The ECG, Mill Hill Village CC, Sunday 6 September 2026.

Edgware CC 189-5 (22.4 overs: Mox Patel 64, Rahul Kothari 40*; Barathwaj Nagarajan 3-22) beat St Anne’s Allstars 187 all out (35.5 overs: Pradosh Bose 62*, Raghavendra C R 42; Jeet Swaminarayan 2-4; Jaimin Patel 2-17) by 5 wickets.

Allstars Debut: Deepak Sukhani

Scorecard

Report and pictures by Anindya Roy

Back to Mill Hill Village and the ECG, scene of last year’s encounter with Edgware when Rahul Kothari took 4-8 and then smashed 75 not out as they chased our 113 in nine overs. We therefore arrived for the rematch armed with experience, renewed optimism and, presumably, some sort of plan.

More on that later.

Skipper Pradosh Bose won the toss and elected to bat against a strong Edgware side filled with regular league cricketers, which meant we would have to play very well to compete.

Amit Deverathippa and Raghavendra started us off in commanding fashion, with Amit crashing three boundaries in the very first over from Rahul Kothari. Meanwhile, Raghavendra negotiated the nifty pace bowling of Rahul Vinod. Amit was starting to look very dangerous before Vinod removed him for a well-made 23 from 17 balls. Sreeram Balasur quickly settled in and made 11, including two beautiful boundaries, before Vinod disturbed his stumps.

Raghavendra took over the anchor role, setting the tone for our innings with an excellent 42 and hitting the ball around the park while wickets began disappearing at the other end. Ross Blackmore and John Kingston departed to excellent deliveries from Kothari before I wandered out, feeling unusually comfortable at the crease, struck a boundary off my first delivery and briefly entertained thoughts of making a meaningful contribution. Naturally, I then top-edged a Jeet Swaminarayan delivery straight to Moses Ogbimi for 5.

Edgware impressed with their ground fielding, especially Moses, who was also a very good bowler and perhaps unlucky not to get a wicket. Hamza Nouman showed some resistance before falling to a good one from Riten Savani. Barathwaj ‘Baz’ Nagarajan soon followed after a very uncharacteristic swing and miss while stepping out, with Rahul Kothari (yes, him again) completing the stumping. When Raghavendra’s fine innings finally ended we were 97-8. At this point, frantic discussions were being had on the sidelines about how 120 was defendable, 150 ambitious and anything approaching 180 would give us something to genuinely play for.

Enter Pradosh. Captain, leader and soon-to-be legend.

I had by now swapped batting gloves for umpiring duties and consequently had the best seat in the house for an onslaught of fairly epic proportions. With debutant Deepak Sukhani providing wonderfully stubborn support, Pradosh began taking the Edgware attack apart.

So entertaining was the counterattack that I repeatedly forgot one of the more basic responsibilities of umpiring: counting to six. Fortunately Amit was on hand to tell me how many balls had actually been bowled whenever concentration wandered. Baz eventually asked whether I fancied swapping umpiring duties. I declined. Why surrender front-row seats when the entertainment was this good?

Particularly enjoyable was watching the Edgware fielders’ complexions progress through various shades of pink, purple and red as Pradosh continued his assault – with some of our old friends from Edgware appearing especially unimpressed by developments. There was so much chatter on the field that we began wondering who was actually captaining Edgware that day.

At the other end, Deepak’s contribution was every bit as important. His 11 from 45 balls was an innings of tremendous resilience, putting a price on his wicket and giving Pradosh the licence to attack while steadfastly refusing to go anywhere himself. Their ninth-wicket partnership added 75, dragging us from 97-8 to 172-9 and completely changing the complexion of the game.

After Deepak missed a straight one from opposition captain Jaimin Patel (a very nice bloke) and was adjudged lbw, Nathaniel Hill ventured out and continued the resistance against a very good Edgware bowling line up. Pradosh eventually finished with a magnificent 62 not out from 45 balls, including eight fours and three towering sixes. From the wreckage of 97-8 we had somehow reached 187 all out – a total that felt considerably larger given where we had been.

