On a sunny Bank Holiday Monday in May 2001, a new team began as eleven twenty-something guys boarded a train at King’s Cross station to play a game of cricket in rural Nottinghamshire – our first game as the Allstars. Few realised what they were letting themselves in for, nor could they have thought that fledgling team would still be going strong after 20 seasons. Our founder Maxie Allen tells the story of that day …

Newark, Notts – Monday 28 May 2001.
South Muskham and Little Carlton CC 200-7 dec (37.5 overs: Nick Jones 3-29) beat St Anne’s Allstars 178 all out (34.5 overs: Nick Jones 66, Tom Morris 34, Dave Bracegirdle 4-24) by 22 runs.

If, the night before, I had dreamt we would score over 150 and lose by as small a margin as 22 runs, I would have dismissed it as ludicrous fantasy. In the end, thanks in great part to a spectacular innings by Nick Jones, we made a decent game of it.

As a day of entertainment, it could hardly have been bettered. The sun shone warmly on South Muskham and Little Carlton’s attractive ground, where an absorbing contest developed in the middle. Our hosts were charming and generous, and the post match celebrations extensive.

66 from 41 deliveries, and 3 for 29 with the ball, deservedly earned Jones the man of the match award. His brutal display contrasted with Tom Morris’ more classically composed 34, and Andy Dyer’s cussed 18.

Having won the toss, I had no option but to field first, to ensure the match wasn’t all over in 45 minutes. There was an early success when Highfield gave a return catch to Tristan Haddow-Allen, but then Lees and Stuart dropped anchor, compiling more than eighty for the second wicket.

Adam Clements bowled his eight overs off the reel, and can feel unlucky to have gone wicketless. His persistent line and length earned him several nicks and edges, none of which went to hand. The short boundary at the pavilion end was also causing problems, with loose deliveries evading the keeper to notch up 26 byes during the innings. Jones was our man with the golden arm, and made the breakthrough in his second over when he had Jamie Stuart caught behind by Tom Morris for an excellent 36.

Then came as close to a collapse we are ever likely to induce. Garreth Duncan turned one of his googlies to castle Lees, who had batted very well for his 39. Then, in Jones’ fifth over, he struck twice in three balls. The dismissals were virtually identical – a ball slightly short of a length lifted, left the batsman, and took the edge. Tristan Haddow-Allen took both catches at slip, the second a real beauty.

South Muskham were now reduced to 126 for 5, but our hopes of actually bowling them out soon faded. Gresswell and Claughton added 32 for the sixth wicket before the latter was bowled by Andy Dyer. Gresswell was then joined by Thompson, and with our strike bowlers out of the attack the pair accumulated runs in easy fashion. But before the innings closed there was a maiden wicket for Kieron Dolphin, who had Thompson give Morris a second catch behind the stumps. When their score reached 200 in the 38th over, South Muskham declared to leave us a highly gettable target.

Tim White started brightly before one popped up on him and squirted into the hands of short leg. Andy Clarke looked a million dollars as he shared a partnership of 39 with Morris. His dismissal was unfortunate – a firmly struck leg glance ricocheting off midwicket into the hands of David Bracegirdle at mid-on.

Until then Morris had batted with elegance and purpose, but the departure of Clarke subdued him and the innings became bogged down. Between the tenth and seventeenth overs we scored just ten runs, and there were four consecutive maidens. Tristan Haddow-Allen and Morris were both out trying to force the pace. The former’s miscued cut ended up in the hands of gully, while Mozza fed a pull shot straight down the throat of deep mid-wicket: 72 for 4.

But then came the partnership which almost transformed the match. At one end Dyer nurdled quick singles. At the other Jones blazed away like a man in a hurry to get to the pub. With a powerful bottom hand and a good eye, he tried to launch every single ball he received out of the ground. He kept connecting, and it kept whizzing to the boundary. His innings of 66 included 8 fours and 3 huge sixes, all disappearing into the next field. His assault on their bowling was nothing less than murderous, with three overs going for 11, one for 13 and one for 18.

With 29 overs gone we needed only another 57 from the remaining eleven, with 6 wickets in hand. But it was all going a bit too well – time for us to come back down to earth. Dave Bracegirdle knocked back Dyer’s off pole, then Jones – who had already been dropped in the deep three times – was caught off a skier.

