sky ball moving swiftly from point to exactly the spot where Lakey was supposed to be in the covers.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the only thing falling from the sky....  as it absolutely chucked it down about 5 minutes later and with Wembley in such deep trouble they were none to keen to get the covers on nor get the game going again in the aftermath of the downpour and despite some spirited work in the grounds keeping department by the visiting team the game was called at 6:30 by one of the umpires ( not Sam ) under bright skies with the game on the next pitch going along a treat.  1 point each but a dominant performance which bodes well for the NMCC 3’s promotion prospects

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Shepherds Bush CC 3rd XI   (Home)  31 July 2010

With 3 wins on the spin the North Midd 3’s have been on fire. Apologies to those regular readers who haven’t had their regular 3’s supplement over the last few weeks as your regular reporter has been on holidays and Pistol’s reporting skills have way to many facts and not enough flair  and then last week’s victory over Highgate didn’t even get a report submitted !  I have it on good authority the Lee Carlins innings ( 100+ ) was going to be added to the season highlights and that a fine team bowling performance combining a blend of youth and experience held the Highgate boys to 247 – 7 off 50 overs and then we chased them down with ( relative ) ease.....

Anyway – on to the 4th straight victory.....

Upon arriving at a damp Park Road early on a Saturday for the clash against Shepherds  Bush ( the only reason i was early was to watch the rugby .... Damn Kiwi’s ) the prospects of a full days play looked marginal.  The pitch inspection by the senior pro’s went along the same lines as it always does – Mikey wins the toss and sends the opposition in – the prevailing conditions being damp and soft and a real bowl first wicket and the fact that we have been chasing targets superbly this season was a bit of a no brainer even with the news that Sanjay ( who was due to open the bowling ) was stuck in traffic near Bristol . Mikey promptly won the toss, then proceeded to play our normal warmup game of Cricket /Football/Netball like he was Lionel Messi....

Jamie and Viral instead opened the bowling, and despite beating the bat often in the first few overs the pair didn’t pose many problems to start with, Jamies back and the slippery crease area didn’t really allow him to hit top pace and cause his usual problems and it wasn’t until Viral drew a false shot from the She Bu skipper who played on did the Midd boys work themselves into the game. The Introduction of Joe Bridgeland proved to be the decisive move of the day – when he pitched up and attacked the stumps he was deadly and at a good clip too and the wickets started to tumble. V and Joe bowling in partnership ripped through the top order and reduced the opposition to 50 – 5 and it was only a solid 90 run partnership before and after drinks by the She Bu nos 6 and 7 that threatened to make the game a challenge but could only manage 193 off 43 overs. Virals 5 wickets and an explosive opening spell by Joe the highlights and ably supported by Simon and Nick Friend who made the vital partnership breakthrough.

With 57 overs to chase 193 on a drying pitch openers Simon and Sean went about their usual tactic of unsettling the new ball bowlers with some aggressive strokeplay. A quickfire opening stand of 40 and then further boundaries to Sean saw the multi-talented Aussie race to 35 before chasing a wide one. The solid middle order then kicked in – all posting some good numbers and the steadfast skipper who looked to set himself to be there at the end posted an unbeaten 44 cruely denied a well deserved half century by Sanjay’s heavy hitting taking out his aggression of missing the first few hours of the game due to the Bristol traffic on some hapless Shepherds Bush Bowling to hit an unbeaten 41 and take us over the winning line ... 10 points takes us to 89 points , 12 points behind division leaders Richmond and 8 points in front of 3rd place and next weekends opponents Wembley.

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Harrow CC 3rd XI   (Away)  17 July 2010

After receiving the “North Midd Officially Approved Route” to the Harrow ground by Mikey, it was decided on the way in the Pullman-mobile that a five mile detour seemed a strange way to get to the ground as opposed to a road which went straight there, and as such we arrived twenty minutes before anyone else started drifting in…this gave us time to check out the soft-ish green pitch and analyse the conditions of the sloping ground with the brown grass and the decent breeze blowing across the pitch with the slope…as the team took place we had a new face in the threes in Mark Teal and the irrepressible Richard Verity was also in as a late call up for the missing Irfan…