Edgware openers Mox Patel and Paumil attacked the chase positively, but we gave them far more of a fight than the eventual margin might suggest. Amit charged in with serious pace and extracted some vicious bounce from the surface, while Raghavendra was excellent all day behind the stumps. Deepak removed the very dangerous looking Moses Ogbimi, and his spin proved to be the perfect foil to Amit’s searing pace as Edgware found him very difficult to negotiate.

We welcomed back our friend Hamza, whom we last met in beautiful Matfield, and he accounted for a well-set Jeet Swaminarayan who was caught on the boundary line by Pradosh, who could do no wrong that day. And then Baz began spinning a web against an Edgware team looking to be in a hurry to finish off the game. Abrar Mohammed, who had blasted 21 from seven balls, was again caught on the fence by Pradosh as Edgware consistently went for big shots. Two sharp stumpings by Raghav helped Baz to excellent figures of 3-22. Suddenly Edgware were 131-5 and, against a side of their quality, we had somehow dragged ourselves right back into the contest. Unfortunately, there remained the small matter of Rahul Kothari.

Mox Patel had played an excellent anchor role at the other end, but Rahul arrived with little apparent interest in letting this develop into a thriller. Those of us who remembered his 75 not out against us last year began experiencing an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. Still, with roughly 25 required, the game was not entirely dead.

At which point our El Capitano perhaps took the only misstep of his match by taking himself off – while bowling very well, I might add – and asking me to bowl.

In my head I consider myself to be a bowling all-rounder. The plan was to attack the stumps, get a wicket as we were leaking runs anyway. The execution should, in theory, have been equally straightforward. Instead, I repeatedly missed the blockhole and served up full tosses. Rahul duly got underneath both and dispatched them for monstrous sixes. When I finally fired one wide, Rahul top-edged it into no-man’s-land as luck began deserting us too. Mox, perhaps sensing an all-you-can-eat buffet, joined in with another maximum. Any lingering hopes of a grandstand finish disappeared towards the Mill Hill shrubbery along with the ball.

And because cricket occasionally likes to pile on the misery, the final delivery beat a swinging batsman, keeper and everyone else, hit the helmet and added five more byes to proceedings. At this point, I had raised the proverbial white flag on behalf of the team.

Rahul finished with a brutal 40 not out from 16 balls, while Mox completed an excellent unbeaten 64 as Edgware reached 189-5 to win by five wickets in 22.4 overs.

Defeat, then, but a performance with plenty of character against a very strong Edgware side. Raghavendra set the tone with the bat and kept superbly, Deepak produced a wonderfully resilient innings and chipped in with a wicket, Baz’s 3-22 gave us genuine hope, Sreeram and Ross were excellent in the field, Amit batted well, bowled with real pace and hostility, and Pradosh’s extraordinary rescue act turned what looked like a very short afternoon into a proper contest.

At 97-8, few would have imagined us reaching 187. At 131-5, even fewer would have imagined we would briefly have Edgware looking over their shoulders. We made them work for the victory, which represented considerable progress from last year’s nine-over shellacking. Another chastening encounter with Mr Kothari, although compared with last year’s 75* and 4-8, we can perhaps claim statistical progress. At this rate, we should have him down to single figures by about 2029. One can hope. Provided I don’t bowl.

Edgware were deserved winners and great company once again, and we look forward to another crack at them next season. Next up, this Sunday, we head back south of the river for our penultimate game of the regular season against our good friends, Plastics CC in Wimbledon.

Barn Elms Sports Centre, Sunday 16 August 2026.

The Min 144-4 (21.1 overs: Paris Grappy 42, Iain Wilson 2-23) beat St Anne’s Allstars 143-8 (35 overs: Matt Biss 42, Sam Perera 41, Philip Beswick 2-9) by 6 wickets.

Scorecard

Report by Garreth Duncan – Photos by Ben Hampton and Garreth Duncan

The Min are a social team very much in our own spirit, dating back over 40 years and having several generations playing for their club. Fresh from our win over Mighty Wanderers, we arrived at Barn Elms, in the shadow of Fulham FC’s brand new stand overhanging the Thames, with high hopes of a second successive victory. It proved not to be – but not without a great fight in which the Allstars gave it everything.

