Crouch Hill CC, Sunday 27 June 2021.

St Anne’s Allstars 165-5 (27.1 overs, Matt Lo 47, Sanjay Dindyal 37*, Matt Biss 32) beat Mighty Wanderers 162 (27.1 overs, Sachin Singh 5-7, Amit Deverathippa 4-37) by 5 wickets to regain the James Abrahams Trophy.

Report by Pete Cresswell – Photos by Shanmugam Sama and Pete Cresswell

Sunday dawned grey and showery as the Allstars gathered at Crouch End to take on long standing rivals the Mighty Wanderers, who had won the James Abrahams trophy in a thrilling 50-over match at Mill Hill School back in 2019.

With both teams still waiting on a few arrivals still negotiating north London traffic, the captains agreed on a 35-over match that would hopefully finish ahead of the evening’s forecast thunderstorms. Allstars’ skipper Cresswell called incorrectly, and the Wanderers elected to bat first on a greenish pitch.

Shortly afterwards, seven Allstars took the field, assisted by two volunteer Wanderers as sub fielders – we reached a full complement by the end of the 5th over.

Jagath Dasari opened up the attack with Sheahan Arnott, and runs initially flowed as Wanderers’ opener Jukes took toll of the reduced field & short boundaries. Meanwhile, makeshift keeper Cresswell struggled to catch up with some prodigious swing on offer, meaning 27 came off the first 3 overs before Arnott managed to seam one back and bowl the dangerous Lars Smith for 1.

Montgomery joined Jukes, and the pair continued briskly, adding 89 in under 14 overs through spells by Sanjay Dindyal and Shanmugam Sama amidst some drizzle before Montgomery was bowled by Sachin Singh the last ball before drinks. It was a vital wicket which was to turn the game in our favour.

Jukes continued attacking Amit Deverathippa’s seam, but Sachin bowled Andy Charlton for 1 to open up the other end. Amit’s decision to switch to bowling off spin paid dividends getting Leahy and Heafield LBW off consecutive balls to reduce the Wanderers to 144-4.

Martin survived the hat-trick attempt – but the collapse was now well and truly on. Amit got his third wicket in 5 balls to remove Jukes bowled for 58 – then the pair mopped up the tail, Sachin bowling two consecutive wicket-maidens (taking 3-0 off his last 15 balls), and ultimately winning the race with Amit to a “Michelle Pfeiffer” by bowling J. Charlton for 1 to wrap up the innings.

Eight dismissals bowled (including all five of Sachin’s wickets) and two lbws showed the benefits of bowling straight in helpful atmospheric conditions, but 161 still looked very chaseable given the short boundaries.

Both teams then adjourned to the neighbouring North Middlesex CC clubhouse for tea. TEA! The first catered tea for the Allstars since the Portugal tour in October 2019.

After tea skipper Cresswell, a tad sore from keeping (and a 17 mile hike Saturday) opted to list himself at number 11. A decision that had nothing at all to do with protecting his average of 91 at this ground, a stat which absolutely never gets mentioned.

That meant a promotion for Jagath who opened the batting (alongside Matt Biss) as well as the bowling – matching a feat achieved in Test cricket by Danny Morrison. Unfortunately Jagath was brilliantly caught in the gully in the 2nd over – the Wanderers showing excellent skills in the field through the innings.

Hywel Roberts joined Matt Biss to steady the ship, the pair putting on 47 in 10 overs to build a platform before Hywel fell LBW. Matt Lo then joined his namesake, the pair getting the score up to 80 before Matt Biss got a leading edge to go for 32. Sam Perera then played a little cameo, a bat-breaking 6 and a 4 in his 12 either side of drinks before he was caught at long-on. 102-4 meant we needed 60 off 15 overs.

Sanjay then joined Matt Lo at the wicket, and the pair proceeded serenely & quickly, adding 57 before Matt fell trying to bring up the winning runs and his 50 (which would have sat nicely alongside his 52 against the Wanderers on debut in 2019).

Sheahan then carved a ball through gulley to bring up the win, both innings having lasted 27.1 overs.

We then adjourned to the NMCC bar for a brief celebration ahead of the rain which had mercifully held off through the day.

This win is dedicated to Amit’s father, who went through post-accident surgery in India prior to play. The club wishes him all the best for his recovery.

With the summer in full flow, the Allstars games continue thick and fast – we’re back in North London this Sunday, as we face Little Gradholm for the first time at Mill Hill Village CC.

Aston Rowant CC, Sunday 20 June 2021.