With Harrow five points ahead of us in the league and in second place, this was always going to be a big game for us…the initial advantage of the toss went to the home side and Seanie and Simon soon walked in padded up after being sent in, though Harrow taking the field with only ten players due to a waylaid opening bowler…even so, it was slow going at first…Seanie had a bit of a flurry, but soon had one of his stumps leaning backwards after the ball pitched “outside leg and hit off” from their opener and he left for seven…it was tough going for Simon also, taking 40 balls to get his first single to get off the mark (thanks Crackers!), but now set, his next two runs came at a positively blistering pace from only 7 balls before edging to the keeper and departing for three…

For the second week in a row Lakey and Mikey took on the responsibility of rebuilding the innings and this they did well, though still finding it hard to score at a fluent rate…at 2 for 46 after 20 when drinks were taken, things were looking quite grim, especially seeing Sammy and Connor pumping balls everywhere on the adjoining pitch…after drinks things seemed to change and runs seemed to come about a bit easier, but the quick wickets of Lakey departing for a solid 22 and new boy Mr Teal, caught at slip for 3, sent renewed worries through the North Midd camp…Richard Verity came in at number six with a gaggle of fours (not sure exactly if that’s the correct collective noun for fours but I’ll run with it) but was soon gone for 22…

But with the wickets falling at the other end, Mikey brought up another solid, classy fifty to take his team out of immediate danger…Sanjay hung around with Mikey for a while with some lovely drives but finally fell for 14, though his main reason for being at Harrow on Saturday was still to come…Yohan started very correctly and when Mikey went at 7 for 160 after 47 overs for a well compiled 56, things could have gone either way with Pistol coming to the crease…the Harrow team sensed they were deep into the tail, but a few fours and a big six later, the Harrow chat turned slightly ugly and their field was changing each ball to counter the flying leather…a well placed Yorker though soon had Pistol walking back for 19 off 16 but the momentum of the game seemed to have shifted slightly…

Sadly what happened next ended the season for the perennially unlucky Yohan…playing a seemingly innocuous ball down to mid on, Yohan collapsed onto his back and immediately their keeper signalled to us that something was very wrong…our doctor at large, Sanjay, raced out and diagnosed a dislocated knee cap and before anyone had even asked him if he knew what he was doing, he had gently slotted said knee cap back into place, albeit including the accompanying haunting groans of poor Yohan on the ground…with  the paramedics soon arriving and strapping him to a gurney and wheeling him away, Sanjay also left with them to the hospital, managing to get the blonde paramedic’s number in the process, just to check Yohan’s progress of course!

With play resuming, the final wicket pumping teed off with some big hits from both Jamie (18) and Dykie (11) including a nice homer to JD, leaving the Midd 206 for 8 down off 55 overs…

With our two boys missing, Matt Crackers, our always professional scorer (and frequent reserve fielder) and the always eager (and very safe) in the field Stevie Nurse pulled on their whites to take up proceedings with the depleted 3rd XI (having been reduced to being the North Midd 3rd IX)…Mikey’s pre-inning talk revolved around the Harrow team’s attacking instincts and that if we kept our heads with the ball and in the field, we should be able to do them over…the initial assessment proved to be correct as the openers came out swinging and ball started flying…soon though Pistol had taken out their opener to a good catch by Richard Verity and Jamie (2 for 29 off 5) had taken the other opener clean bowled and also the number three…despite their falling batters, these attacking instincts did not change and with the introduction of Dykie (4 for 36 off 11), the wickets tumbled with monotonous regularity, their batsmen either picking out our fielders, with excellent boundary catches to Lakey and Mark Teal, or having their stumps upset after lusty air swings…Simon (2 for 28 off 7) also bowled intelligently and chipped in with two wickets before Pistol (2 for 25 off 5) had the number 11 caught by Seanie at slip to end proceedings, all out for 120…

After the match, Yohan had returned from hospital with his leg heavily strapped, but clearly out of action for a while, and the boys enjoyed a few beers in the sun watching the remainder of the 2s match…

All in all, an excellent win, fighting back after a testing start, though slightly hollow in that a lot of the Harrow batsmen gave their wickets away very cheaply…having said that, we’ve taken the 10 points and with Wembley also winning, we are now one point behind second place with momentum on our side…

Pistol

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Barnes CC 3rd XI   (Home)  10 July 2010

