The Mighty 4s Beat Hornsey

Wow. Where to start. The Mighty 4s arrived at, what must be said, is a much improved St Aloysius ground to that of years gone by. The once corrugated iron shed is now a recently refurbished pavilion, complete with whiff of fresh paintjob. The outfield is grassy – a pleasant change from the sand-based alternative. Complete with clear blue skies and a gentle breeze accompanying the sweltering heat out in the middle, all seemed in place for a good game of competitive cricket.

A hugely important game for both sides, the very thought of a winning draw rendered useless with both sides’ sights set on a promotion place. For Hornsey, that would mean top division cricket for their third team. For the Midd, Lakey’s 3s’ dominance of the top division means that the 4s can climb no higher. Instead, the target is an eighth successive top-two finish. One could argue that the shenanigans that followed may have sprung from the occasion’s significance for both sides.

Hornsey skipper Jonny Bruce, having recently played his 900th game for the club, won the toss and, to the delight of Pistol – losing the toss for the umpteenth time, elected to bat. Hindered early on by being shorn of an eleventh man, the Midd fared valiantly on a deck flatter than even the flattest pancake. Gaurav, after being sent to the wrong postcode, arrived in the eleventh over, with Hornsey still without loss.

Fergus dismissed the young county opener, who had made 60 when the sides met at the Stow earlier in the season. He drove at a full delivery, with Mikey Edwards, who kept impeccably all day, taking a good catch to his right. Then, with the final ball of a superb opening spell, Mason removed the other opener, taking a low catch in his follow-through.

This brought the left-handed Sri Lankan Dissanayake to the crease. Driving confidently, he looked like a linchpin of a primarily young Hornsey side. However, Nick Friend replaced Mason and with the last ball before drinks, cleaned him up with a terrific delivery. Even if the writer of this report is slightly biased, there were echoes of Warne to Gatting as the ball drifted legside before turning past Dissanayake’s outside edge to clip the off-bail.

With the home side 60-3 on what was, for all intents and purposes, a road, the Midd were satisfied. Sam Masood was bowling quickly and accurately, going at less than three runs per over. Yet, the senior batsmen Waite (67) and Allen batted well together, putting on 48 together before Pistol returned for a second spell, immediately bowling Allen. Waite, dropped early by Friend off his own bowling, continued on an otherwise chanceless ride to 67 before Pistol disturbed his middle stump. Mason then returned to have Marshall (28) well caught by Yohan at mid-on. The Midd frustrated the Bruce-led tail, with Verity Jnr. holding a good catch at long-off to remove the dangerous skipper, giving Masood a deserved scalp. 218-8 from 55 overs left both sides satisfied at the tea break.

It was now, as the Mighty 4s’ reply began, that sportsmanship seemed to desert certain participants on this most beautiful day. All seemed jovial out in the middle as Gaurav hammered a pull shot, only to be superbly caught at square-leg. Fear not though, Veritys #1 and #2 saw the Midd to the brink of drinks with few alarms, only for Percy to cut to point from the last delivery before some well-earned squash. Things continued to progress swimmingly, only for Yohan to tweak his hamstring. At the risk of understating, what happened next was dubious in its fairness.

Poor Percy was forced to play the sacrificial lamb – the runner. All seemed fine until Yohan, having allowed his runner to complete the run, stepped aside to allow Richard to take strike. It was then that, with the ball as dead as roadkill, that the Hornsey captain knocked the bails off – claiming that Yo had stepped out of his crease.* Bizarre. But not as bizarre as Bruce’s claim that Yohan had contravened the Spirit of Cricket by requesting a runner. And so it was, Yohan limped off and Paddy Burgoyne replaced him, calmly helping Verity Snr. (79) towards our target. Bums briefly became squeaky as Burgoyne and the excellent Verity fell in quick succession. But, after Pistol smashed two of his first five balls for 6, we were almost home and hosed. Masood and Edwards carried us over the line – although play was briefly halted after the Hornsey skipper kicked the stumps over. Yes, really.

A feisty affair but a terrific win. Richard Verity MOTM for a fantastically calm 79. The Mighty 4s sit third, a single point behind Acton in second. On to Barnes next week, the venue for last year’s promotion-sealing victory.

*After close inspection of the MCC Law Book, Yohan was wrongly given out. The ball was dead and, needless to say, the injured batsman was not attempting a run.