Heartaches 213-3 (30 overs; Chris Hutton 50) beat St Anne’s Allstars 140 all out (29.2 overs; Sachin Singh 46) by 73 runs.

Report by Garreth Duncan – Photos by Amit Deverathippa

Our fixture with Heartaches is a marquee one in our calendar, Sir Tim Rice’s team having welcomed us to some stunning grounds since way back in 2005. It’s always been a big challenge – as the sides we have faced are strong ones – and we have only two wins to show for. Heartaches were to prevail again – but not without an Allstars side putting up a tremendous fight and emerging with much credit against superior opposition for the second fixture running.

This weekend marked a watershed moment for our club, as our ever-growing squad depth allowed us the luxury of scheduling two weekend fixtures for the first time in 16 years. The weather was, alas, to force the postponement of our Saturday fixture against Matfield, and nervous checks on the forecast ensured as Sunday approached. But Aston Rowant’s superb facilities meant the pitch was covered against the overnight rain, and we were on!

The weather remained overcast all day, and with moisture in the air and a pitch still looking a bit green, on winning the toss I broke the habit of a lifetime and put Heartaches in to bat. The Banbury Two, Shanmugam Sama and Amit Deverathippa, resumed their opening bowling partnership, both finding swing and some variable bounce to give Heartaches’ opening batsmen A.D. Fox and Chris Hutton some early difficulties. Both were unlucky to go wicketless, as each opener survived a close LBW shout. Heartaches began slowly, but Fox started to find his range with some clean hitting down the ground, and at the 12 over sanitisation break they were 69-0.

Sachin Singh came on first change and got our first breakthrough, trapping Fox LBW just as he was really beginning to get going. We were also delighted to welcome back the good doctor Sanjay Dindyal after three years’ absence – and a tough 14 hour shift the day before – and after an uncertain start, he began to work up some pace and rhythm. Hutton continued to tick along and reached his fifty, and after 22 overs Heartaches were 134-1.

With Sachin’s excellent spell complete, Paul Burgin replaced him and struck with his second delivery as Hutton, trying to hit over the top, was well caught by Sirmad Shafique at mid-off. Pace off the ball seemed the way forward, and so I brought myself on at the other end and found some turn and decent length. Left-handers Tim Whittome and Tom Luttman Johnson began to accelerate with the overs running out – though their innings was to be somewhat cut short by their own skipper. With the light getting no better, after 29 overs our old friend Torquil Riley-Smith came onto the pitch to suggest shortening each innings to 30 overs – and we were happy to agree. Sanjay returned for the final over – and it was a superb one, ending Whittome’s innings with a pearler which hit the top of off stump. On a quick outfield, Heartaches’ 213-3 was a good effort from us in the field – and maybe, just, chaseable.

Though COVID restrictions means we missed out on Heartaches’ usually sumptuous tea, suitably refreshed, we set about the chase in good heart. Matt Biss began with a couple of lovely boundaries in the opening over, but left-armer Luttman-Johnson quickly struck as he disturbed his stumps. Amit was given LBW to Jordan Frieda the following over, and we were 14-2.

Then began the partnership which gave us dreams of victory. Paul Burgin, whose batting gets better year on year, saw off the openers, kept finding the gaps, and although the outfield had slowed, the twos and threes kept coming. At the other end, Sachin oozed class as, having played himself in nicely, he then slammed on the accelerator, boundaries flying off his broad bat as 24 came off an over. With 14 overs to go, we were 90-2.

But Heartaches were once again to show their strength. Sachin was four short of his fifty when he drove Edington to long-off – it would have been six on most grounds, but Jordan Frieda held a difficult chance on the boundary. Nevertheless, new dad Sachin can be well pleased with another excellent all-round effort on Father’s Day.

With the run rate now climbing to above ten an over, the remaining batsmen all went for their shots – but it was all too much. Paul’s excellent knock came to an end on 24, as Edington bowled him. Sam Perera came in and hit some mighty blows once again – but he was to get out in bizarre fashion, as spectators and scorers alike shared his puzzlement even as to the mode of dismissal.

Pete Cresswell, in an unusual role down the order, was caught at cover, Sanjay unluckily given out LBW, and our guest Roshan Herath, bravely batting with a runner having sustained a hamstring injury in the field, was caught and bowled by Pressland. Sirmad continued to hit out – but he was caught at mid-off. Shanmu played the shot of the day – a scorching square cut through point – but I was last out, caught at cover in the final over, and we were all out for 140.

