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PHILLIPS TURNS SCREW AS THE ROYALS ARE FLUSHED

Saturday

Potters Bar 324 for 7 dec. in 64 overs

Farnham Royal 206 for 7 in 62 overs      

The league season is up and running and the records are already starting to tumble in a one sided drawn contest at the picturesque Farnham Royal ground.

On a beautiful morning on a pitch which resembled the nearby M40, the fellow promoted hosts won the toss and asked Bar to bat first which in truth appeared a strange decision as their team was packed with spinners and the week before they had posted an enormous score against Wembley in a glorified friendly.

Although the pitch was a belter, there was some movement both in the air and off the seam and in truth Bar struggled early on against some nagging bowling.  The ideal start wasn’t achieved as Steve Gale went pulling to mid-on for 14 and Nesan Jeyaratnam soon followed after for just 4 and Bar were 2 down for just 20.

This brought Tim Phillips to the wicket and he and Tanweer Sikandar started to slowly get the bog basic scoreboard moving through some watchful batting.  However on just 14 Tim Phillips top edged a dolly down to Bopari at long leg only for the young chap to do a Mexican wave at it and the ball fall through his hands and drop one bounce over the rope for 4.  That was to cost the hosts the game.

Soon after Tanweer Sikandar went caught and bowled for 13 and when fellow new boy Shaftab Khalid went for 10 Bar were struggling at 81 for 4.  The period up to lunch was safely dealt with but Bar were struggling at 95 for 4 off of 32 overs, with Tim Phillips now well set on 33* and debutant Chris Swainland on 10*.  The plan was clearly to bat properly until the 55-over mark and then have a go for the remaining allocation of a maximum of 11 past that.  However Tim and Chris did that but as the attack started to wilt and the fielding start to look more ragged as the afternoon continued, the runs piled on.

Tim passed 50 in 97 balls with a handsome cover drive and at the other end Chris Swainland was playing nicely, playing the spinners in the ‘V’ and making sure the now ‘set’ Tim to take the bowlers to the cleaners.  The catalyst was the withdrawal of off-spinner Wadood who’d bowled pretty tightly as the Farnham skipper panicked if any of his bowlers disappeared for more than 5 in an over.

Teenager Mohammed Ali, yes that was his real name, certainly proved he was far from the greatest as Tim took his first over back 18 and his next went for 16.  Tim brought up his debut 100 with a towering pick and mix over deep midwicket and now the heads of Farnham were well and truly down.  That six also brought up the 200 and from being 81 for 4 after 25 overs, Bar were still 4 down with a maximum of another 95 balls remaining.

16 runs came from Ali’s final over which brought up the 150-run partnership, a record surpassing Dean Dass and Jared Norman’s 128 at Stevenage 2 seasons ago.  Alas Chris Swainland finally went for 39 as he was caught and bowled ending his 76-ball stay which contained 3 fours.  234 for 5 brought in Jared Norman and he and Tim Phillips, who was now having a ball and treating the bowling with utter contempt.

The 250 came up in the 58^th over and then an over disappeared for 22 of which Tim Phillips courtesy of another 2 sixes in consecutive balls, one of which was amazingly tipped over the rope, reached his 150 with his twelfth maximum. 

The only thing that would get Tim out was Tim himself and he was out stumped for a club record 169 from 172 balls.  His 13 sixes comfortably eclipsed Kash Weeraratne’s 10 on his debut in 2006 at Hertford.  His partnership with Jared Norman of 63 came in just 44 balls as Bar were setting the hosts a near impossible target.  Despite losing skipper Len Cooper for 1, Bar ended 324 for 7 declared off of 64 overs leaving the hosts a minimum of 56 overs to chase down the imposing target.  Jared Norman struck 43* from just 32 balls with 2 sixes and 3 fours being the meat on the bones.

Yes, many could have said the target was too large but let’s not forget, Farnham Royal the week before whacked 325 in 45 overs and the wicket offering little to anyone other than the batters would make it hard going.

In truth the hosts started brightly and with the attacking fields set, scoring areas were easily available.  The hosts scampered past 50 in just 58 balls but their shot selection was becoming more and more desperate with the spin twins of Shaftab Khalid and Tim Phillips loosening up their spinning fingers.

The first wicket arrived at 59 as Miller drove aggressively straight to Len Cooper at mid-off and saw Tanweer Sikandar’s first wicket for the club.  Naseiri joined Middlesex Academy player Daniel Simpson and he soon departed as he top edged a sweep to Tanweer Sikandar giving Shaftab Khalid his first league wicket.

76 for 2 then saw a period of dogged stalemate and the tea interval arrived with the hosts 90 for 2 from 28 overs needing a highly unlikely 235 from a minimum 28 overs.  The stalemate continued after tea and a switch of ends for Tim Phillips and Shaftab proved a decisive moment as there was a period where the hosts lost 3 wickets for 0 in a 24-ball spell.

