Caribbean 'A' v Tong (by Nick Sowerby)

It was a strange sight at Scott Hall Road as the clock struck 1.30pm. All the Tong players were parked up, unpacked and ready for action. A sharp contrast from the previous week where at this point, Nick and Karl were in the midst of Adel, admiring the various £300,000 residences, with Inzi and Masood cuddled up in a leafy layby somewhere in the backstreets at North Leeds. It's also worth saying everyone may have even been changed 10 minutes earlier if Patrick hadn't hadnt been lurking like a resident bouncer in front of the Away dressing rooms collecting his sponsorship money in the same eager and vulture like manner shown by a Debt Collector on a 50% commission rate. Apparently Dunc and James you still owe the man....he has not forgotten.

After a facebook discussion......calm down Graham.....with Haseeb during the week, in which the latter, in between the 'innit blood, u chilling skip, etc' trademark comments, advised that the home team much prefer to bowl first on their own track, Nick for once decided to listen to a team mate on winning the toss...and inserted the Caribbean to make use of the bowler friendly looking track. After the first 2 overs and 14 unanswered runs, it seemed as if Haseeb's cricketing knowledge was on a par with the Tong Vice Captain's. However, inspired by a hostile spell from the typically angry Adam, Tong started to make inroads, with 2 quick wickets falling via young Minnett's now well tried slower ball, one courtesy of a juggling Moazam at square leg. It was a toss up to see who looked more surpised by both successes....the home batters or the other 10 Tong players. After a promising start, Caribs were now reduced to 28-3, with the other wicket coming from the on form paws of Duncan 'Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnndfoooooooooooord' Hawkins, whose accurate, unselfish 15 over spell deserved more than the one one success.

A spell which kept the returning John unluckily out of the attack. Tong, once again in the main due to more (uncharacteristic) tight fielding and steely bowling, had now gained the upper hand, one which they weren't to relinquish again during the Home team's innings. There is alot to be said about the power of 'small man syndrome', however when it is 'small man on a mission syndrome', surely the force is unstoppable. Enter a fired up Masood. A devasting spell of 5-42 ripping the heart out of the Caribs order, including the ball of the day, a beautiful legcutter which he appropriately saved for his arch nemesis, namely the home team skiper. A wicket admittedly he will never forget and never stop talking about. One which his wife, children, brothers, second cousin's and neighbours will also not forget. All in all a fantastic performance, saved for the team he most wanted to do it against. Well done. With the last wickets coming via a pacey Adam yorker and a run out from the arm of the same man, Tong were delighted to see the Caribs innings concluded, and even more so to restrict them to a score of 122.

There was a positive, confident feeling amongst the 10 Tong players as they wolfed down their Chicken and Rice, with Martin also sharing this mood as he made light of the Spam sandwiches and 4 Kit Kats he had packed for himself. Surely Tong would never get a better chance to oust their hosts from the 2nd place in the League table that they had worked so hard for. And surely it would only be a matter of time before would be back home and logging on once again.

15 minutes later however those feelings had changed rapidly, with the Tong replying teetering on 6-2, and both openers back in the Pavillion. Inzi having his middle stump knocked back by the Ziggy Marley lookalike leading the home team's attack, and Nad the victim of a dubious LBW decision at the hands of the guest umpire......his own cousin. After a failed attempt to gas himself, Nad and Haseeb squabbled for the next hour like Cat and Dunc, as to the merit of the decision, with comments such as 'why the f*ck did you give that you kn*bhead' and 'look blood, you was out innit' being heard from the nearby streets.

With the Tong response teetering, and the success of the season now on a knife edge, some big innings were required. Entering the sharply contrasting figures......literally.....of Adam and Martin. After a shaky start in which he was dropped on the boundary 'playing himself in', the young man settled and started to play the game we all know he is capable of, with some brutal smashes, including one six which landed somewhere on Roundhay Road, mixed with some classical cricket strokes, Adam set out chasing down the home score. An hour later and Tong were well on there way. Despite not been able to add the 3 runs required to take him to a maiden half century, Adam richly deserved the standing ovation he received on walking back to the Pavillion with 47 well made runs to his name. The day when 'a boy became a man', or maybe more appropriately when 'a grumpy puppy became a mad dog'. Well done mate, you did us proud.

With Moazam not being able to add to his bucketful of runs, there was still work to be done and 45 or so runs to get. On another day, another result may have well have been likely on an increasingly difficult track, however this was not going to happen today with a determined Martin, who had provided the perfect foil for Adam at the other hand, taking the bull by the horns with typical obdurance and defiance, aided at the other end by an uncharacteristically disciplined Nick. The credit must go to the Vice Captain however, who despite constant threats of 'i'm going to slog it cos i want a big score not just another 30', kept his patience with an unbeaten 37, leading his side to a fantastic and well deserved victory. We all want 50's Mart, but the innings you played, and the role you've played this season has been absolutely massive and one which the team could not have done without. A brilliant effort mate.

A few cans of Red Stripe and some 'gentle' mockery of his former team mates from Masood later, and Tong where on their away and on their way with 26 crucial points and second place in the table. A team performance delivered when it was most needed. A performance delivered by a fantastic side with an even better spirit.