Jacobs, Gerard and Eintracht inspire Belmont & Edgware to emphatic victory - The Jewish Chronicle

On another baking hot day, Belmont captain Jacobs won the toss and elected to bat first. It must be a lucky ritual of his to have a toss whilst wearing pads.

Jonathan Evans and Steven Altmann-Richer walked out to the wicket looking to post a competitive total. Early on was probably the most difficult conditions Belmont have faced all year. Accurate bowling, combined with large amounts of swing in the humid conditions and the complexity of an undulating slope, made for a tricky pitch on which to bat. After some solid shots, Altmann-Richer was undone by a swinging yorker which bowled him off his toe. This brought Jacobs to the crease to join a battling Evans, who had already played one nice on-drive for four.

Evans and Jacobs saw off the opening bowlers and Belmont were on 28-1 off the first eight overs. The first change came from the far end and Jacobs dispatched the first three balls from the new bowler (all leg stump full tosses) to the boundary for four. Evans joined in the fun from the other end, including a pull for six that required a new ball to be found. The key to the partnership was good running between the wickets and making sure that every poor ball was dispatched to the boundary, which both Jacobs and Evans did relentlessly. This meant that after 12 overs, Belmont had raced onto 81-1.

The Crouch End skipper then brought himself on. His first ball was a high full toss, called a no-ball which Jacobs scored a single off. His second ball to Evans’ surprise pitched and such had been the bowling for the past 20 minutes, that Evans forgot how slow the pitch was and lobbed a simple return chance to the bowler who gleefully accepted it.

This brought Scott Gerard to the crease who set about demolishing the bowling attack. He took the lead in his partnership with Jacobs and was brutal on the bowling, reaching his 50 off only 40 deliveries. Jacobs was very much the junior member of this partnership. Gerrard hit six boundaries and four sixes (a nice symmetry) in compiling 82 of a partnership of 135 with Jacobs. However, just as a first ton for the club looked in sight and the delivery after dispatching another big maximum, he slightly lost concentration and was bowled for a marvellous 82.

At drinks with 10 over remaining, Jacobs was on 59. At least we think he was, as every over or so, he would approach the scorer’s table to try to negotiate another couple of runs off them, even at one stage trying to steal a run off Evans, who had just played a glorious shot.

Jacobs than started farming the strike. Boom Boom Mayer played a couple of nice shots, even with Jacobs attempting to keep him off strike, before he was bowled going for one shot too many. Josh Reynolds came, went dot, dot six, and went.

Bension Tilley then came in with clear instructions to give Jacobs the strike. Going onto the last over Jacobs was on a fiercely negotiated 98 (although for all we know he may have only scored 70 legitimate runs!). A quick two led to Jacobs raising his arms aloft like KP in the 2005 Ashes. The Belmont team half expected Jacobs to roll up his sleeve and reveal a new tattoo of a batsmen playing a cover drive within a six-sided star. Alas for the rest of us, it is not there yet, but hopefully we have that to look forward to in the end of season awards.

Crouch End did not appear to want the innings to end, bowling three consecutive no-balls at the end of the innings, which Jacobs dispatched for another 10 runs. Before each no ball Greg Mayer had unpadded, only to put his pads back on again, still to no avail. Jacobs’ was a fantastic innings, fighting through an initial tough period, punishing the bad delivery, running well between the wickets, playing the junior role with Gerrard and then accelerating at the end. Belmont ended on 300 - their highest score of the season.

After a curry filled tea (served almost at supper time), which included some hot chillies masquerading as vegetables, much to the delight of Nick McLeod, Belmont set about defending the large total.

Jonny Eintracht opened the bowling with Reynolds. Eintracht was finding considerable movement into the batsmen, whilst Reynolds was shaping the ball away. Crouch End started cautiously and saw out the opening six overs, although they were saved by a couple of feather inside edges onto their pads.

Wicketkeeper Michael Blasebalk then decided to stand up to Eintracht. This brought some quizzical looks from the rest of the team, only for the batsman to play and miss and Blasey in a flash to whip off the bails, as if keeping to Evans.

The indomitable Eintracht finally broke through in his fourth over, nipping one back into the opener and catching him plumb in front of the stumps. The batsman had seemed unsettled since Blasebalk had stood up to the stumps, so credit also to Blasebalk for this one. Evans shouted out his usual "two more for the hat-trick" and how everyone laughed at the unlikely prospect of this occurring...

When the new batsman came in, his partner told him ‘don’t worry, it’s not doing a lot’. Eintracht’s next ball pitched outside off, bounced and jagged back in to clip the top of middle. The departing batsman was none too impressed with his partner. The field stayed tight for the hat-trick delivery. Eintracht came steaming in, pitched it just short of a length, it rose on the new batsman who gloved it towards the gully, where everyone was convinced that Jacobs was going to drop the catch. Unbelievably, he held on, which sparked absolute delirium on the field. Eintracht had taken a hat-trick. This was a truly fantastic moment and one of the highlights of the season.

Evans then replaced Reynolds and engaged in a compelling battle with the big hitting no.5 for Crouch End, consistently beating him in the flight and finding the inside edge, but not quite managing to force the breakthrough. Eintracht finished his spell with outstanding figures of 3-20 off eight overs in this heat. Although for our overseas Aussie, this is probably cold weather.

Greg Mayer then replaced Eintracht and mixed the outstanding with the average. He was very unlucky not to take a wicket and it was clear that he just needs some overs under his belt. Gerard replaced Mayer and made the breakthrough, tailing one back into the opener to bowl him.

In his last over, Evans kept up his record of taking a wicket every time he has bowled this year (but lost his record of taking two wickets every time he bowled this year), enticing the new batsman to drive to Mayer who took a good catch).

BECC were keeping it tight in the field, one appalling dive by Evans apart which has removed all the skin from his knee and his elbow. Nick McLeod in particular was swooping down on everything that came near him at square leg, whilst Altmann-Richer was using all of his wing span at slip, making some outstanding stops. He even executed a run out with his arrow arm. Special mention to Blasebalk who kept outstanding well on a difficult up and down pitch.

Tilley came on and bowled the new Crouch End batsman, bowling his customary tricky left-armers. Crouch End’s No. 5 brought up his ton, before Tilley took an unbelievable caught and bowled, flinging himself to his left, then his right.

There was even the luxury of Altmann-Richer getting his first Sunday bowl for the club, after McLeod turned down the opportunity, despite talking about his bowling all afternoon. Altmann-Richer closed out the win, to leave Belmont victorious by 81 runs.

It was a great all-round performance, with the stand-outs being Jacobs for his unbeaten 114 and Gerrard for his fantastic 82. However, the Daniel Frumar Magnum of Champagne this week goes to Jonny Eintracht for his hat-trick. What a player, what a man.

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