North Midd 2nd XI and 3rd XI at Barnes

Jamie Davis set the game alight with a double wicket maiden in the first over of the day after Mikey won the toss and sent Barnes in on a greenish looking Park Road pitch.  His second ball was a booming inswinger that sent middle stump flying ( thanks to the judicious watering of the stump holes by Sam prior to the game )  and his 5th ball was again to good for the Barnes No.3 who only succeeded on getting a little bit of bat onto another swinging fullish delivery that spooned to the safe hands of Yohan at mid on. His day got even better when after bowling 3 succesive maidens he claimed 2 further scalps to finish with 4 – single figures in his allotted spell of 6 overs.  Well supported by Pistol from the other end who was equally miserly in giving away runs, he claimed 2 big scalps and the 2 opening bowlers set the Mid up for a pretty easy day on the cricket field.  Further wickets to the Dark Lord Brimble who specialises in taking wickets against Barnes ( if only he could do it against the other 7 teams in the division ) and a return to the wickets column to Dykie ( the equal top wicket taker of the 3’s according to Mikeys half year stats – yet to be ratified by the Mids official accountancy firm of C Tibber and Son ).  In All Barnes could only post 128 and were thoroughly outplayed in the Morning session.

The BBQ chicken wings made a welcome return to the buffet table at lunch and were quickly demolished and with a full stomach the Mid top order polished off the runs just like the Chicken wings with a minimum of fuss.  Despite the Wickets of the reunited opening combo of Seano and Simon , Lakey showing a welcome return to form and the all stylish cover driving show from the Skipper was enough to post 132 in quick time. In the end Lakey was unbeaten on 58 and only his gratuitous hogging of the strike to score the winning runs denied the skipper a well earned half century as well.

As Pistol termed it in his Somerset brogue ‘An old fashioned stuffing’....  long may they continue

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Richmond CC 3rd XI   (Home)  3 July 2010

The long awaited top of the table clash V Richmond at NMCC headquarters on Park Road started in a subdued note with the opposition captain delaying the start due to part of his team late arrival after winning the toss and sending the Mid in.  With Simon up in the 2's and Pistol in Poland the 3's were without thier regular lineup and struggled to force the game along as they have done in recent weeks. The opening pair of Lakey and Seano got the boys off to a quick start which continued after Lakeys dismissal when Sean was joined by skipper Mikey. Some extravagant strokeplay combined with resolute defence saw Sean move quickly to the 40's only to be brought undone by the pull shot ( again...) when a half tracker went straight up.... Mikey Tim and the middle order of Rich Verity , Yohan and Lee all contributed some good strokes but the steady fall of wickets never got the innings into overdrive and despite having the strength and defensive capabilities of Sanjay and Macca at 10 and Jack  the boys could only post 192 in being dismissed in the 42 over.

The lunch in the pavilion whilst watching Germany steamroller Diego's boys was again a treat - though the wisdom of eating 3 pieces of the Tandoori Chicken before going out to field was very questionable....

Jamie Davis again was the pick of the bowlers but it was Sanjay who made the initial breakthroughs taking out one of the openers and a wild looking number 3 but the Richmond skipper and the left handed opener piled on the runs and survived a few close chances that the Mid fielders couldn't capitalise on and took the game away from us. Despite a late flurry of wickets, the spirited effort of the 3's came to no avail and Richmond left Park Road with the 10 points.

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Winchmore Hill CC 3rd XI   (Away)  26 June 2010

3rd XI top 4 ready for action!

The 3's traveled up the road to The Paulin Ground to take on ( read take apart ) division celler dwellers Winchmore Hill.

Apologies to those history buffs who enjoy the side story of the grounds history but i came up with nothin on google so i can only rely on personal experience in that the track is a road, the guy behind the bar reminds me of Billy from ZZ top and i once saw Mike Gatting there looking more portly than i remember him during his playing days.

