2025 match archive
VUWCC Vintage LionsSunday February 2 at Kelburn Park in Wellington Strollers lost by 11 runs VUWCC 119
(30.1 overs; Wyatt 2-0, Love 2-12, Rennie 2-33, Timperley 1-8, Read 1-12, Prebble 1-15)
Strollers 108
(33.4 overs; Addis 25, Pearson 24, Prebble 16no, Harris 11, Timperley 10). The Strollers started 2025 with another triumph in the VUWCC fundraising quiz at Waitoa bar. A tactical sacrifice by Jono Addis and Piers Ovenden saw most of the winning prize (a couple of jugs of the sponsor's product) consumed by the Vintage Lions. Nobbling may have been part of the masterplan but it was some disciplined bowling, smart catching, and a forest green deck, that resulted in the Strollers running through the Vintage Lions for the first time in the history of this fixture. Phil Harris and Jake Pearson set the tone with the new ball, conceding only five runs off the first four overs. The ball then started to fly about. Pearson did well to reverse-cup a stinger at mid-off, George Love flung himself to his right to claim a screamer, and then back-peddalled and rolled to take a second. Ovenden pouched a couple of mis-hits, prowling at short midwicket. Love and James Timperley bowled with tantalising guile. Julian Read, coming off the short run up like a late career Hadlee, bowled with laser-like precision - Timperley taking a smart catch at slip off his bowling - and Doran Wyatt finished the innings with the most economical of braces. The Strollers batting was something of a roller coaster. Each time they ratched themselves on top of the run rate, to glimpse the sunny horizon, they were suddenly plunged, with stomach churning horror, into a new trough. Luke Woods (7-2-9-2) bowled a heavy ball from the croquet end but was negotiated reasonably successfully through a combination of solid defence and an almost complete abdication of ambition. Unfortunately, the middle of the innings became a torment as Matt Sadd spun his way through the flower of the Exiles' batting to finish with figures of 5-0-13-4. With the score at 70-5, and the resolute Harris at the crease, our chances were still good, and the supporters on the boundary were in no mood to disperse. A good knock of commonsense from Pearson (block or biff) brought the Strollers tantalisingly close. Sad(d)ly it wasn't to be. Radiant sunshine, some more of the sponsor's product, and some friendly speeches, took away the disappointment of defeat. Many thanks to the Lions for their hospitality - not least the lunch they laid on. It continues to be a fixture that is played in the best possible spirit.
Capt: Jono Addis.Wkt: Hamish McDougall.
Match report: Piers Ovenden.
Bottom Paddock Sunday February 9 near Masterton in the Wairarapa Valley Strollers lost by three wickets Strollers 117
(27.4 overs; Addis 34, Thomas 21, McDougall 19, Timperley 10)
Bottom Paddock 118-7
(27.4 overs; Levermore 3-12, Wyatt 1-1, Thomas 1-6, Read 1-16)
It was a classic, high summer affair in the Wairarapa: tents (and the Reads' all mod-cons camper van), the little green dunny with its beguiling fairy lights, children sailing their crocs down the stream, baiting the (massive and charming/repulsive) eels, all to the relentless beat of the cicadas. There was also cricket, for young and old. The Junior Strollers demonstrated impressive skills and enthusiasm before Senior proceedings got under way, not to mention flexibility and athleticism. There were four changes to the Exiles XI from the previous week – Reuben Levermore, Mike Loan, Tim Swan, and Andrew Thomas coming in for Phil Harris, Jake Pearson, Tim Prebble, and Tom Rennie. Notably, there was no Glen Scanlon, for the second week in a row, due to Covid. In previous visits to Bottom Paddock, the Exiles' depth of batting has meant competitive totals even after a cluster of early wickets. This time the rearguard action never materialised, the Strollers posting a disappointing 117. Nine wickets were shared amongst eight different bowlers. The run-out of Thomas (65-4) turned out to be a pivotal moment. One useful innovation was introduced by George Love: fielding for the Bottoms in front of the Totara tree, he palmed a potential catch into the branches for an automatic six. We remain committed to providing our hosts with sub fielders whenever necessary in future, in the best traditions of sportsmanship and friendly cricket. The Bottoms started their innings in cautious but unflustered fashion, until a direct hit from Love got things moving. Wickets then fell regularly, with the highlight being Levermore's spell of left-arm spin and flight (4-1-12-3). Just two more tailend wickets were required for the Strollers to claim an improbable victory. In truth, we were always chasing the game, and Ryan (ex Johnsonville prems) closed the match in authoritative fashion with plenty of overs to spare. Dips were taken in the sacred grove - though the water was so warm it failed to qualify as certifiable high performance cryogenic therapy - and there was a wonderful bbq, mingling, and speeches under the shade of the trees, as Junior Strollers took over the pitch once more. As ever, it was wonderful to reunite the Exiles from various corners of New Zealand. Scanlon's absence was noted again - it was agreed that his hard-nosed West Coast style would probably have got us across the line in both matches. So we blame him for the results. There was talk of extending our fixture list in 2026, with Jono Addis delegated to investigate opportunities in Hawkes Bay. For now we look forward to reading of events at the annual dinner and then Great Missenden. Capt and match report: Piers Ovenden.
Wkt: Hamish McDougall/Jono Addis. Great Missenden PelicansSunday April 20 in Great Missenden Strollers won by 43 runs Strollers 192
(34.5 overs; Le Serve 62, Love 36, Rogers 33, Smith 27, Dela Rue 11no)
Pelicans 149
(25 overs; Smith 3-12, Macaulay 2-13, Farley 1-15, Rogers 1-21, Travis 1-28, Dela Rue 1-53). After two years of washouts, we were glad to pitch up to Great Missenden for the first domestic match of the season. The sun was shining and the lack of rain in the last two months meant that the ground was looking in good nick. The strip was green but skipper George Love had no hesitation in batting first after calling correctly. Shockingly this could be George's penultimate game of the season as he heads off on his travels. The innings got off to a poor start when last year's run machine Blair Travis clipped to cover for two. George and Rowan Smith soon settled after it was decided that Rowan should do the calling to avert any run-outs. They had put on 44 when Rowan, who was looking in excellent form, lofted to at mid-off and was out for 27. There was then a mini-collapse as the two debutants departed in short order: Brad Trebilcock for nought and Jason Farley for one as opening bowler Patel finished with 3-42. This was actually Jason's first ever cricket match as he had pursued tennis as his sport back in Melbourne. In Strollers tradition we found him in a pub (or rather Jack Le Serve did). George's captain's innings ended when he sliced to cover for a well-worked 36. At 82-5 at the halfway stage, the Strollers were looking to score another hundred to be competitive on a ground with a fast outfield (apart from up the hill into the corner) and a short boundary on one side. Steve Rogers was joined by Le Serve and they set about repairing the innings, taking full advantage of any wayward bowling. Jack carried on his good form from the nets, hitting the ball to all parts, amply illustrating the value of practice. Rogers survived a bizarre incident when he heard the death rattle of the stumps behind him and started to walk off. In fact the ball had rebounded off the keeper's gloves. Sportingly he was called back rather than being stumped. To show his gratitude he promptly hit the next ball for four. Steve eventually fell for 33 caught off the bowling of young Hussein Bilgrami, who was also playing his first proper game of cricket. The pair had put on 64 for the 6th wicket in 11 overs to put us in touch with a par score. Jack carried on for an excellent Strollers career-best 62. James Dela Rue hit a brisk 11 not out as wickets fell around him and the Strollers were bowled out for 192 in the last over. Young Bilgrami ended with 4-22 off his four overs having persuaded three of us to hole out in the deep. A legitimate tactic that brings rewards at this level. GM normally put on a hot tea and this year we were treated to a feast of baked potatoes, chicken and salad with a side order of cakes — all the major food groups. James DLR will start his 2025 tea analysis with a tick in the plus column. Dela Rue and Smith opened the bowling. Rowan had the opener Ali Bilgrami smartly caught low down by Blair at first slip, which was barely celebrated by the catcher until confirmation that it was a catch (no dissention anywhere). The other opener Yusuf Khan had apparently spent six weeks over the winter playing club cricket in Perth and he started with an aggressive intent carried over from those fast bouncy wickets, smiting DLR twice over the road, losing the new ball and its replacement. In what was a canny move in retrospect, Rogers had been brought into shortish mid-wicket when Smith was bowling and he took a very smart catch when Khan hit very hard off his legs. Rowan picked up another wicket as James Bailey was caught by Le Serve at cover. James eventually got just reward for some decent bowling by having Amit Talman lbw in his last over. Travis replaced Dela Rue at the top end and initially conceded runs against Josh Bailey, who was scoring quickly at No 4. The game was still in the balance when he drilled a ball off Travis to Farley at short extra, who snapped up a great catch to dismiss Bailey for 46. Once Rogers bowled Richard Frank for 17 the game was effectively over as Patel was running out of partners (and the Pelicans only had 10 players). Alastair Macaulay picked up a couple of wickets by bowling very slowly at the stumps and Farley capped his debut by bowling Patel to wrap up the innings. The Strollers won by 42 runs thanks to the Le Serve/Rogers partnership and some really good catching. Post-match analysis was carried out with the genial opposition in the garden of The Nag's Head next door. One of them even volunteered to drop some Strollers at Chesham station so they could carry on drinking. They may still be there.
Capt: and wkt: George Love. Match report: Alastair Macaulay.
Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.Bledlow RidgeSunday April 27 in Bledlow Ridge Strollers won by seven wickets Bledlow Ridge 260-8
(40 overs; Scott Findlay 3-6, Oliver 2-22, Macaulay 2-51, Brodbeck 1-34)
Strollers 264-3
(33.4 overs; Oliver 146no, Love 77no, Pedrette 16). Sunday April 27 saw the Strollers at Bledlow Ridge, an impressive ground in open Chilterns countryside, bounded by oaks still in early spring colour. The square has a downwards gradient towards the clubhouse end, steeper at each crease. Uncharacteristically the Strollers were a player short and Bledlow Ridge kindly lent one of their own, Jonah Pedrette, an England Under-18s hockey player. Captaining in his first Sunday game of the season, picking up where he left off last season and possibly setting a record for consistency before a ball was bowled, Glen Oliver called incorrectly and the Strollers were asked to field first. Two left-handers, Isaac Bourne and Ben Hillary, opened for Bledlow Ridge and got off to an impressive start, dispatching the Strollers’ opening bowlers, Jake Helsby and Gregor Findlay, for a continuous stream of boundaries. The total passed 50 runs in the fourth over and the match was almost instantly beginning to look like a doomed cause, not helped by an early lost ball. Ben Mangham was brought on for the fifth over and managed to exercise some control over the batting, and for the next eight overs the run rate came down but no wickets were taken despite a couple of strong lbw appeals. The fourteenth over saw the introduction of spin with Alastair Macaulay replacing Gregor Findlay at the pavilion end. Runs continued to flow with both openers reaching 50. Mangham completed his seven-over spell to be replaced by Oliver for the 19th over with the score on a very healthy 135-0. However, Oliver’s deceptive pace off a short walk-in to the stumps yielded an immediate wicket, surprising Bourne and bowling him for a very solid 76 runs and giving at last something for the Strollers to celebrate at drinks. Next man Charlie King tried to keep the run-rate healthy but found it difficult to get Oliver away eventually being caught on the boundary by Pedrette for 18 with the score on 162. Ten runs later Macaulay tempted Hillary into a lofted leg-side shot which was comfortably caught by Oliver. The wickets continued as new batsman Ollie Vye edged an easy catch off Macaulay to Love behind the stumps to return to the clubhouse without scoring. With two new batsmen at the crease and score now on 172-4, Macaulay’s spell ended in the 28th over. Pedrette bowled two overs of medium pace for 16 runs, followed by a return to off-spin with Simon Brodbeck also bowling for two overs, and Hugh Martindale taking over from Oliver in the 35th over, the skipper finishing with figures of 8-3-22-2. Although runs were flowing again, Brodbeck did entice Theo Ward into being caught by Pedrette to end a very handy 72-run partnership which was beginning to threaten a total over 300. Jaryd Venables was still at the crease and intent to push on but Manoj Chaudran, Leo Vye and Georgia White all came and went bowled by Scott Findlay as runs were kept under control in the last five overs, Findlay’s cameo producing figures of 2-0-6-3, and the innings finishing on 260-8. 261 felt like a challenging target as Pedrette and Love strode out to open the batting. Tallulah Williams opened the bowling at a reasonable pace but Pedrette showed his intent, scoring two crisp boundaries through the covers at the end of the opening over. Venables kept it tight at the other end but two more boundaries in the third over for Pedrette kept the scoreboard moving. However, his next drive was too ambitious and he departed caught on the off-side by Hillary with the score on 21. Scott Findlay joined Love at the wicket and despatched his first ball for four to end the third over. Two more tight overs from the openers followed but Venables’ third over produced two wickets - Scott Findlay bowled for six with the score on 36 and then Gregor Findlay, on his Strollers debut, out lbw second ball. At 36-3 after six overs, for the second time in the match the Strollers looked to be in some trouble, with the fielding side buoyant, 261 looking a long way off and new batsman Oliver at the crease, blowing clouds of dust away to find his mark. But the rest, as they say, is history. Oliver almost immediately found the middle of his bat and the tenth over, Venables’ fifth, yielded 22 runs, quite a change from his first four which had brought two wickets for only 14 runs. Love continued to bat steadily as well and by drinks at 20 overs the Strollers had stormed to 171-3. The earlier buoyancy of the fielding side had subsided and ‘we need a wicket’ was audible a number of times, but the Strollers still needed 90 runs and were quietly aware of what might happen should another wicket fall. But Love and Oliver had firm belief that the task was within their grasp and kept the runs coming as every Bledlow Ridge player got to bowl, and it was records rather than wickets that began to fall. Although Theo Ward bowled five overs for only 19 runs there was a steady stream of runs from the other bowlers including an enormous six down the ground by Oliver off White as the winning line approached. A seven-wicket win was duly secured in the 34th over with Love on 77 not out and Oliver on 146 not out.
Of particular note: *Love’s 77 not out eclipsed his previous personal best of 74 v Stanton by Dale on 27.08.2022 at Stanton
*It was a record fourth-wicket unbroken stand of 228 for the Strollers, beating the previous best of 180 by Mike Pittams, Glen Oliver, Ben Mangham and Paige Copsey [who curiously were all involved] v Broughton Gifford on 24.06.23 By now a party atmosphere had developed in the clubhouse, a karaoke striking up with a familiar Eurythmics song, which Love and Brad Trebilcock had to be discouraged from joining, the latter doubtless in need of some activity after 28 overs padded up as next man in. But it was a fine way for Love to sign off, an unbeaten highest score before leaving to travel the world and the seven seas - well South America at least. A cool refreshing beer capped a very satisfying win for the Strollers, which had more than once looked highly unlikely. Sweet dreams are made of this. Hang on, it’s that karaoke song again. And it was too, on and on like another broken record… Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: George Love.
Match report: Hugh Martindale. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck. Royal AscotSunday May 4 at Ascot Strollers lost by five wickets Strollers 162
(32.3 overs; Oliver 54, Wall 28, Helsby 24, Le Serve 19, Travis 10)
Royal Ascot 163-5
(34.3 overs; Travis 2-16, Macaulay 1-26, Le Serve 1-28, Rogers 1-34). After temperatures pushed up to the mid-twenties throughout the week the Strollers were greeted with a cool and gusty outlook at Royal Ascot. “Very Wellingtonian conditions” was the view of Rob Wall, who presumably felt right at home based on the 34 overs of unadulterated builder’s crack on display. The club has gratefully offered to pay for counselling for the poor souls fielding in the slips cordon throughout the day.
