The Gooding Pinter Lamb Memorial Cricket Match

An annual cricket match originally played by members and friends of Gaieties CC in memory of Ossie St C Gooding and Harold Pinter and for  several years now between Nomads CC and Gaieties CC and also in memory of  G Charlton Lamb.  Ossie and Charlton played for both clubs  

       
Ossie Gooding        Charlton Lamb          Harold Pinter

 Gaieties CC 80th Anniversary Celebratory Match 

 Gaieties CC was founded in 1937. Nomads CC was founded in 1903 

"For the field is full of shades as I near a shadowy coast,
And a ghostly batsman plays to the bowling of a ghost,
And I look through my tears on a soundless-clapping host
As the run stealers flicker to and fro,
To and fro:
O my Ossie and my Harold and my Charlton long ago!  "

MATCH 74 NOMADS CC v GAIETIES CC Ascot Park Wing Leighton Buzzard LU7 OPR Sunday September 3rd 11.30pm 2017 -Time Game,20 overs from 5.45pm

Result:  Match aDrawn
Toss:    Nomads CC
Umpires: Michael Blumberg,Roger Davidson & Others
Scorer:  Several
Debut(s):

GAIETIES CC Innings                     R  B  4s 6s
T Schneider not out                   102 165 5  1
J Dickens   c Wahi        b Al-Darraji 15  31 3  0
S Dutta     st Wahi       b Ireland    25  40 3  0
R Thurston  bowled          Ireland     0   7 0  0
H Thurston* bowled          Nicoli     52  41 8  0        
R Crowe     c Al-Darraji  b Shawl      15   7 2  0
T Chouetri  not out                    12  19 1  0
Extras      (b6,lb2,w1,nb0)             9
TOTAL       (5 wkts dec,54 overs)     232
Dnb:S Khalique, J Smith,N Cowley,D Patrides(not batting M Kirkwood). 

Fow:1-27(2),3-83(3),3-87(4),4-172(5),5-197(6).

Bowling-Shawl 16 2 45 1,Al-Darraji 9 0 35 1,Marshall 5 1 7 0,Ireland 10 0 46 2,Page 5 0 32 0,Nicoli 7 0 43 1.

NOMADS CC Innings                R  B 4s 6s 
K Farrell    bowled      Khalique  33 34  4  1
T Brockton*  bowled      Khalique  40 43  5  0
J Ireland    c Kirkman b Khalique  23 22  1  1
R Style      bowled      Khalique  19 24  3  0
R Ormiston   not out               62 75  7  0
S Shawl      bowled      Khalique  11 15  1  0
J Al-Darraji run out(Crowe)         7 10  1  0
A Marshall   bowled      R Thurston 0  5  0  0
S Wahi+      run out(Dutta)         2  4  0  0
C Page       not out                1  4  0  0
Extras      (b0,lb7,w7,nb2)        16
TOTAL       (8 wickets,40 overs)  213
Dnb:V Nicoli

Fow:`1-62(1),2-69(2),3-110(4),4-137(3),5-167(6),6-190(7),7-209(8),8-211(9).

Bowling-Cowley 5 1 25 0,Khalique 18 2 85 5,Choueiri 2 0 12 0,Patrides 4 0 17 0,Trapido 2 0 28 0,R Thurston 8 0 35 1. 

Ormo shows his class, but Nomads can't force the win

Nomads played out an entertaining draw at the beautiful rural venue of Ascot House near Wing on Sunday. The date also marked the 80th anniversary of the Gaieties being founded by Lupino Lane (who at the time owned the Gaiety Theatre in London which then became the name of the club that later  Harold Pinter became Chairman of). The match had something of a festival flavour with numerous club dignitaries and former players invited for lunch. There was also a copious amount of good wine supplied to match the occassion selected by Gaieties and former Nomads member Nick Cowley.

Nomads won the toss and elected to field, no surprise based on the weather forecast for later in the day and the fact that Ascot House is very much a chasing ground. Nomads also welcomed back Sajjad Shawl to the team after several weeks absence and he took the new ball with Jemile Al-Darraji. The opening salvo was a watchful one as Tim Schneider was happy to leave balls on length outside off stump. Al-Darraji struck first, having Schneider’s partner caught behind, a regulation catch for Wahi.

Joe Ireland was introduced and he extracted some turn from the surface, having Shomit Dutta stumped and then on the stroke of lunch Rufus Thurston was bowled by a beauty from the tall left arm spinner.Andy Marshall bowled 5 overs for just 7 runs in the morning session before being relieved by Chris Page. Lunch was (asalways) exceptional, and a few words from Roger Davison went down well as he welcomedthe numerous guests. Gaieties were 87-3 from 30 overs, and Schneider a sluggish 34 not out. To his credit he did accelerate a little after the lunch break.  

