Sunday 11th May 2003 vs Alexandra Park II C.C.
 
Wash Win Thriller
 
Washington C.C. 329-5 (40 overs)
Alexandra Park II C.C. 288 (36 overs)
 
Washington ran out winners in a real humdinger of a contest at the Old Racecourse on Sunday. Having posted a seemingly unassailable total of 329 in just 40 overs, they watched with growing disbelief as Park swept back at them, closing inexorably on the target, cruising past 200 in the 22nd over with only one wicket down, and seemingly about to record a truly dramatic victory.

In the end, it wasn’t to be: Wash got the breakthrough they needed and went on to win the match by 41 runs with 4 overs to spare. But what an excellent game of cricket it had been.

The day started brightly for Washington when skipper Pete Demetri won the toss, elected to bate first and duly recorded a fabulous century. He hit twenty 4s and a 6 in his 125 and led from the front.

He lost Matthew Cragoe for 8 with the score at 28, and Dave Walker for a duck to one that kept low at 46, but then found a stable partner in Stevie Brown who played with eye-catching elegance for his 36.

Together, Demetri and Brown took the score to 152 before the latter was bowled, but things were about to get a whole lot worse for Park as the burly figure of Paul Irons strode out from the pavilion gate.

In an astonishing assault of intense violence, he pounded 71 runs off just 27 balls, including no fewer than eight 6s, and seemed certain to get a century until he slipped and was stumped.

Even that wasn’t the end of the agony for Park, however. Demetri was still in commanding form and when he departed to one that nipped back, caught the inside edge and bowled him, Richard Minion (28 not) and Alex Quin (25 not) kept up the tempo, as Wash added 50 runs in the last 6 overs.

Tea was thus a fairly contented affair for Washington, but little did they know what awaited them.

Within 4 overs of the restart, Park had posted 50; by the ten over mark, 114; and 150 was broached in the 16th.

The cause of Washington’s confusion was the brilliant Mohammed. Only 17, he took on everything that the Wash bowlers could throw at him and scored a dazzling 135 in just 81 balls.

As Demetri said: ‘I wanted to attack, but had to defend’ - but for the first twenty overs eleven men just didn’t seem enough to plug all the holes.

Mohammed put on 113 in an exhilarating opening stand of 113 with Bose (33), who fell to a catch at the wicket off Richard Minion (1-62), and another 110 with Randolph Reid (39) before he was trapped lbw by the excellent Terry Tidey (1-44).

With the score at 223-2, Park looked like they might pull it off, but then the game was turned on its head by an inspired spell of bowling from Quin. In quick order, he removed Gyles (10) Reid (5) Asid (0) and the prize wicket of Mohammed, who was caught by Minion on the boundary (where else).

And from this point, Wash were unstoppable. Irons appeared in the bowling attack: his first ball led to a run out; the first ball of his second over saw Winter loft a catch to Quin at deep square leg. Then Quin himself bowled Galbraith first ball to wrap up a victory and end with 5-49.

On a really nasty day, when the shivering fielders were regularly doused with rain by an uncaring Providence, a truly superb cricket match had come to an end; both teams covered themselves in honour for the way they played to win, but the spoils, ultimately, belonged to the Washington.

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Batting
Player Runs How out
Pete Demetri 125 Bowled
Matthew Cragoe 8 Bowled
David Walker 0 LBW
Steve Brown 36 Bowled
Paul Irons 71 Stumped
Richard Minion 28* 
Alex Quin 25* 
Did Not Bat
John Roche
Nick Tidey
Terry Tidey
Neil Martin
Partnerships
Wkt Runs Batsmen
1 29 Pete Demetri  &  Matthew Cragoe
2 17 Pete Demetri  &  David Walker
3 106 Pete Demetri  &  Steve Brown
4 118 Pete Demetri  &  Paul Irons
5 59 * Pete Demetri  &  Richard Minion



Fielding
Player Cts Wkt Cts Stmps
Richard Minion 1 - -
Alex Quin 1 - -
John Roche - 2 -
Bowling
Player Overs Mdns Runs Wkts
Richard Minion 8.0 0 62 1
Terry Tidey 8.0 0 44 1
Nick Tidey 8.0 0 78 0
Alex Quin 8.0 0 49 5
Neil Martin 3.0 0 41 0
Paul Irons 2.0 0 8 1
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