Nevertheless, it was another thoroughly good day out, with everyone delighted that we’d beaten the weather and managed to play the game. Sir Tim was a generous host once again, as he and his team-mates shared a drink with us after the game. We look forward to playing them again next year – but next up, we’re back in the capital as we face Mighty Wanderers at Crouch End. It’s a ground where records are there to be broken, with club skipper Pete and Ashwin Rattan sharing their famous 214-run opening stand against the same opponents back in 2017. Onwards and upwards!

Hove Recreation Ground, Sunday 13 June 2021.

Allstar Barbarians 158-1 (22.1 overs – Apurv Chauhan 83 ret; Hywel Roberts 35*) beat Zambuca Tigers 155-8 (29 overs: Abhinav 3-25; Vivek Seth 2-27, Tony Grant 2-32) by 9 wickets.

Report by Vivek Seth – Photos by Pete Cresswell

This fixture has been somewhat doomed in recent times. After a very enjoyable match-up in summer 2020 both sides were due to play each other in France on tour in October. Sadly the pandemic led to the cancellation of that game. This time, the fixture remained heavily in doubt once again as emergency railway engineering work meant that a number of the Allstars team were unable to reach Hove as planned.

On the sunniest day of the year so far, it seemed that once again we would have to call off the game. Very fortunately, a delayed start which allowed some Allstars to jump into cars, and some last minute recruitment by the Tigers, allowed us to provide a team of 11 to face the Tigers. With the side containing players from three clubs (the Allstars, Tigers and Palmers), we called ourselves the Allstar Barbarians and got ourselves ready to play cricket.

In a rarity in modern times, Tigers skipper Elsom won the toss and understandably elected to bat. Abhinav opened the bowling with a probing opening over that resulted in the wicket of Andy Clarke. I opened at the other end, engaging in a battle with Bob Porter who played several glorious cut shots. It was a therefore a relief when Abhinav bowled Porter for 13. I soon took the wicket of Jon Edgell (unfortunately, his third golden duck in a row off me) leaving the Tigers at 22-3.

This bought Sam Silverwood-Cope and Danny Lloyd to the crease. Both proved immovable and accelerated the run rate despite the best efforts of the opening bowlers, plus first change bowlers Apurv Chauhan and Tony Grant. Tony made the vital breakthrough bowling Silverwood-Cope for 42 and Giles Dawkes the next ball, leaving the Tigers on 80-5 and with the Barbarians back in the game.

Lloyd and new bat Nic Straiton consolidated again, prompting a change in bowling with Jimmy Scott and Nigel de Silva coming on. Jimmy took the wicket of Lloyd while Nigel helped restrict the run rate. Straiton and Elsom took the score to 155 before both falling in quick succession to the returning opening bowlers – Straiton to Abhinav for 30 and Elsom to me for 29. At the end of their innings, the Tigers set the Barbarians 159 for victory.

Pete Cresswell and Apurv opened the batting and quickly settled. Tigers’ opening bowler, Steve Adams proved to be real menance, causing all kinds of problems for both batsmen. Adams eventually took Pete’s wicket with an unplayable ball that had Jimmy Anderson levels of swing.

Hywel Roberts joined Apurv at the crease and immediately looked comfortable, keeping the run rate ticking over. With the 15 overs countdown starting, the Barbarians needed a run a ball for victory. The Tigers however knew that a couple of quick wickets would leave the Barbars in serious trouble. The game was very much on.

The Roberts-Chauhan partnership looked to kick on after the break, Apurv in particular starting to find the boundary with ease. The Tigers attempted to disrupt his rhythm by rotating their bowlers but all to no avail. Apurv eventually retired on 83, including 17 fours, and leaving the Barbars on course for victory.

Chris Woods joined Hywel at the crease and took over the boundary hitting role from Apurv, scoring 19 from just 9 balls. He and Hywel, who finished 35 not out, took the Barbars over the line, leading to a 9 wicket victory.

The victory was secondary to us ensuring that 22 willing cricketers got a game on a gloriously sunny day. For a long time the game looked unlikely so particular thanks must go to Tigers Andy Clarke and Apurv Chauhan for finding the Allstars additional players at such short notice, and to all the players that played for us. An enjoyable first outing for the Barbars and we look forward to a more regular Allstars v Tigers game in the future! 

Wycombe House CC, Osterley, Sunday 30 May 2021.

Gentlemen of West London 172-6 (26.2 overs; Pavan Kota 74, Wamsee Krishna 2-25, Sam Waddicor 2-42) beat St Anne’s Allstars 171 all out (39.3 overs; Sam Waddicor 36*, Paul Bowman 31, Sachin Singh 30) by 4 wickets.

