Rampant Hughes talks up Ts hopes

1:02pm Friday 16th May 2008

Overseas player Grant Hughes smashed a career-best 176 at the weekend before declaring Twickenham have the bowling attack to mount a promotion challenge.

The Queenslander's brutal innings - from only 138 balls - laid the foundation for a mammoth 50-over total of 326 in Saturday's winning draw at derby rivals Richmond.

He then took 2-42 to go with Ts paceman Justin Scriven's 3-62 to make inroads into the hosts' top order.

But Richmond frustrated the bowlers on Twickenham's Middlesex County League Division Two debut, notching 214-5.

Skipper Carlos Nunes is confident of a top-two finish this season and Hughes, a first-grade cricketer for Sandgate-Redcliffe in Australia, reckons Ts have the tools to back up the claim.

"Richmond must rank as one of the better teams in this division and we flogged them," he said.

"If a batting side doesn't want to attack with 20 overs gone, then it is pretty easy to close out the rest of the match.

"You have to reckon that, in about half your games, you are going to bowl second, so to do well we have to take 10 wickets.

"We have enough penetration to do that."

Hughes's innings eclipsed his previous best of 150, but admitted it could have been more.

"When you are playing bowling like that, you have to reign yourself in a bit to make sure you don't give it away," he said.

Nunes weighed in with a quick-fire 70 as Twickenham dominated proceedings before Richmond shut up shop after Middlesex batsman and dangerman Nick Compton was dismissed by Scriven with the fifth ball of the innings.