Skipper Glen Oliver had forewarned the team early in the week that the local rule was to retire at 50. Whatever Glen’s intentions, he need not have worried as no Stroller apart from Oliver got into the 30s. A negotiated toss saw the Strollers bat first in a 40-over match which for the second week running was being filmed live. A full replay of the day’s events can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjegRekQ5kw. The match got off to an unfortunate start with the Royal Ascot keeper being struck above the eye in the second over from an awkward bouncing delivery down the legside. Dr. Ben Mangham came to the rescue and did a fine job patching him up. Royal Ascot were quickly able to arrange a replacement and we wish him a speedy recovery. After Blair Travis departed in the fourth over lbw for 10 to Benjamin Moffat, Wall and Oliver went about building the innings nicely with a solid 72-run partnership to take the score to 88-2. Royal Ascot bowler Jeremey Wing was able to break the partnership, trapping Wall in front lbw for 28. Wing was a tricky prospect to face and went on to rip the heart out of the batting order on his way to a fine return of 5-34 from his eight-over spell. All 10 wickets were either bowled or lbw as the Strollers were only able to muster a score of 162 all out - Oliver the last to fall having come back in after retiring on 50 earlier. The score felt under par and would need an exceptional fielding effort if victory was to be achieved. An early wicket each to Steve Rogers and Jack Le Serve in the fourth and fifth over was a great start to the innings but further inroads were hard to come by. Royal Ascot opener James Docker and No 4 Adam Smith both made fine 50s and duly retired. Smith was particularly punishing, scoring his 55 not out from just 13 scoring shots (50 of which were boundaries: 8x4s & 3x6s). Things did tighten up with scoring becoming difficult in the middle overs. But with 42 runs needed to win and about 22 overs to do it, time was never going to be an issue. Late wickets to spin twins Alastair Macaulay (1-26) and Travis (2-16) were not enough to delay the inevitable with Royal Ascot comfortably chasing the score down with five overs remaining and only five wickets down. Both teams were more than happy to retreat into the warmth of the clubroom and discuss the day's events over a few drinks. On to Jordans Taverners...
Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Rob Wall.
Match report: Steve Rogers. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
Jordans Taverners Sunday May 11 in Coleshill Strollers won by 36 runs Strollers 289-4
(40 overs; Oliver 157no, Rogers 64no, Wood 29, Pittams 16)
Jordans Taverners 253-4
(40 overs; Macaulay 2-71, Wood 1-29, Le Serve 1-51). The Strollers arrived for one of our longest-standing fixtures against Jordans Taverners, now playing at the picturesque Coleshill ground, overlooked by an imperious Victorian water tower — apparently now a Grand Designs home. Skipper Steve Rogers won the toss shortly after the Taverners skipper remarked: "I'd hoped you'd have a bat." Unsure whether this was mind games or just honesty, Rogers chose to bat. Forty overs per side, with a pink ball in play as the traditional red can sometimes get lost in the sea of trees when blowing from the water tower end. Rogers sent out Mike Pittams and Peter Wood to open, with regular openers Blair Travis on daddy duty and George Love gallivanting around Europe. The pair got off to a brisk start, aided by plenty of pace from the Taverners opening bowlers and a lightning-fast outfield, thanks to an unseasonably warm April and early May. Several balls flew to the boundary, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Pittams, who scored an unbeaten 86 at this ground last year, looked to maintain momentum but slashed at one outside off and was caught by the keeper on his third attempt. Next into the middle was the newest and most enthusiastic recruit to the Strollers, Brad Trebilcock, coming in having scored one run off three balls across his last two innings and having been out in two different ways. Brad had said his goal for the day was improve on his number of runs and get out in a new fashion. Brad made some solid contact with the middle of his bat and managed to double his run tally. But as can sometimes be an issue with the Strollers batting, calling was a problem. After one particularly lofty blow from Brad crunched straight to the man at mid-off, our hero set off with the speed of a short-distance runner and was three-quarters of the way down the pitch before Peter turned his head from ball-watching to notice and yelled: “No run!” Poor Brad was stranded a long way short of his crease as mid-off threw to the keeper for a run-out. While this was unfortunate for Brad, his goal had been achieved. Next up was the ever-reliable Glen Oliver, who started scratchily, edging one between keeper and slip. But after using up one of his many lives he punished the Taverners for not taking their chances. After initially looking strong, Wood sat at the other end watching Oliver take the majority of the strike before popping one back to the bowler for a solid 29. Hugh Martindale tried to accelerate but skied one for a comfortable catch. At 113-4 after 22 overs, the Strollers looked light on runs. Enter Rogers, who over the past year has made a habit of producing runs when most needed. He and Glen put on a massive 154-run partnership for the fifth wicket, before Glen retired on 157, having turned the tide completely. While Glen and Steve built their masterclass, another contest played out in the field. With the Taverners one player short, several Strollers helped field. None more energetically than Mike Pittams, who seemed determined to stop everything Glen tried to score. On one occasion, so focused on cutting off a boundary, Pittams failed to see the approaching fence — and cartwheeled over it. To his credit, he saved the run and popped straight back up as if nothing had happened. Rogers and Jack Le Serve closed out the innings, with the Strollers posting a formidable 289-4. Rogers finished unbeaten on a fine 64 not out. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a superb tea — thanks to the Taverners for the fantastic spread. With full bellies, the Strollers took to the field to defend their total. Freddie Broster-Turley bowled into the wind, perhaps reminiscing about the Wellington breeze — or more likely because the run-up was less steep. He induced an edge with his third ball, which flew to Pittams at gully. Having put in a heroic fielding shift for both sides — or perhaps weighed down by too many sandwiches — Pittams put it down. This was the first of at least 10 dropped catches that helped keep the Taverners in the chase. Broster-Turley bowled economically, conceding just 17 runs in his eight overs and generating two more dropped chances. At the other end, Wood struck with his trademark inswinger, removing Will Barton for eight. An 82-run partnership between Oli Myers and Joseph Baker was broken by Le Serve, who found Tom Salvesen's safe hands. Myers, the standout Taverners batter, went on to score a brilliant 128 before being bowled by the dependable Alastair Macaulay, who also claimed the final wicket of Simon Hungin, out for a dangerous-looking 48. The Taverners fell 36 runs short, giving the Strollers a well-earned win. Both teams then retired to the Jolly Cricketers in Seer Green — a darling wee pub — for a few celebratory pints and a post-match debrief. Thanks again to the Taverners for hosting us — always a fantastic fixture played in great spirit. Capt: Steve Rogers. Wkt: Hugh Martindale.
Match report: Freddie Broster-Turley. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
Winchmore Hill Sunday May 18 in Winchmore Hill Strollers won by eight wickets Winchmore Hill (Penn) 200
(37.5 overs; Macaulay 2-15, Martindale 2-18, Mangham 2-19, Rogers 2-26, Copsey 1-23, Helsby 1-32)
Strollers 201-2
(35 overs; Travis 106no, Selby 59no, Oliver 21). For four of the Strollers, the day started with a fight for the three seats left in Sir Glen’s car once they had arrived at Amersham station. However, after five minutes of deliberation, a plan was drawn up of which a police officer doesn’t need to hear about. The game had been set up with the season’s very first co-captain operation as match manager Mike Pittams looked to test the relationship of Aidan Selby and Glen Oliver. In true layback Kiwi style, we had already annoyed the local English as Freddie Broster-Turley tried to tamper with the pitch during the pre-match inspection (throwing a ball into the wicket). The game started off with a hiss and a roar, as Jake Helsby took the first wicket for the Strollers by hitting the top of the bails. Stuart Broad (aka Broster-Turley wearing a white bandana) bowled pressure from the pavilion end, giving the wicket-keeper (Hamiltonian Selby) and fielder (Hollywood film celebrity Ben Mangham) new undies to change into at the drinks break. After the first few spells of pace bowling, Mangham came in to take control of things, taking his first wicket of the match on his third ball, an lbw. Mangham would strike again in his third over taking a caught and bowled, which looked like the re-enactment of Gus Atkinson against Devon Conway. At the break, tensions between the two captains had not boiled over. As the bowling attack started to tire, the ball was thrown to the guest star of the team, Paige Copsey. The opposing batter was so star-struck he chopped the ball on to his own stumps. Wickets continued to fall with Steve Rogers taking the catch of the match, running back to take the ball out of the air over his shoulder from the great Alastair Macaulay. However, the cursed catching hands from Jordans Taverners were still present, with Glen dropping an absolute screamer right on the boundary (definitely an acceptable drop). Brad Trebilcock succumbed to peer pressure from the Strollers to make his bowling debut, causing so much confusion with his ball placement that neither the wicket-keeper nor the batsman knew where to stand. The less said about that, the better. The Strollers finished their fielding innings with 200 to chase down. Blair Travis and Oliver were the opening batsmen. Glen must have not spent enough time in front of his indoor bowling machine this week as he departed for well under his average for the current season, caught behind for 21. Blair continued to knock the ball around the park, playing like Kane Williamson to keep the ship steady. Trebilcock was the next Stroller to the middle, where he continued his fashion of getting out in any many different ways possible. This week was a stumping as he took off down the pitch to send the spinner over the fence but failed – and departed for three runs. Selby was eager to get out to the crease after his disaster of a campaign last year (two ducks). He and Travis held their ground to take the Strollers to an eight-wicket victory. In doing so, Travis brought up his first ton of the season, finishing on a well-deserved 106 runs off 122 balls, an exceptional strike rate. On to Roehampton…
Capt and wkt: Aidan Selby. Match report: Brad Trebilcock.
Match fees: Alastair Macaulay. RoehamptonSunday May 25 on Putney Heath Strollers won by eight wickets Roehampton 253-7
(40 overs; Travis 3-13, Dela Rue 2-53, Booth 1-26, Wall 1-52)
Strollers 255-2
(37.1 overs; Travis 102no, Booth 61, Pittams 48no). The Roehampton fixture is always a popular one among Strollers and supporters, with its travel-friendly location in Putney Heath and the nearby Telegraph pub having a knack of luring some Strollers out of obscurity. Despite some initial match management challenges, Michael Pittams drummed up a strong and diverse side, including two debutants: Chris Booth and Chris Stevenson. He also managed to enlist the midweek specialist Richard Keightley - for likely his only Sunday game of the year - and the tour specialist, Mike Daly. Rob Wall was assigned captaincy for this game. Wall’s plan to make use of the seemingly batsman-friendly conditions early did not come to fruition, with the toss not going his way. With that, the Strollers pulled on their whites and took to the field. James Dela Rue and Keightley took the new orange ball for the Strollers. Dela Rue started off with good line and length, with just one wide ball denying him a first over maiden. Keightley was equally tight from the other end, pressuring the Roehampton openers early. The pressure told in the third over when Dela Rue took the Strollers’ first wicket with a rip-snorting inswinger taking out the off stump. Things got tougher for the Strollers thereafter, however, with the arrival of Roehampton No 3, Jamie Henderson, who wasted no time playing his shots and racking up several boundaries. The Strollers were not able to take the chances on offer and both Henderson and opener Hugh Gerlach racked up unbeaten half-centuries before retiring. Blair Travis entered the fray with the ball to try and stop the rot and did so effectively, taking the wicket of Muhammed Bilal clean bowled. Meanwhile the Roehampton skipper, Neelakas Biswas, was plundering at the other end and also brought up an unbeaten 50 before retiring. The Strollers then seized their chance to pull things back with Wall taking a wicket after some good pressure bowling, while debutant Booth also got in the wickets column courtesy of an excellent Travis catch. Dela Rue came back to the crease and took another wicket, caught by Pittams at full stretch on the long-off boundary rope. Travis’s ripping spinners took two more Roehampton victims and he finished with superb figures of 7-1-13-3. After going in at 132-1 at drinks, the Strollers pulled things back well in the second stanza, Roehampton finishing their innings on 253 for the loss of seven wickets. Daly and Booth were tasked with opening the Strollers’ innings and made a solid start. Daly was building strongly before letting one through the gate and had to depart for eight. Man of the moment Travis entered at No 3 and immediately took to blunting the Roehampton bowing attack. Booth and Travis were rock solid after the early wicket, putting the bad balls away and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Some glorious leg glances from Booth showed his pedigree as he went on to bring up his half-century in style. Unfortunately, he took on a spritely Roehampton fielder in the deep, being run out for 61 when he attempted to come back for a second. Travis, meanwhile, had broken the shackles and was dispatching fours and sixes for fun, hitting one poor Roehampton spin bowler out of the attack and losing the match ball in the process. Pittams joined Travis at the crease and kept the momentum going. With the game in the balance, Pittams and Travis had to keep the run rate up over seven an over for the last 15 overs or so, but were able to do it with some flourishing shots and clever cricket. With keen youngster Brad Trebilcock champing at the bit for a taste of the action – he was seen pacing around the outfield bat in hand – Pittams did the very noble thing and retired on 48no to allow Trebilcock to come to the middle. Meanwhile Travis racked up yet another century, finishing 102 not out and himself retiring to allow captain Wall to join Trebilcock at the batting crease with just a handful of runs required for victory. Wall dutifully declined a single to allow Trebilcock the chance to hit the winning runs the following over, but sadly the ball beat everyone and four byes ended up as the final play of the match. After friendly handshakes with the Roehampton team, the Strollers decamped to the Telegraph for a few cleansing ales, thankful for the Monday Bank Holiday that was to follow. Capt: Rob Wall. Wkt: Rob Wall & Mike Pittams.
Match report: James Dela Rue. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck. Tilburg RegentsWednesday May 28 in Dulwich Strollers lost by five wickets Strollers 142-8
(20 overs; Oliver 27no, Travis 26, Broster-Turley 25no, Mike Shattock 20, Wood 10)
Tilburg Regents 146-5
(19.2 overs; Oliver 3-15, Broster-Turley 1-32, Keightley 1-10). The first T20 match started off in true Strollers fashion — only four players arriving on time, no team kit bag for the first half-hour, and George Love arriving with a head full of steam after a day of drinking at the local Dulwich watering hole. Blair Travis and Josh Shattock got off to a flyer of a start, however. But Josh was forced to depart for two after top-edging the ball to a Stroller who was acting as a fill-in fielder for the opposition. Travis continued to smack the ball around the park, retiring on 26 — just another day at the office for the opening batsman. Love came to the crease, determined to finish his final innings for the Strollers on a high, Sadly, the pints from earlier in the day had decided to work against him a little too much; out for three. Pete Wood and Richard Keightley went out to the middle to do business, and they made short work of it, scoring 25 between them before departing. The middle order was scoring runs, but were struggling to stay in, until the great Freddie Broster-Turley decided that today he was a batter and not a bowler. Broster-Turley smacked a quick 25 runs before retiring. Glen Oliver, well, he just batted like he always does, retiring on 27, just too easy for the leading run-scorer for the club this season. Brad Trebilcock and Mike Shattock made their way to the middle. Trebilcock could only manage singles, whereas Mike just wanted boundaries; and he got them. Chris Stevenson, making his midweek debut, showed promise and ensured that his wicket did not fall. Alastair Macaulay scored a tidy four runs before losing his wicket and forcing Travis to come back to the middle, where he would lose his wicket on the last ball of the innings. The Strollers finished their innings on 142 after 20 overs. The opposition batting got off to a flyer, smacking the two opening bowlers — Josh Shattock and Broster-Turley — around the park. This was not helped by some sloppy glovework behind the stumps; the hangover must have arrived early. It was not until Wood turned his arm over that a wicket would fall. However, Oliver had had enough of watching the glovework behind the stumps and took matters into his own hands, clean bowling two batsmen in quick succession. The ‘nearly’ catch of the day went to Josh Shattock who, while standing on the boundary, jumped up and got one hand on the ball as it was flying over his head, stopping it going for six but unable to find a team-mate to parry it to. The game came down to the final over, where the opposition claimed the winning runs and sentenced the Strollers to a five-wicket defeat. Both teams ventured down to the Half Moon Pub in Dulwich for drinks afterwards. We found out that the opposition had heard a rumour that Broster-Turley bowled for Zimbabwe in a former life; Freddie would not confirm or deny the accusation. The night finished with Mr Love finding love with a Scottish woman from Fife. Mr Love was never seen again that night; some say he now resides on a small farm, north of Edinburgh, haunted by that wicketkeeping display in his final Strollers game…
Capt: and wkt: George Love. Match report: Brad Trebilcock.
Match fees: Richard Keightley.Maidenhead and Bray Sunday June 1 in Bray Strollers won by five wickets Maidenhead & Bray 198
(39.5 overs; Mangham 3-14, Rogers 2-25, Macaulay 2-26, Broster-Turley 1-39, Le Serve 1-43 )
Strollers 199-5
(39.5 overs; Oliver 83no, Broster-Turley 56no, Travis 28).