Hugo Thurston took the proverbial ball by the horns after lunch and effectively knocked Chris Page with a sore back out of the attack, his 50 coming in just 40 balls before he was bowled by Enzo Nicoli, who deserved more than his solitary wicket. Gaieties were now starting to score at a more acceptable pace though Schneider was still only pushing singles and punishing the very occasional bad ball. With the field well set and Shawl back on for a 2nd spell the runs were harder to come by than they were initially after lunch. Shawl was rewarded with the wicket of Rob Crowe, well taken by Al-Darraji above his head at backward point off a full blooded cut shot.

The declaration seemed to be delayed so Schneider could complete his hundred, which he duly did off 165 balls striking just 6 boundaries. A watchful innings to say the least from the young Gaieties opening bat. Nomads were in the field for 54 overs and would receive only approx 40 back, so some controlled aggression would be needed from the outset. Brockton and Farrell opened up and by the time tea was taken Nomads had progressed positively to 54-0 from 9 overs with both players finding the boundary regularly and Farrell smiting Khalique for a huge 6 over mid wicket. Nick Cowley bowled an impressive spell, but with no wickets to show for his efforts.

After tea the pair continued impressively before Farrell (33)was bowled by one that looked to keep a touch low and then Brockton followed him almost immediately for 40, leaving a delivery which jagged back and knocked back his off pole. Khalique had taken both wickets to fall. A Rupert Syle cameo got Nomads back on track and in conjunction with Joe Ireland progressed Nomads up to and over the hundred mark. Style living up to his name, playing some crisply timed drives and a Caribbean style whip over point before both players were dismissed when looking well set (Khalique again the destroyer in chief). However Nomads batted deep and had the classy Ross Ormiston coming in at no5 and he looked up to the task, dispatching just his 2nd ball to the cover boundary taking a liking to the bowling of Petrides.

The earlier drizzle (or mizzle as one of the eager watchers had called it) had now faded away and Ormiston and Shawl were striking the ball cleanly. Shawl was then bowled, having an awful heave at Khalique and despite some resistance from Al-Darraji the rate was starting to climb. 70 needed off 11 overs and the field was pushed back then Al-Darraji went in the hamstring and needed a runner. What happens when a player has a runner, yes, he gets run out and Al-Darraji was again the unlucky recipient of this cricketers' curse. Ormiston was now past 50, well applauded by both teams but Nomads were losing wickets at regular intervals, the experienced Andy Marshall bowled for 0 & Saurabh Wahi run out via a direct hit from Shomit Dutta at midwicket. Page joined Ormiston and the decision was made to settle for the draw, Ormiston blocking out the final over and a half  untroubled to end with 62 not out from 75 balls, and Nomads ending some 20 runs shy of the target, 8 wickets down, and receiving exactly 40 overs. Enzo Nicoli was delighted he did not have to walk to the wicket at no11 !

After the conclusion of the match the players lingered at the pretty setting of Ascot House polishing off what wine, champagne and beer was left. Rightfully Khalique was awarded the man of the match for his 18 over spell which yielded a 5 wicket haul and decimated most of Nomads top order.

Among the interested spectators were former Nomads & Gaieties cricketer Steve Marians as well as David Thurston, father of Gaieties players Hugo and Rufus also Ian Carlile a former captain of the Gaieties and Roland Oliver, a former Gaieties player.  The grandchildren of Gaieties Founder Lupino Lane also attended as did many wives and partners of cricketers in both teams , PAs of the late Harold Pinter plus the sister of the late Ossie Gooding. Sadly the Gaieties President Lady Antonia Faser(Harold Pinter's widow) could not come having sustained an ankle injury. Also attending was William Powell cricket writer who took some photographs of the game. Our thanks to the Gaieties for their generosity, Roger Davison for his kind words at lunch and after the game and we wish them well for the remainder of the season and many decades still to come.

Ossie St C Gooding              G Charlton Lamb          Harold Pinter and the Gaieties Cricket Club

Previous Matches
 2017 July Nomads won by 4 wickets
2016 June Match Cancelled Ground top wet
2015 August Nomads won by 8 runs
2015 June Match Cancelled no ground
2014 August Gaieties won by 1 wicket 
 2014 June Match Drawn  
 2013 June Match Drawn 
 2013 April Nomads won by 2 wickets  
 2012 June Match Drawn     
2012 April Cancelled Deluge
2011 May Nomads won by 6 wickets   
2010 Gaieties won by 9 wickets
2009 Match Drawn,Ben Nealon hits ton for Gaieties
2008 Gaieties thrash Nomads by 173 runs 
2007 Nomads won by 5 wickets
2005 Match Cancelled Wet Pitch on brilliant sunny and breezy day
2006
2004 Gaieties won  by 64 runs             
2003 Match Cancelled
2002
2001
 2000
                        

Vi rgin XI played a regular fixture with Gaieties including several at the Ampleforth Festival over August Bank Holiday eventually becoming a Nomads  fixture though Match Managed by Jeremy Lascelles for many years. Nomads joined the Memorial match in and as opponents in 2012.