At 160 for 6, Clements and Jim Jarrett still had victory in their sights, but the next Bracegirdle over put paid to our any such hopes. First Clements was bowled, which made way for an entertaining cameo from Kieron Dolphin. He had refused to bat in nets and here seemed reluctant to bat for any longer than was absolutely necessary. Attempting to hit his first ball through the covers, Dolphin instead deflected it onto middle stump.

Bracegirdle was now on a hat-trick, and the sight of me walking out to bat must have made him lick his lips. I survived three balls, though, before trying to pull him through cow corner and missing it completely. Soon Garreth was leg before on the shuffle and it was all over. Subsiding from 160 for 5 to 178 all out, our tail rather failed to wag.

Afterwards there was much merry making, as we repaired to the Crown for the barbecue, skittles and darts. We lost those as well. The captain took part in these festivities with, arguably, undue enthusiasm. On reaching King’s Cross on the way home, he was disorientated enough to lose all the rest of the team and leave his kit on the train.

It was a top day and our overall performance surpassed expectations. The Rain Men are next on June 16th. I bet they’re quaking in their boots.

Barn Elms, Sunday 13 September 2020. Railway Taverners 197-4 (35 overs: Chris Langley 72*, Jagath Dasari 2-32, Samer Hafiz 2-38) beat St Anne’s Allstars 149 all out (31.5 overs: Matt Lo 54, Stuart Milligan 4-31) by 48 runs.

Report by Garreth Duncan- Photos by Garreth Duncan and Pete Cresswell

It has been the strangest of years. At the beginning of the year, few would have imagined what was to follow for us all, as the COVID pandemic took its toll. But as the world locked down in March and April, few Allstars would have thought it possible that we would get in even half a cricket season. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, we had chances to finish with another win, but couldn’t quite take them as our friends the Railway Taverners ensured we ended the season on the losing side.

The lead-up to the game was a scramble to find a ground, the Taverners having lost the use of their usual one in Crouch End and many of the council pitches having reverted to football as September began. Barn Elms was our saviour again, as it had been for the opening game against Corridor. Enthusiasm for places remained keen right till the end, with 13 signed up at one stage, and I took up the scorer’s pen once again (the scoring app blowing away my phone battery before halfway). The sunny weather brought wives and families out to support, KP’s wife Jen and daughters Caitlin and Poppy and Hywel Roberts’ wife Sarah and friends joining us for the day.

First-time Allstars skipper Matt Biss lost the toss, and we fielded first on an astroturf wicket with true and reliable bounce. But KP opened with an immaculate spell, starting with three successive maidens and not conceding a run off the bat in his opening spell, as Taverners openers Dominic Ewer and their skipper Mathias Winter struggled to get going. Shanmugam Sama also began well, but without any luck as an early chance went down.

The openers had put on 68 and were just starting to up the rate when Jagath Dasari broke the stand by bowling Winter. Huw Evans also struggled to get the ball off the square, but Ewer was approaching his fifty when Jagath ended his best spell of the season by knocking Ewer’s stumps back in his final over to leave Taverners 89-2 after 20 overs. But this was to bring Taverners’ main man Chris Langley to the crease, and he quickly upped the ante with a series of crunching boundaries.

Samer Hafiz entered the fray, and continued his excellent run of form as he bowled accurately and got some turn off the pitch. Evans continued to struggle, and Samer was eventually rewarded by dismissing him to a smart catch to Dharani Ronanki behind the stumps. The dangerous Aymon Spee soon followed, as Samer turned one sharply and Spee could only poke it to his fellow Kiwi Pete Cresswell at point. But nothing could halt Langley’s progress, and he reached his fifty as the Taverners accelerated, taking 48 off the last 5 overs. Still, having restricted them to less than 200 on a pitch on which we scored (and just defended) 250-plus on opening day, we felt confident at the halfway stage.

But the Taverners’ bowling was to prove up to the task. While openers Matt Biss and Pete saw off the opening bowlers Tony Alaravanga and Mark Guggenheim, they found scoring even more difficult than the Taverners’ openers had done. Although the fifty stand was raised, it had taken 15 overs, and both went in the same over as swing bowler Stuart Milligan, in a fine spell, had Matt caught behind and Pete taken at slip. Jono Beagle was also caught behind as the Taverners tightened their grip, and with 15 overs remaining the rate was already climbing past 8 an over. Hywel Roberts departed, bowled by the talkative Dutchman Geenson, and Sam Perera, so often our saviour last season, couldn’t manage it this time as he became Milligan’s fourth victim.

