Washington Cricket Club - 40th Anniversary Year

Washington ended the season with an emphatic victory at Southgate on Sunday.  Set 218 to win, they knocked off the required runs with a dozen overs and seven wickets to spare.

The chief architect of the victory was George Hope who pummelled a marvellous century, but the whole team played well, particularly in the field where Robert Tidey and Chris Davies were both outstanding, and as vice-captain Paul Irons said after the game, ‘that was an outstanding performance’.

Wash lost the toss and Southgate batted first.  Irons himself began with two wide-riddled overs and the home team raced to 25 after just 3 overs.  However an excellent catch by Davies broke the opening stand, and for the next twenty overs Wash had it pretty much their own way.  The scoring rate slowed to a carwl in the face of excellent bowling from Hope (2-36), Kloss (2-42), Terry Tidey (1-42) and Davies (0-31), and at the twenty over mark Southgate had mustered only 73.

However, the arrival of Australian first XI player King in the 23 rd over changed all that. Finding the boundary seemingly at will, he smashed an imperious 105 not out, all the bowlers suffering from the onslaught.

The only man to withstand the assault was skipper Justin Gurney, who found the late-season pitch to his liking and bowled 5 excellent overs to take 2-26.

However, even with King’s effort, Southgate’s total of 218 looked gettable.  Wash suffered an early reverse when Matthew Cragoe was bowled for 7, but once Hope got going they had it pretty much all their own way.

Together with Pete Demetri (47), he added 70 for the second wicket, and 93 with Irons (43).  The latter saw heavy duty pyrotechnics form both batsmen.  Sixes rained down on the houses bordering the ground, bringing anxious residents scuttling out to scan their roofs and windows:  they might have been safer staying inside!

When Irons departed with the total on 183, the game was effectively won, and Tony Harris (4 not out) stayed while Hope moved serenely to three figures and fittingly smacked the winning runs.