Despite a lacklustre warmup -probably the worst since round ones disastrous crossovers debacle, Mickey won the toss and sent the home side in with a view to roll them cheap, chase down a hundred for the maximum 10 points and get stuck into the lager whilst we watched the 2's chasing victory on the main ground. The plan once again was followed to a T

The the one and only high point of the day for Winchmore Hill was the first ball a loosener by Pistol that was slapped to the boundary but he bounced back 2 balls later to have the same opener out plating on, then strangled the number 3 with a gloved shorter one down the leg side which was well held by Mickey. More top order wickets tumbled from there with some decidedly average batting from the Hills top order unable to cope with the pace and swing of Pistol nor the guile and movement off the deck by Viral. The Winchmore Hills keeper and opening batsman played a lone hand, his controlled and skillful batting despite a few sharp chances going down by the Midd fielders outplayed his fellow elder statesman at 6 whose wild slogs succeeded in very brief stay at the crease  until the middle stump suffered the ignominy of not only being slapped by the ball ( after another wild slog ) but then flattened by a swipe of the bat.

More wickets tumbled as catches were held, stumps were flattened and raucous appeals for LBW were met with the raised finger of Sam. In all Pistol nabbed 4 , Viral, Macca and Dykie all bagged 2 and the Hill posted a paltry 91.

Lakeys return to form was the highlight of the batting side with a fine 30* and some heavy hitting by the King of the Office Timmy Allen at the end who also posted a fine 30 odd not out and the Midd chased down the 92 required or the loss of 2 without even breaking into a sweat for the 10 points ( well 2nd gear anyway as it was pretty hot under the blazing sunshine )

And as per plan the 2's had just finished their sandwiches when the 3's were at the bar for pints and a quick check of the sporting results ( Uruguay's second was a cracker and Nadal struggled through in 5 sets ) and the boys joined the Midd's 11 allrounders on the sidelines and cheered on as Johnny Roberts and Chris put the Hills 2nd's to the sword.

The result keeps us in 3rd place on 49 points as Wembley (50) also had a 10 point win in a high scoring encounter with Norf London and table toppers and the Midd's next round opponents Richmond suffered their second successive defeat, this time at the hands of Highgate to stay on 51.

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Brondesbury CC 3rd XI   (Away)  12 June 2010

The 3's travelled to Shenley for the much anticipated clash against Brondesbury in round 6, keen to impress after last weeks heroics. Those that didn't know any better were slightly aggrieved about having to travel so far out into the countryside on a saturday ( especially as the England V USA match was a 7:30 kickoff ) but once we turned off the country lane into the Shenley Cricket Ground were delighted by the pleasant nature of the surrounds and the old school charm that the grounds displayed. Named after England great Denis Compton - who must of been a good bloke as he gets a good wrap in the Autobiography of my all time favourite cricketer and Aussie legend Keith Miller after they played against each other in Millers time in the UK over the war years and the Victory Test series. To commemorate the great rivalry and friendship the ECB and ACB founded the Compton -Miller medal for the player of the Ashes.

Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE (23 May 1918 in Hendon, Middlesex – 23 April 1997 in Windsor, Berkshire) played 78 Tests scoring 5807 runs at 50.06 including 17 centuries. He also took 25 test wickets and 49 catches.

Compton's absent-mindedness was legendary. Colin Cowdrey writes that Compton turned up for the Old Trafford Test of 1955 against South Africa without his kitbag. Undaunted, he sauntered into the museum and borrowing an antique bat off the display, went on to score 155 and 79 not out.  Compton also played football, beginning his career at non-league Nunhead during the 1934–35 season before joining Arsenal. A winger, he made his debut in 1936, and won the League in 1948 and the FA Cup in 1950 as well at representing England and was the first Brylcream Boy.... KP had nothing on him.

Anyway - back to the cricket report....  After declaring the pitch a 'road' super Skipper Mikey won the toss and gave Brondesbury first use of the pitch in an attempt to roll the Brondesbury boys cheaply and set up a small run chase with the prospect of an early finish and save his bacon in the event of a late finish and being stuck on the M25 whilst the football was on.

I am please to report that the skippers plan went like clockwork. The new look opening bowling combination of the Dark Lord Brimble and Pistol Pete started supremely with Pistol having both openers trapped LBW, a sharp catch in the office by yours truly and a super running catch in the outfield by new recruit Jesse then snagging a 5-for when one of the 2 loose balls he bowled in his 19 straight overs was pouched by Doris at square leg, a super effort by the NMCC Aussie stalwart. Jesse , Viral and Doris all bowled well to claim the remaining scalps from the other end and with the tight bowling and excellent fielding ( despite a few sharp chances and an absolute dolly going down ) the boys restricted Brondesbury to 169 of 55 overs.