Amidst the carnage at the other end, Matt Lo continued to play superbly, running hard and playing some sublime shots as he went to his second fifty of the season. But Imi Choudry settled the game with two wickets in his first over, as Matt carved to point and Dharani edging to third man. The lower order all bravely went for their shots – KP hitting a monster six over cow corner – but they’d been left too much to do, the Taverners finishing the job by bowling us out with 19 balls to spare.

An excellent game nonetheless, and the Allstars finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 2003. That season, Tristan Haddow-Allen carried all before him – but this season was much more of a team effort in which everyone contributed. We look forward to better things in 2021 – in the meantime, we eagerly await our (virtual) end of season social and the award of the prestigious Allstars of the Year awards.

Parker’s Piece, Cambridge, Sunday 6 September 2020. St Anne’s Allstars 148-5 (35 overs; Sachin Singh 50 retired not out, Sam Perera 31) beat NCI 132-9 (35 overs; Samer Hafiz 2-13, Hywel Roberts 2-24) by 16 runs.

Report by Pete Cresswell – Photos by Pete Cresswell, Ashwin Rattan, Sheahan Arnott, Matt Biss, Jono Beagle and Shanmugam Sama

Over the past 2 seasons the Allstars have built a great friendship with the NCI club in Cambridge, with several Allstars turning out in league matches for NCI, and Matt Biss and Jono Beagle making regular Allstars’ appearances. That friendship led to a match between the NCI Sunday XI and the Allstars on historic Parker’s Piece in Cambridge, where Sir Jack Hobbs began his cricket career. Today “the Piece” is a verdantly green council ground, with a Thai restaurant attached to the groundsman’s shed and a fun fair on the far side of the green.

NCI won the toss, and sent the Allstars in to bat on the slow pitch (and even slower outfield). Skipper Pete Cresswell and NCI 2nd XI Captain Jono Beagle opened slowly against some accurate bowling. Scoreboard pressure told in the 6th over as Beagle was dropped at mid-on by NCI’s captain on the day, and the next ball saw Cresswell slice a rare wider ball to point. Beagle nicked off 3 overs later to leave the Allstars at just 18-2.

The first boundary came in the 11th over as Hywel Roberts played some aggressive shots on his way to 19, his highest Allstars’ score. Hywel fell in the 14th over, which brought Sam Perera to the crease to join Sachin Singh. The pair built an excellent partnership, Sachin playing some excellent pull shots, his superb eye negating the low bounce. Sam was a little hampered between the wickets by a hamstring niggle, but that didn’t stop the pair building an 83 run stand.

Sachin reached his 50 and retired, and NCI’s very accurate Johnston then accounted for Chris Gould, making a welcome return to the Allstars for his first match since our Benidorm tour in 2014. With just 4 overs left Sam holed out, caught at mid-wicket by Matt “Universe” Biss. Samer Hafiz and Dharani Ronanki then combined well between the wickets to get the Allstars up to 148-5, an excellent score given the slow outfield.

NCI’s reply saw Matt Biss and Duffy see off very tidy opening spells from Shanmugam Sama and Jagath Dasari, who both swung the pink Duke ball considerably. Samer Hafiz then continued his superb 2020 bowling form by bowling Duffy. Sheahan Arnott, continuing well from his excellent debut against Crossbats last week, picked up Duby in the next over, and the pair tightened the screws as NCI fell behind the required rate. Scoreboard pressure eventually told as Matt Biss holed out to his great mate Beagle off Samer. 51-3 at drinks meant NCI needed 98 off the remaining 17 overs, a tough task on a slow pitch.

Jono Beagle sportingly dropped Ashfield twice (tough chances admittedly) before making it third time lucky off Roberts, sparking a mini collapse as Sam Perera ran out Bragg with a direct hit, and Hywel bowled his namesake Roberts.

Johnston and Arora then built a useful 8th wicket stand that was only ended when Sam Perera got a short ball to loop over the bat onto Arora’s stumps.
Scoreboard pressure then led to a couple of run outs – one an excellent recovery from Shanmugam after dropping a catch at square leg, the other by Sachin at mid-off after a chaotic mix-up – as NCI tried to pick up the rate. Though Johnston managed to take 12 off the last over, the win was still well in hand.

