Sunday 13th July 2003 vs Graces C.C.
 
Wash Do the Double
 
Graces C.C. 215-8 (40 overs)
Washington C.C. 220-6 (29.4)
 
Grace’s 215-8 (40 overs) Washington 220-6 (29.4 overs)

Wash ran out comfortable winners on Sunday against Grace’s. Set 216 to win, they passed their target in the 29th over, with Paul Irons chalking up an unbeaten 74.

In bright sunshine at Mill Hill, Grace’s won the toss and did what anyone would have done in the circumstances – invited the opposition to spend the afternoon being baked in the field.

When Nick Tidey bowled Fitzharris for 12 it looked as though that decision might backfire, but first Stockinger (57) and then Mendis (35) took the game to the bowlers, and Grace’s passed the 100 mark with only two wickets down.

It was only when skipper Pete Demetri brought back Tidey that Washington regained the initiative: the young pacer bowled both Grace’s leading batsmen to end with figures of 3-21 from his 8 overs.

At 136-5, Grace’s looked in bad trouble, but, led by Swinburne, they rebuilt. When he fell to a brilliant catch at the wicket by Brad Hitchcock, however, Washington really did feel they were in the box seat.

Some late blows by Lawrence Curtis (18) and Silva (12 not) took the hosts past 200; of the Wash bowlers, Tidey was the pick, and there were wickets too for Mick Kennedy (2-35), Justin Gurney (1-52), and Paul Irons (2-46).

Needing 5.5 an over, Washington began well, then wobbled. Demetri (27) and Matthew Cragoe (40) put on 69 for the first wicket before the skipper holed out to mid on; then two further wickets fell in quick succession: Grant Macdonald perished lbw to a short ball from Curtis (3-35) that kept low, and Dennis Edwards got his stumps rattled by Mendis (1-67) for 0, leaving Wash 82-3.

Enter Paul Irons. Despite having run a 10k Marathon in the morning (and finished in the top 500 in a field of 20,000), and then bowled 8 overs in the afternoon heat, Irons dominated the bowling from the outset, five of his 14 4s coming off one over from Mendis.

Losing Cragoe at 128, and Robert Tidey (0) at 129, he then added 53 for the 6th wicket with Brad Hitchcock, who played with great style for his 16. When he departed, Justin Gurney, the Big Boomer, came in and hit 19 from just ten balls to take Wash almost to the finishing line.

Fittingly, however, it was Irons, with the game’s one and only 6, who took Washington to victory.

Washington: Demetri (*), Cragoe, MacDonald, Edwards, Irons, Tidey, R., Hitchcock, Gurney, Kennedy, Tidey N., Evans.

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Batting
Player Runs How out
Pete Demetri 27 Caught
Matthew Cragoe 40 LBW
Grant McDonald 2 LBW
Brenden Edwards 0 Bowled
Paul Irons 74* 
Robert Tidey 0 Bowled
Brad Hitchcock 16 Caught
Justin Gurney 19* 
Did Not Bat
Gary Evans
Nick Tidey
Mick Kennedy
Partnerships
Wkt Runs Batsmen
1 69 Pete Demetri  &  Matthew Cragoe
2 11 Matthew Cragoe  &  Grant McDonald
3 2 Matthew Cragoe  &  Brenden Edwards
4 46 Matthew Cragoe  &  Paul Irons
5 1 Paul Irons  &  Robert Tidey
6 53 Paul Irons  &  Brad Hitchcock
7 38 * Paul Irons  &  Justin Gurney



Fielding
Player Cts Wkt Cts Stmps
Pete Demetri - - -
Brad Hitchcock - 1 -
Paul Irons - - -
Bowling
Player Overs Mdns Runs Wkts
Justin Gurney 8.0 1 52 1
Gary Evans 8.0 0 40 0
Nick Tidey 8.0 1 21 3
Paul Irons 8.0 0 46 2
Mick Kennedy 8.0 1 35 2
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