It was great to welcome back the Haddow-Allen family, without whom our club simply wouldn’t exist. Three generations of them were in attendance, with our founder Maxie, his brother Felix and sister Aurelia being joined by their mum Joy, their respective other halves Rosalind, Kate and Anthony, and all their children. We were also pleased to welcome back Sam Perera, returning to us after 4 years in his native Sri Lanka.

Maxie, returning to the helm as he did for so many years in the past, won the toss and elected to bat. With the drought in its umpteenth week, the Barn Elms pitch was very much as expected – bone dry, cracked and misbehaving. Matt Biss and Ben Hampton opened for the Allstars, and made a disciplined start. Ben crunched an early boundary before being bowled by Gunner.

Sam Perera joined Matt in the middle, and they settled in, calmly taking stock of the conditions and seeing off the opening bowlers. The Min’s secretary Richard Beswick entered the fray, and probed away on his usual tight line and length – but Matt and Sam stood firm and slowly began to increase the scoring rate. They had put on 94 before Sam was run out in a mix-up over a second run.

This was just the breakthrough The Min needed, and from there on, they took a hold on the game that they were never to relinquish. Philip Beswick bowled Matt, relishing the battle on a tough surface as always, before Anthony became our second run-out of the day. Luke Dooley hit a boundary before becoming Gunner’s second victim, and Philip Beswick then took his second as he caught and bowled Phani Sainath.

It was fantastic to see Felix joined at the crease by his 10-year-old son Ned, who became the first of the new Haddow-Allen generation to make his batting debut for us. But with the overs running out, risks had to be taken, and Ned was run out as they pushed for a single. I was caught behind off the final scheduled delivery, and we had a target of 144 to defend – not much, but possible if the pitch continued to play tricks.

Ben gave us the perfect start with the ball, bowling The Min skipper Brock Boyd-Taylor with his second delivery, before Anthony also picked up a deserved wicket by rattling Etheridge’s stumps. Paris Grappy looked an accomplished batsman, and together with Baker they began to whittle the target down.

The Allstars never give up without the greatest of fights, and the combative Iain Wilson kept us in the game, letting out a primeval roar as he bowled Baker. He soon struck again as Grappy was well held by Sai at mid-wicket, and at 78-4 we still had a chance. But Roger and Jack Stacey were in fine form, and they continued to knock off the runs. Ned was cheered by all as he bowled a useful spell – but The Min finished the job with plenty overs to spare.

This was still a great family day out, and we all gathered in our old haunt the Red Lion reminiscing about great Allstars games of the past and looking forward to the future. We wish The Min all the best for the rest of their season – but next up, we’re back north of the river tomorrow to face the mighty Edgware at Mill Hill Village.

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.

Hampton Wick, Sunday 12 July 2026.

Hampton Wick Royal CC 233-4 dec (38 overs: Jaden Mistry 52 ret, Mitch Lockwood 50 ret, Freddie Saville 50 ret) drew with St Anne’s Allstars 223-4 (42 overs: Oliver Slatford 50 ret, Anindya Roy 48, Sam MacDonald 37*).

Scorecard

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

12 July is an auspicious day in the English sporting calendar.  In the early hours of the morning, Jude Bellingham’s extra-time winner saw off Norway and sent England into the World Cup semi-finals.  On the cricketing front, it was on this day in 2009 when Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar formed an epic rearguard to save the first Ashes Test in Cardiff.  That day was also a landmark one for the Allstars, as we snatched a famous victory over Salix from an equally unpromising position. And on that anniversary, we threatened an equally improbable win in one of our greatest run chases, falling just 11 runs short but ultimately emerging with the most satisfying of draws.

Hampton Wick Royals are a new opponent on the Allstars rota, recommended by Richard Slatford who is very well known to them.  The club dates all the way back to 1863, and their ground in Bushy Park is beautifully maintained.  Their clubhouse was cruelly targeted by arsonists three years ago, but their plans for a new one have been approved and construction will begin shortly.  The club fields multiple Saturday XIs, and tailor their Sunday social team carefully to match the opposition’s standard, with a mixture of colts (and one filly) with their Dads matching us very closely in an absorbing game.

