Sunday 10th May 2015 vs Brentham C.C.
 
Wash keep unbeaten record intact
 
Brentham C.C. 349 for 5 declared
Washington C.C. 144 for 3
 

Matt Cheviot reporting

 

Washington battled their way to a respectable draw on Sunday against strong opposition in West London.  Fortified by the presence of several first team players, Ealing outfit Brentham CC rattled up an imposing 349 before declaring with just 5 wickets down.  In reply, Wash batted out 44 overs to secure a draw, finishing on 148-3.

 

It was a tough baptism for rookie skipper Max Murrain, but he was upbeat after the game:  ‘The pitch gave the bowlers nothing, and the outfield was like glass’, said, ‘but we stuck at it and I’m pleased with the way the lads rallied round and kept Washington’s unbeaten start to the season intact.’

 

Earlier, Murrain won the toss, and after negotiations with the home side, elected to field first.  Almost immediately, it became apparent that a tough afternoon’s work lay ahead. Led by their Adelaide overseas player, Scott Aufderheide (124*), Brentham scored freely, the run rate climbing remorselessly to 6, 7 and then 8 an over.

 

On a slow pitch offering little lateral movement, the home batsmen had the confidence to play through the line of the ball, and anything that eluded the field ran quickly away to the boundary.

 

Murrain rotated his attack intelligently, and tried various field settings, but it proved almost impossible to build sustained pressure in such conditions. Pete Kloss (0-28) and Clinton Dugmore (1-25) kept the early exchanges tight, but especially after home skipper Daniel Saggers (95) entered the fray, bowling became a thankless task.

 

Stuart March (0-45), Nick Kripps (0-68), and Russell Pendry (0-36), all went wicketless, as did two debutants, Richard Creed (0-34) and Keith Williams (0-50) who bowled well without any luck.

 

In the event, the most successful bowler was Murrain himself, taking 2-44 and producing a brilliant run out to get rid of Diserens for 43.

 

A total of the magnitude set by Brentham could hardly be described as a target, and Washington never chased it.  Instead, the team played with circumspection from the off, determined to see out the game and secure the draw.

 

Matthew Cragoe and Kevin Read opened, though the later fell to a good catch to his first delivery. 

 

That brought Dugmore to the wicket, and together with Cragoe they saw off the new ball and established a platform for the innings, adding 101 for the second wicket.

 

Dugmore (54) was beginning to find his range and striking some fine blows when a mistimed drive found its way to the ubiquitous Aufderheide, and a few balls later Aff Naseem (0), having waited a long time to bat, played too early at his tenth delivery and gave the same fielder another juggling catch.

 

The pitch, however, remained tame, and Cragoe (54*) and Kloss (21) saw the Wash home without further alarms.

 

A beer on the terrace of the lovely clubhouse, and a chat with the very friendly oppo, brought proceedings to a close. Wash headed back to North London with an interesting impression of cricket in the western part of the city, and their unbeaten record intact. 

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Batting
Player Runs How out
Matthew Cragoe 54* 
Kevin Read 0 Caught
Clinton Dugmore 54 Caught
Aff Naseem 0 Caught
Peter Kloss 21* 
Partnerships
Wkt Runs Batsmen
1 2 Matthew Cragoe  &  Kevin Read
2 101 Matthew Cragoe  &  Clinton Dugmore
3 1 Matthew Cragoe  &  Aff Naseem
4 40 * Matthew Cragoe  &  Peter Kloss



Fielding
Player Cts Wkt Cts Stmps
Bowling
Player Overs Mdns Runs Wkts
Russell Pendry 6.0 0 36 0
Peter Kloss 5.0 1 28 0
Max Murrain 5.5 0 44 2
Clinton Dugmore 5.0 0 25 1
Stuart Marsh 5.0 0 45 0
Nick Kripps 7.0 0 68 0
Richard Creed 6.0 0 34 0
Keith Williams 6.0 0 50 0
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