Chiswick House Gardens, Sunday 9 August 2026.

St Anne’s Allstars 143-3 (20.3 overs: Sam MacDonald 51* ret, Hywel Roberts 29*) beat Mighty Wanderers 140 all out (32.2 overs: Finn Grant 35, Sam Wakefield 33, Vivek Seth 4-41, Mathan Olaganathan 2-12) by 7 wickets.

Scorecard

Report by Anindya Roy – Photos by Garreth Duncan and Anindya Roy

There are obviously few better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than at Chiswick House Gardens with the James Abrahams Trophy up for grabs. Half the team reached the area on time but were unfortunate to arrive at the wrong pitch (read the neighbouring Chiswick Cricket Club Ground) and had to meander across the lovely leafy suburb of Chiswick to reach the actual destination for our eagerly anticipated clash with Mighty Wanderers. The game had everything you’d expect from a Sunday friendly: a delayed start, enough extras to keep the scorers entertained, and a wicket that seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to be Lord’s or Lahore.

Mighty Wanderers won the toss and chose to bat, a decision I admitted afterwards I would probably have made too on my first outing as Allstars captain. But it quickly became apparent the pitch was uneven, with some balls rearing up and others keeping low and shooting through. The outfield, after more than three weeks without any meaningful rain, was quicker than anyone had expected, despite the pitch looking more like a subcontinental deck.

Mathan Olaganathan started us off with the new ball, troubling Wanderers’ top order from the get go. He produced a superb opening spell, beating the bat repeatedly before Sam Ainsworth edged behind to Sam MacDonald. Graham Bruce, our friend from Salmagundi Gardeners, worked in tandem at the other end with pinpoint accuracy, keeping the runs in check before trapping Tim Leahy LBW. Nick Charlton joined Sam Wakefield in the middle and started making a decent enough fist of things and pushed the score to 63-2 when the first drinks break was taken after 14 overs.

We then turned to the probing left-arm spin of Hywel Roberts from one end and Vivek Seth’s leg spin from the other. Vivek finally got the breakthrough we desperately needed, bowling Sam Wakefield, who had looked the most assured of the batters, making a well-constructed 33. My personal moment of the match came shortly after, as I dived and managed to hold onto a Gabriel Radonich mishit from a flighted delivery from Vivek at mid-on. Andy Charlton departed two balls later, and Hywel soon bowled Nick Charlton to leave Wanderers’ innings wobbling.

After a brief resistance, Vivek procured the prized wicket of skipper James Petersen-Knight for his well-deserved fourth. Wanderers were now 88-7 and in a spot of bother. But in all the years we’ve been playing them, we know they don’t give up without a fight. Finn Grant counter-attacked impressively, hitting straight and making a few balls disappear into the bushes while Jimmy Scott, sporting the opposition colours for the day, was greeted with the traditional friendly boos before settling in to frustrate us with his trademark cuts and solid defence. Their partnership threatened to push the total beyond our reach before Ross Blackmore’s sharp run-out ended Finn’s entertaining 35.

I brought Mathan and Graham back into the attack to try and limit the score, and the decision soon paid dividends as Mathan claimed a deserved second wicket, bowling Jonners Charlton. Stephen Tjasink was the last to go, a second direct-hit run out, and Wanderers were dismissed for 140.

Special mention must go to an excellent Allstars fielding display. Ross, Vivek, Iain Wilson, John Kingston, and Garreth Duncan seemed magnetically attracted to the cricket ball all afternoon, while Sam was outstanding behind the stumps, ensuring Mr Extras had one of his quieter Sundays. The pick of the attack was Vivek with four wickets, while Mathan produced a superbly miserly spell of 8 overs, 3 maidens, 12 runs and 2 wickets, and was perhaps unlucky to not get more. Nathaniel Hill also contributed in the field before continuing his development as our scorer, as we used the considerably higher-tech PCS Pro package for the first time.

If the first innings contained a degree of method, the Allstars chase contained considerably more swagger. Chasing 141, we lost John early after one glorious cover drive reminded everyone what might have been. Enter Sam, who continued the outstanding form he’s shown all season. He and Hywel quickly settled any nerves, as the Wanderers’ bowlers Tjasink and Jonners Charlton were hit out of the attack – we dealt almost exclusively in boundaries with a lightning fast outfield punishing almost every fielding lapse.

Sam managed to change the overall mood of the game, with an eye-catching 51 off just 30 balls before magnanimously retiring not out with the team score reading 101-1. Ross joined Hywel at the crease and was his usual quickfire self, punishing the wayward bowling with 4 fours. He missed a straight one from Jonners Charlton which brought out Iain to the crease – but by then the Allstars needed only 12 runs to finish the job.

Gabriel Radonich trapped Iain LBW, which left yours truly to stroll out needing 11 to win. Three boundaries off three deliveries and, in what was almost certainly the least pressure-packed cameo of the season, the winning runs were duly dispatched. Returning to Allstars colours after a brief hiatus, Hywel played the anchor role to perfection, finishing unbeaten on 29 and guiding the chase home.

The target was achieved in just 20.3 overs, with the result never really in doubt once the engine room got going. Victory by seven wickets meant the James Abrahams Trophy remained safely in Allstars hands, a fine reward for an excellent all-round performance.

Club secretary Garreth presented the Allstars with the James Abrahams Trophy as we grabbed beers with the Wanderers after the match. Perhaps quite fittingly a bunch of us went back to the Chiswick CC ground to have a few more celebratory pints overlooking the cricket ground at the Duck & Ball pub.

Mighty Wanderers are great guys, and we wish them well for the rest of their season. But next up, we’re in Barn Elms as we prepare to carry our form into the game with the Min on Sunday 16 August.