The day ended with both teams enjoying some socially distanced Thai beers on the sideline, before the traditional (for NCI’s Londoners) gin tins on the Thameslink home.

All in all a great day’s cricket played in great spirit, along with plenty of light-hearted banter. Hopefully the first of many repeats for this fixture.

Marble Hill Park, Saturday 29 August 2020. Crossbats 207/3 (35 overs; S. Skinner 92*, Arnott 2-31) beat St Anne’s Allstars 125 (27.4 overs; Singh 46) by 82 runs.

Allstars debut: Sheahan Arnott

Report and photos by Pete Cresswell

A cool misty bank holiday Saturday greeted the Allstars this weekend on our return to Marble Hill Park – a stark contrast to the blistering temperatures when we played the Weasels there a few weeks back. The Park itself was a lot greener this time around. This fixture saw the unveiling of the new Allstars caps, with everyone looking very dapper.

The day started inauspiciously with illness ruling out one Allstar, leaving us to play with 10, and Bank Holiday roadworks and traffic meant that 3 Allstars and the club kitbag arrived at the park right on the scheduled 1pm start time, causing a scramble to get out into the field after Crossbats won the toss.

Shanmugam Sama continued his excellent season with the ball with an economical opening spell in partnership with Sam Waddicor. The Crossbats openers however were positive on their home pitch, running aggressively and taking full advantage of the gaps in the big outfield. They added 69 before debutant Sheahan Arnott skittled McAlpine for 47 in the 12th over.

Skinner joined his skipper Wright at the crease, and the pair continued tidily accumulating through tidy spells from Arnott, Jagath Dasari, Vivek Seth and Hywel Roberts. While Sam W was very unlucky to not pick up an LBW call, and a run out from a deflection onto the non-striker’s stumps during a very tidy second spell, it wasn’t until the 29th over that Jagath broke the century stand, having Wright well caught behind by Dharani Ronanki.

Carter quickly followed, well caught and bowled by Sheahan, and he and Shanmugam combined in some excellent death bowling to keep the end of innings charge in check.

207 was a daunting ask on a fairly slow outfield, but skipper Pete Cresswell and Jono Beagle strode out purposefully to begin our reply. The other Skinner brother picked up from his brother’s batting, bowling accurately and generating significant outswing, and picking up Cresswell who gloved a lifter through to the keeper in the 5th over, before yorking Jono in the 7th to leave us 19 for 2.

Sachin Singh and Hywel Roberts steadily rebuilt, Sachin playing some lovely aggressive shots (https://www.instagram.com/p/CEgVbHZhmGA/?igshid=kwqsfl57zihb ) until Hywel fell to the economical Humphrey. Sachin and Dharani added another 22, running quickly between the wickets before Dharani top-edged a pull shot to leave us 75 for 4.

The returning Skinner then found some reverse swing, yorking Sachin for an excellent 46. From then on the Allstars’ lower order went for their shots, with Sheahan compiling a tidy 18, and Jagath, Shanmugam and Sam all looking to score quickly, but they’d been left too much to do & our innings was wrapped up when Vivek holed out for us to close on 125 as drizzle again threatened.

Overall the margin might have been a lot closer had some luck run the Allstars’ way, but we can look forward to challenging the Crossbats harder next year. Next weekend, the Allstars travel to Cambridge for our inaugural fixture against NCI.

Barnes Common, Sunday 16 August 2020. St Anne’s Allstars 167-6 (28.5 overs: Matt Lo 56, Matt Biss 51) beat Zambuca Tigers 166-8 (35 overs: Samer Hafiz 3-19) by 4 wickets.

Allstars debut: Hywel Roberts.

Report by Garreth Duncan – photos by Pete Cresswell

After the heatwave came the cloud and rain. At the Ageas Bowl, farcical scenes as rain and bad light led to the least amount of play in an England home Test for 33 years. Down in Kent, our old foes the Rain Men lived up to their name as only two overs were possible before their game was abandoned. But we were to have much better fortune with the weather, as the showers only briefly touched Barnes Common as we avenged last year’s defeat against Vivek’s Zambuca Tigers, putting in another excellent team performance to win for the second Sunday in succession.