Hussain went for a dogged 20 in 47 balls as he was easily taken at mid-on again by Len Cooper off of Shaffy.  114 for 3 was soon for 4 as Royal skipper Javed Khan went first ball clean bowled as he tried an expansive off-drive and when Ali was taken by Adam Norman, again off of Shaftab at short leg for 0 the chances of a sneaky win was on the cards.

However Naseiri and Sanford blunted Bar’s ideas with a dogged 87 run stand in 116 balls taking Farnham Royal to the calm waters of a draw.  The 200 was brought up in the 57^th over which flattered them somewhat and although 2 late wickets, Sanford for 26 and Naseiri for 76 the draw for the hosts was achieved.

Of our bowlers, the spinners, who will do a lot of work throughout the year, bowled beautifully and was a pleasure to watch, especially in tandem.  Shaftab Khalid took 4 for 71 from 26 overs and Tim Phillips took 2 for 26 from 14 on a pitch which had little to nothing to help them.

So the hosts got the draw they wanted and clearly didn’t want to lose to what they may perceive to be against a fellow struggler.  To be honest on Saturday’s form we have nothing to worry about but for Farnham Royal they I am sure are going to have an extremely long summer.

The 2s made it 2 defeats out of 2 as they snatched defeat from the jaws of safety with amazing ease.

After the loss of two early wickets, Tom and the returning Ollie Coughlan took the attack to Broxbourne and after 20 overs Bar were well past 100 for 2 and looking set for a big score.  Even at 190 for 4 hopes were high of a 240+ but a collapse of decent proportions saw a total of 211 all out reached with a ball to spare.

However the drama was set for the final over with Broxbourne 197 for 7 and Paul McGee entrusted with the ball.  Low and behold with 4 needed off the last ball Mac bowled an orange and was duly hoisted into the bowls club for an enormous 6 giving the visitors the game and the 30-points.  17 points though was a decent return but Greg’s boys will be disappointed that they have played two of the ‘alleged’ strugglers and beaten neither of them and lost on both occasions in shall we say, ‘disappointing circumstances’.

The 3s came back to earth with a bump against Broxbourne’s second string.  After last weeks great win they were always on the wrong end of things as they could only muster 138.  The Tadpoles tapped them off for 5 with 20 overs remaining.

The 4s now under the stewardship of Cheeks got their first win of the campaign after last weeks close game.  The boys kept Rickmansworth 3s to 179 for 8.  From what I hear, the Rock n Roll star, Dave Rock took 4 for and then ruined the game by making 82 making his average a nice round 80 from his first two league games.  The boys tapped them off with 10 overs to spare with 5 wickets in the hutch.

The 5s got their league of to a great start and won at the first time of asking.  They restricted Old Elizabethans 3s to 121 for 7 from 47 overs.  The boys then tapped them off for the loss of 7 wickets and thanks in the main go to Ricky Wood who made 53*.

A word for the Moon, Brian Salmon who made a big 7 from 17 overs meaning you cannot teach an old hound new tricks but hopefully he enjoyed putting the whites on for the first time in probably 10 years after some pretty shambolic treatment from the Umpiring fraternity.  Here we have arguably one of the best Umpires in the County unable to stand in any ‘decent’ games as his availability wasn’t in on time. His form was submitted in Febraury! When the ECB are crying out for good Umpires, the Herts Society as a body have not been ‘man enough’ to be even a little flexible.  They appear more bothered about ticking boxes than helping one of their best.  So the standard of Umpiring is diminished a little (although with Brian’s waist more than a little) this year but as long as peoples availability is in 5 months before a season starts that’s all okay.  It really is a shame.

Next week sees the league leaders come to The Walk to play the 1’s who lie in 2^nd place.  The new scoreboard should be up n running providing yours truly can work it out and it will be a great game to have it working.  I hear on the grapevine that a couple of people have moaned at our scorebox and the league isn’t happy.  10 steps on a ladder with 2 handrails obviously aren’t good enough for the old and frail.  I can think of two scorers who have things a lot worse in life than the characters who moaned who with some help and assistance comfortably manage and quite frankly this old dog will have his day in the very near future where I am sure a frank exchange of views will be issued. 

The 1s will be at full strength and will be going full tilt to follow up on their opening day performance.  All support for however long, or short is always greatly appreciated and some fine, fine cricketers from both sides will be on show.

The 2s have to travel to early pace setters Old Albanian who last week beat Radlett 2s, so this will be a stern test for Greg’s team.  They will also be up against ex-Bar player Johnny Friedman who has already started off in imperious form.  The 3s are at home to Radlett 4s, the fourth eleven travel to Leverstock Green 3s and the 5s travel, this time to Chorleywood to play their 4^th team.

So until next time have a great week and remember the future is bright, the future is and always will be Potters Bar

Fred