Last mid week game and a sunny Sept eve in Ealing awaited HL v Parkmen. Won toss, into bat, we finished up on an ok 131/8, everyone getting a bat (shaz35)..They had a few good batters but tight bowling pegged them back to just 108/8 just as the dark descended. 2 wickets for Wendel and Swain, direct run out throw from Steve and tight bowling from Shaz. Slap up food in the pavilion afterwards and a fine end to the midweek season. Still Hatfield to go though..
v Garrison. 2nd game in 2 evenings. HL 194/4 from 20 overs in another Spelthorne run fest, Swain with a swashbuckling 93!, Paul53. A good start from Garrison but always behind the run rate, finally falling 30 short, 164/6, 3 wickets for Paul. Perhaps the last time, after 20 years of epic contests, that we play Garrison. Shaz and Hardy for the oppo, and Murray making his first appearance of the season. 2 catches for Wendel, but we didnt need his runs this evening... 4 wins in 4, and weve scored 708 runs in 80 overs....
v Richmond, new oppo and HL into bat with Rick36 and Steve33 in an opening 70 partnership. 38 from Swainy and 19 from debutant Lee and at the end Wendel with an 11 ball 41no (5 6's), pushing the score to seasons highest 197/5. Richmond got off to a great start, but regular wickets pinned them back to 125/8 off their 20 overs, 3 wickets for Rick, 2 each for Paul and Wendel. 2 catches for Wendel and 2 dismissals for Mike behind the stumps. Richmond didnt bowl badly, HL were just on fire this evening...
v Elmbridge. 2nd game in 2 evenings and 2nd time the game goes into the last over. HL164/5, Steve46, Hitesh44, Alex35. Wendel contorversially fingered LBeeeeW for 4. Slightly below par, with a fast outfield and shortish boundary. ELM into bat, their extrovert opener out hit wicket, 2 stumpings from Wendel, a direct boundary throw run out from Paul, and 2 wickets from Don later, they were needing 13 to win from the last over with their no.3 still there on 76no. Alas, only 7 were scored, HL winning by 6 runs. Another fantastic game and win..
v Superstars. Imber Court was looking good on this hastily arranged 2020 fixture. Put into bat, HL racked up 153/5 thanks to Shaz48, Wendel47 (from 4 overs) and Swain21, despite 8 tight opening overs. We were confident, but with 40 needed off the last 4, the situation was getting a little edgy in the fading light. However, a couple of runouts left them needing 18 from the last over, finally falling 11 short. Wickets each for Ian, Wendel, Hitesh, Paul and Shaz. Apart from the absent Adam, probably HL's strongest batting line up all season today.
v GSK. Always strong, and GSK batting first, at 10 overs with only 60 on the board it was looking ok. However, one of their guys scored a 93no and they finished up on 167/4. Tough, we needed to fire on all cylinders. 2 wickets in the first over didnt help (Wasim - golden). Wendel went crazy with 3 6's on the trott, and after 10 overs we were just ahead on at 85/2. The issue with the sight screens came back as Wendel was bowled and after that it quickly fell apart in the fading light, HL ending on 127/9 from the 20. Wendel52, Paul23, Don21.
v Westminster. Lost toss, fielded first, Westminster plodding their way to 81/9. Never really too much of a test, although 0 for 1 from 3 overs woke us up a little. However 2nd wicket partners Adam49no and Steve 32no, got us past the post in just 14.1 overs. 3 wickets for Paul, 2 wickets for Knobby, Swain and Rick. 2 stumpings for Mike, 2 catches for Shaz and Wendel...
V Thames Trains. The sun was shinning, but no oppo; fasting, injuries and holidays depleting their squad. Shame, but it happens. Always a good game.
v Wandsworth. 20 years of playing and what a game, it ebbed and flowed throughout on a scorching evening down by the river in Putney. Leisure opting to bat finding themselves at a perilous 60/7 from 11 overs. Wendel and Rick dug deep for 9 overs and a 50 from Wendel, including two massive sixes, one literally out of the park, hitting a house on the other side of Putney Bridge Road, got us to an okish 115. It was always going to be tough to defend. 6 runs/ 2 wickets from 4 overs from Wendel, took us amazingly into the last over with Wandsworth needing just 7 to win. 5 swishes and misses later and the scores were tied with one ball to go. Unfortunately, bat connected with ball and the game was lost on the last ball. A thriller, but looking back lots of places where that one run was lost... Chris Bicks last game, perhaps? 2 old school tight overs, 2 catches, but a duck batting at 3. A Leisure Legend...
v Parkmen. Batted first, 50 from Swain, Alex21 and a quickfire 43no from skipper Wendel took Leisure to 140/4 from 20. Parkmen struggled to just 86/7 thanks to 4 wickets for 18 from Ian.