Well sports fans, we’ve had The Rumble in the Jungle, The Thrilla in Manila…now there is another legendary sporting tagline, The Affray in Bray! Who would have thought that this village oval, naturally church spired, vicarage observed with picture-perfect beach hedge and picket fence would be the backdrop, nay arena, for such a gladiatorial tussle, a coming of age, a fulfilment of destiny! A day, that in future years, “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”, will raise our chins slightly higher, blink our now cloudy eyes, the fire reigniting in the steely blue momentarily once more…and say I was there. Our beloved game was served well this day, Cricket is a team sport true, but within that team are 11 solo artists strumming their cords and riffs making the one song and on this day the song was sweet, so very sweet, that angels did weep. The Strollers have always had the “give everybody a go” policy and on this day not only did everyone have a go but every player did their part to create a little bit of magic. It is for games like this, that I for one — and I know many others — still play the Sunday game. A slightly gentler, funnier, self-deprecating version of our game – but none the less completive. A day spent at a beautiful ground playing against likeminded opposition in June, is far more important than I think we realise. Special times with special people; happy days. A huge thank you should go out to our hosts Maidenhead and Bray Cricket Club, for again delivering an excellent game of cricket. Skipper Matt Armstrong take a bow, Sir. Without further ado we will move onto the main course…. In Strollers tradition we lost the toss and were invited to field. The bowling attack was spearheaded by “Bandana” Broster-Turley and “Lord Del La Rue. Maidenhead and Bray’s opening pair of Madina and Armesh proved to be very much up to the task. A fascinating back and forth ensued with edges being found, delicate guides and cuts, the run column rattling up. Finally, the breakthrough came with Broster-Turley dismissing Madina for 35 – finding Maidenhead 59-1. Honours slightly in the hosts’ favour. Armesh continued to stroke the ball either side of the wicket as our emerging allrounder Jack Le Serve continued his journey of finding that sweet spot of line and length. Maidenhead and Bray kicked on for another 50-run partnership between Virk and the elegant Armesh. Something needs to happen here, the match reporter thought, as yet another quick single was taken to him in the covers… Armesh was thankfully deceived by the most Strolleresque delivery – the short loopy pie that snuck under a legside swish. Finally, the formidable Armesh fell to Le Serve for 62. Maidenhead and Bray 121-2 just after drinks. With the vital breakthrough made, Captain Blair released those two wily foxes: Steve Rogers and Ben Mangham. Mangham caused the proverbial feathers to fly as he savaged the middle order with his demented bag of all sorts returning figures of 3-14 off five. A special mention must be made for yet another fine fielding performance by Blair, who plucked a boundary-destined bullet out of the air to dismiss Virk for 22. Rogers, whirli-gigging from the other end, dismissed Appavoo – a fine left-handed batsman – for 0, caught outrageously by Harry Mangham at slip. Rogers went on to take a caught and bowled. By then the die was cast and Macaulay finished off proceedings aided by the coolest of cats behind the stumps Hugh Martindale, casually brushing the bails off for a stumping. Maidenhead all out for 198. The Strollers reply got off to a steady, but somewhat slow start – this was not down to batsmen error, but due to some of the most metronomic fine bowling the match reporter has seen this season. Nothing given, ball doing a bit from young fast left-armer Soni and swinging fellow opener Moorithy bowling a probing line. Blair and Le Serve did well to keep them out for nine overs as we scraped together 34 hard fought runs. Blair sensing that the run rate was beginning to rise to an uncomfortable level, went over the top for a well needed boundary. But with the blood pumping, tried to repeat the shot the very next ball and failed. Soni then cleaned up Le Serve, in-swinging yorker. Strollers 38-2. Sorry, make that three down for 38 as Martindale was trapped lbw by Soni’s in-swinging yorker. Hang on, this young lad can bowl that ball at will; glad I am umpiring thought the match reporter. A bowling change due, I presume, to Soni’s age brought on Appavoo, the left-hander caught smartly by Harry Mangham for 0 earlier on. The 6ft 3in paceman seemed not to have forgotten this and returned Mangham to the hutch, caught behind for one. Strollers four down for 44. Glen Oliver for the first time this season was not looking completely comfortable and uncharacteristically was using the edge of his bat more than the meat as he scratched and shuffled into his innings. But where there’s Oliver, there’s hope. Another bowling change saw yet another pace demon arrive, this time in the form of Virk – effortlessly swinging the ball away to the slightly befuddled Rogers and nipping it back off the seam. Rogers gallantly hung around for a well-fought six before succumbing to Appavoo. But most importantly, Rogers had stayed with Oliver for enough time that he seemingly regained his batting equilibrium. Strollers 79-5. As the match reporter/umpire scuttled off to get padded up, it seemed that his services may be required sooner rather than later… get home early I guess, not all bad. He had no idea that he had just run past the living embodiment of true grit, the swash buckler and man about to pop a batting cherry. Padded up with a consoling pint in hand prior to my turn to face this superb bowling attack, I joined the team to watch our inevitable demise. What was to unfold accompanied by the clubhouse sound system’s Ibizan playlist will go down in Stroller’s history and rightly so. Pint half gone, seating positions now becoming superstitiously important amongst the team, 100 up and no further wickets. A partnership was forming – 98 required off 15 overs. Freddie Broster-Turley not only had stuck around but was beginning to tick with shots, proper cricketing shots in the V, off his pads, and guides through gully as he supported, nay joined, Oliver in the chase. With 10 overs to go the target had been reduced to 66, gettable for sure on paper, but the quality of the Maidenhead and Bray bowling attack would make the last 10 overs an uncomfortable watch. Pint finished and replaced. If I was required to bat it would be sponsored by Fosters, the match reporter slurred. Over 34 saw the first decisive blow from Oliver taking the returning Soni for 14. Broster-Turley spurred on, hitting his own consecutive boundaries to take him past his career top score of 41. As the shadows lengthened, the field began to spread, Oliver and Broster-Turley dropped and ran, nurdled twos into the ever-increasing gaps. Clinical…nay surgical. A milestone looming – Broster-Turley’s maiden 50 at any level – a game very much in the balance. Second pint finished; yikes this is going down to the wire. Broster-Turley is now a proud member of the FSSCC allrounders roster – with a push to midwicket he passed 50 to a huge roar from the boundary that drowned out The Sugarbabes for a moment. Last over six required; we needed 5 balls to complete the job. Pint anyone? Capt: Blair Travis. Wkt: Hugh Martindale.
Match report: Ben Mangham. Match fees: Freddie Broster-Turley.West Chiltington Sunday June 8 in West Chiltington Strollers lost by 30 runs West Chiltington 180
(37.5 overs; Macaulay 3-12, Rogers 3-16, Travis 2-21, Helsby 1-20, Allan 1-24 )
Strollers 150
(26.1 overs; Pittams 59, Broster-Turley 24, Helsby 24, Travis 18). This year, due to persistent precipitation on Saturday, on Sunday morning we received word that we would be playing at West Chiltington’s second oval – about a mile away from the ground we normally play at. I was slightly disappointed at this news as the usual ground is a glorious location, and the nomenclature ‘second oval’ was giving me strong ‘Sainsbury’s carpark’ vibes. However, I need not have worried; the second oval (formerly Thakeham CC, with whom West Chiltington merged in 2000) was gloriously picturesque and even featured a bank for spectators to sit on. Freddie Broster-Turley was nursing a sore knee, so sought advice from physio Jake Helsby about how best to limber up in the 15 minutes prior to the game beginning. What followed was a parliament of Strollers stretching beyond the boundary rope in one of the most impressive displays of team flexibility seen since the Fanny and Puss-led post-match beer yoga sessions on the 2023 French tour. Freddie blamed his batting heroics at Bray for the soreness (he’s not used to spending that much time at the crease), but others suspect the absence of George Love might be to blame. Zooming around London while holding hands on their matching ten speeds is more than just a way of life and way of making people think you’re in a biker gang; it’s a great way to stay in shape. And now that George is no longer vvvrrrrrroom vroom vvvvrrrrroooooommmming his motor around town alongside ‘rederick there is a strong chance that Freddie’s lower leg muscles have atrophied. Anyhow he managed to recover from his ailments well enough to take the new ball against West Chilts’ strong opening pair. From the other end our Lord and Saviour James ‘Dela Ruebanger’ Dela Rue was also in recovery mode after a week-long junket in Paris watching tennis, attending conferences, enjoying rooftop canapes and champers, and even slipping his way into Aryna Sabalenka’s box at Roland Garros. Wicketkeeper Rob Wall, resplendent in his brand new XXXXL-sized claret helmet, opined that Freddie bowled well but lucklessly, while the Lord bowled like a demon (who is good at bowling. While demonic fallen angels are generally accepted to be malevolent and able to influence human behaviour to make them undertake immoral activity, it’s not a given that a demon would be good at bowling. But in this case Wall was positing that the Lord was a demon knowledgeable in the cricketing arts, and bowled well). West Chilts’ opening bats put together an initially steady opening partnership, before Ben Van Noort began to up the ante by advancing down the wicket, unfurling reverse sweeps, depositing people into the pavilion and other such questionable displays of home team hospitality! Having made an excellent hundred against us last year, we knew what van Noort is capable of and it was beginning to feel like it could be a long afternoon indeed. Enter Blair Travis, who is very tall. Using his height, and also his fingers, Blair defeated Van Noort through the air and induced him to edge an attempted sweep, which was safely pouched by Wicketkeeper-Wall with the score on 97. Not long later, Travis skidded one through first drop Hugo Gillespie to bowl him for 13. The Strollers then unleashed a Gillespie (of sorts…) of our own in debutant James Allan, who Jack Le Serve met in a pub and (demonically?) influenced to join us in West Sussex. Tall and athletic, but more importantly rocking a shaggy mullet and glorious moustache, James bears more than a passing resemblance to Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie in his pomp. Playing cricket for the first time in seven years, Jizzy spent his first over attacking a fourth stump line – albeit on the leg side – and giving Wicketkeeper-Wall a workout collecting the ball. Wicketkeeper-Wall is now attending the gym 2-3 times per week (ask him about it on the extremely off-chance he hasn’t already told you – it appears to be one of those cultish crossfit types of gym), so was up to the task. Jizzy quickly thereafter settled into a line and length, particularly effective back of a length and getting appreciable bounce – not unlike Bryden Carse – and bowled opener Strefner off the splice to leave West Chilts 116-3. A wonderful debut and an excellent piece of recruitment from Le Serve. Enter Stevie the Rogerer, who bowled with drift, flight and guile on his way to ripping out the middle order in a superlatively high quality and economical display of bowling (3-16 off seven overs including three maidens, and half of his runs conceded coming from mid-offing errors from your scribe. For more tales of my fielding ineptitude be sure to check the Match Reports section for Jordans Taverners which Broster-Turley will no doubt have finished and filed anytime between now and the LA Olympics opening ceremony). The highlight of Stevie’s haul was arguably Wicketkeeper-Wall displaying the hands of a florist (who in his leisure time also assembles and paints model trains and ships in bottles in a small room above his garage) in effecting the sharpest of stumpings to dismiss one of the two Barnes brothers playing for West Chilts. At the other end Jake Helsby was bowling well and warming into his work, nipping one through the defences of West Chilts’ No 5 for a tidy return of 1-20. Along came Stair to mop up the tail, finishing with figures of 3-14 including West Chilts’ skipper, the dangerous Alfie Reeves, caught in the deep by Travis, and Stair’s kindred spirit ‘Beeksie’ spectacularly pouched by Helsby flying horizontal to the ground at short midwicket. Restricting West Chilts to 180 (bowled out after 37.5 overs) felt like a significant win after we shipped 306 to them last season – testament to a fantastic bowling and fielding effort. Several highlights from the field: *Captain Oliver – possibly inspired by the pre-match yoga session the youngsters were undertaking – rolling back the years and saving many runs in the field by running (sometimes even appearing to sprint!) when chasing balls – activities he more commonly reserves for batting only. *Our Lord James Dela Rue not screaming “DOWN!” even a single time (and being out-“DOWN!!!”ed) by his teammates at least 65-0. *Our Lord dropping a (fiendishly difficult) chance at mid-off, allowing Wicketkeeper-Wall to delight in calling him a flog. The Lord retaliated by sending a tweet informing the world that Wall appears in the Epstein files. Watch this space for the next step in the feud. *A very friendly black and white cat patrolling one of the boundaries. Tea was a heavenly affair. As I always say, it’s not just a coincidence that the ‘Thake’ in West Chiltington and Thakeham Cricket Club rhymes with cake. This year there were two varieties of cake, plus scones, sandwiches, berries, chicken, sausage… to borrow an analogy from ‘the plane game’ which Simon Brodbeck enjoyed playing so very much during the Roehampton match a few weeks ago, by the time I’d finished I would have been a heavily-laden yellow DHL freight Boeing 747 Neo wobbling my way into Heathrow. Skipper Oliver used the half-time break to present a cap and tie to Le Serve, everyone’s favourite French Australian, in celebration of his ten matches for the club. Jack was meant to be playing but had badly hurt his arm in a cycling accident the day before so attended in a supporting capacity only. Qualo team man behaviour, that! Travis and Wall sauntered out to open the innings and got things under way in typically flourishing and stodgy fashion respectively. To Blair’s consternation, the scorers were attributing some of his runs to Wall via the electronic scoreboard. Play was eventually allowed to resume when Blair had personally inspected the scorebook and looked into the whites of the scorers’ eyes and received satisfactory promises that such mistakes would not be repeated. Blair was the first to depart, bowled by the darker-haired of the brothers Barnes for a run-a-ball 18. Wall followed several overs later, undone by the same bowler in the same fashion, as he nipped one down the slope and through the gate. Wall was so shocked at the appreciable movement generated in the storming of his castle that he briefly paused on his way off in an impression of Mike Gatting after the ball of the century (but slimmer – he’s been in the gym. And as much regular readers of these missives will know that I very much like to use this platform to point out Wall’s ample weight, he’s still nowhere near as portly as Mike Gatting was). Wall’s dismissal caused panic in the Strollers’ ranks, as 34-1 quickly became 36-6. Wall’s stodge had obviously been doing a real job of work holding the innings together – and/or the middle order correctly deduced that now that he’d been dismissed Wall would quickly be up at the bar, so hastened to join him. Brad ‘Trebley Webley’ Trebilcock gave Barnes a third wicket, before Hugo Gillespie (West Chiltington’s fake Jizzy) nicked off Oliver to a screaming catch at second slip by Reeves, then bowled Allen in a Dizzy vs Jizzy showdown that nearly rivalled the theatre of Stair vs Beeksie earlier. It was Helsby who stopped the rot for the Strollers, joining Pittams in the middle after Steve had lobbed a catch off Beeksie to square leg. Beeksie bowls with a similarly tantalising loop and lack of speed to Stair. Surely Strollers should be fine against such bowling, having watched Stair in action so many times!?? Apparently not. There’s just too much time to think! With a wise head on his shoulders, Helsby read the situation and prescribed caution and patience. It was a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ as Helsby larruped 24 (dealing solely in boundaries) off 17 deliveries before missing a straight one from Beeks, bringing to end a restorative partnership of 61. The situation now called for heroics, and who better to provide them than last week’s hero Broster-Turley? In lustily boshing his second delivery into the sightscreen for a maximum, Freddie got the crowd immediately on the edge of their seats. As anyone who has golfed with him will be able to imagine, Freddie started his lusty blow towards deep midwicket to allow for his customary ‘baby power fade’ into the sightscreen – but they all count. Broster-Turley and Pittams added another 50 to get the Strollers within range of a long-distance model train or ship in a bottle of the total – only for our regular nemesis Van Noort to cast aside the wicketkeeping gloves and mark out his bowling run-up. Van Noort required just seven deliveries to defeat both set batsmen with swift nip-backers. Dela Rue then batted like a demon (who wasn’t overly certain how best to play spin) and ambled past one from Bill Barnes (the less dark-haired of the brothers Barnes) to be stumped, leaving the Strollers 30 short of West Chilts. Captain Glenary made appropriately statesmanlike and gracious remarks in defeat before handing over the Marshall Cup to opposite number Alfie, befitting of the regard both sides hold the fixture in, and the spirit in which it is always played. Winning it back will only feel sweeter after this latest setback – plotting begins now! A wise man wrote in last year’s West Chiltington match report “the safest recipe for a pleasant journey home from West Chilts is not to start it too soon”. The Strollers did their best to follow that sage advice this year but were to a small extent scuppered by the bar running out of lager (Wall and Trebilcock’s innings ending prematurely not necessarily being unrelated). After saying our adieux, Strollers Broster-Turley, Trebley-Webley and Wicketkeeper-Wall clambered into the Pittams mobile and were safely and without incident chauffeured first to The Owl (a darling country pub which tragically was closed), and then to the Red Chilli – a roadside curryhouse outside of Dorking. After a lengthy journey and dinner with Trebley Webley I believe there is now nothing I don’t know about him – his ability to converse without taking breath had the added benefit of making the absence of George Love slightly less keenly felt. Indeed, I am now considering Trebley as a candidate to collaborate with George and I on a series of coffee table books I plan to publish – Bon Mots by Brad could be just the sequel to follow the instant bestseller that Gibberish with George will undoubtedly be. Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Rob Wall.