Phase 2 of the skippers grand plan -for all the top order to contribute and one of us to kick on also worked a treat. After Sean was dismissed in the 6th over for 24 Simon continued on his merry way posting 73 not out with some attacking strokeplay - his lofted cover drives a highlight and making the most of his good fortune after being caught of a no-ball for 1. 20's by the skipper and Lakey and a late cameo by Lee Carlin and it was job done... 10 points ...'start the car'...

The Le Mans start from the change rooms was hilarious - Pistols Haviana's have gone missing in the mele - so if your kit bag contains a pair of well used size 10 black flip flops when you open it up on saturday please return to said owner...

New speed records were set on the return trip down the A1 to the Midd - some of the boys made it back to see Stevie G's early strike to put the England up 1 - 0 and we all made it back to see Robert Greens clanger.

Photo's above are of the boys lounging during the run chase - Mikey and Simon at the crease and the delightful surrounds of Shenley CC.

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  North London CC 3rd XI   (Home)  19 June 2010

With the 3’s in great form we entered the local derby at home v North London with high hopes of victory.  A strong team and the knowledge that our batting lineup has gone from strength to strength after an initial shaky start gave the boys a lot of confidence on our return to Park Road. Skipper Mickey’s run of winning the toss sadly has come to an end and the mid were sent in on a ‘interesting’ pitch ( it was the same one that was soaked from round 6 ) and was always going to be a tough wicket to bat on. But bat we did.... posting 249 off 50 overs – the whole side contributing with scores in the region of 20 – 30 – Irfan, Timmy Allen and Viral the standout performers. The opening pair of Simon and Seano got the Midd off to a solid start negotiating the first 10 overs at 4 an over to lay a platform against some nagging line and length from the North London seamers. Partnership batting again kept the scoreboard ticking along but the steady flow of wickets showed that the pitch was anything but a batsmans paradise. The middle order of Irfan , Tim, Viral and the Dark Lord Brimble ( who is now a batsman given his recent bowling )all chipped in to post a very respectable 249. We could well have posted a higher score if Tim in his guise of square leg umpire hadn’t cut short a promising innings by Pistol when he was caught off a head high beamer that wasn’t called for a golden duck.

Tea and the second half of the OZ V Ghana game ( a disappointing 1-1 draw ) and the Midd boys were ready to fire.

Irfan in his first game in the 3’s this year and Pistol – fresh off a 5 for bowled superbly – keeping the runs in check and quickly killing off any prospect of a run chase but it was not until the introduction of Jamie Davis and Simon that the wickets started to flow. Jamie unsettling the North London top order with pace and bounce and Simon just tacking their heads off with a bouncer- literally. Once the opening batsman that could have caused some problems was sconned by a North Midd special that clocked him just over the eye his confidence was shot and was cleaned up a couple of balls later.

A further wicket to Simon and the introduction of spin in the form of the all singing and dancing Dykie – who claimed 4 wickets to take the Midd within touching distance of the 10 points.

Some resolute defence in the final overs by the North London tail in the end though denied the boys the full 10 points in reaching 178 – 8 off 50 spirited overs  to claim 1 point.

The result leaves us well placed in 3rd spot on the table on 39 points - 1 shy of Wembley in 2nd and within touching distance of leaders  Richmond on 51 who were rolled by Harrow for their first loss of the season.

The team travels up the road to another road at Winchmore Hill next week – hoping to return to their winning ways

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Wembley CC 3rd XI   (Home)  5 June 2010

What a strange game of Cricket !

After losing the toss and being sent in to bat the 3’s needed to pile on the runs against 2nd place Wembley at home to right the inconsistent batting form over the preceding weeks and apply a bit of scoreboard pressure. Another new look opening combination, the mainstay Seano and new opening partner Simon fresh from their fine stand of the previous week went about setting up a platform from which to launch the assault. A swift opening stand of 40 at 6 an over followed by another stand of 40 at a similar rate by Sean and Mikey saw the Midd race to 80 for 1 off the first 16 overs with some fine strokeplay by all members of the top order. Partnerships were the key here, and despite the loss of wickets at regular intervals all members of the top and middle order ( Timmy Allen and Yohan ) all contributed to the building of a good score. Some late innings fireworks by the Dark Lord Brimble made amends for selling Yohan up the river in a curious runout and the super skipper Mikey declared the innings closed at 292-8 of 49 overs.   40’s by Sean ,Timmy, Yohan, Tom and the Wembley wicketkeeper who struggled with the intricacies of using wicketkeeping gloves for their designated purpose. Some solid team batting all made this an imposing target for the Wembley run chase and it was with full confidence in a good first half that the boys headed to the Pavillion for a well earned feed and cup of tea. ( The whitebait met with mixed reviews but the smoked salmon sandwiches and BBQ chicken wings were a treat.... )

