Richmond Cricket Club’s Dismal Performance: Out for Just Two Runs

Richmond Cricket Club’s fourth XI suffered an embarrassing defeat, setting an unfavorable record after being bowled out for a mere two runs. This occurred in a Middlesex League Division One match against North London Cricket Club’s third XI.

The match took place in the league’s third tier, with Richmond choosing to bowl first. North London seized the advantage, amassing a significant score of 426 runs across 45 overs.

Dan Simmons spearheaded the innings with an impressive 140 runs. Richmond’s struggles were compounded by conceding a staggering 92 extras, including 63 wides.

Richmond’s Batting Collapse

In pursuit of a daunting 427-run target, Richmond’s batting order crumbled dramatically. The team was dismissed for just two runs in 5.4 overs, with eight batsmen failing to score. One run came from a wide, while Tom Petrides was the only batter to score. Rafiqul Haque remained at the crease, scoreless.

North London’s Perspective

North London’s third XI captain, Tom Spawton, commented on how close they were to dismissing the opposition without allowing a legitimate run.

Close to Perfection

“One of the two runs resulted from a wide, and the other from a dropped catch. We left the match feeling that we could have realistically bowled them out for zero,” Spawton stated.

Richmond’s Response

Addressing the crushing defeat, Richmond’s deputy chairman and head of cricket, Steve Deakin, attributed the outcome to a severe lack of available players.

Player Shortage

“Our player availability was extremely poor this week. Approximately 40 players were unavailable across our five men’s teams. We were already struggling, and then had seven withdrawals over Thursday and Friday, impacting the fourths,” he explained.

“The captains were contacting friends of friends just to ensure we could field our teams,” he added.