Southgate scraped home on Saturday in a close game of ice-age cricket, and they moved to within one point of league leaders, South Hampstead. (One point having been deducted for a minor offence regarding lack of white line painting some weeks ago!)
In conditions such as these, with rain (or snow!) likely as well, it is generally regarded that to bat second is the wiser option, and so it proved although with Southgate’s historical weakness in ‘chasing’ totals once again coming to the fore victory was certainly not plain sailing. Reduced overs and a lesser target worked well on this occasion.
North London started will, adding 45 for the first wicket but a double bowling change brought success as Darragh Edwards and Dave Woffinden changed the picture and from 45-0 the visitors were quite suddenly 49-3. Darragh managed to gain some lift from the slow wicket to obtain a caught and bowled and, almost immediately clean bowled the next batsman for 0. Not for the first time a young batsman espied the gentle parabolas of Woffers’ bowling, and slogged a typically juicy offering to long off where Shiv held a good catch.
North London’s ‘Director of Cricket’, William Jones, batting at five, proved to be a quality batsman (and, indeed, later, a quality bowler, as well) and he managed to steer his team to 126-9 before he was bowled by Ashley Sivarajah
Woffers made two early entries into the ‘man of the match’ competition by taking an awkward catch to his right off Ashley, and a quite brilliant pick up on the run to affect a superb run out. His eventual bowling figures of 3-24, unfortunately, reduced his season’s bowling average from 7.70 to 7.76!
Southgate’s current bowling attack of six high quality bowlers was completed by Ravi Desai, probably the best bowling of the day, taking 1-20 in his nine overs of off spin, despite bowling one horrific full toss which Jones hit for six.
Predictably, in dreadful conditions for cricket, Southgate really struggled in their quest for victory against a useful North London bowling attack and wickets fell regularly Edrich (23) and Phil Dunnett (26) added 51 for the fourth wicket to take the score to 85-3, but were both out within a few balls of each other, Phil, possibly, a little unluckily.
Promoted to number eight, at 89-6, in strode Woffers (23*) and he and Jack Upton added 32 to take Southgate in sight of victory. However, more wickets fell and it was left to Southgate’s answer to Kent’s Darren Stevens to see the team to victory with the reduced total.
Sadly, the great man is not available next week and with Michael Stevens also not playing, Southgate will need to fire on all cylinders in a difficult penultimate league match at Wycombe House.
Peter Jouning