With Lunch semi digested and Lakey providing the jazz element after partying well into the night at Waymes wedding , the Midd took to the field with great gusto – Jamie unleashing 2 thunderbolts before the heavens opened.  A mad dash for the covers ensued – after posting 292 the boys were super keen to get the wicket covered and give us at least a chance of getting some points in the event of the rain ceasing. After a torrent of some half an hour the skies cleared but the deluge had managed to seep under the covers and onto the pitch at the southern end and threatened to curtail what was shaping up to be a very interesting game.  Some furious super sopping by Joe James and Timmy with and old rag ( thanks Natwest Cricket Force )  managed to at least clear the affected patch of any surface water but still the game looked to be heading to a wet ending. Lakey was ready to pack the car and get a bit of shut eye and  the big opening batsman was already crashed out in the bar upstairs when the call came out that the Wembley boys were keen to go after an extended delay ( there was some conjecture that they were always so inclined but were just playing down the time to reduce the run chase to a more reachable target... ) but in the end Sam made it 150 of 25 overs and it was game on.  If any further sign was needed to indicate that the run chase was in Wembley’s mind then a few cracking straight drives by their opener soon dispelled any notion that they were going to take it easy and get a bit of batting practice. The crucial breakthrough at the top came with a sharp chance in the covers to Yohan via a full bunger from Jamie and it was ‘all happening’ from then on in. The big shots continued and the quick men were shelved pretty sharply, replaced by the wily duo of Dykie and the Dre both of whom bowled superbly – Dykie making the running early on and then Dr Dre just killing them – quicker skidders into the wet patch that kept on finding off stump after the Wembley batsman attempted another wild drive. The celebrations by the good Doctor were a delight and had the team pumped up throughout.

More swashbuckling and more wickets were the order of the day in the Wembley runchase – the number 10’s straight drive of Dre for 6 off the first ball he faced that slapped into the sightscreen at full tilt was a highlight and showed the intent that Wembley went about the run chase but in the end the spinners did the trick – Dykie with 3 wickets off 6.2 overs and Dre with 5 for 27 of his 5 eventful overs ( he also thew down the stumps for a runout as well ) – the guy was on fire !!! got the Midd to within touching distance and then a super running catch by Macca at Long off from another lofted straight drive off a well flighted delivery from Dykie sealed the deal – 10 points in the bag which moves us into 3rd position on the table and well placed for an assault even higher.

A spectacular effort guys, in all aspects of the game we outplayed the opposition especially in the teamwork category

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Shepherds Bush CC 3rd XI   (Away)  29 May 2010

The 3's travelled to Chiswick on an overcast and moist Saturday to the CSSC ground to take on fellow mid tablers She Bu.

With 8 bowlers and a reduced batting line-up captain Mikey was keen to win the toss and insert the boys from west London on the wet track. It was not to be though and the 3rd different opening partnership of the year ( Mustard and Seano ) took to the field - both batsmen short of a gallop thus far in the season. Some early nerves and a 45 minute break for rain aside a fine stand of 35 got the Midd of to a good start. Super skipper Mikey at first drop had a rare failure caught behind for a blob but that only paved the way for your author and Simon to put on a fine stand of 90 for the 3rd wicket. Capitalising on anything short and running the fielders ragged ( please note this was Simon's doing - had nothing to do with me ) the 3rd wicket stand accelerated the scoring rate from the one end and conserved wickets from the young quick bowling well from the northern end.  One pull shot too many did for the hard hitting Sean on 78 but Simon and Dr Dre continued on from there - Simons 35 his highest for the club and Dre's heavy hitting raced the score along. The lower order managed to eak out a few more runs and contributed to a healthy score of 206 - 8 (dec) after their 41 rain reduced overs.

