Dulwich Sports Ground, Sunday 18 June 2017.  Baker Street Irregulars (127-3) beat St Anne’s Allstars (125-8) by 7 wickets.

By Neale Adams

It was definitely an open and shut case against the Baker Street Irregulars (BSI) at a sweltering Dulwich Sports Ground last week. Even Holmes himself would have found it difficult to find any evidence…..

Having amassed in force – that being a full team of 11 – the Allstars were put into bat with Pete Cresswell and Paul Burgin leading the charge. It was going well until the ninth over when Burgin, who showed such promise, was returned to the pavilion – promptly followed by his Jamaica-tanned replacement Jimmy Scott.

The Allstars middle order tried to stir it up and stabilise the ship – but runs were slow in coming. Batsmen attempted to support Cresswell, who has carried his bat for the Allstars on two previous occasions and looked as if he was going for a hat-trick, but we were waiting in vain.

Eventually even Cresswell succumbed to the BSI catching machine (six Allstars wickets, out of the total seven, were taken by catches), but his 39 helped to get the team up to 125 after 35 overs (including 33 extras).

Undaunted, and certainly full after a fine tea, the Allstars returned to the field to hunt for clues, and more importantly wickets, that would give them their first victory this season.

Ed Heelas and this year’s Allstars Club Captain Nick ‘Chadders’ Chadwick led the attack with the fielders helping…..well, not really. The bowling was very competent from both ends, yet whether it was down to a full belly, the hot sun, or being a year older, the ball continued to find its way over the boundary ropes. The BSI openers had reached 60 after six overs.

It was not until a change of pace, with the introduction of Tony Grant and Vivek Seth, did the rewards come. TG let no time go to waste by claiming the scalp of the BSI opener Hemmingway (lbw) with his very first delivery in the eighth over, and then another caught and bowled in the tenth.

But irreparable damage had been done – especially by the BSI number two batsman Tom Philips, who went on to score 67 with some fine stroke play. Philips’ demise was brought about with the advent of Martyn Langridge, whose delivery hit the stumps.

Even Langridge’s on-field motivational talks that involved monkeys, whales and I couldn’t quite hear the last, but I believe it is a slang term for cats, failed to raise the Allstars out of their fielding conundrum.

BSI reached 127 (six extras) for three wickets in the 15th over.

However, in the words of Jeremy Corbyn, we won. You may think the stats suggest otherwise, but the pavilion had Sky TV and a bar…..with a fine selection of ales and lagers (and soft drinks)….all reasonably priced.

So with spirits refreshed and the discovery that Chadders has his very own fan club outside the Allstars fraternity, Burgin will never vote Tory, and that the greatly missed Gren Thompson has a problem using social media:  ‘Really is a great dr Road of you ink I’  being his WhatsApp comment on the match result, an Allstars match is never a wasted moment, just a way to make good memories. It’s elementary.

The Urn Field, Guildford, Sunday 28 May 2017.  Sanford CC (190-2) beat St Anne’s Allstars CC (117) by 73 runs.

By Neale Adams

The annual match against Sanford CC took place under foreboding skies last weekend. We should have read the signs – and not merely those pointing us to the venue location. Bloody satnav.

With both teams fighting to recruit a full complement due to alternative activities on offer over the Bank Holiday weekend, ten men were duly selected for each side in a limited overs match – initially set at 35 overs.

Having won the toss, Sanford went into bat on a relatively dry square and set about their business. Wickets were hard to come by, and fielders stopping the ball even harder. Paul Bowman and Allstars new boy Chris Carey opened for the Allstars, and despite coming close on several occasions, the bails stayed firmly on the stumps.

Sanford batting was solid, even as the weather conditions deteriorated and the rain came.

A few half chances in the form of catches and a run out could have helped the Allstars cause but in general fielding was, as described by a senior Allstars all-rounder, ‘rusty’. That’s the polite way of describing it.

Comically knees took the place of hands as several Allstars bruises will show.

A change of bowlers saw another Allstars new boy Sandy Mehta try his luck, supported by Ed Heelas making his second outing for the team.

In the given conditions, and a wet ball, the bowling was good, but little reward came. The fielding remained ‘rusty’ and more knees got battered.

Mehta got the breakthrough, and his first Allstars wicket, by bowling Sanford’s number two Bailey for 29.

Vivek Seth and Neale Adams came on after the drinks break as we took pace off the ball to try and get another breakthrough. Sanford opener Field was eventually despatched by Seth lbw, but not before striking an impressive total of 62.

That was the end of the wickets for the Allstars but not the runs for Sanford who increased their tally, or the rain.

Sanford’s Cooke struck a competent 52 not out, assisted by Banks on five not out. Cooke has taken a real liking to our bowling and has proved the difference between the sides in recent years.  He’s probably too good for this level of cricket, but we were to learn in the pub afterwards that it’s not even his main sport – his principal game being ice hockey, in which he turns out for Streatham having played for England Under-18s.

Sanford had reached a total of 190 for 2 after 27 overs (including 41 extras) before the rain forced both teams back into the pavilion.  An early tea was most welcome.

New boys Carey and Mehta were sent out to lead the Allstars charge. Mehta knocked up 25 before being despatched by Smallpiece.

Sanford bowling was accurate and Allstars wickets fell like the rain. A rear guard action by skipper Adams, with 35, his second highest score for the Allstars, helped to boost the Allstars tally, assisted by Iain Wilson, more usually found captaining our regular opponents New Barbarian Weasels CC, who knocked up 12, and Ian Fisher, playing his first regular season Allstars game having guested for us on many a Northumberland tour, who left the field on eight not out.

The Allstars posted a total of 117 all out, that included 19 extras. But despite the loss, and the rain, the match was played in good spirits, that continued to flow in the Robin Hood pub immediately after match end. Thanks to all who played.

Here’s the final version – note the change of date for the Festival.

The match managers for the first three games indicated – please get in touch with the match manager if you’d like to play:

Sunday 21 May – Valley End – away, Chobham (match manager: Pete Cresswell)

Sunday 28 May – Sanford – away, Guildford (manager: Neale Adams)

Sunday 11 June – Heartaches – away, Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire (manager: Paul Bowman)

Sunday 18 June – Baker Street Irregulars – home, Dulwich

Sunday 25 June – Gentlemen of West London* – away, New Malden

Saturday 8 July – Wisborough Wanderers – home, Barnes (TBC)

Sunday 23 July –  Quokkas – home, Barnes

Sunday 30 July – St Anne’s Allstars Festival – Dulwich

Saturday 5 August – Crossbats – away, Marble Hill Park, Twickenham

Sunday 27 August – Mighty Wanderers† – away, venue TBC

Sunday 3 September – Edgware CC – venue TBC

Sunday 17 September – New Barbarian Weasels – home, venue TBC

*The 42-11 Trophy

†The James Abrahams Trophy

 

Our pre-season drinks have been arranged for Saturday 22 April, at the Round House pub near Covent Garden, starting at 6.30pm. Come and join us for a catch up – or if you’re new to the club, a chance to meet up with the rest of the team.

See you there!

Hello, and thanks for visiting our new Allstars club website!

Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing the 2017 Allstars fixture list, which we’re currently finalising, as well as details of upcoming social events – watch this space.

Many thanks to our web design wizard, Duncan Amey, who created the original Allstars website all the way back in 2001 and has done it all again for us in 2017, and to Haroon Khalid and Richard Stephenson for the photos of our 2015 Festival and some of our tours and social events which you can see on the new site.

If you’d like to join us, or you run a team like us and would like to organise a fixture, please get in touch with us using the contact forms above!