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The 2012 season

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Our season concluded on Saturday with our fixture against Baker Street Irregulars in Barnes. Alas, we could not sustain our winning run for one final match, and came away defeated by six wickets, but well done to everyone involved, and especially to match-manager Vivek for all his hard work in making the fixture happen.
This was by some margin both our most heavily rain-affected season in our twelve year history, but also our most successful. Four matches were lost to rain without a ball bowled, and three further matches were cancelled due to a combination of poor weather or the opposition dropping out. But of the eight matches we did play, we won six of them – a 75% win rate which is without equal in Allstar annals.
Thanks to everyone who played, but special thanks to all the match-managers, who did sterling work in recruitment, liaison, organisation and captaincy – and on occasion whose hard work proved in vain due to the weather.
So please raise your hat to them all: Tristan, Neale, Chadders (twice), Felix, KP, Tarka, James Abrahams, Garreth, Gren, and Vivek.
Next on the agenda is our end of season dinner – which I’ll try and arrange over the next few weeks

Northumberland Tour Victory

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Rock, Sunday 26 August 2012.  St Anne’s Allstars 136-5 beat Rock 135-9 (Tony Grant 5-39, James Hindle 3-6) by 6 wickets (11 wicket match). 

For the third year in a row, the Allstars tasted victory on our tour of Northumberland.  Returning to Rock for the first time since our maiden North-East tour of 2006, with both sides short of numbers we played a 12-wicket game with lowest scorers allowed to return.  We restricted our hosts to 136-9 off 40 overs, Tony Grant splendidly leading the attack with 5 wickets and James Hindle taking 3 in a fiery 3-over burst.  In reply, Felix Haddow-Allen led the way with an innings of remarkable discipline on a wearing pitch, batting right through the innings for 21 not out while all around him swung the bat – I bashed a quick 18 from number 3, Rob Jackson clubbed 24 and TG saw us home with an unbeaten 29, finishing the game in style with a six as we won with 5 overs to spare.

Sadly we didn’t get to play our usual game against Eglingham, which fell victim to the weather and player shortages.

Many thanks to Tristan for splendidly organising the tour around his and Liz’s (second) wedding, and congratulations to the happy couple!

