Chiswick Under 15's Win 'The Most Amazing Match Ever'
Defeat local rivals on the cricket pitch after an unpromising start
May 25, 2017
On Wednesday 25 May, Chiswick Cricket Club (CCC) Under 15s won perhaps the most remarkable win in the club’s history, coming back from the dead to defeat local rivals Brentham.
On a sunny evening at Chiswick’s Riverside Drive ground, a strong Brentham side made 124-7 in their 20 overs. In response, Chiswick got off to a terrible start in the face of good bowling, slumping to 28 for 9 after 10 overs.
Facing the football equivalent of a 10-nil mauling, it seemed like there was only pride to play for. But with 20 minutes to play, skipper Kaeden Mehta and wicketkeeper Ben Lumm turned the match on its head with an extraordinary and audacious last-wicket partnership that swung the momentum completely.
A burst of hitting achieved respectability, but with two overs to go Chiswick still needed an unlikely 19 more runs to win. The final two overs swung back and forth, but a boundary off the penultimate ball saw Chiswick home to the delight of the home support.
Junior manager Jim Yorath told his exultant players after the game: ‘It’s not over till it’s over.’
Club Chairman Bernard Hughes said: ‘This is probably the most incredible win in the club’s long history. I am proud of Jim, Richard Lalor and the team, who have shown a never-say-die attitude. What a performance!’
The match was the latest evidence of transformation at CCC, a club that was close to closing just three years ago. Today, having taken possession of the ground and raised more than £400,000 to fund redevelopment, the club is the official home of Middlesex County Disability cricket, and has seen a surge in the numbers of junior club members.
Sponsors Whitman and Co. have supported the club, whose mission is to become “the best place to play cricket in west London, at whatever level you are playing the game.”
For more information about this local Chiswick grass-roots success story, visit their web site.