1st XI 20/20 Finals Day

Saturday, 13th September 2003 - 20/20 Middlesex Cup

AUSSIE TURNS PURPLE TO NO AVAIL AND FAILS TO COLLECT WINNERS MEDALLION.

NLCC- MARK ASKEW(w/k), PATRICK MILLS, BRETT HEMLEY, JACK GODFREY-WOOD, TOM WAKEFORD, RIAAN deVILLIERS, HAL GODFREY-WOOD, ALISTAIR HART, GUY NICHOLSON, ANDY BLOUNT, BEN WAKEFORD.

A weakened NLCC team traveled to Uxbridge on Saturday for the finals of the Middlesex 20/20 competition. Having battled their way through an arduous qualifying campaign they may have hoped to benefit from Southgate’s late withdrawal at the semi-final stage. However they were drawn against Eastcote for the semi, the winner to play Stanmore in the final.

Having won the toss on a used wicket, Alistair Hart elected to bat first, and that soon appeared to be the wrong decision when Mark Askew was run out 2^nd ball. Next season’s overseas player, Brett Hemley, then joined Patrick Mills in the middle for a very useful partnership of 52. Brett has worked hard on his fitness regime since arriving in the country, and this paid off in a partnership that witnessed plenty of running and few boundaries. Mills became hampered by a direct hit from a Yorker to his toe, and wasn’t thereafter able to live with the Aussie’s pace, he too departed run out for 21. Jack Godfrey-Wood brought a rosy complexion to his partner’s cheeks with a few more twos and an all run 4! The man from down under now appeared in dire need of some Amber nectar, and a Marlboro or two!

Godfrey-Wood departed to the spinner for a useful 24, leaving Tom Wakeford to join Hemley. The first ball the young Wakeford received was a long-hop, and intent upon running the Aussie into the ground rather than hitting the ball out of the park, he hit it straight up in the air for a Golden Duck. Enter Riaan deVilliers, who sensed from the colour change in the cheeks of his partner that a change of tactics was required. Cue 2 of the biggest sixes seen this season before Riaan departed for an entertaining 20. Some urgent scampering from Hal Godfrey-Wood finished Brett off, and he departed in the 20^th over for an excellent 63. This provided NLCC with a taste of what is to come from their overseas player next year, and overlooking the strange shade of purple he had turned, they very much liked what they saw. The innings closed on 146-6.

Tom Wakeford opened the bowling with the off spin of Patrick Mills. Eastcote’s openers produced a flurry of shots against NLCC’s bowling hero of the season, Wakeford, but never came to terms with Mills’ spin. Mills ended with an excellent 3-26 from his 5 overs, but Tom Wakeford was replaced by his brother after only 2 overs. Despite some no-ball problems Ben was able to stem the flow of runs and take a couple of wickets. At 80-6 with 9 overs remaining NLCC appeared to be well set for victory, however an unbroken stand of 67 took the game away from them, as Eastcote won with 3 balls to spare.

An entertaining finish to an entertaining, and rewarding season. In man of the match, Brett Hemley, NLCC, have even more reason to look forward to the 2004 season, and will now start to prepare for life in Division 2 next May.

MOM- Brett Hamley

CTK- Tom Wakeford, golden duck, 0 for plenty, but one of the funniest one liners of the season!       

Report by: Skipper