Gents end Allstars gold rush

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Crown Taverners Cricket Club, Fleet, Sunday 4 August 2012.  Gentlemen of West London (249) beat St Anne’s Allstars (136-9) by 113 runs.
Up in the capital, the GB Olympic team followed up their Super Saturday with medals aplenty at the Velodrome and Andy Murray got revenge on Roger Federer as he won the Wimbledon-lite tennis. But the Olympic magic didn’t quite get as far as Hampshire as our own winning streak was ended by a ruthless performance by a strong Gentlemen of West London side.
Throughout the many years we’ve faced the Gents, they’ve always been difficult to beat, and doing so has usually required one or two Allstars to play out of their skins.  But even they probably couldn’t believe the start we gave them as, not helped by a slippery artificial wicket much like we encountered in Corfu, their opening batsmen Dubey and Bocha got off to a flyer.  By the seventh over, the score had reached 66 for 0, a score more familiar after a Twenty20 powerplay.  But the Allstars don’t give in that easily, and Nick Chadwick soon found his range.  Firstly, he produced a jaffa to send Dubey’s off stump cartwheeling out of the ground, and in his next over Bocha was sent packing as his leg stump was uprooted.  Left-hander Himanchu Desai’s off bail was trimmed by another beauty, and we were back in the game.  Vivek Seth struck with his second ball, Greg Newcombe prodding to Gren Thompson at cover, and the Gents were 105 for 4.
The wickets had slowed the run rate, but after the drinks break Wright and Sanjay Patel put their foot on the gas, sharing a partnership of 62 before James “Tarka” Hindle broke the stand by bowling Wright.  Mark Jones came to the crease, and he and Sanjay continued to hit hard before skipper Gren Thompson, who had suffered at the hands of the Gents’ opening assault, came back for a second spell and struck with his first ball, rearranging Sanjay’s stumps.  Sir Viv returned for another over to bowl the younger Wright, before Sam MacDonald took two excellent catches on the cow boundary, juggling the second before diving to hold on, to dismiss Jones and Kumar.  Last man Ken Toft was run out in the last over, and we faced a target of 250 – tough but makeable on a small ground, and certainly less than looked likely at the beginning.
Tarka and Sam started slowly, the Gents’ opening bowlers Dubey and Pentakota bowling accurately and giving few runs away.  But Sam is rarely contained for long, and was soon into his stride, hitting two monster sixes, the first a breathtaking shot over cover, and the second an enormous pick-up over square leg which cleared both the pavilion and the car park behind.  The pair had put on 80 and the Gents were just starting to get worried when Sam was run out as Tarka called him through for an unlikely single. 
Two overs later, Bocha disturbed Tarka’s stumps, effectively ending the run chase, but we still continued to put up a fight.  Coming in at the unheard of heights of number 3, I scampered a few singles before the first ball I really middled picked out the fielder on the mid-wicket boundary.  Although Neale Adams went quickly, Simon Rose continued to show the benefits of his many coaching sessions as he and Tony Grant continued the resistance before Pentakota dismissed them both, bowling Simon and having Tony caught at cover.  A clatter of wickets followed as the run rate became impossible, but Gren showed some classy shots as he and Martyn Langridge at least saw the overs out.
Man of the Match:  Sam MacDonald.  The white Chris Gayle produced his full repertoire of shots before his innings was cruelly cut short.
Champagne Moment:Chadders sending Dubey’s off stump flying – a great sight for any quick bowler.
Scorecard
Gentlemen of West London
N Dubey b Chadwick 23
P Bocha b Chadwick 34
G Wright b Hindle 51
H Desai b Chadwick 1
G Newcombe c Thompson b Seth 8
S Patel b Thompson 45
M Jones c MacDonald b Grant 36
L Wright b Seth 1
Y Kumar c MacDonald b Thompson 10
R Pentakola not out 5
K Toft run out 0
Extras (b8 lb2 w15) 25
Total (35 overs) 249
Fall of wickets: 66, 70, 81, 105, 167, 209, 216, 239, 247.
Bowling: Chadwick 7-1-29-3, Thompson 7-0-57-2, Grant 7-0-32-1, Langridge 7-0-56-0, Seth 4-0-30-2, Hindle 3-0-30-1.
St Anne’s Allstars
JM Hindle b Bocha 28
S MacDonald run out 43
GA Duncan c Pentakota b Bocha 6
S Rose b Pentakota 8
+N Adams b Bocha 0
A Grant sr c Desai b Pentakota 11
MJC Haddow-Allen b Jones 0
V Seth b Newcombe 1
N Chadwick b Jones 0
*G Thompson not out 10
M Langridge not out 6
Extras (b4 lb6 w8 nb4) 22
Total (9 wkts, 35 overs) 136
Fall of wickets: 80, 85, 90, 92, 115, 117, 117, 118, 123.
Bowling: Pentakota 7-2-26-2, Dubey 7-2-15-0, Patel 7-1-40-0, Bocha 7-2-16-3, Jones 5-1-17-2, Newcombe 1-0-2-1, Kumar 1-0-11-0.

A Taste Of Gowl

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Talented cameraman Neale Adams took some great photos during our game against the unfortunately named Gowl CC yesterday.

Here are a couple to whet your appetite…

Debutant Minnie Haddow-Allen (credit to Neale for thinking that one up!)

McDonalds Super Sized

Enjoy the rest here!  The game itself ended in a predictable draw, the Gowlers setting a large 250-odd in 35 overs, which Sam valiantly tried to chase down.  We shut up shop (or tried to!) after he was run out for 46 following a mix up with Tarquin. At close Stanners were 9 down.