Match report: Mike Pittams. Match fees: Alastair Macaulay.
Ministry of Justice Thursday June 12 at Barn Elms Strollers won by eight wickets Ministry of Justice 94
(18.5 overs; Oliver 4-7, Glaves 3-8, Stubbs 2-18)
Strollers 95-2
(13.5 overs; Max Mallory 27no, Glaves 24, Allan 16no). A fine, balmy evening in Barnes awaited the arrival of 22 men good and true to complete a perfect mid-summer scenario. And, indeed, our opponents Ministry of Justice fulfilled their part of the contract in a fielding a full 11 men in white. Sadly, as indicated by the customary thread of WhatsApp messages in the days before, there was nowhere near the requisite number from the Strollers who were stretched to reach seven. And lucky we were to get to even this number, given that two were total newcomers, Aussie Gold Coasters Cam Glaves and Max Mallory, tapped up only days previously by Jack Le Serve on, of all places, the 137 Clapham omnibus, in addition to which Chris Stevenson was sadly inoperative owing to having been punched to the ground and given a kicking by North London yobbos at Finsbury Park tube station two days previously, apparently as punishment for being on ‘their’ carriage. As Glen Oliver opined, Chris deserved man of the match just for just turning up. Formalities concluded, including turfing the local youth teams off ‘our’ pitch and a gentleman’s agreement that MOJ should bat, the Strollers took the field with three sub fielders sportingly provided by the opposition, which led to the observation from the mathematically minded Glen (yes again) that there were equal numbers of seven on the pitch from each club. The mathematical realities of having only five active fielders also led to the skipper’s simple formula of asking all to contribute four overs. Opening bowlers James Allan and John Low (the latter opening for possibly the first time ever?) kept the runs initially down to very reasonable rate but without wickets. As the run-rate increased on came newcomer Glaves, bowling canny and parsimonious off-spin off two paces, and Richie Stubbs to settle things down and start taking wickets. Cam took care of the first three bats for a miserly eight runs while Richie, having also taken a catch off Cam, got two wickets of his own, including MOJ’s second-highest scorer Frost to a running over-the-shoulder catch in the deep leg by Low. Oliver then came on in his usual finisher role with his customary two-step swinging whippers (a term used advisedly in view of its recent appearance on WhatsApp banter), quickly removing MOJ’s highest scorer Foot for 26, along with three others, ending up with 4-7, helping restrict the opposition to a normally very gettable 95. It was now a question of marshalling resources carefully in view of the depleted batting line-up but cometh the hour, cometh the men, with our new golden couple Cam and Max (having also kept wicket very cleanly), opening with instructions to stay in and keep their wickets at all costs. And stay in and score runs they did, with both boundaries and good running between the wickets and the help too of a fair number of extras. Mallory obeyed orders and got to retire at 27, while Glaves fell rather short of his instructions by being run out on 24. Allan continued the run scoring, and with Low quickly falling, it was left to Oliver to come in and see Allan score the winning runs. Proceedings adjourned to the Red Bull where the newcomers were solemnly read their rights by the skipper along with a potted history of the club, a ritual only somewhat spoilt by revealing that they were not available for the next game as they were off clubbing in Ibiza. With a short-handed victory like this, will the 7-11 format become the new winning recipe for the midweek games? Wait for next week’s thrilling instalment. And a word from the wise for Chris - steer clear of Finsbury Park tube and stick to the 137 bus.
Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Max Mallory.
Match report: John Low. Match fees: Richard Keightley.
Hurley Sunday June 15 in Hurley Strollers won by one run Strollers 261-2 dec
(31 overs; Waugh 102no, Travis 80, Skinner 25no, Oliver 24no, Martindale 17)
Hurley 260
(43 overs; Macaulay 3-53, Oliver 2-24, Wood 2-38, Travis 1-12, Dela Rue 1-40). The annual trip to Hurley has been such a regular fixture over the years it would be remiss not to provide some background. A review of the last ten match reports tells us the following: Past results: Over the last ten encounters, the Strollers have a commanding 8-1 win-loss record, with one draw. The Strollers have won the last three meetings (2022-2024), including a commanding eight-wicket victory in 2024. The games are often high-scoring; Strollers have posted formidable totals of 278, 243, and 268 in recent years. Format: The fixture is often a timed game, which introduces an interesting strategic factor for captains to consider. The Strollers' Talisman: Glen Oliver: A central figure. He scores runs consistently (99*, 41*, 70* in the last three years), takes crucial wickets (a five-wicket haul in 2020), is frequently captain, and is often involved in the game's key moments (including running out his partners). His performance is a reliable narrative hook. The Pitch & Outfield: The pitch is often described as one with “low bounce.” The large outfield tree, which counts for four if hit, is a unique and consistent feature worth mentioning. General comments: Hurley has always been lauded for its beautiful, picturesque setting. It's a “lovely place to play.” The presence of supporters (“Strollettes”), a friendly opposition, and an exceptional tea are recurring motifs: the 2023 "Indian-themed tea" and the 2024 tea were singled out for high praise. It was a beautiful summer’s day to arrive at Hurley, to a pitch well known to be friendly to batsmen, and a timed game in store. Captain Peter Wood won the toss and elected to bat, confident of posting a big total and giving us a chance of wrapping up the day early. Jonny Waugh, a recent recruit who had attracted the eye of scout George Love during a midweek match, was called in to open alongside Blair Travis. The pair worked the opening bowlers with ease, and after a few overs’ grace, it became quickly apparent that Waugh’s recruitment will be devastating to our opponents' new ball budget. After dispatching both Hurley’s new ball and its replacement into the neighbouring paddock, the Strollers’ new ball was provided and was promptly dealt the same fate - Waugh scored 26 runs from that over from R Singh. This prompted calls from the wicketkeeper to one fielder to “just stay over there” in the next paddock; a suggestion that would have saved us all time, as another two sixes were delivered to the same spot in the next over. It’s not often that the fielding side is brought back in from the ropes when Travis faces, but such was the devastation of Waugh. With his mother-in-law watching from the boundary with admiration, Waugh brought up his marvellous century off 52 balls and retired in the 17th over, bringing Hugh Martindale to the crease. Travis, pleased to finally get some strike, continued picking away in classic style. He and Martindale combined well to keep the runs ticking over, before Martindale was caught short of the crease running a marginal single in the 25th over for 19. The drama of the run-out caused a brain fart by Travis, with an uncharacteristic stroke being easily pouched the following ball, gone for a well-constructed 80. New to the crease with 210 already on the board, Glen “The Talisman” Oliver and Richard Skinner took a few overs to get their eyes in before receiving whispers from Captain Wood: he had been bored since Waugh's fireworks had ended, and he was itching to find out what was for tea. The two picked the run-rate up, putting 50 more on the board off the next five overs - including a bucket-list four off the tree for Skinner - to bring the total to 261 at the close of the 31st over. Satisfied with this total, Captain Wood gave the signal and the declaration was called. The situation was eerily reminiscent of the same fixture in 2018, in which the Strollers declared after 33 overs in 2018 with 268 on the scoreboard. In that match, Hurley held out for 47 overs to force a draw; would 261 prove to be enough this year? After an exceptional tea - a sea of samosas, chana biryani, tuna pasta, a platter of biscuits - the Strollers lumbered out into the beating sun to continue proceedings. Given that Waugh had earlier cleared the briefcase of the choicest half-dozen balls, James Dela Rue kicked off the bowling campaign with a heavily scratched and dubiously-shaped ball Oliver had found deep in his bag; on a batter-friendly wicket, this was not the ideal start. Despite this, Dela Rue took the first wicket in the fifth over, caught comfortably by Oliver. R Singh and S Kayani then combined to comfortably see off the opening bowlers, as well as new recruit Isa Pandor and not-so-new-recruit Jim Hodgson, to push to 132-1 after 19 overs. A few dropped catches along the way did not help the cause, and the Strollers were starting to wonder whether their declaration had been premature. It was in the 20th over that ‘Stair Macaulay made a breakthrough: Travis holding on to a screamer at gully, and then another was pouched by Oliver in the deep later that over. Travis’s catch was rewarded with a few overs to bowl, and he and Macaulay brought about the demise of another three batsmen: Travis took Nabi in the 25th over, caught by Oliver, and Macaulay took A Singh lbw for a duck in the 26th over. J Singh was then run out by a direct hit from Travis in the 30th over. This brought Groundsman Razaq to the crease, and he and R Singh worked well to push the total. Mulholland and Oliver were employed to little avail, and both batsmen looked comfortable as Singh brought up his century in the 33rd over. With the runs required dwindling, Captain Wood brought himself back into the fold for the 37th over and took matters into his own hands, bowling R Singh for 120, leaving the hosts with only 25 to win and three wickets left in hand. M Razaq and Mo Basharat held out valiantly, picking up a few dangerous boundaries to inch them closer to the total, before Oliver took the eighth wicket (Basharat, bowled) with the hosts just eight shy of the total in the 40th over. The 41st over by Captain Wood saw a four and a two, before Macaulay at extra cover performed a crucial diving block, saving a certain boundary, and the following ball he clutched on to a screaming forward-diving catch to dismiss Razaq. The final over was upon us, the hosts requiring only two to win and with one wicket remaining. Hodgson was heard proclaiming that the tension was so high, spectator Simon Brodbeck had chewed through his umbrella handle on the boundary rope. Oliver barked his orders to the fielders - to great effect - as five very tense dots followed. The final ball approached: in classic Oliver style, a quicker ball took off-stump, and the game was ours. Player of the day was declared by Tom Wood to be Macaulay; his crucial three wickets and exemplary fielding meant we had completely forgotten the quick century of Waugh on debut earlier in the day, for he may have otherwise been a shoe-in. Caps were presented to Neale Mulholland and Martindale for their achievements of ten matches for the club, and we celebrated with a few pints from the wide selection on offer at the bar. All credit to Hurley for being wonderful hosts; we’re already looking forward to next year.
Capt: Peter Wood. Wkt: Hugh Martindale.
Match report: Richard Skinner. Match fees: Jim Hodgson.
The Dodgers Thursday June 19 at King's House Strollers won by five runs Strollers 149-5
(20 overs; Broster-Turley 41, Findlay 40, Oliver 30, Richie Stubbs 10no)
The Dodgers 144-5
(20 overs; Findlay 4-27, Oliver 1-25). The midweek Juggernaut descended on King’s House for 1800 (ish) for the annual fixture against longtime opponents The Dodgers, pleased to find it was now “only” 30 degrees. Having scraped together nine players as of the morning of the match, the Strollers promptly lost two of them during the day to illness and emergency trips. Match manager Aidan Selby, having noted the heroic efforts of the team winning with only seven players just weeks earlier, told skipper and emergency match reporter Glen Oliver to “suck it up and get on with it”. The benefit of having so few players is that the team was spared a demonstration of Oliver’s famous incompetence with the coin – the opposition skipper agreeing to let the shorthanded Strollers bat. Club supremo Simon Brodbeck was a welcome sight on the midweek boundary, although rumours quickly circulated that he was there primarily to check on the progress of John Low’s match report from the previous week. Time honoured midweek selection strategy (somewhere between “cunning plan” and “whoever was here first”) saw Gregor Findlay and Low (the latter still recovering from cycling 54 miles for charity over the weekend) don the pads and lead the team into battle. The Strollers made a circumspect start, with The Dodgers’ opening bowlers swinging the pink ball prodigiously on an excellent pitch, claiming Low and James Stubbs in quick succession. Findlay greeted the first change bowler by taking the handbrake off in spectacular style, hitting three consecutive sixes in his way to the mandatory retirement mark of 25. Oliver followed soon after, hitting three of his own. Freddie Broster-Turley continued on his voyage of batting self-discovery, batting sensibly and also making his way to 25. Lower order stalwart Richie Stubbs was next, holding his own against the returning swing bowling. He was joined near the end by veteran Alastair Macaulay, who lasted several balls before being either a) a hero who bravely sacrificed his wicket to allow the retired top order to return or b) the victim of an overly ambitious call from his batting partner. Whichever was true this report does not record. Findlay, Oliver and Broster-Turley all returned with several overs to go, the latter finding the fence for some much needed late runs. The Strollers finished on a par score of 149. Stubbs Jnr was appointed wicketkeeper during the break, seemingly on the basis that he appeared not to protest quickly enough when the skipper cast around for anyone who had a clue what to do with the gloves. With only seven players and Low on the bowling injured list, the bowling picked itself. Withe aid of two sub fielders from the generous opposition, Broster-Turley and Findlay began the defence. The latter, despite protestations of rust, tore a hole in The Dodgers’ top order with two clean bowled and two launched into the hands of Oliver at long-on. From there it was simply a question of whether the Juggernaut could restrict the scoring as the run rate required climbed and the opposition middle order started swinging at everything. Stubbs Snr, Macaulay and Oliver rotated in turn, the nine fielders chased everything, and 40 required off four overs became 25 off two and finally 15 off one. Broster-Turley was entrusted with handling that pressure, which only increased after two across-the-line heaves reduced the equation to seven off four. However, he recovered brilliantly to restrict the scoring and saw the short-staffed Strollers sneak home by just five runs. Nerves shredded, the team promptly decamped to the bar at the ground to hear Broster-Turley proclaim himself a batting all-rounder this week – partly due to being in possession of only one fully functional knee. Tune in to the Adlestrop match report to find out how that went…
Capt and Match Report: Glen Oliver.
Wkt: James Stubbs. Match fees: Aidan Selby. Broughton GiffordSaturday June 21 on Broughton Gifford Common Strollers won by 217 runs Strollers 252-0 dec
(31 overs; Travis 101ret, Pittams 61ret, Daly 50ret, Rogers 24no)
Broughton Gifford 35
(12.1 overs; Broster-Turley 3-4, Brodbeck 3-9, Dela Rue 3-14, Hodgson 1-0).
