Ealing 148-7 (Gramsbach 38, S Patel 19, D Nicolaides 3-32, M Ryan 2-21) Twickenham122 a/o (W Paull 49, JP Cronje 19)

Ealing moved smoothly into the Middlesex 20:20 finals day thanks to a 26-run defeat of Twickenham on Wednesday. M. Gramsbach contributed a well crafted 38 for the MCCL Premier League pace-setters, with Mark Ryan (2-21 off 4) and Dimi Nicolaides (3-32) putting in good performances for the Ts.

Twickenham started their chase positively, but once Warwick Paull (49) was dismissed the hosts subsided to 122 all out.

Ealing started the ball rolling by sending in one of their Middlesex stars, Chris Peploe, to open the batting alongside Huw Jones. Peploe took little time in stating his intentions, thumping Mike Vosloo into the Staines Road for six off the third ball of the innings. Ealing were not going to hang around. Warwick Paull nonetheless managed to slow the visitors down (1-23 off 4), removing Peploe bowled for seven and tying down both Jones and number three Sameer Patel. Good spells from a rejuvenated Ryan Combrinck (0-13 off 2) and Dimi Nicolaides (3-32) ensured that Ealing didn’t race away with things, but solid knocks from Jones (17), Patel (19) and then Gramsbach (38) pushed the Ealing score above three figures. A horrible injury to Ts’ keeper Carlos Nunes – cracked full on the nose by a top edge whilst standing up to Mark Ryan – stopped play for a few minutes in the penultimate over, but when the players returned Ricky Martin and Tahir Afridi helped themselves to a six apiece in the final over to leave Twickenham needing 149 to win.

With opening bat Nunes nursing his broken nose on the boundary ropes, Twickenham opted to send out Cronje and Paull to open the innings. Things began well as Cronje in particular took the attack to the Ealing batsmen. However, a major misunderstanding between the two South Africans led to Cronje (19) being run out by the length of the pitch. Ryan Combrinck ensured that the scoring rate remained high, cracking two boundaries from his first three balls, but the impressive Afridi (1-16 off 4) removed the dangerous pinch hitter before he could really get going. Special mention to the two Ealing players who hurtled into each other in attempting to take the catch, too; both risked life and limb in the name of taking a wicket, and everyone was thankful that their clash didn’t result in a serious injury.

While Warwick Paull continued to grind out the runs Twickenham remained in with a chance. But he kept losing partners; Mike Vosloo came and went for four, and when Mary Ryan departed for a gritty 15 the Ts knew that they needed a couple of big overs to get back in the game. Unfortunately for the home side, the opposite happened and wickets kept falling. The spin twins of Peploe (1-20 off 4) and Patel (1-28 off 4) proved tough to get away, and by the time the overs ran out the Ts were still a good 20 runs short.

The Ts might not have won, but they acquitted themselves admirably. Ealing’s ability to keep the scoreboard moving eventually saw them home but, for a while, they would have been worried. Thanks are also due to all the Twickenham supporters who turned out to watch. The Ts are again in action on Twickenham Green on Saturday, this time against Harrow in MCCL Division Two.