A fine, tense day’s cricket ended with The Gents taking a 1-0 lead in the 2000 Bob Ashton Memorial Trophy. But so closely matched are the two teams that nobody would bet against West XI levelling it up in July, which would then set up a September decider in Morden. Thanks to Jim Wright’s superb 61, the hosts posted a score only eleven shy of that which skipper Snelling regarded as a match-winner. At 58 for two at the midway second-innings break, needing only four an over, West XI, having rode their luck, were slight favourites. But they then lost seven wickets for 28 runs to the strangling bowling of Wright and Dhruv Patel. A gutsy Andy Robinson and Stevie B last-wicket stand gave Beggars faint hope before Snarler bowled Andy at 7.25pm.

Both teams had been on a winter recruitment drive. Seven of the combatants had not played in this series before, and having experienced it they will want more. This was a hard, tiring game, but both captains kept the lid on things and there was no trace of dissent between the sides. Chris Wright inserted The Gents in a forty over game, Taylor castling Swiss Tony sixth ball with a pearler. After three maidens, Sanjay was beginning to flow but then fell to the first of several stunning pierces of cricket, pulling Dane to Wright at mid-wicket, a fine reaction catch. While Jim set out his stall, Bodders was on fire from the off, majestically cover-driving Taylor twice. Two further boundaries followed from the southpaw before Chris Dane unleashed a ball from Hell. All day, there was movement off the seam and turn for the spinner, but no coaching session can prepare you for a ball which pitches outside leg-stump, inviting the glance, before rearing into the off. Cue mutterings about Glenn McGrath in the World Cup. Dane was bowled through and Hillbilly settled into a good spell but Jim and Dhruv batted sensibly to take The Gents to 69 for three at the 20-over drinks, a good rate on a slow pitch and damp outfield. These two carried things along pleasantly, before Dhruv slashed Hill into Wright’s safe hands at slip, another good catch. Then things started to go pear-shaped. Snarler had put three big hitters at six to eight but could only stare goggle-eyed as Wright outed all of them in six balls. He started with a wild beamer to Eddie Fitch but then yorked him two balls later. Poor Dimo went for a Golden, the ball clipping the off-bail. Non-striker Wright called for a single not quite realising what had occurred. President Todd then marched in to face the Hat-Trick ball, not having picked up a bat since September. "Just the batsman you want to bowl at," trumpeted Mr Hill, but Toddy carefully watched the ball into the ‘keeper’s gloves. He only survived until the first ball of Wright’s second over, however, and The Gents were 95 for seven in the 31^st over, the tumble of wickets having as ever put the squeeze on the run rate.

The Wright/Snarler partnership project effectively won The Gents the match. Playing Wright and the returning Taylor with ease, they posted 40 runs in only 42 balls, Jim going to his second fifty in this series with a steer off Taylor down to third man. Some other sides on the circuit could learn from the generous Beggar applause. Jim took eight off Biggers’ first over before being bowled last ball, Snarler fell plumb lbw to give Chris his fourth victim and Scibo was stumped in the last over. Chris was not out for the third time this season and The Gents had used all but four balls of their maximum allocation in reaching a par 139 all out.

In the professional or even senior club game, 135 to 140 is not a great total, but it tends to bring victory at this level. Facing this challenge, however, was one of the strongest batting line-ups put out by West XI for many years, but no matter how long and resilient the batting, if you have a bowler-friendly wicket and bowl to your field then run getting will be a struggle. Until Charlton drove him over mid-on for four in his sixth over, Sanjay had bowled 31 overs in the season without conceding a single boundary, while Snarler’s parsimony is well known. These two did a magnificent job in restricting West XI to 18 for two after ten overs, the run rate creeping up ominously to over four for the first time in this period. It would never be so low again. Ian Dallas fell controversially lbw in the seventh, while Sanjay did for Phil Mattimoe with a pearler in the tenth, surely a slow-scoring record for the usually prolific Beggar opener. Ian felt that he had got some bat on the ball, but about Phil’s dismissal there could be no dispute. The next ten overs belonged to West XI as they began to put The Gents under pressure. The cubic Chris Taipari launched Steady Eddie Fitch vertically to Snarler at long-off, who shelled it. He then swapped with Mark Sciberras, a decision that was to be of significant moment. Dimo, running in, then shelled Taipari off Eddie and when Dhruv induced the edge in and out of Chris Beaumont’s gloves, things were turning towards West XI. The third five-over spell yielded 14 runs, the next 26, and Snarler was glad to have a chance to regroup and reinspire at the midway point. He could be overheard talking to his senior professionals, saying that whatever happened he was determined to keep the team’s spirits up. Certainly the body language was positive throughout, but the team was going to have to learn to catch if it was to win the game.

Jim Wright was brought on at the top end and first ball after the resumption got rid of Taipari to a catch that is up there among the best The Gents have ever taken. Think Rich Wilman at Surbiton in this series in 1993. Think Mark Burville against Saints at Alexandra RG in 1997. This was the equal of those moments. The ball was wide of off-stump and the powerful Taipari connected with a full-blooded lofted drive. The ball went about a hundred yards in the air and began evilly to descend near long-off Scibo out of the dark sky. The Maltese Falcon wheeled underneath it, got into perfect position and took the catch third attempt in the crook of his elbow, a golden moment. He emerged battered and bruised several minutes later from the team hug.

Chris Wright took a brief shine to Dhruv who promptly floated up the offie and induced a played on. The maestro bowled beautifully, giving the ball air and getting considerable turn out of a helpful wicket. But it was Jimmy who struck next, three overs later, the 24^th of the innings. Charlton had been looking to push the ball to leg but missed and was plumb lbw. Although Dane only scored six he is clearly a class act and will doubtless return to haunt The Gents. He looked in no trouble at all but perhaps deciding that it was time to accelerate (the rate was creeping over five) produced a repeat of Dhruv’s earlier dismissal, Buck taking a breathtaking two-handed catch falling backwards at slip. In the very next over, the 29^th, Dhruv then pitched up the leg-break to Stewart Taylor. It reared, caught the shoulder of the bat and rolled back onto the wicket. Wickets were tumbling at an astonishing rate and The Gents were now favourites with their old rivals 83 for seven.

Dhruv then struck twice in two balls to put the game beyond West XI. Another leggie did for brave left-hander Phil Walton. Enter Phil Hill. Head up, a massive heave and off flew the bails. Biggers, surely batting ridiculously low at eleven, and the game Robinson were left the simple task of knocking off 52 runs in 8.2 overs, to be split three from Snarler, three from Eddie and two from Jim. They are proud players and went for it, but it was hopeless and 31 runs were needed off 15 balls when Snarler finally got one past Andy.

The Gents had won a merited victory. Their fielding had brightened up considerably after the drinks break, with excellent diving stops from Buck and the Patels, but there were few attempts to chance the quick single to keep the scoreboard ticking over. A persuasive argument could be made that The Gents won this in the first half of the match, not the second, good though their bowling and out-cricket were. They struck 17 fours to The Beggars’ twelve and only Eddie Fitch went for more than three runs an over, compared to four West XI bowlers. It was a match which invited comparison with the Gunnersbury Park clash in 1999, the latter West XI batsmen being left with too much to do. And like that occasion it had its moments of elliptical, nay bizarre captaincy. No doubt there were good reasons for it, but to the likes of Dhruv (a good judge) it was absurd that Mr Bignell was in at eleven. He could have ground out the fifty West XI needed.