With a plethora of bowling at his disposal - Mikey called upon the impressive Jamie Davis to provide the opening salvo accompanied by Tom ' The Dark Lord ' Brimble - 1 early wicket of the pinch hitter to Voldemort was the only early success but both openers managed to contain the run scoring pretty well. The Shepherds Bush skipper briefly threatened to cut his way to victory - it was his only shot - but the whiley duo of Dr Dre and Pistol managed to wear him down by restricting the width of the bowling and imparting to much pressure in the end for Mikey to claim a sharp chance with the gloves.

The wickets though were hard to come by for the spinners especially as the persistent drizzle and wet outfield reduced the ball to a soggy mess, but some sharp fielding by Simon at square leg got the team a crucial breakthrough when the Bush boys looked started to mount a fightback. By continually attacking Shepherds Bush were playing a risky game - there no 5 particularly chanced his arm with some extravagant strokeplay for his 60 but it was the introduction of Macca that turned the tide - 5 wickets in all in his best performance for the Midd thus far , including 2 super stumpings by Mikey who was sensational behind the sticks.

The aggressive batting kept She Bu in the hunt through to the 40'th over but as Macca tore through the lower order the game was realistically only going to go in the favour of the Midd - it was just a matter of taking the remaining 2 wickets to secure the 10 points.....  we only could take 9 in the end for 199 which left us slightly deflated but all in all a good outing and 4 well earned points.

Seany

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Highgate CC 3rd XI   (Away)  22 May 2010

The 3rd round of the league saw the 3’s travel up Muswell Hill to Wilf Slack Memorial ground to take on the previously undefeated Highgate in the local derby.

For those of you with an interest in historical cricketing figures – Wilf was born in St Vincent in 1954 played 3 Test Matches and 2 ODI’s and died mysteriously in The Gambia aged just 34 whilst playing. His Obituary in Wisden reads “. Slack was buried in his prized England blazer, bat at his side, and as the funeral cortege drove past Lord's, the Grace Gates bore a sign reading "Farewell Wilf".”

Captian Mikey’s run of winning the toss came to an end unfortunately and the Midd bowling attack was put under immense early pressure by the Highgate opening pair and the stifling conditions.  The short boundary on the western side was particularly pummeled as the Highgate opening stand passed 100 at a rate approaching 6 per over and didn’t really let up until Jamie Davis making his 3’s debut was called upon. His first spell was quick and accurate and whilst not exactly stopping Highgate in their tracks, was enough to apply the brakes and slow the scoring to a more containing level. Accompanied by Yohan’s darts the 2 searched for a first breakthrough heartily, which came courtesy of a good shout for LBW from Yo but the runs continued to pile up. As the score approached 180 more breakthroughs followed – Jamie claiming 3 well deserved scalps in his second allotment of 6 overs but the wickets in hand allowed Highgate to pile on the runs towards the end of the innings and some worn out North Midd cricketers went to the lunch break knowing that they would need 272 to overhaul the Highgate total.

A quick lunch of a Burger and Chips straight from the local chippy ????  on the hottest day of the year thus far !!! and the boys were ready for action.

Not sure if it was the burger and chips or the new ball but the pitch seemed to be keeping low after the break with openers Rich and Sean finding it particularly difficult to find any rhythm at the crease to start. A solid opening stand of 30 after 8 overs and an uncharacteristic attacking blast from the skipper was the only defense we could put up in pursuit of the 270 – Mikeys lofted cover drive that nearly netted him 6 runs ( it would have been his first maximum since the under 13’s i believe ) and as we crashed to be 80 for 6 with Yohan , Mustard and Alistair all falling cheaply a solid defensive display was needed.

And did we get it !!!!

Displaying some of the most decisive, defensive and downright boring batting seen since Chris Tavare graced the fields of English cricket, North Midd newcomer Craig White scored an amazing 8 of 87 deliveries in a fine rear guard action ( Single figure strike rate and all ). Tom Brimbles 9 off 40 seemed Brian Lara’esq in comparison. With Macca padded up who can out non score the both of these 2 dynamos the 1 point was never in doubt.

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Harrow CC 3rd XI   (Home)  15 May 2010

So Agonisingly close ....

