Scorecard

Pinner Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI v Hatch End 1 on Sat 20 May 2023 at 1300
Pinner Cricket Club Won by 9 wickets

Match report Pinner 1st XI vs. Hatch End 1st XI - Division 7A,
Matchday 3 at Montesole playing fields

I find nursing a sore thumb after being hit by a cricket ball incredibly more tolerable than refreshing the Met Office weather app all week. So after four weeks of high quality trolling by the weather Gods, I’m sure we’re all pleased that CRICKET IS BACK!
Being desperate to play cricket doesn’t translate to turning up early to the game. In fact, some have mastered the art of trudging in just when all the grunt work of moving the sight screens and tidying up the changing rooms is completed, all with the nonchalance and speed of a turtle. We also had absentees - some had to attend important events such as weddings and pilgrimages and some others were getting themselves intoxicated in a fancy-dress costume. It meant that Daniel Langan, singlehandedly redefining the word sugar-daddy as just a man carrying a lot of erm… sweets, was leading a much changed team to the one that sealed the championship on the final day of last season.
After a robust practice session, in the latest episode of ‘same shit, different year’, our skipper lost the toss and we were asked to field first. Kunal Gandhi, known for intimidating batsmen by just looking like a thundercloud that’s about to burst and Nick Lawrence, who has now entered the penultimate phase of his transition from boy-next-door with the kind of hair only seen in shampoo commercials to Billy Big Balls (much to my disappointment) opened the bowling for the Lambs. Kunal was bang on target from the very first ball. He struck twice, with his third ball and then in his third over and his figures read 0-2 in his first 3 overs. Nick wasn’t able to find a consistent length but still kept things tight. In the middle of the 7th over, when Kunal collapsed to the ground after pulling a muscle in his bowling shoulder, Dan considered all his options and chose the least credible one of bringing on Rohitesh Dhawan. Our ‘Miles & Smiles Machine’ however strategically conceded just one single that directly resulted in Nicholas Lawrence picking up his first wicket in the following over - their number 4, spooning the ball to short cover where Jack ‘the non-vegan Nick Lawrence’ Tucker had all the time in the world to be woken up from his slumber by his screaming teammates, be told where the ball was, find it, look startled and finally get his hands underneath the simplest of catches.
Jamie 'the best Carter bowler' Carter was called upon to replace Kunal and he bowled excellently to keep the pressure on the visitors. After a mini-revival aided by a couple of dropped chances and the score on 44-3, Jamie finally got the wicket he richly deserved. Jack was next into the wicket taking act, clean bowling Gibbons. Jamie picked up one more and Jack got rid of Rahman, the only batter who offered any resistance, clean bowling him with what is best described as a straight ball. Kavit Dixit, bowled economically but didn’t have the rub of the green when his wicket-keeper who shall remain nameless shelled a dolly. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, since Kavit would've recalled the batter, who claimed the ball had come off his pad, followed by apologising to him for bringing the game, his family and himself into disrepute. With only 3 wickets left to take and a very real threat of no fantasy league points and only a dropped catch to his name, Dan Langan brought himself on and cleaned up the tail finishing with 3-2 from his 3 overs. The Lambs had taken the last 7 wickets for just 9 runs, bowling the visitors out for a paltry 52.
Rohitesh and Manish ‘The Umpire’s decision is final’ Babar, got down to the business of chasing the target in circumspect fashion with the only aberration being some hare brained running between the wickets that could have proved costly on another day. The slow outfield meant boundaries weren’t easy to come by. Both batters looked untroubled by the bowling and steadily got Pinner towards the target, but just when it looked like we were set for a 10 wicket victory, Manish was given out LBW. I’d been busy propagating the obvious lie that I’d prefer our openers to finish the game and not have a bat myself, but my cover was blown when I’d made my way to the middle before Manish could get off the square. Ro and I were able to knock off the final few runs, giving the Pinner 1s a comprehensive win in our first actual game of the season.
With the honours shared around, it’ll be unfair to pick out one person for the player of the match. I think the bowling unit as a group deserves to share the award for setting up a big victory.

We finished so early that Marisha Dhawan's splendid raspberry and coconut cake arrived straight out of the oven. Thank you as always, Marisha.
Thank you also to Leeroy for umpiring and president Alan Kay for another beautiful scorecard, the first of many this summer.

Hatch End 1 Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 4w 2b  
for 10 wickets
8
52 (25.0 overs)		     
S. Singh lbw  Gandhi 0
I. Rahman b  Tucker 27
H. Davies b  Gandhi 0
A. Gudka ct  Tucker b Lawrence 1
T. Mahmood b  Carter 11
J. Gibbons b  Tucker 0
D. Awan lbw  Carter 1
A. Thompson lbw  Langan 1
S. Ali b  Langan 0
R. Howlett b  Langan 3
K. Shah Not Out  1

Pinner Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Kunal Gandhi3.33120.500.29
Nick Lawrence4.0114114.003.50
Rohitesh Dhawan0.30100.002.00
Jamie Carter6.021025.001.67
Kavit Dixit3.001300.004.33
Jack Tucker5.01924.501.80
Daniel Langan3.02230.670.67

Pinner Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 4w 2b  
for 1 wickets
7
53		        
Manish Babbar lbw  Gibbons 17 50 38 1 44.74
Rohitesh Dhawan Not Out  20 55 44 45.45
Hari Ramachandran Not Out  9 4 7 1 128.57
Kavit Dixit  
Ravi Pandya  
Nick Lawrence  
Jamie Carter  
Shaunak Deshmukh  
Jack Tucker   1
Daniel Langan  
Kunal Gandhi  

Hatch End 1 Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
I. Rahman3.00800.002.67
T. Mahmood3.01500.001.67
A. Gudka3.00700.002.33
S. Ali3.001500.005.00
H. Davies1.40900.005.40
J. Gibbons1.00717.007.00