Gardening has recently played a role in the Friday pre-tour festivities at Patston Towers in Bath. I’m not sure if it could be termed a tradition yet, but Mike Pittams and Rob Wall led the way with lawn mower, strimmer and an assortment of hand tools from the shed. The mower effectively dealt with a patch of weeds and brambles, as well as the lawn, and Rob produced razor sharp edges with the strimmer. A dead branch was cut out of the cherry tree, which Jim claimed as fuel for Jo’s Scandinavian hot tub. Fair enough, as he had helped cut it and there weren’t a sea of hands to compete for the dead wood. Mike and Rob had been playing golf earlier and depending on whose scoring method you favoured, both had won. Rob had used the traditional approach, while Mike’s method has yet to be ratified by the R&A. A set of boules appeared from the depths of the garage and they continued their sporting rivalry on the pristine lawn. One end was even taken from on top of the Victorian roller. No doubt on this occasion, Rob was the winner. The entire warm-up party had assembled to enjoy cooling drinks and nibbles on the terrace, including Stair, Mike Daly (known as Daly for this report), Freddie Broster-Turley, Glen ‘I’m not a beer drinker’ Oliver and Steph. Jim and Jo had stopped off on the way to visit Dyrham Park, a National Trust house with extensive parklands just outside Bath. It’s well worth a visit, if you like that sort of thing. One element of the Bath warm-up which is definitely a tradition is that Maggie will produce a delicious feast. This edition was no exception with starters of smoked salmon and mackerel pate and carrot and cream cheese roulade, mains of duck breast with watercress and brandy sauce and stuffed peppers, followed by chestnut roulade and a dramatic terrine of summer fruits. A fine cheese board finished dinner off. Did I mention wine was involved, including Chateau Giscours, where we played our first match on the 2024 Bordeaux Tour and will be returning to this October. Much chat ensued during and after dinner, and Mike enjoyed his usual rounds of the game ‘Who do you prefer?’. If you‘re not familiar with this game Mike will turn to someone and say ‘Who do you prefer, Richie McCaw or Dan Carter?’ (insert names of Strollers). How many people plump for one of the options? Some retired to bed, others to watch the Lions v Argentina game. Maggie and Jim pushed on through, but I don’t think either of them stayed awake to watch much of the game. Jim awoke on the sofa to find Rob watching the Super Rugby play-off final between Crusaders and Chiefs. He wasn’t happy with the result. Post breakfast (thank you to Glen and Steph on the hob and Maggie on the oven. Do fried onions have a place in a cooked breakfast? Discuss) we all departed for Broughton Gifford. We were joined by Simon Brodbeck, Blair Travis, Steve Rogers, James De La Rue and Brad Trebilcock and a little light drizzle, but that cleared up fairly quickly. Our friendly hosts welcomed us and remined us to keep the changing room doors closed to stop the ducks escaping. Stair was skippering, lost the toss, and was asked to bat first in a 35-over game. Blair and Mike opened and immediately showed the good form they’ve been in this season. From the two previous encounters with Broughton Gifford we know P. Leverington is a good line and length bowler, but anything slightly wayward was punished, and the other bowlers didn’t fare any better. Daisy Hunt arrived late and took the gloves from home skipper Alex Ladner. She showed she was an accomplished keeper. Blair and Mike carried on, taking the quick singles, twos and quite a few boundaries and brought their 50s up off 42 and 40 balls respectively. At the drinks interval Mike retired with sore hamstrings for a fine 61 and the total at 136. Daly joined Blair, and the rapid progress continued, until Blair brought up his ton off 76 balls. He retired on 101. Enter Steve. Daly was dealing mainly in boundaries and Steve played a fine supporting role rotating the strike. There was a brief period where they both chipped balls close, but not quite close enough to fielders, but the total kept rising rapidly. Despite being a limited over game, skipper Stair made it know he was planning a declaration. Would he leave Daly stranded on 49? No, he knocked off a 50 from 30 balls and then retired. Enter Brad. He took a couple of swishes and misses before dispatching a ball to mid-on for one and generous cheering from beyond the boundary. The skipper then declared after 31 overs, cruelly leaving Brad only 49 short of his first 50 for the club. Steve finished on 24* with Broughton Gifford left to chase 252. Jo and Steph returned from their walk around the local area to study Maggie’s immaculately kept book, and eyebrows were raised on noticing that no one had actually got out. Broughton Gifford laid on a wonderful tea of generous and wide-ranging proportions. We were touched to learn that we’re the only side they do tea for. Thank you. Daly was selected as the keeper for the day; something he accepted with little relish! Alex Ladner and C Bowen opened for Broughton Gifford and found the going tough against Freddie and James. James struck early having Bowen caught at point by Steve. In an almost identical dismissal, Ladner fell shortly after. R Beck put up more resistance, being the only batter to make double figures, but fell lbw to Freddie. Daisy Hunt showed great technique with a good stride, high elbow and plenty of maker’s name on display, but James wasn’t to be denied and bowled her for two, finishing with 3-14. Freddie removed young H (Harry?) Robinson, bowled, to a chorus of booing from his team-mates led by Glen. C ‘I’m a hockey player and know nothing about cricket’ Young was next in. She might profess to know nothing about cricket, but she is blessed with foresight, predicting she would be caught. And so she was. Caught and bowled by Freddie, finishing his stint on 3-4. Jim replaced James and struck immediately with Robinson Senior tickling one to Brad at gully, registering his first catch for the Strollers. Rather than the expected warm congratulations Brad was greeted with solid abuse for his ‘crocodile’ technique. Simon’s first over brought two wickets, one caught behind, over his shoulder by Daly, and one ball that appeared to touch the clouds, such was its trajectory, but returned to earth to dislodge the leg stump bail. A third wicket in his second over (3-9), thanks to a catch from Mike, brought the innings to a close, with a total of 35. We headed to The Bell for refreshments with our friendly hosts, including a round of Pernod, for those who like that sort of thing. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noted Rob’s gardening and boules exploits on Friday evening, but no mention of Saturday cricketing greatness. For the record, his Wallness departed for London on Saturday morning to attend a food festival with his family. Capt: Alastair Macaulay. Wkt: Mike Daly.
Match report: Jim Hodgson. AdlestropSunday June 22 in Adlestrop Strollers won by 67 runs Strollers 198-8
(35 overs; Pittams 86no, Travis 50, Daly 18, Dela Rue 15)
Adlestrop, Daylesford and Oddington 131
(30.4 overs; Macaulay 3-11, Oliver 2-16, Dela Rue 2-28, Broster-Turley 1-33, Travis 1-9, Hodgson 1-25). Although Mr Michael Pittams is the designated match reporter for this clash, he has been beaten to publication by a certain lady called Jane Austen - a frequent visitor to Adlestrop Manor. Mr Pittams' account is still thought to be in the process of construction. This is Miss Austen's version of the historic events of June 22: Adlestrop Park, Adlestrop, formerly monastic land, has been owned by members of the Leigh family since 1553. The Rev Thomas Leigh (d 1813) was the uncle of the novelist Jane Austen, who first visited in 1794, and again in 1799 and 1806. There's only a single mention of cricket in Austen's entire work in the description of Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey (1817) , who “was fond of all boys’ plays, and greatly preferred cricket…It was not very wonderful that Catherine, who had by nature nothing heroic about her, should prefer cricket, baseball, riding on horseback, and running about the country at the age of fourteen, to books.” In 1827 her nephew George Thomas Knight was instrumental in getting round-arm bowling accepted by the authorities (it was under-arm only before that). The following has been found in an obscure archive and does appear to be the work of Jane Austen herself, though future scholars may have their doubts. The X1 of Fleet Street V XI of Adelstrop, Daylesford and Oddington I happened to be in the idyllic soundings of The Park in Adelstrop this Sunday past admiring the livestock on the estate and came across an extraordinary scene in one corner of the grounds. A cricket match was setting up and I availed myself of the opportunity to gain insight into this game which I had hitherto dismissed. A group of itinerant scribblers from London called the Fleet Street Strollers were on tour in the area and were playing the local team. Papa used to tell of the time when the Fleet in London was a noxious open sewer and that the outpourings of the so-called journalists were no better. I was hopeful that these Strollers were more fragrant. It appeared that many had dined on the Friday night at Mrs Patston’s in Bath whose hospitality is legendary in those parts. No doubt her table was groaning with lobster, lampreys, quail, larks’ tongues, and blancmanges. And copious amounts of claret. Few have left with clear heads in the morning. Mrs Patston herself was present at the cricket, with a vast array of coloured pencils, keeping score in a red ledger, which by all accounts is extremely valuable and should not be left in a carriage overnight. Mr Brodbeck appeared to be the elder stateman and master of the group preferring to remain distant in the outer reaches of the meadow, smiling indulgently at the antics of his charges. I chanced to overhear his speech to the players, advising them on how they must behave “we have no truck with pride and prejudice on the field. Sense and sensibility must be our watchwords”. I took note of his wise words and may use them at some point in the future. Many had strange accents and appeared to be from a colony called New Zealand, a land far away of which we know little. They seemed cheerful enough with much bantering among themselves. Some might even be marriageable with some rudimentary elocution lessons and tutoring in cotillions and quadrilles to impress at formal dances. Substantial land holdings and stock would make them even more attractive. At least one appeared to be on the hunt for a suitable wife and left the ground with a bouquet for his possible intended. His colleagues seemed content merely of offer what appeared to be very bad advice on courting and matrimony. One was referred to as “Lord”, though he seemed to be of lowly stock and never actually destined for the red benches of the House. He liked nothing better than to chide teammates and opposition in booming tones for their errors from the safety of the changing hut. Later he was to be dismissed from the wicket for wandering out of his ground. The older members of the group were thin on top but not around the waist, evidence of lives well lived. One must hope that a surfeit of port and oysters does not lead to gout or worse. Mr Oliver was in charge of team affairs and celebrated wildly when he won the coin-toss. He is apparently the unluckiest man in Surrey in the calling of the toss. He declared “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a on a hot day you bat first.” An ugly sentence but it may be improved upon. I have noted it also. I am not entirely cognisant with the rules of cricket but it seemed that the Strollers appeared to start very badly given the frequency with which they went out and came back cursing the opponent’s facility with the ball. Mr Broster-Turley did not even get to face a delivery, having dismissed himself with an unwise call. Eventually Mr Pittams, sporting flowing locks and mutton chops resembling a figure from Gainsborough and the very tall Mr Travis started to hit the ball to all parts of the park. It was if Mr Darcy and Rochester had been brought to life before me. The innings concluded with satisfaction considering the parlous start. There was much talk of ducks (golden, diamond and possibly porcelain) though there seemed to be a total absence of poultry thereabouts. After the tea interval Mr Oliver led his charges onto the field. There he did much shouting and pointing at where his players should be, though they did seem not to heed his words to the letter. Happily the bowlers and fielders eventually respond to his urging and the wickets tumbled at a pleasing rate. The match ended with victory to the men of Fleet Street much to the chagrin of the locals. The Strollers celebrated with ale and more bantering. I will endeavour to be much kinder about cricket now that I have seen the intricacies and subtilties of the game. It clearly requires high levels of skill and athleticism. I myself made a discreet exit as I have a meeting with my good friend Thomas Lord tomorrow in London. He is looking to acquire some acreage in Marylebone for his new cricket ground. I think I have found the very place for him. If successful he has promised to lobby the Governor of the Bank of England to have my likeness etched upon banknotes. Failing that, access for all ladies in future to be allowed into the new pavilion when it is built. I feel he may have demurred on that point.
Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Steve Rogers.
Match report: Jane Austen. ………………………………………………………………………………………. From one literary giant to another. Despite the presence of Miss Austen (1775-1817) at Adlestrop Park, the Strollers resident laureate The Hon Michael Pittams refuses to cower in her shadow. This is his account of Sunday's proceedings and while it may not be in the same league as Sense and Sensibility it shows more than a little pride and an abundance of prejudice... Detailed recollections of occurrences on Saturday evening of the 2025 Cotswolds tour, after Jim’s jurisdiction ended and before my roommate BROOOSTER-Turley tucked me safely into bed, are hard to come by. The trend of late is to blame Mike Daly for any loss of memory or morning-after ill health. I’m not sure how fair that is – yes, those strong yet supple wrists may pour a hefty slug of red wine – but we all know that very well and we nevertheless provide our consent each time we pass him our glass. Surely it’s not fair to retrospectively withdraw that consent the morning after just because we’ve developed headaches and queasy stomachs? Consent: it’s nuanced. A smattering of recollections I can provide from the evening include dinner table remarks from both Simon Brodbeck and Brad Trebilcock, buttons gradually being undone as the hot and sweaty evening progressed towards cooling ice cream, transitioning to the outdoor tables and cooler air once we’d finished our excellent meal, Jim producing a ‘goon’ bag of wine to bolster the afterparty (he carries one in his car at all times, you never know when you might get stuck in traffic), Pittams defeating Trebilcock in a race around the back garden (Trebilcock completes 5km park runs in around 17 and a half minutes – unfortunately he found out the hard way from me that 1am garden runs are different gravy altogether). At some point a massive ordnance penetration took place in Iran, which was sobering news to wake up to on Sunday, and kept the tour party busy at the breakfast table (between gobbling smashed avo on toast, reading the latest news articles on the Middle East and shooting dirty looks at Daly for hoodwinking us into providing our repeated consent to him pouring more wine into our glasses). After waiting for my room and car companion BROOOOSTER-Turley to finish dropping some ordnance of his own it was off to Adlestrop via Stow on the Wold (sans fire in the skies), both simply darling locations to which the BROOOOOOOSTER and I navigated successfully, efficiently and without mishap. Adlestrop Daylesford & Oddington Cricket Club is a new fixture on our Cotswolds tour, and they have a picturesque ground nestled among some farm paddocks and just down the hillock from an eeeeeeelegant manor. That hillock creates an appreciable slope for the pitch – one crease being at higher altitude than the other – and perhaps it was this gradient that helped Captain Glen Oliver to win a second toss in a row (!) and invite Adlestrop to do some fielding. Having not been required to bat or bowl the previous day in Broughton Gifford, Glen promoted himself to open alongside Stevie the Rogerer. Possibly still slightly punch drunk from his toss win, Glenary was sensationally bowled first ball by young Josh Harvey, who steamed down the hillock from the Manor House end and delivered a thoroughly unplayable in-swinging yorker to skittle our skipper. First drop Mike Pittams unconvincingly saw out the remainder of the first over, before a similarly energetic looking youth in Max Hayman came on to bowl up the hillock. Stevie Rogers kept the first one out before receiving an absolute brute of a delivery second ball, which he could only glove to first slip where Alex Beaumont-Dark took a diving catch to bring Trebley Webley to the crease. At the non-striker’s end I noticed and was worried that number five Mike Daly didn’t yet have his shoes on, let alone any protective equipment – not necessarily the state of preparation you want your ‘Trebley plus one’ in the batting order to be in. Trebley looked less worried. Having spent a sleepless night listening to bedmate Dela Rue’s snoring (something the Geneva Convention would surely ban but which Strollers tours permit), then a searching examination from Stair, Freddie and our Lord in the nets, Trebley looked relaxed and seemed to assume that batting would be light relief in comparison. Not quite! Hayman’s next delivery sent Trebley’s off stump cartwheeling. Pandemonium ensues. Swift umpire changes, Jim Hodgson urgently recalled from his bucolic stroll with Jo, pads and gloves changing hands frenziedly, Magatha scribbling furiously to keep the scorebook up to date, Adlestrop crowding the bat for the hat-trick ball…there’s nothing quite like the panic of a collapse! Enter Daly (finally dressed and padded) with the sangfroid of a deepwater vampire squid, to block out the hat-trick delivery with aplomb. In the fourth over Daly employed those strong and supply wine pouring wrists – in such heavy demand all weekend, albeit allegedly against his teammates’ will (perhaps he hypnotised them?) – to crash a short delivery to the point boundary and we finally had a run off the bat! As well as cold blood, vampire squid also have very low resting heartrates owing to their energy efficient lifestyles, and this was clear in Daly’s calm steadying of the innings. Highlights from his oeuvre included a Tendulkar-esque on-drive for four, an also Tendulkar-esque lean-back ramp over slips, and the mid-pitch profanities he levelled at his batting partner Pittams who did his best to run the vampire squid out with a particularly abject piece of calling. Daly’s fortifying innings of 18 came to an end when the opening bowlers were replaced and Harry Greaves snuck one through from the top of the hillock – no doubt leaving Daly feeling like a real pillock. The Lord, enjoying a rare promotion to the middle order, continued Daly’s excellent job of innings-steadying work and further underlined his all-round credentials in making a watchful 15, before being stumped for the second innings in a row. As he exited the batting arena Pittams asked: “Lord, why didn’t you slide your foot back into your crease, you flog!!???”. A Dela-rueful shake of the head was all he received by way of response. From his next batting partner, the BROOOOOSTER!!!, Pittams received a considerably more vociferous response – specifically a loud “Yes!!!” – after asking if he might be interested in a second run. Broster-Turley cordially noted the official request for consent from Pittams, and clearly provided it by return holler, as this match report will forever be evidence. The response – transparent, unnuanced and positive though it was – turned out to be the wrong one. A rocket arm direct hit from Greaves in the deep sent the BROOOOSTER on his way for a diamond duck (a duck without facing a ball), continuing Freddie’s proud tradition of running himself out on the Sunday match of Cotswolds tours. Around this time Pittams finally found a modicum of timing and lustily dispatched not one but two deliveries over the fence beyond the boundary in as lusty fashion as anyone has seen from him since, inspired by the presence of Wall’s mother, he cleared the pavilion at Warfield in 2019. It’s not clear what provoked such lust on this occasion – most likely frustration with the difficulty he was having timing the ball on a tricky pitch. Blair Travis, hiding down at No 8 as a Strollers safety blanket after a ton the previous day, made a quick 51 off 40 deliveries, adding 108 for the sixth wicket with Pittams before missing a lusty blow of his own to be bowled in the final over. His Majesty’s Ship Jim Hodgson entered, and then departed, the fifth duck (and third golden duck) of the Strollers innings. HMS Hodgson had eaten duck for dinner on both Friday and Saturday nights, so how he thought that was going to result in any sort of positive batting display is beyond this scribe. Hodgson is old enough to know better! This brought Alastair Macaulay to the crease to face the final delivery of the innings with Josh Harvey on a hat-trick. Harvey, yet again, was on target…but Stair was up to the task and nonchalantly defended him into the off side (maybe he’s part vampire squid also?) before sauntering off to offer his coaching (how to face and survive a delivery) services to Glen, Brad, Freddie and Jim. Thus we concluded on 198-8, a respectable total on a difficult wicket, and a minor miracle after being 3-3 in the second over (and in an innings which included five ducks!). A delicious tea, the highlights of which (for this scribe) were the Asian slaw and the ginger loaf, revitalised us for our fielding stint. BROOOOSTER-Turley got us off to a good start when he pinned Alex Beaumont-Dark lbw for 17. Having scored those 17 off just 11 deliveries, this felt like an important wicket to take. Freddie was specifically congratulated for capturing the wicket of a fully grown adult male – for further context see yesterday’s match report. Unfortunately for Alex he hobbled off, having taken a very painful blow to his toe. The Lord Dela Rue won an lbw decision of his own to see off Adlestrop’s No 3 and added a second wicket via a sharp slip catch from Travis to finish with the demonic figures of 2-28. The wind had by now picked up, and skipper Oliver elected to make use of the downwind end to fang down some wrong-armed thunderbolts – which he did to great effect on his way to figures of 2-16 (although the less said about his hat-trick ball the better). HMS Hodgson was less enthusiastic about toiling into the strong breeze from the other end. Even though the upwind end came with the silver lining of being down-hillock, Jim is currently going through a confused process of relocating his run-up (which he appears to have misplaced). The negative gradient as he approached the popping crease wasn’t necessarily helping this matter. Jim did find his rhythm and start to look less pained at the crease, eventually trapping Dan McAuliffe in front to round out an economical six-over spell. Despite the opposition skipper’s resistance, the asking rate was rising. Enter Macaulay (up-hillock but down-wind), who in the short order of three overs rustled up three victims – two clean bowled and one caught tall-y at mid-off by Travis. A win and an early finish were secured when Travis induced a catch to be hit to Oliver at mid-on. In holding the catch, Oliver wrapped up a weekend during which not a single catching chance went to ground for the Strollers. If you think that’s an outlandish stat, hold on to your hat and wait until you hear that Trebley Webley scored more runs on tour than Oliver! It’s just as well Paddy Power don’t offer odds on our matches…several houses would’ve been lost. Thanks as always to Maggie for ensuring none of us need to do any scoring, and to Simon and Stair for their organisation of what is always a fun weekend. I may well consent to go again next year… DinosThursday June 26 at Barn Elms Strollers won by 12 runs Strollers 140-5
(20 overs; Smith 30no, Robertson 29, Oliver 28no, Broster-Turley 13, Douglas 10)
Dinos 128-6
(20 overs; Macaulay 2-32, Oliver 1-18, Smith 1-25). A Thursday in June and 11 Strollers gather at Barn Elms, with Dinos this week’s opponents. That's how I'd like to open this match report. Sadly, though, the Strollers amassed just eight men for this evening’s effort. No matter – the Strollers have faced similar struggles before now, the last two weeks being prime examples. Captain Glen Oliver was delayed so it was negotiated that the six Strollers present at the start time of the match would bat. Freddie Broster-Turley and Pete Robertson headed to the middle. What they faced was some of the trickiest opening bowling the Strollers have ever seen on a Thursday. Bowlers Halliwell and Sergio returned figures of 0-5 (!) and 1-17 from their opening four overs apiece, leaving the Strollers at just 23-1 after eight. Broster-Turley fell for 13 after getting a few early looseners to the boundary. That brought Toby Douglas to the crease for his Strollers debut. The ringer was needed to boost numbers but faced the openers to reach double figures before a sharp catch behind ended his stint. Pete Robertson reached 25 to retire and Oliver and Rowan Smith were brought in to bat together. Making the most of the change in bowlers, they combined to increase the Strollers run rate, both retiring past 25 at 30 and 28 respectively. A few added runs and the Strollers made it to a respectable 140-5, managing an impressive 117 from the final 12 overs of the innings. With a total to defend, the few brave Strollers (plus a couple of slightly less than willing Dinos) took to the field. Broster-Turley kept things tight while Smith took the wicket of opener Umair, clean bowling him after a number of close calls. The next two batsman each made it to 25, but the pace of the run-scoring was under control. A stumping from Robertson off the bowling of Alastair Macaulay, a second for Macaulay and a wicket for Oliver, plus a few soft run-outs meant that the total of 140 was suddenly threatened by the prospect of returning batsmen. A tactical effort ensured to bowl economically, but while actively trying not to take any further wickets! This was executed perfectly by the Strollers and despite a third Dino batsman reading the required 25 to retire, it proved to be too little too late. The chasing effort closed 12 runs short of the required total, giving the gallant Strollers a well-deserved victory. Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt and match report: Pete Robertson.