After winning his second consecutive toss, super skipper Mikey sent Harrow into bat on a superb looking North Midd pitch for the first home league game of the season. Last week’s hero Tom Brimble was belted to all parts in his first few overs of the day by the Harrow skipper and the scoreboard raced to 88 for no loss after 10 overs. Some excellent fielding by the 3’s elder statesmen Griff and Seano , with the assistance of the other Harrow opener, saw 2 runouts and a sharp catch halt the carnage and get the Midd back into the game. Wickets continued to fall with some fine spin bowling from Noman and the continuation of the aggressive strokeplay by the Harrow middle order without half the ability of their opening batsman and captain. With the Midd fielding well and attempting to slow the scoring rate we looked like restricting them to 160 , but again like last week the last few wickets proved elusive and Harrows score rattled on to 221 – 9 declared after 50 overs.

After such an aggressive start and the placid nature of the pitch restricting Harrow to 221 was a creditable performance – though killing them off for 160 would have been ideal.

The after lunch session proceeded well with Rich Verity and Sean setting up a nice platform to build on with a solid opening stand of 45 of the first 10 overs before an umpiring calamity to break the partnership and the quick loss of the top order without much of an addition to the scoreboard saw the Midd on the back foot.  Captain Mickey held the innings together in fine style his 53 was the rock that others attempted to build around in pursuit of the total and towards the last hour to hang on for the 1 point.  Simon and Tom showed the patience required supporting Mikey for an extended period  until last man Noman was required to hang on for the last 5 overs with his skipper. Each maiden over was cheered from the sidelines with great support from the 2’s after they had completed their emphatic win and the numerous spectators that lined the boundary ( well the bar part of the boundary anyway !!! ). Facing up to the last over of the day Mikey reached his 50 in style but the 49.3th ball was just a little too good for our skipper and the stoic defensive effort just fell short of the desired result.

A great effort but ....

Seano

North Middlesex CC 3rd XI vs  Barnes CC 3rd XI   (Away)  8 May 2010

The new season got under way under leaden skies and light rain on the Barn Elms Sports Complex ( read cow paddock ) with a great win for the 3’s to get the season started with a bang.  After winning a vital toss and sending Barnes into bat , skipper Mikey marshalled the new look team – made up of a few old regulars ( Lakey, Griff Yohan and Seano ) and plenty of newcomers to the club onto the field and unleashed the seamers into the attack. On what was a wet, green and underprepared wicket former North London quick , Tom Brimble who has seen the light and headed a little further along Park Road to join the Midd was a class above the opposition batsman on a difficult batting pitch. A combination of accurate pace bowling, a little help from the pitch and some loose shot selection by the Barnes top order, Tom accounted for 6 victims in total – the highlights being a full pitched yorker to clean up the number 4 and a spectacular diving catch by Lakey at silly mid on after drawing another false shot. Ably backed up by Macca and first change Griffter, who claimed 3 scalps, the Midd seam attack restricted the runs and took the opportunities presented to have Barnes 9 for 50 before numbers 10 and 11 showed that patience and shot selection were the key to batting on the wicket. The last pair put on 30 before Sam and Yohan combined to break the stubborn partnership with a good shout for LBW.

Despite the oversight of the catering department in the areas of hot drinks and wholesome food at the break, the Midd were ready to chase down the 88 runs required to get the season off to a great start. Openers Lakey and Seano weathered the initial new ball barrage to get the Midd of to a solid start, both openers swaying and ducking a few short pitched ones off the left arm quick who seemed intent on pitching everything short into the wet pitch in the hope it might do something ( or break his own toes in the process ) !  With both openers removed with some help from the vagaries of the pitch it was the turn of Captain Fantastic to steady the ship and guide the Midd to the Port of Ten Points and he did this ably with the help of Yohan and later on the very solid Macca after a middle order wobble. The Skippers assured 32 not out was the highlight of the innings combining solid defence and attacking strokeplay when the left arm quick pitched short and taking full toll of the first and second change seamers, full toll usually resulting in a single given the grass was so long and wet it was tough to get it half way to the boundary.

For a first outing of the season a very satisfying performance - 10 points well deserved and the promise of more to come if the batting, bowling, fielding and team spirit continue in the same vein. A home ground tie against first round losers Harrow awaits.

Seano