Sunday August 1st v Chesham CC

MATCH 62 Nomads CC v Chesham CC Sunday August 1st 12.45pm The Meadow Amy Lane Chesham HP51NE  -Time game
 

 Result: Nomads won by 87 runs
 Toss:   Chesham CC
 Umpires:Several
 Scorer:
 Debut:  Raffie Weatherall, Matt Cifford , Luke Cairns & Hedi Razzer.
  
 NOMADS CC Innings
 C Malhotra   c Chandrasekar b Kershaw 54
 P Wakefield  run out                  18
 R Weatherall c Moore        b Royals 124
 M Clifford   c Chandrasekar b Royals  68
 J Purnell    c Chandrasekar b Wyatt    0
 L Cairns     st wkt         b Royals   2
 B Ralphs     not out                  14
 J Lascelles* not out                   2
 Extras      (b5,lb3,w2,nb0)           10
 TOTAL       (5 wkts dec,44 overs)    294
 Dnb:H Raza,D Ellis+,C Page.
  
 Fow:1-24(2),2-166(1),3-236(3),4-246(5),5-248(6).
  
 Bowling – Lunt 4 0 23 0,Wyatt 13 1 75 1,Andrew 4 0 29 0,Moore 8 0 41 1,Kershaw 8 0 78 1,Royals 7 0 37 3.
  
 CHESHAM CC Innings
 M Watson       c Malhotra   b Wakefield  65
 L Robinson     bowled         Page        6
 V Chandrasekar c Weatherall b Cairns     38
 C Royals       bowled         Cairns      3
 L Dawson       bowled         Weatherall 53
 E Lunt         bowled         Cairns      1
 K Chandrasekar bowled         Wakefield  11
 T Wyatt        lbw          b Weatherall 10
 M Brown        bowled         Weatherall  0
 H Moore        not out                    4
 M Tingey       c Purnell    b Ralphs      0
 Extras        (b7,lb1,w2,nb9)            19
 TOTAL         (All out,41 overs)        207
  
 Fow:1-11,2-87,3-105,4-124,5-131,6-180,7-201,8-201,9-204,10-207.
  
 Bowling – Ralphs 9.5 1 31 1,Page 9 1 44 1,Raza 0.1 0 0 0,Cairns 5 0 34 3,Wakefield 9 0 56 2,Clifford 4 0 29 0,Weatherall 4 2 3 2.
  
   

Nomads prevail thanks to Chesham's Raffie
 
After a traumatic week for the beleaguered Match Manager, who suffered seven drop outs, the biggest result was arguably that the game took place at all. But come Sunday lunchtime, a full team of eleven players had been assembled - with some help from our hosts who lent us two of their youngsters. And what a part they each were to play - more of that later.

Having been inserted on a hastily prepared (or should I say under prepared) damp green top, openers Paul Wakefield and Chetan Malhotra took advantage of some wayward bowling, Wakers in particular cashing in with four crisply struck boundaries. An unfortunate run out (Wakers not exercising his right to say “no”) brought a promising opening stand to a close, only for Chesham colt Raffie Weatherall to stride to the crease. And, at 6’4’’, stride is the right word. Raffie, as we subsequently discovered, is a very promising, very quick opening bowler by trade (he has already played Northants 2’s), who was carrying an injury that prevents him from bowling, and was therefore playing for us as a batsman. After a couple of streaky fours through the slips, he soon settled in and started to strike the ball to all corners of the ground. By this time, Chetan had come through a slightly scratchy start and was starting to time the ball sweetly. Runs were coming at a rapid rate, but a heavy downpour which left puddles on the square put the prospect of any further play under extreme pressure. In the end the sun broke out, the field dried quickly and only 70 minutes play was lost (30 made up by pushing back the end time). Chetan’s eventual departure for a well worked 54 meant that 142 had been put on for the 2nd wicket in just 17 overs. Raffie was then joined by his Chesham team mate and pal Matt Clifford (Matt thankfully, not Max).   A nervous start by young Mattie (who was being mercilessly sledged by his Chesham “teammates”) didn’t put the brakes on Raffie who smote his way to what turned out to be his maiden ton. And all this with a broken bat that sounded like he was hitting the ball with a wooden saucepan. His innings of 124 was brought to an end by a stunning catch from skipper Henry, but Matt was now finding some form and he was soon to pass 50 himself before being dismissed for 68 . With a big score looming and a declaration not too far away, a few wickets were sacrificed in the name of quick runs before time was called after 44 overs with the formidable score of 294-6 on the board.

The Nomads skipper knew he had a number of bowlers at his disposal - the only problem being that he had never seen at least half of them bowl, so didn’t know what he could get out of them. In the end he took the decision to open with the wily pace-off skill of Professor Page, in the belief that that is exactly the sort of bowling an opening batsman least likes facing when he goes to the crease. The tactic paid off, and Pagey duly struck in only his second over, their batsman playing so early that on completing his shot he almost had time to look up the bus timetable for his journey home before hearing the death rattle. Ben Ralphs was meantime bowling a very tidy, if wicketless spell from the other end, but opener Watson, who went on to score 65, and Chandrasekhar were moving the scoreboard along at a steady pace. It was the introduction of young Luke Cairns (a 15 year old Cookham player brought along by Ben) that got the vital breakthrough. Luke’s spell of 3-34 made further inroads and helped to put the Nomads in the box seat. The skipper continued to rotate his bowling attack to productive ends, with Wakers and his leggies doing some good mid innings damage, taking 2 important wickets for 56. Come the last 20 overs 160 was still needed with six wickets in hand, but no.5 Dawson was approaching his fifty and going well, and with Chesham’s best three batsmen due to come in at 9, 10 and 11, the match was very much in the balance. When the last ten overs started, Chesham now required a more daunting 97, but four wickets were still required for a Nomads victory. So the skipper turned to young Raffie, who had been dropping increasingly heavy hints that he fancied a bowl, promising to try some some off breaks off two paces. Well, I’m not sure he turned one, but he carved his way through the Chesham lower order by bowling full and straight.  With the last pair in, no interest was shown in taking on the f & g of the returning Page, so Ben was summoned back into the attack, and it was he who deservedly took the winning wicket - brilliantly caught at short leg by Joe Purnell (more than atoning for dropping an absolute dolly at mid on a few overs previously).

So, against all odds a famous Nomads victory was achieved - by 87 runs with just two overs to go. A cynic might say that Chesham beat Chesham but make no mistake, the true spirit of the Nomads cricket was what drove us to victory There was no doubting the Man of the Match - Raffie Weatherall with 124 runs, a spell of 4-2-2-3, plus a catch to boot. At just 16 years old, he will become a very useful cricketer.

The game was not without its casualties however. Debutant Hadi Raza managed to put his back out after the one and only ball he bowled, having to depart the field in some discomfort. And Duncan Ellis suffered a bad break to his thumb midway through the innings, but kept the gloves on and played through the pain barrier for his team mates. What a trooper!

Previous Matches
2020 Chesham won by 5 wickets
2019 Nomads won by 35 runs
2016 Chesham won by 4 wickets  
2012 Match abandoned as a draw
2011 Nomads won by 4 wickets
   

Matches,Scorecards Reports 2021