Match fees: Aidan Selby. Wendover Sunday June 29 in Pinkneys Green Strollers won by seven wickets Wendover 214
(33 overs; Hodgson 3-17, Dela Rue 3-36, Helsby 2-33, Macaulay 1-29, Pandor 1-29)
Strollers 217-3
(33.3 overs; Pittams 88, Wall 75, Oliver 29no, Chafe 12no).
According to legend, there are two distinct weather conditions regarded as the most challenging in English sport: an away game on a rainy night in Stoke, or a home game during a heatwave at Pinkneys Green. With the forecast peaking at 32 degrees, and a wicket producing more variability than a five-minute conversation with Brad Trebilcock, today’s match was destined to be a memorable fixture for all one of the Strollers WAGS who had turned up to spectate (cheers Jo). After borrowing a 1p coin from Alastair Macaulay, debut captain Freddie Broster-Turley proceeded to lose his first toss which resulted in Wendover CC choosing to bat, likely in the hope that at least half of the Strollers would have heatstroke-related illnesses prior to the innings change. For his final pre-match duty as captain, Broster-Turley presented Trebilcock with his FSSCC cap, marking his 10th match for the Strollers, and raising the question whether a one-wicket or 10-run minimum contribution should be enforced for future cap recipients. The game began with the lethal bowling combination of James Dela Rue and Broster-Turley making Wendover work hard to keep their wickets intact. DLR’s first over saw Wendover’s opener edge a full-length delivery to first slip, while in the remainder of his six-over spell he picked up a further two wickets. One caught and bowled, and one caught in spectacular style by Glen Oliver at long-on, diving down to his right only moments after loudly stating the infamous Strollers motto “shit gets wickets.” By the time the opening bowling partnership was complete, a new fashion trend had quickly spread amongst the Strollers fieldsmen with the boys making a good case for FSSCC singlets to be considered as the new 2026 uniform. Simon Brodbeck was predictably horrified. A change of bowling attack saw Jake Helsby take two wickets from one end – one lbw off the only straight ball in 24 deliveries, with the second being caught deep at square leg by Mike Pittams. At the other end debutant Alex Chafe bowled well and was unlucky not to pick up a wicket. The next bowling change saw Macaulay pick up his first wicket quickly with Pittams netting his second catch of the innings. Stair was close to picking up a second wicket in his fifth over, with Helsby dropping a diving catch just short of the boundary. To make matters worse, the return throw from the boundary was lost from sight in the tree line and landed perfectly on the crest of Stair’s Strollers cap, forcing him off the field injured and within much closer proximity of the clubhouse bar – which I’m sure was entirely coincidental and not a premeditated plan to escape the soaring heat. Whilst Wendover’s No 66 George Jackson batted brilliantly and scored seemingly freely, he was losing partners quickly at the other end. Isa Pandor picked up one wicket, whilst the remainder of the tail was taken care of by Jim Hodgson who worked through them faster than a vindaloo on a Friday night. His figures of 3-17 reflected his superb consistency of line and length. There was some much needed shade and hydration at the tea break where a lavish feast was provided by the Brodbeck catering company. But despite Brodbeck's best efforts the gourmet repast was only rated as a six out of ten by Egon Ronay inspector DLR.
Openers Rob Wall and Pittams headed back out to face the heat and start chipping away at the 214-run target. Meanwhile Macauley began working through an extended version of the concussion test, which consists of keeping score for 35 overs despite everything beyond a two-metre radius remaining blurry. Wendover’s bowlers came out firing, taking full advantage of the variable bounce on the wicket and challenged both the toes and armpits of Wall and Pittams. But the openers responded brilliantly – defending everything that challenged the stumps, whilst taking full advantage and punishing the rare loose delivery. Half-centuries came for Wall and Pittams in quick succession, with the openers reaching a 100-run partnership at the end of the 18th over. From there onwards a true masterclass of 360 batting unfolded on the pitch. Pittams cleared the boundary easily with a six over the bowler’s head that ended up on the clubhouse roof, whilst Wall twice pulled out the reverse sweep to tuck the ball away to the boundary for four runs. The opening partnership was eventually broken in the 22nd over with the score on 148 when Pittams was dismissed for 88, which saw the FSSCC cap awardee Trebilcock come to the crease. After a few testing deliveries, Trebilcock connected with a pull shot to get off the mark for two runs down the leg side. The technique was so flawless that the odds for Trebley-Webley to finish the season as top run-scorer rose sharply from 2731/1 to 2730/1. With a bit of confidence up his sleeve, and the motivation to move the game on quickly to be home for his girlfriend (yet to be verified) before 8pm, Trebilcock set a goal to complete the remaining 60-run deficit in 10 balls. Unfortunately his following shot – a textbook baseball swing to a good length delivery on middle stump – was caught at long-on. This brought Glen Oliver to the crease. He scored quickly with a boundary off his third ball to get off the mark, before then maintaining a strike rate of over 100. Wall was eventually dismissed for 75 in the 31st over, which brought debutant Chafe into the attack to help Oliver guide the boys to victory scoring exclusively in boundaries. The Strollers won by seven wickets with nine balls to spare. Capt: Freddie Broster-Turley. Wkt: Rob Wall.
Match fees: Jim Hodgson. Match report: Jake Helsby. Westminster CouncilThursday July 3 at King's House Strollers won by seven wickets Westminster 131-6
(20 overs; Macaulay 2-20, Douglas 1-10, Broster-Turley 1-12, Findlay 1-25
Strollers 132-3
(17.5 overs; Oliver 34no, Robertson 34no, Wall 10, Douglas 10). Continuing the theme of the Midweek Juggernaut 2025, captain Pete Robertson had to make do with fewer than the usual 11. Having lost the toss and being sent into the field, Pete’s woes were compounded when regular skipper Glen Oliver was delayed, arriving four overs into the match. Oliver at least brought along debutant Brad Trebilcock, playing his first (and so far only) game for the midweek crew. Glen, not renowned for his speed in getting ready, nevertheless put young Brad to shame by making it onto the field an over earlier, despite both arriving at the same time. Freddie Broster-Turley and Gregor Findlay opened the bowling for the Strollers, with Findlay sneaking one through the gate with his spin to claim the first wicket of the game. Broster-Turley struck the very next over, clipping the top of off stump, and suddenly both openers were gone. Next into the attack was Toby Douglas, still feeling the after-effects of his Strollers debut the week before. Douglas bowled a tidy spell and removed Otha, smartly caught by Broster-Turley at mid-on. Bowling in tandem was Rob Wall, relishing the rare freedom of not keeping wicket thanks to the selflessness of skipper Robertson. Wall sent down three overs of variety at a positively rapid over-rate. While lively and unpredictable, his spell went wicketless. This brought the ever-dependable Alastair Macaulay into the fray. He induced a sharp stumping to remove the dangerous No 3 for 26, before finding the edge of the No 5, who played on. His tight bowling, looping arc, and pressure combined with Oliver’s pace and discipline created chances. One such moment saw the batters attempt a quick single, only for Trebilcock, keen to atone for his late arrival, pounce with a clean pick-up and return to Oliver. The dangerous batter was gone for 19. John Low then rolled back the years, sending down two tidy overs. Perhaps more impressive, though, was his work in the field, getting down to the ball in a manner that would surely have pleased our Lord James Dela Rue. The Westminster Council innings closed on 131-6, leaving the Strollers needing 132 for victory. After a brief respite, the chase began. Trebilcock, with characteristic audacity, requested an opening role and was duly handed the No 2 slot alongside Wall. Runs were hard to come by, with the Council bowlers swinging it both ways. Trebilcock’s stay was short, bowled for just one. Douglas joined Wall and the pair added a solid 20 before Douglas, keen to accelerate, was stumped for his troubles. In came Oliver, who was gifted a life early after skying one, and he made the most of it. True to form, he counterpunched briskly, rattling up 34 before retiring. At the other end Wall was plodding along steadily, while also showing off his powers of persuasion. After smashing the ball into the top of the keeper’s pads, where it lodged, Wall somehow convinced all concerned that it was not out. Both umpires and the opposition accepted this remarkable argument. However, after much sideline debate and a pint or two it was universally agreed that Wall had got away with one. Justice wasn’t far off though; he was soon dismissed for 13. Skipper Robertson then strode to the middle and played a fluent knock, finishing unbeaten on 34, alongside Findlay on six not out. The Strollers chased down the target in just 17.5 overs, sealing another solid victory with only nine men. Capt and wkt: Pete Robertson.
Match reporter: Freddie Broster-Turley. Match fees: Aidan Selby. PeppardSunday July 6 at Peppard Strollers won by 96 runs Strollers 266-5
(35 overs; Oliver 50no, Hartley 39, Rogers 31no, Broster-Turley 31no, Pandor 24, Wall 16, Martindale 13, Waugh 10)
Peppard 169-8
(35 overs; Bennett 3-20, Rogers 2-18, Pandor 1-23, Macaulay 1-23, Dela Rue 1-42). With monsoon-like rain on the drive to the ground, the idea of playing cricket seemed a distant prospect…only to arrive at Peppard to glorious sunshine. Skipper Steve Rogers won/negotiated the toss and decided we would have a bat. Rob Wall and Jonny Waugh walked out, with Waugh dispatching the first ball to a (very) long midwicket boundary, and the third ball into the carpark, narrowly missing Glen Oliver’s Audi. This flurry of runs quickly ended though, as the class of the two opening bowlers started to show. Waugh turned into Michael Clarke and was fooled by a ball delivered wide of the crease, raising his arms as it cannoned into middle stump. Wall battled hard at the other end, struggling with the express pace and movement. However, within this he managed to unleash (one of) the moments of the season, cracking a cut through backward point that was applauded by the bowler for both its beauty and execution. While Wall struggled, Isa Pandor took the attack to the bowlers – unleashing an unorthodox approach of showing all his stumps and using both the inside and outside of his bat to pepper the boundary behind the keeper. A solid second-wicket partnership of 48 was broken with Wall being hit halfway up his back leg in front of middle. He walked, not allowing umpire Rogers the choice as to whether he was lbw. Enter Neil Hartley, who once again dazzled the opposition with his unique mix of pulls and reverse sweeps – sprinting between the wicket for a solid 39. He was joined by Oliver, who did what he does best, feasting on the middle order bowlers and dispatching boundaries with ease on his way to a 50 not out. Hugh Martindale also scored a rapid 13 before being bowled leaving the skipper on 31 not out and Freddie Broster-Turley (pronounced “Broo-ster”) also on 31 not out as they guided us with aplomb to the finish. Unfortunately tea was not provided for all. Instead Wall had diligently baked, cheffed and cured himself (and Hartley) a ham and cheese baguette. New recruit Will Bennett had threatened big pace (with 130 clicks mentioned as a goal). He opened up downwind and certainly was fast (if not mercurial in line and length). Wicketkeeper Martindale did an outstanding job, saving many a bye/wide. Will’s bowling also led to one of the best (ever) Strollers catches (according to Oliver) at slip. A ball was flayed off the outside edge with Jonny jumping off his feet, parrying it then turning in air to regather all in one motion. It was scarcely believable even watching it! Will claimed a couple more wickets (which involved smashing the stumps everywhere) in a promising first spell for the Strollers of 3-18. At the other end Brooster (0-18) toiled away, continuing his season’s trend of bowling well only to see the wickets fall at the other end. Our Lord (James Dela Rue) came on first change with the batsmen licking their lips at his slightly reduced pace compared with Bennett. He delivered an expensive spell of 1-42. Rogers (2-18) made the most of a dry pitch spinning the ball with ease. Meanwhile Alastair Macaulay (1-21) and Pandor (1-21) made light work of the tail. We retired to the bar for a few beers with the opposition – the beautiful (not quite in Henley) ground at Peppard a wonderful setting once again.
Capt: Steve Rogers. Wkt: Hugh Martindale.
Match fees: Alastair Macaulay. Match report: Rob Wall.
Prestcold Sunday July 13 at Binfield Heath Strollers won by seven wickets Prestcold 219-6
(40 overs; Hodgson 2-28, Rogers 1-23, Macaulay 1-25, Broster-Turley 1-46)
Strollers 220-3
(35.5 overs; Travis 94, Smith 89, Oliver 14no, Madina 12).
