MATCH 58 Nomads CC v Highgate CC Shepherd's Cot Park Road London N8 8JJ Wednesday August 20th 2014 1.00pm 

Toss:   Nomads won the toss
 Result: Highgate won by 2 wickets
 Umpires: 
 Scorers:Steve Brewer
 Debuts : 
 

NOMADS CC Innings
 R Ghosh      hit wicket b Cooke   29
 S Ayub       c de Silva b Gamble  19
 T Brockton*  c Harris   b Layton 101
 C Collins    c Harris   b Layton  49
 A Foulds     lbw        b Thuxton  0
 A Collins    c Harris   b Layton   1
 D Buckland + bowled       Layton  10
 D Elliott    not out              13
 ME Blumberg  not out               0
 Extras      (b6,lb5,w4,nb1)       16
 TOTAL       (7 wkts dec,54 overs)238
 Dnb:C Page,AN Missing

Fow:1-26(2),2-61(1),3-175(4),4-176(5),5-187(6),6-219(7),7-226(3).

Bowling-Cooke 10 6 10 1,Gamble 7 0 49 1,Brookes 5 0 13 0,Goult 6.2 0 38 1,Layton 14 0 77 4,Harris2 0 7 0,Rawson 2 0 7 0.

HIGHGATE CC Innings
 W Brookes  c C Collins b Elliott   80
 M Mathews+ bowled        Ghosh      0
 A Harris   c Elliott     Foulds    43
 A Mondial  lbw         b Foulds     4
 S Rowson   bowled        A Collins 47
 S Thaxton  lbw           A Collins 38
 C Coult    st Buckland b Brockton   4
 J De Silva not out                 10
 M Layton   not out                  0
 Extras    (b8,lb5,nb2,w3)          16
 TOTAL     (7 wickets,42.4 overs)  244
 Dnb:J Gamble,AN Missing

Fow:1-13(1),2-79(3),3-91(4),4-16091),5-225(6),6-225(7),7-230(5).

Bowling-Foulds 12 0 51 2,Ghosh 4 0 31 1,Page 4 0 41 0,Elliott 10 0 61 1,Brockton 4.3 1 25 1,A Collins 7 2 22 2.

 And the Curious incident of the Withdrawn Appeal 
 

Nomads lost to Highgate on Wednesday by 2 wickets despite having the better of the encounter for much of the match. Highgate skipper Johan Da Silva won the toss and inserted the home side.
 
Despite the marvelous recent weather the wicket was low and relatively slow and more akin to an early season track than an August belter. Openers Rohan Ghosh and Saj Ayub found the early going tough and Ayub was dismissed trying to up the rate, spooning a catch to mid on. Ghosh and captain Tom Brockton looked to push on the run-rate but in the face of some excellent new ball bowling from the Highgate veteran seamer (10 overs for 10 runs) and some spirited fielding from the young home side boundaries were tough to come by.

Ghosh was dismissed in bizarre circumstances (hit wicket looking to force the ball off the back foot) and Christian Collins, nephew of long standing Nomad Simon Collins strode in at no4. The pair forged an assertive partnership with Brockton passing 50 with a crunching cut shot. Collins was starting to find his feet and the fact that the field was up for him and back for the Nomads skipper allowed him to hit the ball over the top as well as through the infield to the short boundary at the pavilion end. Alas, Collins was dismissed for 49 well taken at cover when looking in good touch and primed to aim an assault on the Highgate 1st XI spinner. 

The Middlesex county league umpire was clearly getting an itchy trigger finger after an early run in with Brockton, he accounted for debutant Barnes CC cricketer Alex Foulds, adjudged LBW (we later found out the same umpire is at Barnes CC this Saturday, good luck chaps!). The visitors were slowly losing momentum, with the burly Andy Collins also out cheaply and Brockton was starved of the strike during the middle part of the innings. 

He found a willing partner in keeper Danny Buckland and the pair got the home side up and over 200 and Brockton to his century in the 45th over. He was dismissed soon after but some lusty blows from Dom Elliott at the back end of the innings enabled the Nomads to declare on 228-7. A slightly under par score but on a wicket with some variable bounce the side were confident in their ability to be able to roll over the young Highgate XI. 

Foulds and Ghosh took the new ball, but Ghosh was off colour and unusually expensive despite knocking over the Highgate wicket keeping opener with a sharp nip-backer. Foulds trundled away gamefully but support from the other end was sparse, Chris Page being slaughtered for 41 in 4 overs and the young Highgate opener and 1st XI all-rounder to a quick-fire 50. 

Dom Elliott restored some calm with his left arm spin and aided by a super catch at long-off from Christian Collins to dismiss the dangerous Highgate batsman and Foulds also chipped in with a couple of important wickets but the home side were always up with and over the rate required. At the start of the 20 overs only 65 runs were required to claim victory. 

Andy Collins looked to turn the match in the visitors favour with an impressive spell off off-spin and Buckland, outstanding all afternoon behind the stumps, pulled off a cracking stumping standing up to Brockton. However skipper Da Silva remained resolute and finished the match in some style with a straight six into the sightscreen. Highgate winners by 2 wickets with some 5 overs of the 20 remaining. 

The Nomads lingered long into the evening at the ground enjoying the hospitality of the Highgate team as well as the delicious Thai food on offer. Nomads will be hoping to get back to winning ways in the UK on Sunday vs Reigate Pilgrims and internationally in Paris on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Previous Matches
2013 Nomads won by 83 runs
2012 Match Cancelled
2012 Nomads won by 4 wickets
2011
2010 Cancelled Too Wet
2009 Highgate won by 5 wickets D/L Method