On another summer’s day which the Fast Show’s weather girl would call “scorchio”, Hampton Wick skipper Nick Dunmore won the toss and chose to bat first.  Samer Hafiz began nicely with the ball, maintaining control and extracting bounce and turn off the bone dry surface.  At the other end, Oliver Slatford also settled into a nice rhythm.  But Hampton Wick opener Mitch Lockwood was quickly into his stride – and on a lightning fast outfield, the boundary count begin to mount up.  Samer was not to be deterred, and he got the first wicket as Sam Diggins was well caught by Anindya Roy at point.

We were relieved to see the back of Lockwood as he retired on reaching his fifty, but left-hander Jaden Mistry proved equally adept. Parina Singh entered the fray, but she was soon on her way as she chipped Ben Hampton to Luke Dooley at cover.  Ben was working up a lively pace – but it was a freakish event which gave us our next breakthrough.  Mistry and Mandeep Singh ran two as Luke chased the ball down in the outfield – but his throw to Ben was awry.  Mistry went for a third run on the overthrow – but Ben was having no “buzzers” on his watch, and hurled the ball to the other end, where it bounced off keeper Slats’ pads and onto the stumps to run out the unlucky Mandeep. Hampton Wick were 102-3 in the 18^th over, and still threatening a big total.

Freddie Saville was the next man in, and started slowly before beginning to unfurl a few shots.  Mistry’s retirement brought in skipper Nick, and he too looked a handy batsman.  Jimmy Scott was putting his usual flight on the ball – his bowling was to rival Nick’s for threatening the overhead Heathrow flight-path – and it was he who took the next wicket, as Nick was brilliantly caught by Sam MacDonald, diving forward at slip.  I bowled a couple of overs as the declaration neared, and missed a skier off the final delivery.  Nevertheless, on such a good surface we could be very pleased to have restricted Hampton Wick to 233, and had every chance of being able to chase it down.

After a splendid tea, we set about the chase as Samer and Oliver opened the batting as they had done the bowling. Though Hampton Wick openers Safwan Sanusara and Isaac De Quintal both looked sharp, “OJ” went for his shots from the start, hitting particularly well both down the ground and over the covers – though he lived dangerously at times as a few aerial shots just evaded the fielders.  Samer also looked in good touch, though frequently unable to pierce the infield, and was to meet an old work mate of his, Dan Diggins, out in the middle.  It was his former colleague who brought about Samer’s dismissal as he played around a straight one and was given LBW – allegedly the first LBW decision I’d ever given out in my Allstars umpiring career, though Samer felt the bounce would have taken it over the stumps. 

The opening pair had given us an excellent start, and as Slats joined his nephew in the middle, they continued to chip away at the target.  Parina Singh had settled into a good spell, reminiscent of our old nemesis Maggie “the Cat” Page of Mighty Wanderers, and she got the second wicket as Slats slashed to point.  Oliver retired on reaching his fifty soon afterwards – but at the second hydration break (no booing please), we were 112-2 and still in with a chance of winning if we could keep wickets in hand.

Ben and Roy continued the good work, raising our third fifty partnership of the day, and with 10 overs left we required 74.  Ben, hilariously described by Slats as having “a big helmet”, was his usual positive self before being bowled by Mandeep Singh.  Roy’s batting improves with every innings he plays for us, and as he began to up the tempo, victory seemed possible. 

Sam, who had bravely volunteered to play for us despite incurring a nasty wound to his foot the day before, had a few sighters before he too hit the pedal, mixing deft sweeps with his favourite pulls.  But, although they didn’t have a good day’s catching, Hampton Wick’s ground fielding was superlative, and it probably made the difference between them saving the game and us getting over the line.  

35 were needed off the last three overs – but opener Safwan returned to strike a critical blow, as he bowled Roy just two short of his fifty and just as critically, left Sam stuck at the wrong end. Although he got the strike back to blast 18 off the final over, it wasn’t quite enough to see us to victory.  So a draw it was, and all shook hands and congratulated each other on a day when cricket was the winner.

This was a fabulous performance of which we should feel very proud, against opponents well matched to us, and we celebrated a great day’s cricket with drinks in their marquee.  Hampton Wick have everything it takes to become regulars on the Allstars fixture list, and we look forward to playing them again in 2027, by which time their new clubhouse will be in place.  But next on the list for us, we head to the lovely setting of Chiswick House on 9 August as we face Mighty Wanderers for the James Abrahams Trophy.