MATCH 17 NOMADS CC v Blackheath CC The Rectory Field Charlton Road, Blackheath, SE7 7EZ  May 7th 12.30pm  

Result:    Match Drawn   
Toss:     Blackheath CC  
Umpires:  Various
Scorer:   Several
Debut(s): Arafat Bhuiyan,Hassan Khokhar.

NOMADS CC Innings
K Farrell      c  Woolcott-Antunes b Bharadwaj  49
J Massey       c Kandampully       b Bharadwaj  33
R Lashwayo+    c sub               b Bharadwaj   1
M Budgen       bowled                Walker      2
O Ayaz         c Mahfuzi           b Bharadwaj  40
R Ormiston     run out(Mahfuzul)                 1 
Arafat Bhuiyan bowled                Bharadwaj   4
T Brockton*    not out                          27
B Butcher      bowled                Kandampully 5
Hassan Khokhar bowled                Kandampully 8
O Barnes       Missing
Extras        (b3,lb1,w6,nb0)                    9
TOTAL         (All out,52.5 overs)             179

Fow:1-75(2),2-77(3),3-86(4),4-102(1),5-107(6),6-116(7),7-168(5),8-169(9),9-179(10).

Bowling-Walker 9 2 26 1,Woolcott-Antunes 7 1 15 0,Mahfuzu 7 2 26 0,Misshra 12 0 38 0,Bharadwaj 13 2 36 5,Noblet 3 0 10 0,Kandampully 1.5 0 11 0,

BLACKHEATH CC Innings
P Deal          bowled      Ayaz      6
M Noblett       bowled      Bhuiyan   2
R Fleming       retired hurt          1
M Mahfuzu      c Lashwayo b Ayaz     78 
V Kandampully* c Laswayo  b Bhuiyan  55
D Bharahwaj    not out                7
M Walker       bowled       Bhuiyan   0
D Misshra      not out                6
Extras        (b17,lb0,w4,nb2,pen 5) 28
TOTAL        (5 wickets,33.5 overs) 182
Dnb:A Woolcott-Antunes,D Lucas+,D Kandemiri.

Fow:1-8(1),2-20(2),3-150(4),4-166(5),5-166(7).

Bowling-Bhuiyan  8.5 1 26 3,Ayaz 9 0 33 2,Khokhar 7 0 29 0,Butcher 4 0 36 0,Budgen 3 0 21 0,Massey 2 0 12 0.

Nomads match manager Victor leads Blackheath to victory!

On a beautiful day for cricket, Nomads sheltered from the 26 degree heat under the shade of the pavilion awning on the verandah at the Rectory Field, cooling down with beers and ciders. Wearing matching Nomads blazers, Brockton and Kandampully (skippering Blackheath) headed out to toss – and it was Tom Brockton who called correctly and unsurprisingly chose to bat.

Kie Farrell and Jack Massey dealt well with the fiery and accurate Blackheath attack, featuring “the one-iron” Matt Walker, who was fairly fizzing the ball through to the keeper. Blackheath’s trio of seamers bowled tightly, but Kie and Jack put on a show for Jack’s watching girlfriend Sonya, threading several off-side boundaries when width was on offer.

At 70 for no loss, Vic turned to leg-spinner Dilip Bharadwaj, who made the breakthrough immediately after drinks by having Massey caught at mid-off and followed up by inducing Raymond Lashwayo to chip tamely to midwicket. 

Kandampully scented blood, recalling Matt Walker with instructions to bowl fast and straight. Walker cleaned up Marcus Budgen, and when Kie Farrell fell to Bharadwaj for a well-made 49, Nomads had fallen to 102/4.

Disaster then struck as Omar Ayez, attempting to run on a misfield, called Ross Ormiston through for a second to the arm of Blackheath’s best young fielder. A fizzing throw left Ross absolutely no chance. Bharadwaj then rubbed salt into the wound by producing the ball of the day to take the off stump of debutant Arafat Bhuiyan as he played defensively.

At 116/6, Tom Brockton and Omar Ayez set about resurrecting the innings. Omar clouted some hefty strokes over the top in his 40 before completing Bharadwaj’s five-fer (13-2-36-5). Tom played the anchor role and was able to add a vital 27* in partnership with Butcher and Khokhar before the tail enders were lured by the temptations of Kandampully’s innocuous off-breaks. Blackheath would be required to chase 180 to win.

After a fine tea, featuring Laura’s homemade sausage rolls and cakes, Nomads got off to a good start by taking two early wickets. Essex Academy player Arafat Bhuiyan got up a good head of steam to castle Mark Noblet. 

When last year’s centurion Richard Fleming was forced to retire hurt with a bad wrist, Blackheath were effectively 22/3. However, Vic Kandampully joined Mahi Mahfuzul at the wicket and the pair of them saw off the opening bowlers, with Mahi looking to play the aggressor and Vic stealing runs in wily fashion.

The Nomads spinners weren’t able to exert the same pressure as their Blackheath counterparts. 18 year old guest player Hassan Khokhar bowled some nice, dipping off-breaks in his seven over spell but was milked at four an over, while Ben Butcher was uncharacteristically off-target and unceremoniously dealt with. Neither Budgen nor Massey was able to make an impression on two well-set batsmen, and Tom Brockton recalled the seamers.

Mahi Mahfuzul tickled Ayez behind for an entertaining 78, but some real drama was injected with only 14 to win, when Bhuiyan nicked off Vic Kandampully (55) with a peach, and followed up by rearranging Matt Walker’s furniture for a duck. Some Blackheath nervousness on the verandah was dispelled by Misshra and Bharadwaj, who coolly completed the victory by four wickets.

Both teams enjoyed several jugs of beer in the early evening shade, while assisting with the consumption of the remaining sausage rolls!