Allstars debuts: Wamsee Krishna, Mubeen Mohammad, Syed Rizvi

Report by Pete Cresswell – photos by Garreth Duncan

After a May filled with cold, wet weather that caused the Allstars’ first rained-off fixture in 3 seasons, hopes were high for a sunny Bank Holiday Sunday to celebrate 20 years of Allstars matches as an organised team, against our longest standing opposition, the Gentlemen of West London.

Sunday initially dawned cloudy, and the Allstars awoke to news that Saturday sporting injuries were forcing 3 players out of the match. However the clouds cleared, and our kind hosts Wycombe House CC managed to find us three handy fill ins.

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Skipper Pete Cresswell called correctly, looked at a lovely, hard looking pitch, and he and debutant Wamsee Krishna of Wycombe House headed out to bat. Cresswell started positively, only to run himself out for 6 trying for an ambitious second run. 7/1 quickly became 33/4 as Matt Biss played on a shooter for 10, Wamsee top-edged a pull for 7, and our second Wycombe House debutant Mubeen Mohammed was bowled for 8.

Sachin Singh and Paul “KP” Bowman came together at that point and added an excellent 66 runs for the fifth wicket, batting positively until KP was brilliantly caught in the gully for 31.

Sachin quickly followed skying a drive, and Tony Grant was bowled a couple of overs later, unable to resist attacking Hemin Patel’s flighted off-spin to reduce us to 99/7.

But even a depleted Allstars weren’t going to go down without a fight. Our final Wycombe House debutant, Syed Rizvi, went on the attack, well supported by Jimmy Scott. Rizvi hit four fours and a six in his sparkling 24, before falling to leave us 130/9 in the 33rd over.

At that stage the Allstars looked well short of a competitive total – but still we resisted. Sam Waddicor, who’s having an incredible start to 2021, set about the bowling with some sparkling shots, with Garreth Duncan ably defending in support and running hard to give Sam the strike. The pair added an invaluable 41 for the last wicket and had the Gents looking increasingly frustrated before “G-Drive” was bowled for 3 as he looked to attack in the last over. The resulting 171 looked a light, but possibly defendable score.

After tea the Gents’ openers strode to the crease, and Pavan Kota and Kumar started strongly. Their early positive attitude proved a touch rash as, in the third over, Matt Biss swooped in from square leg and managed a direct hit with to run out Kumar for a duck.

Following his efforts with the bat, Sam was quickly into the action with the ball, as he dismissed Puli LBW off one that kept low. But we know Pavan’s quality after his ton filling in for us against Crossbats in 2017, and he continued to bat serenely at the other end, adding 57 with keeper Sudireddy for the third wicket despite a couple of close LBW shouts off KP.

But this was a day the Allstars just would not give in. Sam grabbed a second as he bowled Sudireddy. Chattharaju added 12 before being trapped in front by Wamsee, who immediately repeated the dose to remove Gents’ stalwart Sanjay Patel. 113/5 in the 19th was starting to look interesting.

With Pavan looking serene, skipper Cresswell tried to change up the attack by introducing spin from Jimmy Scott and Tony Grant, but the well-set Pavan continued on serenely until trapped in front by a ball from Sachin that kept very low.

That brief flicker of hope at 139/6 soon died however as the Gents’ seventh wicket pair Karnekanti and Zahid Ahmed attacked the bowling, mindful that the pitch was developing a few gremlins, and they saw the Gents home.

So the 42-11 Trophy returns to the Gents once again. Overall, it was a good day’s cricket in the sun at a lovely ground against friendly opposition. And post-match we were (finally) able to physically present the first of last year’s end of season awards, with Matt Biss collecting his Allstar of the Year award as our leading run scorer in 2020.

The match also served as a farewell to Allstars’ stalwart Paul “KP” Bowman ahead of his family’s relocation to Belfast – and he deservedly collected his Long Service award. We wish them all well, and hope to see KP making tour appearances in future.

A good day was brightened further as our club founder Maxie Allen and his partner Rosalind announced the birth of their daughter Francesca. Congratulations from all of the Allstar family!

We’ll be back in action soon as the Allstars fixtures come thick and fast in June. Next up, we travel to Hove on 13 June to face our friends the Zambuca Tigers. What do Vivek and his team have in store for us?

Great Missenden, Saturday 1 May 2021.

St Anne’s Allstars 96-3 (19 overs: Nic Knight 42; Sam Perera 26*) beat Corridor 94 all out (24.4 overs: Jagath Dasari 4-14, Sam Waddicor 4-31) by 7 wickets.