v Harrow. Forecast said it was going to rain in London about 4pm, and once started it wasn't going to stop. Well, the forecast was correct, so the game was called off just as the oppo left for the game.
v OCCCs..They did what they always do when they win the toss, bat. Taking their top 3 batters early, who we know can all score big, knocked them sideways and they hobbled to 73/6 off their 20overs. Into bat and it was looking easy at 59/0 off 10 overs. However, a mini collapse and the fading light and start of more rain, made it harder than it should have been and we got there off 15.4 overs, having lost 5 wickets...Swain27, Steve26, CBurton13, Swain 2/15, and a great direct hit run out from Wendel the highlights..And a Knobby catch..
v Chessington WoA. Into bat, runs from Steve31, Adam27, Alex20, Knobby18 and a 10 ball 41 (6*6) from Wendel got us up to 166/6, a half decent score, but Chess were always up with the run rate, 80 off 10, 120 off 15.... With mongooses and 6's aplenty, we entered the last over with just 4 needed, CWoA obliging with a 6 off the 2nd ball. We could have scored a few more, but a good close game all the same. 2 wickets for Paul and Rick, and a moral boosting catch for Swainy. Hardeep, fielding for the oppo, managing to kick the ball over the boundary for a six..
v Richmond, rained off, all day July drizzle...
v Richmond Teachers. We finished on a below par 106/6 on a blustery evening on Old Deer Park, but thanks to 42 from Ash, with help from Alex19, Adam14. However, we were confident until they were suddenly 76 from 14. On 98 we managed to get their one major run scorer out clean bowled, and the game was over, won by 8 runs, with 11 balls left. 3 wickets for Swainy, back from his incident a fortnight before, and 2 for Paul. Debut to Umar (1 wicket, 11no). Lots of off boundary action to keep Wendel and co turned on...Thats now 5 wins from 6, and the loss was just by 1 run.
v Superstars. Mid day rain and a dodgy forecast knocked this game out. Shame; good oppo, and actually, possibly, could have got away with it in retrospect as the evening was dry enough.
v Parkmen at Trailfinders, a 22/22 with it being almost the longest day of the year. Slow start, but 100 off last 10 overs got us to 142/3, thanks to 86 from Hitesh and 32 from Shaz, a half decent score..It was looking tight up to the last 5 overs, but regular wickets pegged them back, HL actually winning by 36 runs in then end, bowling them all out in the 21st over, Paul 3 for 6, Hitesh 2 for 15. Lots of dropped catches, but no injuries..debuts for Adu and Mr Wuu.
v Spelthorne..called off. Wet pitch, no team, one or the other..disappointing...
Lost by 1 run. 4 needed to win off last over, frustratingly only managed 2, as a direct throw runout denied us at least a tie. Amazing that we even played considering it had only stopped raining for 2 days a few hours earlier. OCCC 120/5, Wendel 3, Paul 2 wickets. HLCC 119/6, Paul 35, Wendel 21. 1 smashed windscreen and 2 lost front teeth, courtesy of Swain failing to get his face out of the way of a spilt catch. Very unfortunate and not a pretty sight, but a odds on for the 2012 JB award.
3rd game, v Harrow...rained off...
Match winning 67 from Wendel, helped us score 129/3 off 20ov v Thames Trains at Perivale. Slightly difficult to control the ball in the conditions, we gave away a fair few wides, Mikey had to stretch for a few, but fortunately the good balls were too good for them to score many off and we won by 16 runs, Paul 3, Ian 2 wickets. HLCC 129/3, TTrains 113/6.
109 needed, 104 on the board, last wicket stand needing 5 runs to win. Bowler bowls, Adam misses, keeper misses, ball hits helmet; 5 runs, win! ...Adam match winning 48no, Swainy 4 wckts, Knobby, Shaz playing for them with 38, 2 wkts and a high stretch of a catch. Good game, fantastic weather, unusual finish, fortunately it wasnt Knobbys helmet that got hit, Pauls 200th recorded wicket for HLCC. ....v Chessington WoA 108/7, HLCC 109/9.
At last, a game, and a win, by 18 runs. 52 for Swain, 32 for Hitesh, and champagne moment - a golden duck for Wendel! Wickets for Rick, Ian, Wendel and Don. Good to be back, its been a long winter, and fine vocal support from the boundary from Hardy and Shaz who gave up an evening watching the IPL to watch us boys...HL 131/6 20 ov, Elmbridge 113/6 20 ov, win.
First 2 games rained off..March and April heatwave and drought. Rain the moment the cricket season starts...
.JPG)
.JPG)
