We are grateful to Felix for securing us the services of a new player for 2014. His name’s Joe and he’s from Yorkshire. Let’s hope his injured thumb clears up before the Wisborough Wanderers match on 5th May.

If you can play in, or match-manage, any of these, please let Maxie know, at maxie@maxieallen.com

Sunday 4th May v Wisborough Wanderers Won by 27 runs

Sunday 18th May v Valley End Lost by seven wickets

Sunday 25th May v Sanford (away – Guildford)

Sunday 1st June v Quokkas (away – Barnes Common)

Saturday 21st June v Salix (home – Barnes Common)

Sunday 29th June v Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue (away – Chigwell)

Sunday 13th July v Mighty Wanderers (home – Barnes Common)

Sunday 27th July v Village* (home – Mill Hill)

Saturday 2nd August v Gentlemen of West London+ (home – Barnes Common)

Sunday 31st August v Baker Street Irregulars (away – venue TBC, but London)

Sunday 7th September v New Barbarian Weasels (home – Barnes Common)

Saturday 13th September v Nomadic Norsemen (away – Holmbury, Surrey)

Thursday 2nd – Monday 6th October – tour to Benidorm

*Biggles Goggles Trophy
+ 42-11 Cup

UPDATE: We are going to meet at the Lamb & Flag pub in Rose Street, Covent Garden (click here for map).

We are pleased to confirm that the 2013 Allstars end-of-season Awards Dinner will take place on Saturday 16th November.

All players, past present and future, and their partners, are most welcome. Due to popular demand, we are switching this year from the ‘room above a pub’ format to an Indian restaurant – specifically, the Punjab on Shaftesbury Avenue. We’ll meet from 6pm in a nearby pub (TBC, suggestions welcome), and adjourn to the Punjab after nine.

The night is an opportunity for us all to meet and celebrate the past season. We also present awards to Allstars Of The Year, and nominations for these are now officially open. The awards recognise achievement or merit in any Allstars context – for a champagne moment, a performance in a single match, or over the season, for being a stalwart or good tourist, or for long-service. Please send your nominations to Maxie.

 We have a Facebook Page for the event, which you are encouraged to join and invite others to join. Most importantly, please email Maxie if you may, or definitely will, be attending.

On our seventh tour to Northumberland, we were warmly welcomed once again by our old friends from Eglingham CC.  After a pre-match drink at the superb Tankerville Arms, we made our way to their beautiful ground to play a T20 game to avoid the heavy rain forecast for later that afternoon. We had a shaky start as Pete Cresswell was unluckily run out in the first over going for a tight second, but Paul Bowman and Rob Jackson both went for their shots, Rob hitting a glorious straight drive down the ground and KP dispatching anything short.  After they both fell in successive overs, Paul Burgin rebuilt the innings with Belgium’s finest, Joel Winten.  Joel carved a four through backward point before he was stumped as he came down the pitch.  Paul began cautiously on his Allstars debut, but began to find the boundary as he top scored before losing his middle stump. Some busy contributions down the order took us to 84-8 – a modest score, perhaps, but defendable on a pitch that could seemingly only get worse with the weather.

Pete had bravely taken the gloves in the absence of our regular keepers, but as seems customary on our tours he soon found himself wearing a bit more. KP found a bit of bounce and the edge of the Eglingham opener’s bat, only for the ball to nastily deflect off Pete’s gloves and hit him on the eyebrow.  A trip to Alnwick Infirmary was required before he returned in triumph to the Tankerville. Nick Chadwick got an early breakthrough at the other end, rearranging their opener’s stumps, before our other local recruit, George Knox, struck twice in his first two overs, pinning one LBW and another smartly caught.  Our other debutant, West Yorkshire’s finest George Bridges, quickly settled into a good rhythm with his left-arm seamers.  But we didn’t have enough runs to play with, and with some impressive six hitting, Eglingham’s fourth wicket pair took them to victory.

We were eagerly awaiting our Sunday game against Corinthians CC, only for the weather to cruelly deny us, the Saturday afternoon monsoon leaving the Ryton pitch waterlogged and unplayable.  It didn’t stop us seeing some cricketing action on Sunday, as we headed to Chester-le-Street to watch Durham thrash Surrey.  Hashim Amla looked very much like the No 1 batsman in the world as he unveiled some classy pulls and cover drives, but once he was brilliantly caught by Phil Mustard, Durham’s pace attack made short work of the remaining Surrey batsmen.

Thanks to all who came on the tour, and hope to see you again – with better weather – next year!