Richmond

Sun  1 May                                    Richmond                                Lost by 5 wkts

We    184/7 in 40 overs     (Shanker 45, Shahzeb 43, G.Thomas 37, Patel 2/26, Parsad 2/32)

They 187/5 in 30.1 overs (Woodhouse 66, Rotheram 53*, Shepherd 28*, Shailendra 2/29)

Who are all these people in tracksuits?  Kensington arrived at a breezy but sunny Richmond to find a battalion of sporty looking young types, buzzing around an edge-of-the-square pitch, all vim and vigour.  Ben, the home skipper, explained that competition for places in the various league sides meant today was to be a bit of a try out for several cuspish wannabees.  Terrific.  The coin came down tails for Matty, as it should, so Kensington chose to set a target.  Chose? Well we had a few traffic issues and it’s a big old park to cover with 8 fielders….

Richmond openers Grant and Rotheram bowled with good pace and direction.  Jai Singh was bowled early on, but Amit Shanker and Shahzeb Mohammed batted with patience, Amit falling one run shy of their hundred partnership.  Richmond went through the gears a bit after that, sharing the bowling around and it took a fine, battling 37 from Gabriel to lend the score a hint of respectability after the 40 overs.  In truth 184 was 60 or so short on another very good Richmond surface.

Akhi took the new ball, downwind, with skipper Marshall charging into the wind from the other end like a Tesco’s bag on a string.  Perhaps the wind took the edge off the Richmond calling but a brilliant run out by Matt Syddall nicked an early wicket for the visitors and a few balls later Akhi had No.3, the stalwart Albert Helg, caught behind. 19/2.  Same over and Patel was gone, same method.  Gilchrist scholar Craig Dand was watching Akhi’s pace and bounce from the other end and now faced Marshall.  The first 2 balls were wides either side of the wicket, wobbling around trying to preserve enough momentum to reach the ‘keeper.  The third was straighter and Dand swatted at it a few times as it hesitated and ducked passed him to eke the bails off. My word. 25/4. The next ball thumped Ben Rotheram right in front but…hmmm, not given.  Panic in the Richmond ranks?  Well it didn’t last long and Rotheram and Woodhouse stroked it about to canter home, helped latterly by Shepherd.  Jai finally got his wish to bowl with only 2 wanted and promptly sent down a long hop that was mended to the boundary.

It was a real pleasure, again, playing this organised Richmond side.  We look forward to running them closer next summer.