Having picked up a knock while fielding early on in Thursday’s Headway T20 Surge Evening League One opener at the KGV, Tom Nightingale was unable to bowl or patrol the boundary in his usual fashion for Indies against Wanderers-Rovers.
It also made running between the wickets awkward when he came out alongside his skipper Nathan Le Tissier for the run chase, but it did not prevent the Guernsey all-rounder from smacking the ball to all parts as he raced to a 38-ball century with a brutal display of power hitting.
He was in no mood to ease himself into his innings after his side had been set a target of 154 for victory on a belter of a pitch and such was his dominance during the fielding restrictions of the six-over powerplay that he contributed 75 of his side’s 85 runs during that period. Le Tissier, liked the rest of his teammates, was simply enjoying the fireworks from the other end.
Nightingale brought up his half-century from just 17 deliveries in the fourth over and he was on 99 when Indies reached the halfway stage of their allotted 20 overs before easing the next ball away for a rare single to tick over into triple figures to the claim of his colleagues in the pavilion.
He went on to finish 110 not out from 44 balls with nine fours and 10 sixes to his name.
Le Tissier did join in the fun, making 37 with three fours and a six, before incurring the light-hearted wrath of CJ Peatfield who had already taken one of his pads off before being called into action when his captain was dismissed by Anthony Armstrong with his side just five short of victory after an opening stand of 149.
Nightingale was denied the opportunity to hit the winning runs, though, when Ben Johnson misdirected a bumper and with the batter unable to reach it, despite throwing himself into an extravagant attempted cut shot, umpire Owen Brock reluctantly had to call a wide, which signalled the end of the game with more than seven overs to spare.
Earlier, Le Tissier had had his work cut out in juggling his attack, having lost both the services of Nightingale and Will Peatfield, who felt a tweak in his shoulder halfway through his third over.
In all, Indies used eight bowlers, with Kieran Le Gallez tidy in claiming 2 for 23 from his four overs while Ryan Harris picked up a couple of wickets, too, including the important scalp of Ed Benfield.
Last season’s top run scorer in the top flight carried his form into the new season in making 55 from 43 deliveries, with a six and seven fours to his name, before the younger Peatfield brother took a good catch at deep square-leg to remove him.
Marcus Thomas and Zachary Buttle chipped in with middle-order runs for WRs, but it was useful cameos from Warno Smit and Armstrong that proved late acceleration to get them past 150.
It still proved to be nowhere near enough with Nightingale in that sort of mood, though.