The post-resumption clamour for cricket reached new heights, no less than 15 being signed up at one stage. Indeed, one of our finest, Sachin Singh, was to end up starring as a guest player for the Railway Taverners as we couldn’t quite fit him into our side. 13 Allstars arrived at Barnes to face 9 Tigers, and so Vivek Seth captained his other team and Tony Grant also became Tony the Tiger for the day.

The Barnes Common pitch did not look in good condition, and after winning the toss Vivek, no doubt with the Plastics game still fresh in his mind, opted to bat first. Gren Thompson and Shanmugam Sama opened the bowling, and it was quickly evident that the pitch was misbehaving even more than we’d thought – one ball rearing off a length, the next scuttling low. The oohs and aahs were coming more regularly than an Eric Cantona appearance. Somehow, Tigers openers Elsom and Richards survived Gren and Shanmu’s initial burst – but critically, the first 10 overs had yielded only 20 runs.

Samir Hafiz replaced Gren at the Railway End and continued his superb form from the Weasels game, getting the first wicket by bowling Elsom as he tried up the rate. Samer then grabbed a second thanks to a smart stumping by Dharani Ronanki, who excelled behind the stumps in the difficult conditions. Apu Chauhan, who’d been the difference between the sides in the Tigers’ victory at Brighton last year, came in and looked threateningly at ease – but Jono Beagle dismissed him off the faintest of gloves to Dharani. Seemingly everyone heard it except Chauhan, who wasn’t too happy with being given out – but he’d gone for 14 and the Allstars remained in control.

Samer took a third as he bowled Craddock, completing another excellent spell, prompting Pete to give my leg-spin a try. After a nervous start, I found better rhythm in my second over and dismissed left-hander De Silva, superbly caught by a diving Neale Adams at slip. It’s great to see Neale back with the Allstars, and his enthusiasm and joie de vivre remain undiminished as ever.

After a cautious start, TG began to find his touch with the bat as he drove powerfully down the ground and through mid-wicket. Hywel Roberts, on his Allstars debut, took on the tough job of bowling from the Vine Road end and produced a useful spell of left-arm spin. Majithia was also getting into his stride, and the rate began to climb. But Gren and Shanmu, having been luckless in their opening spells, were to be rewarded on their return. Shanmu ended TG’s fun as Neale took his second stunning slip catch of the day, and Gren had Majithia trapped plumb in front. Shanmu finished his spell in style as he clean bowled “Pele” Styles, and the Tigers’ eventual score of 166-8 looked chaseable – if the pitch permitted it.

The rain began to fall at the end of the Tigers’ innings, and continued as ours began. Vivek, who knows how to bowl at Barnes, opened the bowling for the Tigers and quickly bowled Pete Cresswell. Hywel began positively, but Vivek got him too courtesy of a smart catch from TG – an all-Allstars dismissal, but perhaps not one we would have liked. At the first sanitisation break we were 25-2.

This was to bring together the partnership of the day as the two Matts, Biss and Lo, continued their fine form from the previous week. Matt Biss belied his own self-declared reputation as a nudger and nurdler as he unleashed some fine shots and Matt Lo played the shot of the day, a sumptuous six off left-arm spinner Ryan. It was perhaps not the day to be looking for the ball in the undergrowth, as always seems to be the case at Barnes Common – though we were fortunate that lost time was our only problem, as it was subsequently reported by the BBC that a 5ft boa constrictor was captured that day, less than a mile from the ground.

At the drinks break we were 93-2 and seemingly cruising to victory – but the Tigers are most dangerous when cornered, and they wouldn’t go down without a fight. Having reached his third fifty of the season, Matt Biss was bowled by a shooter next ball to end a stand just one short of our second hundred partnership of the season. Jono Beagle was unlucky to be given out caught behind shortly after, the ball deflecting off his wrist and helmet and lobbing into the keeper’s gloves. Matt Lo also reached his fifty, but then was lbw to another unplayable shooter in Richards’ first over, and Gren was bowled the same over. 122-2 had become 142-6, and suddenly the Tigers smelt blood.

But we needn’t have worried as Samer and Shanmu, having already starred with the ball, finished the job with the bat. Deciding that attack was the best form of defence, they both hit out, Shanmu crunching three boundaries in an over as we went to victory with more than 6 overs to spare.

The Tigers are always sporting opponents, and they joined us in the Sun Inn as we celebrated another excellent game. Quarantine permitting, we hope to see them next in the South of France – but next up we return to Marble Hill Park to play Crossbats on Saturday 29 August.