BARNES COMMON MATCH REPORT

Gnome slumped to a heavy defeat against Barnes Common on Sunday. But they had by far the worse of the playing conditions and the outcome may have turned on one crucial moment in the field.

Barnes won the toss and chose to bat in a 40-over match. After 10 overs Gnome appeared to be in the driving seat, with both the openers gone and only 20 runs on the board. Anton pouched (and yes, that is the appropriate word) a slip catch off Jezza to take out the number 2, and moments later Lew Chester, fielding at square-leg, moved like a gazelle to dismiss the number one off Fenton.

Enter the Barnes number 4 who immediately declared his aggressive intentions with a couple of air shots aimed into the offside. Then, on 4, he hit a drive to mid-off, who attempted the catch one-handed and dropped it (see below). There was a vociferous and unanimous appeal for LBW against him in Jezza's next over, rejected by the umpire (who was, by coincidence, the batsman's father.) The number one went on to score 111 (also see below).

There was slaughter among the Gnome bowlers, with Mark going for 42 in his first three overs, Anton for 33 off his first 4. By now however it was raining steadily, and the ball was difficult to grip and pitch on a length. Pete's fourth over was a horror, with the Barnes number 4 - who had just passed his ton - dropped at long-on and then deep cover. Pete finally had him lbw in the next over (by another coincidence, the previous umpire had been replaced just one ball before.)

The closing stages were marked by a chancy innings by the Barnes number 7, one B Khan, who should have been stumped by a mile when he had scored half a dozen runs. Several of Khan's shots landed perilously near fielders, but by some miracle he was undefeated on 23 when the innings ended. The Barnes total was a daunting 233-8. Pete Gillman had 2-40, Mark Feltham staged a valiant recovery with 2-55, and Jezza, Fenton and Anton had one each.

Gnome made a patient start to their reply, but after 10 overs were 19 for 3 with Nick Harris (3), Fenton (6) and Andrew Ramroop (8) all back on the spectators' chair. After the downpour during the Barnes innings, the bowling conditions were now excellent, with a dry ball and a biting pitch. The best innings for Gnome came from Mark Feltham, with an elegant but aggressive 31, ended when he skied a shot off the Barnes bowler Khan. Chris Lear (14) also departed, caught off Khann, after looking promising.

Jezza was run out for 3 and then all eyes were on Anton, who needed to notch a quick ton, but he was caught in the deep for 22. The innings subsided gently, relieved only by a 10th wicket partnership of 30 between skipper John Dunthorne (23) and Aussie stand-in Matt Benbow (19 not out). Gnome were all out for 141 off just 28 overs.

Despite the wide margin, the outcome could have been different but for Gnome dropping the Barnes number 4 when he had scored 4. It is confidently believed that this is the costliest miss by any Gnome fielder ever, as the number 4 went on to score another 107 before being finally dismissed. In other circumstances it would have been invidious to name the fielder concerned, but since this is a new Gnome record it is surely equitable to reveal that the Gnome in question was skipper John Dunthorne.

John, however, has already questioned the basis for calculating the new record. He argues that the margin should be the number of runs before the next time the batsman is dropped. Since however the number 4 was on 105 when he was dropped for the first time in Pete's fourth over, the record would still stand at an impressive 101.

*How do you think the new record should be calculated? Have your say on the Lord Gnome Message Board on the Gnome website home page.

It is also worth noting that after the match the Barnes player B Cahn was lobbying to be adjudged man of the match, on the basis that he scored 23 not out and took 3 wickets (which included a run-out off his bowling). Apparently this followed a four-wicket haul during an overseas tour with Barnes Common, possibly to India or maybe it was somewhere in the Caribbean.

*Who do you think was man of the match? Yes, have your say on this issue too on the Gnome website.