MATCH 29 NOMADS CC v HAMPTON WICK ROYAL 2.00pm June 18th Park Road Bushy Park Hampton Wick KT1 4AZ

Toss:   Nomads won the toss
Result: Hampton Wick Royal won by 2 wickets
Umpires:Several
Scorer: Steve Brewser
Debuts: None

NOMADS CC
A Stokes    not out             100
J Lascelles c Gully b Blanchard   4
D Ramjag    lbw      b Dart       8
M Blake     c Camp   b Tong      21
A Smith*    c & b      Tong       1
J Ssebanja  c wkt    b Tong      56
P Wakefield run out               0
C Page      not out               0
Extras     (b20,lb8,w19,nb4)     51
TOTAL   (6 wkts dec,41.1 overs) 241
Dnb:C Dickins+,ME Blumberg,P Fielding.

Fow:1-7(2),2-23(3),3-104(4),4-111(5),5-215(6),6-221(7).

Bowling-Camp 9 2 43 0,Blanchard 7 0 33 1,Dart 4.1 0 23 1,Tong 11 0 46 3,Taylor 4 0 29 0,Iqbal 3 0 17 0,Ali 3 0 22 0.

HAMPTON WICK ROYAL CC Innings
A SY Chand  c Blake    b Smith     22
N Ali       st Dickins b Fielding  74
C Reeve     st Dickins b Fielding  18
F Adil      st Dickins b Fielding   1
S Kenway    c Sebanja  b Page       4
I Tong      c Sebanja  b Page      10
R Blanchard st Dickins b Page      56
W Taylor    bowled      Sebanja     3
D Camp      not out                25
A Dart      not out                13
Extras     (b9,lb1,nb6)            16
TOTAL      (8 wickets,34.5 overs) 242
Dnb:R Iqbal(absent)

Fow:1-71(1),2-119(2),3-121(4),4-126(5),127(3),6-143(6),7-195(7),8-195(8).

Bowling-Sebanja 10.5 1 73 1,Smith 8 0 47 1,Fielding 7 0 65 3,Page 9 1 47 3.

Nomads ancient fielders concede defeat

This match was played on the same day as the bicentennial celebrations of the battle of Waterloo where two Nomads were attending as members of the MCC tour party. As at Waterloo in 1815 so this match at Hampton Wick Royal was a close run thing andas with the late arrival of Blücher's Prussians so it was the ninth wicket partnership of young Camp and Dart which proved decisive. These two looked very vulnerable at the start but gained in confidence as they put on 47 runs to win the match. Unbeknown to Nomads Hampton Wick's 11th batsmen had left the ground so this was the final pair.

Nomads had won the toss and batted losing Lascelles and Ramjag early it was opener Stokes and Mike Blake at number 4 who revived the innings with a stand of 81 whereupon Blake was caught out. The skipper Andy Smith was soon out to the same bowler caught and bowled,111-4.

Andy Stokes was now joined by Jonathan Ssebanja and these two added 114 runs at a good rate with Ssebanja hitting several huge sixes before miscuing. Wakers was run out in a mix up sacrificing his wicket so that Stokes could complete a fine century before the declaration. His first on return to UK. That he reached one hundred had much to do with his partner Ssebanja who made Stokes run and run so much so that after tea he was immobilised.

After a sumptous spread for tea Nomads opened up with Ssabanja seam and Smith slow variation. Albeit with some luck the overseas Ali smashed the ball to all parts making it very obvious that Nomads had a very ancient and sluggish set of fielders. His partner was first to go mishitting a long hop straight to Mike Blake who took the catch in familiar praying posture upon his knees. The introduction of Paul Fielding, left arm slow then changed the game, first having Ali stumped for 71 and then removing the next two batsmen also stumped by Charlie Dickins as well. Chris Page took a couple of wickets by way of Jonathan Ssebanja's catches in the deep so that Hampton Wick Royal were in a deep mire at 143-6 still needing 99 to win.

Blanchard threw caution to the winds and smashed and mishit to all parts of the boundary to post a quick fifty before he too was stumped by Charlie Dickins off Page. The skipper recalled Ssebanja for Fielding and he bowled Taylor at once thus leaving the home side 47 runs to win. Camp and Dart looked decidedly shaky, missing and miscuing, and yet with a tiring and ancient fielding side they ran and swung to great effect plus a little luck so much so that they won the match. Little did Nomads know that number 11 had left the ground.

Despite this frustratingly close defeat most Nomads lingered long into the evening in the company of Brian Phillips who had come to support both clubs and Iggy that quiete Nomad who also came to watch the game.

It is also worth mentioning that a great deal of time was lost searching for boundary hit balls in both innings thus reducing the available time in this declaration match.