Report by Garreth Duncan – Photos by Amit Deverathippa, Nic Knight and Jon Ryan

Corridor are a team very much like the Allstars in spirit: of roughly 20 years vintage, they were formed around a group of friends who played cricket for the sheer love of the game. The core of the team originally worked at Sky Sports, and their name stems from the impromptu games of cricket they used to arrange in the corridors during breaks. This was our third fixture against them, and after the first two, the score stood at 1-1 with two close contests. But this time was different as, courtesy of two champagne bowling performances from Jagath Dasari and Sam Waddicor, we cruised to victory with nearly half the overs to spare.

The venue, which Corridor hire from Great Missenden Pelicans CC, is one of the most picturesque on our fixture calendar – hidden deep in the Buckinghamshire countryside, with fields all around and a cracking pub, the Nag’s Head, right next door. Allstars legend Jon Ryan came along to support us for the day, as did Sam Perera’s mate Roshan who had turned out for us against the Tigers in 2019.

The pitch looked decent, on the edge of the square and on a slope that would make Lord’s look flat. Corridor skipper Duncan Mallard called correctly and decided to bat first. Shanmugam Sama and his neighbour Amit Deverathippa opened the bowling for the Allstars, both continuing where they’d left off against Superstars the previous week. Shanmu bowled a probing line once again, and was unlucky to go wicketless in a fine spell. But Amit, working up a decent pace, troubled both openers and was rewarded just before the first sanitisation break as Zorba was dismissed by a magnificent leaping catch by Sam Waddicor at point.

Smurf and keeper Damo both looked dangerous, and with the openers off, Smurf began to accelerate, hitting Sam Waddicor’s first over for 17. At the 10 over mark Corridor were 49-1 and looking good. But Sam showed tremendous character as he found his natural length and claimed his first Allstars wicket as Damo, looking to drive, was held by Nic Knight at short mid-off.

It was a brilliant piece of all-round cricket, and was to prove the match’s turning point as we seized control of the game. In the next over, Jagath followed up with a cracking delivery to knock over Smurf’s stumps, and then Sam struck again in his next over by bowling Swiss. In the blink of an eye, Corridor were reeling at 56-4.

Now brimming with confidence, Sam and Jagath continued to rampage through the Corridor middle and lower order. Sam took his third wicket in successive overs by trapping KC LBW, and Jagath replied with the ball of the day, a stunning fast off-cutter that took out Forge’s off-stump. Corridor hadn’t seen this coming, and Jagath struck twice more as Paddy was pinned LBW by a full, straight delivery and skipper Mallard clean bowled. Corridor were 82-8 and we were all over them like a rash, as Tony Grant produced a miserly spell to keep the pressure on.

Jagath richly deserved a five-for, but couldn’t quite manage it as Shivige blocked out his final four deliveries. But his day wasn’t yet done as, with just one stump to aim at, he ran out Shivige with a direct hit from mid-on. Sam returned to finish the job in style with his fourth wicket as Rory was plumb LBW. It was the first time in many a year that we’d dismissed an opposition for under 100, and Jagath and Sam deservedly led the Allstars off the field.

Small targets can sometimes be tricky to chase, but the best way to approach is to be positive from the outset. Following a very handy debut against Superstars, Nic Knight was quickly into his stride once again, hitting some crunching cover drives off opening bowler Paddy. Club captain Pete Cresswell was initially happy to push singles, but he then began to find his touch with a lovely boundary. We were almost halfway to the Corridor total before KC had Pete caught and bowled with a ball which stopped on him.

Nic followed soon after, just missing out on a maiden Allstars fifty for the second week in a row as he was smartly taken at slip for a well-worked 42. But nothing was going to stop the victory charge as Sam Perera launched into the Corridor bowling, showing the form of his stellar debut season with two monster straight sixes. Paul Burgin struck a couple of boundaries before Rory disturbed his stumps, but Sirmad Shafique, also making a welcome return to the team, took us over the line with ease for one of our most comprehensive victories in many years.

A cracking day all round – topped by a call-out on local radio as Wycombe Sound’s DJ played Sweet Caroline in our honour, evoking memories of our great tour to Portugal in 2019. Remarkably, our second radio appearance following our famous call-out on the Talksport lunchtime news as we headed to Newquay for our maiden tour in 2002.

Corridor’s skipper Duncan is a top bloke, and he and his team joined us in the Nag’s Head as we celebrated victory. We wish Corridor all the best for the rest of this season. Next up, we face Valley End at their scenic ground in Surrey. We’ve only beaten them once, but with players now in cracking early season form, can we do it again?