Met Police can't arrest the Northchurch charge

Highlights: Romit Patel 4 for 17, Ollie Johnson 3 for 32, Steven McGiffin 58*

Full scorecard here

The Northchurch boys arrived at the Metropolitan Police ground in the squally drizzle in which they were to start the match. After removing the covers to inspect the pitch five minutes before the start of play, Northchurch won the toss and elected to bowl.

This was a decision not made easy by the sight of patchy grass and a surface that looked as though it would break up, in addition to the surface moisture that could only be helpful to the batting side.

It was a tale of two ends as aggressive opener Fiaz took a shine to McGiffin’s pace and scored with some freedom through a vacant third man, while OJ had the other opener, Thanoorath, tied down.

With 31 on the board, Lee Johnson, replacing the Aussie, opened the account by forcing Fiaz to chop on for 24. OJ joined in the fun, inducing an edge to George Liveing at second slip by the left-handed Thanoorath, who was completely done by the old three card inny-inny-outy trick.

As the shine came off the ball, scoring became increasingly difficult and, after the run rate had dried up to a mere hint of a trickle, OJ was in business again, bowling MPB skipper Abbasi for four.

A 50 partnership developed over the next eight overs as big-swinging Anwar joined Daud Haider in taking some risks which paid off. With the ball starting to behave unpredictably, Northchurch sensed that unorthodox aggression and a few slogged runs could make the difference between the sides.

The league leaders remained calm in the face of a couple of boundaries and their patience paid off when Anwar gave OJ his third wicket after trying to go over the rope for the second time in as many balls, only to find the huge hands of Lee Johnson at long on. And with this,the home team was to lose their last six wickets for just 26.

The introduction of spin made scoring very difficult. Excessive turn and variable bounce had wicket keeper Gunsley in some trouble but he demonstrated that by committing on the front foot and leaving well on the back, survival was possible. However, he would be unable to capitalise on being dropped at leg slip early and managed a solitary boundary on his way to 15 from 70 balls.

When Haider followed Anwar to the pavilion after slicing Romit Patel to Liveing at point, another ten overs had passed but the score was only progressing at two per over. Khan came and went, the third man to chop on, to give Patel a second scalp.

With the home team being convincingly reeled in at 112 for 6 Northchurch knew that it would be important not to let them off the hook and Vila brought back the seamers to test the defences of the lower order.

Taking the responsibility himself, the captain found immediate success, forcing number 8 Siddiq to play on with the first ball of his spell.
Gunsley’s vigil ended two runs later with a chip to mid-off which gave Patel a third wicket and he had a fourth two overs later when Ahmed slogged to Henry Bexon at square leg for a duck.

Vila finished the innings with his second wicket as Sharma edged to Suckling, in the process denying Patel his first league five-fer. Tragically, Romit had been unable to cling on to a return catch, offered by Sharma the over before. In spite of this disappointment, he could take heart from a potentially match winning spell of 13-7-17-4.

Northchurch knew that the 133 to win would not be a straightforward chase and it was identified that the best time to score would probably be against the new ball.

The seamers were stood down after only seven overs and trial by spin began. Liveing was the first to go, falling for a very handy 24 via a leading edge to mid-wicket when trying to turn an off-break from captain Abbasi into the leg side.

Garraway faced the five balls usually needed to get himself in but uncharacteristically fell to his sixth, a handy turner from Abbasi which beat all defences to take the off stump. Bexon picked up the mantle of aggressor while McGiffin got straight to work and took the pitch out of the equation by using his feet to rotate the strike.

Nerves were not yet settled as the surface became increasing tricky, with puffs of dust marking each delivery as they pitched. It seemed to the watching next men in that one was likely to have their name on it today.

Cause for concern was justified as Northchurch soon found themselves at 56 for four, after Abbasi took another quick two. Bexon was trapped LBW for 23 by a turning Abbasi delivery which kept a little low, and Romit soon followed, bowled for nought when trying to get off the mark.

With 73 still needed, Hobley joined McGiffin, in good form following heroics the previous evening for ‘Old’ Northchurch vs ‘New’, and looked determined to stop the rot.

They played the situation perfectly in what must be one of the most important partnerships of the summer so far. Time was no issue but mixing defence and attack was important, in order to avoid getting bogged down.

When McGiffin was dropped early in his innings after hitting a full toss very firmly at Abbasi stationed at short mid-wicket, it only made him more determined to finish the job. Playing right forward or right back and rarely getting caught on the crease, he was able to find the gaps in the field and, together with Hobley, ran hard to accumulate additional points.

Led well by Abbasi, MPB stayed in the hunt, sensing that one wicket might open an end, until the partnership was worth fifty and NCC had a hundred on the board. At this point, the pressure seemed to lift and the oldest and youngest member of the side together demonstrated the value of experience and concentration.

Steve McGiffin’s 58* from 51 balls showed his class and, at times, made it look like he was batting on a different pitch to the rest of the players, while Hobley’s reputation as the finisher grows.

With Redbourn succumbing to their own struggle against spin, the gap at the top increased to 57 points. But there will be no room for complacency as NCC look forward to hosting Knebwoth Park at the Meadow next week.