MATCH 41 Nomads CC v NPL Teddington CC Sunday September 2nd 1.00pm NPL Teddington Queens Road Middlesex      

Result:   Match Drawn
Toss:     NPL Teddington
Umpires:  Mark Williams & others
Scorer:   W Rodwell & Various
Debut(s): J Churchman  

NPL TEDDINGTON CC Innings
D Merchant Snr lbw            b Blumberg  7
A Darby        not out                  106
C Churchman    st J Churchman b Johnson 106
G Salter       c  J Churchman b Johnson   1
W Pitts        not out                    4
Extras        (b11,lb 6,w5,nb0)          22
TOTAL         (3 wickets dec,40 overs)  246 
  Dnb:M Coleman,B Scott,D Merchant Jnr,I Woollatt,D Burns,J Banks.  

Fow:1-15,2-220,3-226,

Bowling-Morley-Clarke 11 1 55 0,Blumberg 8 0 47 1,A Smith 9 1 49 0,O Smith 6 0 44 0,Johnson 6 1 36 2.

NOMADS Innings 
J Lascelles bowled    Banks         14
W Johnson   c Burns b Salter        30
A Hill      bowled    Woollatt     114
A Smith     bowled    D Merchant snr 7
R Mann      bowled    Salter         0
C Peerless  bowled    Woollatt      37
R Fanthorpe not out                  0
ME Blumberg not out                  0
Extras     (b8,lb8,w8,nb1)          25
TOTAL      (6 wickets,41 overs)    237
Dnb:D Morley-Clarke,O Smith,J Churchman.

Fow:1-34,2-56,3-84,4-90,5-230,6-237.

Bowling-Banks 9 5 26 1,Merchant jnr 5 1 22 0,Salter 9 1 36 2,Pitts 3 0 14 0,Merchant snr 4 0 24 1,Scott 3 0 38 0,Woollatt 6 0 36 2,Darby 4 0 24 0.

                Andy Hill so nearly took Nomads to victory

Nomads enjoyed  a good day's cricket at NPL  with what developed, in the gloom, into a very exciting finish thanks to well struck century by Andy Hill including five sixes. His partnership with Charles Peerless put on 140 bringing Nomads within a whisker of  their target.  

The match had not stated so promisingly. Both teams were tardy in arriving and Nomads took the field initially with just 8 soon to rise to 10.  A  comedy road diversion was partly to blame. The 11th man should have been James While who withdrew rather late soon to be replaced by Richard Woolhouse who was then summoned to Cambridge.Despite telephones and emails an 11th could not be found until NPL supporter young Jamie Churchman took over the gloves in the 27th over very competently for such a diminutive figure and later stumped his father ! 

Nomads' depleted bowling attack began with Morley-Clarke-seam and Blumberg-slow and for some 10 overs contained NPL well.Then Blumberg lost his length and figures of 5-0-13-1 became 8-0-47-1 ugh! as Churchman took full advantage of both the bowling and the geriatric fielding.Churchman and Darby out on 205 runs for the 2nd wicket before Churchman gave his wicket away on completion of an unblemished ton. Darby less assured, duly completed his first ever century and NPL declared on 246-3 after 40 overs, a sporting declaration.

 In view of our immobile fielding  and the quality of the pitch economy rates of 5/6 were not too bad and had we had some swift fielders young Ollie Smith should have been rewarded with catches taken. 

Lascelles and Johnson opened  and struggled to get any momentum going  especially against Banks who bowled beautifully but for a couple of overs, 9-5-26-1. However with 56 on the board for the loss of both openers after 18 overs a successful run chase seemed unlikely. At 90-4 after 26 overs even less so.

All that changed  as Andy Hill gained in confidence, NPL open the game up a bit and Charles Peerless joined Andy. 26 boundaries and six 6s between them saw Nomads up with the run rate and closing in on the target as NPL spread their fielders far and wide to stem the flow of boundaries. 

With four overs to go we needed 40.Three to go,33. Two to go 24.One to go,17. Despite bowling two wides and conceeding a bye and a boundary NPL skipper Woollatt clean bowled both Peerles and Hill  saving the match for NPL as Nomads finished  still 10 runs short of victory. 

A cluster of Nomads plus NPL's bicyclist seamer  Banks were eventually encouraged to leave the NPL club house but not before a further rendering of Bill Rodwell's immortal base profundo rendering of ' ten days older and deeper in debt'.
 
It was good to have Charles Peerless playing again after several seasons away through back injury. 

Previous Matches
2006                          Nomads lost in last over by 3wkts  
2005                         Match Drawn in tense finish  
2004                         NPL won by 28 runs in low scoring match
2003  September  Nomads won by 8 wickets with Stokes and Lane in fine form  
2003  May               NPL won by 95 runs         
2002                         Nomads won by 4 wickets