The day began with a trip to Sainsbury’s Local. Cake courtesy of the Match Manager (and not very punctual scribe) had been requested to mark Glen Oliver’s 10-year anniversary since his Strollers debut. No time to contemplate preferred flavours. A swift purchase of Carrot Cake and Vanilla Latte Cake and this errand was run. Next stop was Tulse Hill to collect Brad Trebilcock for the pleasure of a 37-mile car journey to South Oxfordshire. For those who don’t know Trebilcock, the bloke is blessed with endless beautiful banter. The trip provided opportunity to hear his insights to the world’s problems and amongst other topics, to learn the lucrativeness of being previously an industry leader for the artificial insemination of diary cows in NZ. The supply of banter was a welcome distraction for a ruinous Sat-Nav directed our journey via Henley-on-Thames on the weekend of Henley Festival. Thirty minutes delayed but we were finally again making progress. Trebilcock was awe-struck by the fleeting glimpse of Henley-on-Thames, for he never knew a more beautiful town in England and vowed to return with his sweetheart, Sarah. News from the ground 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start came via a Ben Mangham WhatsApp - “Warm-ups going well, looks like I’m batting…alone”. Newest Stroller recruit Mrinal Madina, a welcome addition via Maidenhead & Bray CC, offered to take the other opener’s spot - “I’ll be there in nine minutes. Do you want 1 or 2?” With complementary stories of train and traffic chaos the Strollers XI assembled nigh on the start at 1pm. Our opponents, Prestcold Cricket Club, were graciously hosting us at their idyllic ground. Looking out from the pavilion, a parched brown outfield contained a mature tree which stood proudly in the gully/mid-on for RHB whilst the far side of the ground is bordered by a lush canopy of densely packed trees. Under the bright blue sky, the verdant contrast between blue, green and brown provided a subtle melancholic tone to the whole affair. In the stiflingly hot sweat-inducing conditions, skipper Oliver lost the toss and the Strollers were fielding first in a 40-over match. Freddie Broster-Turley and Jonny Waugh took the new ball. Each quickly set about their intimidatory opening spells, however Prestcold began rapidly courtesy of Chaz Mayhew and Phil Desbois scoring at close to a run a ball for the first ten overs. In the opening exchanges, Broster-Turley was all rhythm and swing, hustling in like a young Richard Hadlee, whilst Waugh provided the bustle; think of Lance Klusener in his prime. With the score on 61, Waugh contrived the first wicket through a direct hit run-out with one stump to aim at, swooping like a gazelle on a ball hit to his left at cover-point to dismiss Mayhew for 26. With that freakish act, Waugh was promptly relieved of his bowling duty, wicketless off five overs. Shortly thereafter Broster-Turley, lucklessly finding wickets hard to come by this season, had reward for a top eight-over spell with Desbois bowled for 31 with the score on 70-2. Ben Mangham and Steve Rogers were next up to the bowling crease and toiled away through the middle overs, battling a cautious Prestcold middle-order as well as the searing heat. Mangham went wicketless in his seven overs, whilst Rogers showed plenty of guile with his off-spin and picked up Matt Rosier (34) via a sharp catch from Blair Travis to his left at first slip with the score at 127-3. Rogers could have had a second wicket in his spell, but walked away with a bleeding finger following his seventh over after an attempted caught & bowled off a bullet-like straight drive by Prestcold anchor Collin Ferguson. Heroically, Rogers would not be denied his eighth; delivering a maiden over with all-sorts, toilet paper flapping away from his bowling hand. Jim Hodgson (2 wickets for 28 runs off seven overs) bowled in his usual metronomic manner. During this period the Prestcold innings lost all impetus after their free-scoring beginning. Alastair Macaulay (1 wicket for 25 runs off four overs) came on and took the wicket of Ferguson, bowled for a composed 47 to leave the score at 191-6. A charitable final over delivered by Travis conceded 12 runs plus four byes and took the Prestscold score to 219-6 off 40 overs. Rowan Smith had kept wicket tidily throughout the innings and came off very sweaty; the other Strollers (thankful for three drinks breaks) were appreciative of his efforts. Travis and debutant Madina were the nominated Strollers opening pair tasked by skipper Oliver of making a sizeable dent into the opposition score. Luke and Andrew Rosier took the new ball for Prestcold. The opening stand lasted 12 overs, notching 57 runs until Madina was dismissed lbw for 12 off the rapid Luke Rosier. Madina had been watchful throughout his innings but got one glorious cut shot away to the boundary. Travis, on 44 and scoring freely, was joined by Smith. Smith got his innings under way quickly with a flurry of piercing square drives to the boundary. Travis quickly went past 50. After 20 overs the score was 110-1, exactly halfway there. After the drinks break, aided by the lightning-quick outfield, the duo set about the respectable Prestcold bowling attack. Andrew Rosier ended wicketless. Likewise did the bowling spells from James Prior, Jonny Gingell, Chaz Mayhew and Alistair Grant. Smith, seeing much of the strike, began refusing runs, confident of dealing solely in boundaries whilst calculating his chances of a Strollers farewell ton. Travis, nearly at a ton of his own, was dismissed caught & bowled for 94 (17 fours) off the bowling of Kieran Exley with the score at 182-2, ending a 125-run second-wicket partnership. A free-scoring Oliver came in at No.4 (14 not out) and with scores tied, Smith gave his wicket away for 89 (16 fours), caught trying to hit Exley out of the ground. Trebilcock was left with the glory of hitting the winning runs, ending one not out (and exponentially improving his Strollers career batting average). The weary Strollers adjourned to the boundaryside picnic tables with umbrellas. A quantity of cold beverages and two cakes were consumed in the fading evening sunlight. A big thanks goes to our hosts Prestcold for their friendly hospitality. Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Rowan Smith.
Match fees: Alastair Macaulay. Match report: Blair Travis.
HMRC Dragons Tuesday July 15 at King's House Strollers lost by seven wickets Strollers 132-6
(20 overs; Baylis-Allen 30no, Oliver 25no, Smith 16, Pav 15no)
HMRC Dragons 133-3
(15.2 overs; Oliver 1-18, Broster-Turley 1-21). So, with three straight wins under our belts following Aidan Selby’s newly copyrighted 7-11 formula, could the Invincibles march on to a further victory which might cement this line-up as a regular Strollers evening game policy? After all, what’s not to like – it’s a brilliant strategy. Use the youngest and fittest of the oppo as fielding subs, keep our energy for the batting, get a couple of stalwarts to 25 unbeaten and then, without tail batters, rotate them all the more quickly to ensure chasing down victory. What could possibly go wrong? In fact the initial omens looked unpromising in that the Strollers, unusually, had what looked like a full team on the morning of the game. However, with deftly dredged-up excuses during the day, purporting to be personal or work-related, the numbers on the evening turned into a much more promising and manageable eight. From there things got a bit more uncertain. For a start the weather had turned dark and threatening with winds swirling around the pitch in the vast expanses of the Kings School ground. This was quite the opposite of the hot, humid, Kiwi-friendly weather prevailing in the previous three games. And to further discomfort the natural Stroller bio rhythms, it was a Tuesday! Who on earth plays cricket on a Tuesday? Not the Strollers anyway – Thursday is their natural habitat, giving time to those who have played the previous Sunday to get their bodies into some sort of shape. Indeed four of the eight present had given their all in the victory at Prestcold just two days before, including Rowan Smith, stretching gingerly after his heroics in both keeping wicket and then going on to score 89. The ever informative – on bodily issues anyway – Glen Oliver asserted that while all his muscles were intact, his hamstrings were virtually non-existent. In the meantime, the HMRC Dragons had arrived mob-handed with not just 11 but 12 players, all fit and raring to go as befits a team who play mainly/only evening cricket with the best part of a week’s rest behind them. With a couple of players still in transit, the Strollers had little choice but to bat first. Will Baylis-Allen and Smith opened and struck at a decent rate until Smith was bowled for 16 with the score on 27. With John Low quickly falling middle stump for a duck it was time for the evergreen (despite the missing hamstrings) Oliver to join Baylis-Allen and together they upped the scoring tempo with a variety of boundaries, and even more importantly kept their wickets intact, ready to return to the fray after mandatory retirement. However, with increasingly accurate bowling from the Dragons, the run rate subsequently reduced, with subsequent batters all reduced to single figures, with the exception of the Dragons’ twelfth man Pav, kindly (or cannily?) lent to us, who made 15 not out with some elegant, angular strokes. The unplanned longer-than-usual tail meant that our two not-outers were left stranded, padded up on the boundary but unable to return to the fray. The end total was a defendable but maybe somewhat below par 132-6. Freddie Broster-Turley and Smith (yes, once again, having also opened the batting) commenced our attack. Two early wickets courtesy of Broster-Turley, bowling HMRC’s opener in the first over followed by a magnificent throw running in from third man to run out their No 3 at the bowler’s end, offered some hope. However, in the increasing gloom, HMRC’s Fahad and Innes set about the bowling with a variety of boundaries and excellent running between the wickets until reaching their allowed maximums. Our go-to rescue bowler Oliver quickly despatched the No 5 bat but from there the run tempo increased again and solid batting from Nos 6 and 7 Neil and Miller enabled HMRC to cruise to the required total in a little over 15 overs. So maybe back to the tried and trusted 7-11 next Thursday. Let’s see…
Capt: Alastair Macaulay. Wkt: James Stubbs.
Match reporter: John Low. Match fees: Aidan Selby. Wandsworth CowboysSunday July 20 in Thames Ditton Strollers won by seven wickets Wandsworth Cowboys 117
(32 overs; Smith 3-8, Dela Rue 3-27, Rogers 2-14, Waugh 1-11, Macaulay 1-16)
Strollers 118-3
(13 overs; Smith 55, Waugh 29, Pittams 18). The originally scheduled trip down to Surrey to play Follies Farm was cancelled due to our hosts’ inability to raise a side. Luckily, our esteemed fixtures team were on hand to trawl the depths of cricket tinder. After a sufficient number of right swipes, a rendezvous was eventually organised in Thames Ditton to face the Wandsworth Cowboys. The pitch was overlooked by a lovely sports centre complete with bar & restaurant. Thanks to some late arrivals from both teams, the opportunity was presented to those who arrived on time to sample a local beverage whilst consulting various weather apps. Freddie Broster-Turley was noticeably absent from this endeavour, though his state of affairs suggested it hadn’t been long since he finished sampling last night’s beverages. A lost toss led to the Strollers bowling first in blustery, damp conditions on a good-looking pitch. Freddie bravely took the new ball going both down the hill and with the wind, with James Dela Rue doing the Lord’s work running up into both. Outside of Freddie’s first two balls which may have just touched the next pitch over, seven tight wicketless overs followed with both bowlers getting some assistance and beating the bat consistently. DLR finally got a breakthrough in the eighth, with the Cowboys opener finally skying one. First drop, K. Barlow, immediately set to work addressing the slow run-rate and picked off a number of boundaries from both bowlers as the next four overs went for 30. He took on one shot too many however, and Michael Pittams, despite some harbour bridge impressions earlier in the innings, rushed in from long-off to take a fine catch diving forward. Two balls later Dela Rue had his third wicket as he cleaned bowled the new batsman to finish with figures of 3-27, ably assisted by yet another wicketless spell for Broster-Turley. A quick blast downwind from Jonny Waugh bought a fourth wicket, whilst Peter Wood kept a tight line as part of a double change. 60-4 at drinks soon became 90-7 as the off-spin twins of Steve Rogers and Alastair Macaulay extracted some prodigious turn. Through all this, A. Nash, the No 5 Cowboys bat, had been accumulating well whilst despatching any loose balls to the short boundaries on his way to the top score of 41. Rowan Smith, playing his second ‘farewell’ game in a row, fittingly wrapped up the tail, taking 3-8 in two overs to leave the Strollers chasing 118 for the win. Rob Wall and Wood, batting five and six respectively, confidently set up on the upstairs balcony and ordered a hot meal from the restaurant (and accompanying cold beverage) predicting their services would not be required. They were regaled with a number of entertaining stories from Chris Villiers, the Cowboys founder 38 years ago, concerning their thespian roots. The playing 11 however, was conspicuously absent of actors, not dissimilar to the Strollers and journalists! Out in the middle, after a sedate first over of three runs, Smith and Waugh looked on with envy at the antics up on the balcony and decided they wanted to join as soon as possible. 70 runs came off the next six overs, including a particularly towering six from Waugh over backward square leg. He departed for 24, of which 22 were delivered in boundaries. Smith was joined by Pittams who had clearly read the same memo and promptly crunched a few boundaries, before departing himself for 18. Wall glanced up from his beer at this point and considered whether he should get some whites on, let alone pad up given we only needed 10 runs to win. Next over Smith bought up his 50 and then promptly skied one, leaving Wall to rush out with about half his protective gear on and finish things off with Glen Oliver. The next over, the 13th, saw the winning runs hit. An almost perfect send-off for Smith as he heads back to New Zealand, with his only black mark being a dropped catch of this match reporter’s bowling… Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Rob Wall.
Match fees: Alastair Macaulay. Match report: Peter Wood. Chenies and LatimerSunday July 27 in Chenies Strollers won by 167 runs Strollers 335-4
(40 overs; Travis 100no, Oliver 53, Helsby 50no, Anand 30, Le Serve 21, Pandor 21no, Dias 11no)
Chenies & Latimer 169-8
(40 overs; Macaulay 2-23, Oliver 2-21, Dias 1-5, Fleet 1-21, Pandor 1-21). The Strollers continued their midsummer odyssey under sullen skies at the lovely Chenies & Latimer ground. The late withdrawal of two players reduced the team to nine and gave skipper Michael Pittams much to ponder before the scheduled 1300 start time. Pittams ably demonstrated why only those other than your incompetent correspondent should be given responsibilities anywhere near a coin, winning the toss and correctly choosing to bat on a very good pitch. The skipper was apparently so impressed with said pitch that he extended a playing invitation to opposition 12th man and groundsman Roshan Dias, who was our opposing skipper in the equivalent fixture last year. Dias eagerly accepted the offer to bring the Strollers up to 10 men, to the mild bemusement of the opposition. 2025 run machine Blair Travis opened as usual and carried on as he has all season by languidly stroking the ball to all parts. He was partnered by debutant Aidan Fleet (courtesy of Jonny Waugh), who declared himself “more of a batsman” and that he didn’t intend to hang about. Fleet was true to his word, depositing his first ever scoring shot for the Strollers clean over the midwicket fence. Unfortunately, he tried to repeat the dose the following over and was comfortably caught. This bought Glen Oliver to the crease, who took 19 off one over on his way to a rapid 50. Unfortunately, he tried an ill-advised kneeling sweep/pull/thing shortly after and was promptly given his marching orders. The third debutant, Adhvyth Anand (courtesy of Isa Pandor), stepped into the fray, and looked the part as he accumulated a solid 30 before missing a gentle medium pacer. He was still trying to work out how he missed it an hour later, to little avail. Jack Le Serve then braved a badly twisted ankle to hit a straightforward 21 before also missing a straight one. Jake Helsby contributed some pyrotechnics, even bringing spectator Aidan Selby into the game via a towering six hit at him while stationed in the clubhouse seating. Having brought sons and club members Rhys and Caleb down to watch proceedings, Selby either saved the life of his son or dropped a sitter – depending on one's perspective. Helsby, having rapidly brought up his maiden Strollers 50, then provided possibly the highlight of the day. Your humble correspondent has played and watched cricket for more than 40 years but had never seen a batter borrow his teammate’s helmet with the sole purpose of taking it off to celebrate such a milestone. Pittams hooked him on the spot; perspective again guides whether the decision was made to duly punish such sacrilege or merely to give everyone a bat. In amongst the free hitting (and aided by somewhat charitable catching), Travis quietly reached his fourth ton for the season with his 15th boundary, and in doing so equalled the all-time single-season Strollers century record. In his current form, it’s highly likely he'll own it outright by the end of the season. Travis was diplomatically withdrawn moments later after an audible “I’ve seen enough!” from his skipper. Seeing the score mounting rapidly, Pittams chose to man the scorebook for the day, sending in Isa Pandor to contribute 21, Dias to slog for an over against his erstwhile teammates, and Alastair Macaulay to put the cherry on top with a single chipped over the bowler to register his first run for the season. A new entry was made in the all-time records as the Strollers finished on their second-highest ever total – hitting 38 fours and seven sixes in reaching 335-4 off their allotted 40 overs. After a brief tea, the Strollers began their defence, with Dias taking the gloves and looking every inch a “proper” keeper. Shorn of their regular opening quick bowlers and defending a large total, club treasurer Tom Wood (in attendance with Pickle the Pooch) politely implied that cost savings might be made by using a decent old ball instead. Advice accepted, Helsby and Pandor took on the C & L openers. Helsby's bowling has continued to improve over the course of the season, a trend continued here as the ball went where it was aimed more often than not – to his surprise and delight. Pandor at the other end was relishing not being a death bowler for a change and bowled a very tidy spell that included two maidens. Travis was a surprise call-up at first change but was withdrawn soon after as the skipper was politely abused for considering him at all after his run-making exploits. Le Serve tried to overcome his dodgy ankle with a few overs but eventually saw sense. Macaulay was introduced shortly afterwards and did exactly what he always does – befuddle batters who can't work out whether to go back, forward, back and then forward, or none of the above. He took two wickets in his eight- over spell, including the dangerous looking overseas pro. With the game seemingly safe, Pittams then adhered quite literally to the Strollers “give everyone a go” creed, giving every one of the remaining players a bowl – with a view to checking out the debutants in particular. Fleet and Anand turned out to be handy with the ball as well as bat, with Fleet taking his maiden wicket for the club. As the game meandered to its inevitable conclusion, the Strollers fielding unit took their foot off the gas somewhat, resulting in a series of harbour bridges and increasingly comical dropped catches to align with a theme for the season. Opposition wicketkeeper Daniel Layzell (one of a long procession of left-handers, and who only started playing during the Covid lockdown) was a beneficiary. Having decided early that chasing the total was never a possibility, he was delighted to battle his way to his first ever 50 and promptly retired to the clubhouse to savour the moment. Pittams, having “led from behind” the entire match, decided to finish the match in style, bringing himself on to bowl the last over via his usual repertoire of all sorts at maximum volume. Cricket, as we now know, is a game of perspective and his first ball should have resulted in either a) a long walk into the fields over the square leg fence to play fetch with Pickle or b) a wicket via a simple catch at square leg. History only records a dot ball as the eventual result, and no more need be written. C & L concluded their 40 overs at 168-8 – and the skipper was in no doubt that his over had turned the match. The Strollers retired to the clubhouse just in time to watch extra time and the penalty shoot-out in the women's Euro football final with beers provided by centurion Travis. Postscript - accurate stats are something of a proud tradition for FSSCC - one aspect of which is preferring always to keep a paper scorebook to avoid the possibility of data corruption and the peculiarities of digital scoring. The wisdom of that approach was aptly demonstrated after the Play-Cricket website showed one “Jono Addis” had not only been selected but had scored an unbeaten 11 off four balls and taken a wicket – despite being over 11,000 miles away at the time. Pleas to have those stats added to his permanent record are unlikely to be accepted by chief statistician and club President Maggie Patston... Capt: Mike Pittams. Wkt: Roshan Dias.