Allstars get off to a winning start

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The Urn Field, Guildford, Sunday 27 May 2012.  St Anne’s Allstars (159-6) beat Sanford (155) by 4 wickets.
 
Match report by Neale Adams

As the country basked in temperatures of 25 degrees plus, a team of fit and raring to go Allstars took to the field against Sanford in Guildford. Having won the toss, Sanford were put into bat.

Haroon Khalid – or Colin as Sanford initially preferred to call him – and Nick Chadwick were the opening bowling attack for the Allstars and did a brilliant job of keeping the opposition run rate very low. The winter break did little to stifle Chadders, whose opening ball was a beautiful inswinging yorker that zeroed in on the stumps despatching the batsman back to the pavilion for one. The pair would have had more wickets had a few more balls stuck in the hands of the fielders.

The bowling changed to TG and Tristan, with TG striking first with a ball that was caught behind, and then onto Venay Jethwa and Vivek Seth. TG’s wicket was the last wicket for a period as, frustrating as it was for the Allstars bowlers and fielders who were doing a good job, the batsman dug in and slowly took their tally upward. It was only when Tristan came back on for a second spell did things liven up again, as he took two wickets (one bowled, the other caught behind) in as many balls. The fear of having to buy the beers obviously affected his third attempt. But it was the spark the team needed.

Haroon and Chadders re-entered the fray and as Chadders had opened his account with a wicket on his first ball, so he closed it with another on his last ball. A fine catch by Tristan took the scalp of the Sanford opener Alex Forbes who had knocked up a healthy 65 for the opposition.

Now it was the turn of Venay and TG who both returned to bowl. Venay dismissed Sanford’s second highest scorer, left-hander John Morley for 36 and TG completed a great day’s bowling by taking the last three wickets for one run – two balls caught behind and the other splitting the stumps leaving Sanford on 155 all out in 39 overs.

There were some great efforts by many Allstars in the field, but Martyn Langridge must be Mentioned in Despatches for his panther-like skills that stopped many a ball (some hit at full force) from leaving the infield and keeping the opposition runs down.

The Allstars bowling figures totalled: TG 4/30, Tristan 3/18, Chadders 2/17 and Venay 1/25.
 
After a fine tea, Tristan and Dave Halladay opened for the Allstars and set about their business with some fine stoke play and diligence, more than exceeding the four an over run-rate required. The pair took the Allstars score past the 50 mark with ease creating a firm foundation for those who followed.  The partnership had reached 78 at a run a ball before Dave was caught for a well-made 23.

Neale Adams went out to help Tristan – if only for an over and to hit a four – and then return to the pavilion after being bowled out. But like Tesco…every little helps. It must be noted at this stage that Tristan – who had knocked well past the 50 mark in the evening sun – stated ‘Sod this. I’m not running any more three’s’. Fair play.

Next up was Andy Reid who helped to steady the ship with 12, followed by Garreth Duncan who, despite murmurings on the boundary of ‘Boycott is quicker at getting runs’, quickly proved his critics wrong with some solid shots and good stroke play. At first count it was thought Garreth had knocked up a new personal best of 20, only to be robbed in the recount that confirmed the tally of 16. A good knock all the same, helped by some pre-season net practice down in Shedfield I am told.

Tristan meanwhile reached a brilliant 76 before being caught. TG followed in the Tesco way of cricket – a quick four and then back home.

It was left to Venay and Haroon – who was brandishing a spanky new GM bat – to take the Allstars over the finishing line, which they did in style. Venay was very keen to close the match and had two attempts, before a fine cover drive connected with the ball sending it over the boundary to leave the Allstars on 159 for six in 34 overs.

A great victory in fine weather that was a marked improvement over the 2011 match against the same opposition who then bowled the Allstars out for 142 (Dave Halladay – 51, Tristan – a golden duck), and only lost three wickets (two taken by Vivek and one by Haroon) before reaching 143.

It has to be said that this year, despite TG’s superb bowling figures, Tristan was most definitely Man of the Match for his all round performance with the bat and ball.

Keep up the good work.