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North Enfield has been the scene of many memorable Mandarins moments in recent years. Tim’s first (and as yet only) ton for the club in 2018. Rob becoming the team’s all-time leading (recorded) wicket taker in 2023. Arvind having his mouth smashed open during that over in 2017.
This year’s renewal contained nothing that iconic. But it is remarkable enough that the Mandarins have now won four games in a row and, with this victory, are now back in the black on the season’s win-loss ratio.
Match manager Healey was talked into a rare recent outing as skipper with only the gentlest of arm twisting from your correspondent. Needless to say, he did as fine a job with it as you would expect, there really being little end to his talents, including getting Wilmot to the furthest reaches of north London in time for the start and persuading Shahrukh back from Canada in time to play as well (although Wilmot’s alarmingly early arrival ruined my pre-planned joke about Jonathan taking longer to get there from Kent than Shahrukh took to cross the Atlantic – but why waste it eh?). The captain erred only in one respect, a failure to predict on which side a coin would land on the dry but still slower than usual Strayfield Road track, leading us to field first on what must have been the sweatiest Sunday of the season so far.
Debutant Jubril Sonmonu opened up from the pavilion end and was unlucky to go wicketless with his all action pace. From up the hill came Wahaj Siddique, his newly awarded club shirt billowing almost as beautifully as the ball was swinging. Then came the masterly control of Rakesh Ramani before the sage-like skipper switched Siddique to the other end from which he was even more threatening. Between them the rate was kept under control although wickets were harder to come by as the Enfield openers dug in (including Keiran Jones who we knew could accelerate later as he’d done exactly that batting as a guest for us last year). But eventually Wahaj found the perfect inswinging line to dismiss DB, shortly before your correspondent made his one contribution with a catch above his head on the boundary to get Jones (almost in the exact same spot at the bottom of the slope where a pool of Manian blood must somewhere still reside).
Healey and Rakesh then put their foot on the Enfield throat for a while with wickets and tight overs and we threatened to keep them to no more than 120. But a fine 6th wicket partnership of 70 between youngsters Pearson and Munt, full of good running and well-judged intent rescued the innings and set up a perfect four an over target of 165 to win at tea. A mention too for Wilmot’s energetic wicket-keeping on a very warm day, and two excellent run outs executed by Raki and Jubril.
After sampling all four of the cakes on offer (purely for the purpose of researching this piece*) at what must be the best ‘we won’t be supplying tea sorry’ tea on the circuit, your correspondent settled in to the scorebox with no intention of coming out of it with any pads on. And that was when the fun really started. Arun, all-conquering scourge of the All Stars, bowled. Baxter, returning the scene of his triumph, bowled. Debutant Dom Martin, bowled. Nikhil, looking good in his own new club shirt, yeah, you guessed it, bowled.
At four down for 31 your diligent researcher had barely digested the first of the cakes, let alone the fourth. Then Shahrukh’s brutal 52 did a lot to restore us to the required run rate but little to restore me to my resting heart rate. Wilmot (56* and spending 70 of the 80 overs in the field) was more becalmed, anchoring the innings in his inimitable way, scoring only in fours and ones, until Rakesh arrived and decided what he really needed was to start pushing twos and threes.
Wahaj was no less restless as the game tipped in the balance and it was all going off. A huge hit that was a six on any other ground in the world managed to hit the heights of the North Enfield tree and score only a single (no local rule is to play on from the tree, rather than consider it a part of the boundary). A huge LBW shout turned down forthrightly by Umpire Baxter briefly threatened diplomatic relations. Nikhil went over-by-over on the WhatsApp updates (you know it’s a good game when that happens). The opening bowlers who had done all the damage came back. The scorer had to start wondering where his pads were, if not quite resort to strapping them on.
But he needn’t have worried. Wahaj and Wilmot saw it home with an over to spare. Skipper Healey (pads on but never panicked) not even required, let alone himself (pads off but always anxious). It may not have had landmarks or records, or left us with any broken mouths. But it did have drama, good cricket , good cakes, and left us with smiles on our faces.
Dan Forman
*Lemon drizzle 1, cheesecakey thing 2, Victoria-ish sponge 3, I can’t remember what the fourth one was in case you’re wondering
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