Match reporter: Glen Oliver. Match fees: Alastair Macaulay.
Agricola Thursday July 31 at Barn Elms Strollers won by two wickets Agricola 116
(18 overs; James Stubbs 3-17, Millar 3-23, Oliver 2-16, Baylis-Allen 1-19)
Strollers 120-8
(19 overs; Conrad McCroddan 44no, McMorran 30no, Broster-Turley 18no, Diaconu 11). The midweek crusade continued with a T20 at Barnes against Agricola, on what turned out to be a fairly mild evening. As per usual, there was significant doubt about the weather given this is, of course, England in July. The match reporter was sat in the office next to debutant Alex Diaconu, who was furiously checking the rain maps for 6pm over Barnes, fuelled by first match nerves. Diaconu’s concerns about a wet outfield and hopeful group chat messages about abandonment were fairly transparent: he like many Strollers before him was experiencing the regret of a booze-induced sign-up by Will Baylis-Allen a few days prior. As with previous weeks, the WhatsApp chat comprised of no fewer than six debutants, albeit there were 11 people committed unlike previous weeks where we had a grand total of seven players on one occasion. We lost the toss and fielded first. Captain Glen Oliver went to the tried and tested duo of Freddie Broster-Turley and Richie Stubbs to open the bowling. Freddie bowled three overs of teasing outside off-stump pace which was arguably too good for the batsman as he could not put bat on ball at all. Richie was perhaps less fortunate and delivered a healthy economy of nine runs per over for his first three overs, although he was predominantly bowling to the more competent batter. It was quickly decided that a switch to Stubbs Jnr was in order, as he relished the chance to ditch the wicketkeeping gloves. The first two balls of his spell were an ode to the timeless Mitchell Johnson chant ‘he bowls to the left, he bowls to the right…’ However, the third ball was a bouncer which planted itself on the upper chest of the batsman. The next ball was a wicket. We then switched ends with the scores at 56-1 and Baylis joined the attack in tandem with James. The latter got the second with Baylis getting the third shortly afterwards. Then came debutant Hector Millar. This quickly paid dividends with three wickets in three overs, two of which were stumpings by debutant Kieran McMorran. One of which was also called as a wide, leading to a hearty debate about the rules of game. Oliver then claimed the remaining wickets, whilst also getting pumped for two huge sixes. The spectators clapped and so did the large majority of the fielders. Face was saved however by two lovely victims. The opposition finished on 116 from 18 overs. The batting was opened by Conrad and Laurie – the McCroddan brothers – both debutants. They and McMorran were kindly brought along by Millar from his stable of players at Sheepscombe Cricket Club in the Cotswolds. Conrad McCroddan hit a sublime 44 not out, having retired and come back in after a vintage Strollers collapse. It is worth mentioning that James Stubbs was acting as sub-fielder for Agricola and shelled a catch right in front of the Strollers batting line-up – a drop which raised more than a quizzical eyebrow from the opposition captain. A cameo of 11 from Diaconu helped us up to 27 runs before a steady performance from McMorran with a 30 not out led us to 62-3. In next was Jay Erakkath, who also deserves a huge amount of credit on debut as he was sourced from a Neighbourhood Watch group chat by Richie. We then witnessed what passers-by referred to as “grenade toss” bowling with said grenades reaching orbit then trickling along the ground. Oliver and Millar were both victims of the aerial bombardment with Baylis-Allen and James Stubbs quickly following suit to slightly more conventional bowling but equally terrible shots. Broster-Turley came in and was soon joined by the retirees, who got the necessary remaining runs – which looked at one point to be a tall order with 40-odd needed from six overs. However, some belting sixes from Freddie dispelled any fear. We ended with a victory by two wickets. All thanks to our debutants for making the game happen at all.
Capt and match fees: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Kieran McMorran.
Match reporter: Will Baylis-Allen.
Bledlow Sunday August 3 at Pinkneys Green Strollers won by 144 runs Strollers 209
(40 overs; Travis 91, Martindale 19, Bennett 17, Le Serve 17, Dela Rue 11)
Bledlow 65
(21.2 overs; Pandor 4-7, Helsby 2-17, Bennett 2-18, Rogers 1-0, Macaulay 1-5). Having won the toss and with the prospect of a record-breaking fifth century in one season in sight, captain Blair Travis sent the Strollers out to bat first against opponents Bledlow. Travis and Isa Pandor opened the batting. Bledlow’s opening left-arm pace bowler was in very tidy form and posed an obvious threat with multiple deliveries picking up a bit of swing and narrowly avoiding the outside edge, until one eventually picked up Pandor, who departed for a duck. James Dela Rue was in next but, after starting well with a couple boundaries, departed soon after for 11 runs. Strollers No 4 Steve Rogers also had a quick entry and exit for six runs. Having controversially turned up to the Strollers game in a South Africa jersey only weeks after Australia lost to South Africa in the World Test Championship Lord’s, the Strollers’ newest youngster, Will Bennett, shook off hostile pre-game comments from Australian Jack Le Serve and walked out to the crease with confidence. A nice partnership had started building between No 1 and No 5 until Bennett was eventually caught behind for 17. Glen Oliver was the next to head to the crease. His stay was short-lived with a pull shot falling short of clearing the legside boundary and seeing him dismissed for four. Wicketkeeper Hugh Martindale walked out next and batted excellently with three boundaries in his 19 – the second-highest score of the day. Opener Travis was close to making history but unfortunately fell nine runs short of his target and departed for 91. Le Serve headed in with five overs to go and scored a quick 17 including one maximum. At the other end fresh off an unbeaten 50, Jake Helsby came to the crease with four overs left and far too much confidence – only to be dismissed off his fourth ball trying to play a routine baseball swing at a slow and straight ball that found its destination on middle stump. Helsby was replaced by Alastair Macaulay who, on his way out to the wicket, switched bats with the departing Helsby to prove that the bat was in fact capable of making contact with a cricket ball – and he was right. Macaulay quickly added to the total with an excellent drive through mid-off which found its way to the long boundary. Le Serve was dismissed, which brought Strollers legend Simon Brodbeck to the crease, but before he could get into his groove, Macaulay was bowled at the other end which saw the Strollers innings finish on 209. Dela Rue opened the bowling and off his fourth ball he either saved a boundary from a powerfully struck straight drive or dropped an absolute sitter depending on whether you ask him or anyone else in the team. His five-over spell was unlucky not to pick up a wicket, but certainly kept the run rate down, which made the run chase look harder and harder for Bledlow to achieve. Opening from the other end, Helsby picked up a wicket with his second ball, which saw Bledlow’s opener dismissed for a duck. Helsby’s caught and bowled made it two wickets in two overs. Helsby’s two wickets could easily have been four, but two dropped catches by Le Serve at square leg said otherwise. The second bowling partnership of Pandor and Bennett was perhaps the most iconic moment in the game, and more or less sealed the win for the Strollers. From one end, Pandor began his spell with two consecutive double-wicket maidens and finished with figures of 4-7 off his five overs. From the other end, Bennett (aka Will Steyn) chose not to ease off the accelerator and charged in off a full 31-pace run-up (approximately 28 steps longer than the Strollers average run-up) and claimed two wickets. Rogers and Macaulay completed the job, picking up one wicket each to see Bledlow all out for 65 runs. Overall, a convincing 144-run victory for the Strollers at the Pinkney Green fortress. Capt: Blair Travis. Wkt: Hugh Martindale.
Match reporter: Jake Helsby. Match fees: Alastair Macaulay.
OSD Superstars Thursday August 7 at Barn Elms Strollers won by four wickets Superstars 145-9
(20 overs; James Stubbs 4-30, Baylis-Allen 2-15, Richie Stubbs 2-20, Findlay 1-4)
Strollers 146-6
(19 overs; Wall 31no, Lendrum 25no, Pittams 22no, Findlay 14, Baylis-Allen 12no). With the final midweek fixture of the season upon them, under a dark ceiling of low-lying clouds and the equally low rumble of frequent Heathrow arrivals, 11 strollers descended upon Barn Elms. A full squad, a triumphant victory for match manager Glen Oliver. Alas, he would be sitting out this week, with an injury sustained in the previous game. Pete Robertson donned both the captain’s armband and the wicketkeeping gloves as the Strollers were led out to field. Will Baylis-Allen and Gregor Findlay opened the bowling with a lethal seam-spin combination that saw the Superstars reduced to 12-3 off the first four overs, including a remarkably athletic catch at cover from Rob Wall, an unplayable yorker from Will, and a clean caught-behind from Pete soon after. In the fifth over James Stubbs joined in, taking a wicket off his third ball – another catch by Wall. It was then decided to put Wall and John Low on to bowl, but the specialist Stroller bowlers could not break the Superstars’ fifth-wicket partnership of Anand and Goel, with both batters directing the ball around the park. The score slowly rose, and the Superstars found themselves on 57-4 after 10 overs. In came new recruits Alex Diaconu and Inigo Lendrum but they too could not restrain the scoring with Anand eventually retiring on 29 not out. Stubbs Jr returned to raid the lower order, promptly taking three wickets in the following two overs, but he could not stop Goel from retiring on 29 not out. Captain Robertson, scheming behind the stumps, ordered Richie Stubbs to the other end (the same end, but we shan’t go too deep into the specifics of the midweek rulebook). Richie bowled a fine line, removing the 11th batter, to jubilant cries of “Family Jug!” from Messrs Mike Pittams and Wall. Naturally, with the dismissal of the final batsman, in returned Anand, who swiftly raised his total to 37 with a pair of well-struck fours. However, he could not further increase his total, striking a well-placed shot toward the heavens, coolly taken by bowler Richie Stubbs. Goel then returned and proceeded to increase his total to 40. Baylis-Allen returned for the last over, but the Strollers could not find the final wicket, with the OSD Superstars ending well on 145-9 off their allotted 20 overs. Out stepped Robertson and debutant Sharath Ragunathan, a former colleague of Richie’s wife Lavinia. Having kept wicket superbly, Robertson turned his performance around (unfortunately the wrong way!), promptly running himself out first ball with a very poorly judged single. This wicket came with a silver lining, with Pete’s swift innings allowing him to pick his wife up from the airport on time! Out stepped Diaconu. A couple of overs passed, with Sharath and Alex both playing nice shots and running well. In the third over, Diaconu eyed up a slightly fuller ball, chipping it to land between the cover fielders. Or so the spectators thought. Jubril, the bowler at the other end, accelerated like nothing seen before on a Strollers midweek pitch, covering the 20 yards from mid-off to extra cover in about three strides. He arrived in time to take the catch, leaving the onlookers stunned. Lendrum strolled out, having made his FSSCC umpiring debut last week before his batting debut, a rare occurrence. Jubril commenced his bombardment of rapid deliveries, with Sharath calmly playing him around the park before missing a straight one, dismissed for seven and to be replaced Findlay. The duo of Lendrum and Findlay combined for 41 runs, before the latter was dismissed by “namesake-but-not-quite” Finlay. In came James Stubbs, proudly wielding his new bat. Unfortunately, it saw no use, with the batter failing to play a shot against a straight ball from the mononymous Gary. Low followed, combining well with Lendrum. The pair put on 20 as Inigo reached his retirement on 25 not out with a well-struck four. The Strollers were 75-6 after 12 overs, still requiring 71 to win off 48 balls. To replace Inigo, Wall strode out, wielding James’s new bat. Wall and Low combined well, albeit briefly, before Wall set off for an ambitious single, with Low unable to make his ground. Up stepped Pittams and with Wall they swung, slashed, and carved their way through the bowling attack. With a bounty of boundaries, including two massive sixes to his name, Wall retired on 31 not out. With 20 to win, the Strollers were down to the 10th batsman. Baylis-Allen stepped up to the mark. Pittams swung wildly and dispatched one over the rope for six. Requiring 10 to win off 12 balls, Will followed suit with a strong two into the covers and a massive six over square leg. The match concluded with a wide from Anand, with Mike and Will ending unbeaten on 22 and 12. A strong middle/lower order affair from both sides was followed by a strong ale/lager order affair in the Red Lion, Barnes’ most popular of public houses. A well-earned prize after a very good cricket match. Capt and wkt: Pete Robertson. Match fees: Glen Oliver.
Match reporter: James Stubbs. ClaygateSunday August 10 in Claygate Strollers won by 15 runs Strollers 237-3
(40 overs; Travis 90, Wall 68. Robertson 47no)
Claygate 222
(35.2 overs; Macaulay 3-28, Pandor 3-42, Le Serve 2-39, Rogers 1-20, Hopper 1-32). Sun-soaked, summery conditions greeted the Strollers at the picture-postcard Claygate recreation ground, as they filtered in following the usual train-related chaos. Missing talismanic players Brad Trebilkcock (romantic weekend with fiancée Sarah in Paris) and Glen Oliver (nursing several broken ribs), there were no doubt some quiet moments of apprehension in the minds of several of the players as they prepared for the match against a strong opposition. A negotiated toss had us batting first, with Blair Travis still in pursuit of the club record five centuries in a season, ably assisted by Rob Wall, strapping the pads onto his self-proclaimed ‘beautifully defined legs’. Out in the middle, on a dusty turning pitch with uneven bounce, the pair made good headway…depending on your perspective. Travis was characteristically fluent from the start, while Wall displayed watchful patience, grinding out a single to get off the mark in the fifth over, and then immediately calling for a change of gloves, with the score standing at 39-0 with Wall’s contribution still on one. The innings wore on, and with skilful batting the openers continued to build their partnership. Travis, once into the 90s, signalled to the pavilion for an ice cream to be brought out to the middle (or maybe it was water?). While this was being organised for the parched batsman, he fell the very next ball, making it three scores in the 90s in his previous four innings (or, once again depending on your perspective, three avoided jugs of beer – the cost of living crisis has affected us all). Undeterred by the loss of his partner, and ably assisted by the freewheeling, power-hitting Pete Robertson, an exhausted and red-faced Wall fought on, continuing to run hard between the wickets and accumulate runs with some exquisite stroke play, including several instances of walking down the pitch at the bowler, and pulling out a pre-meditated reverse pull shot – truly magnificent stuff. Two overs away from carrying his bat, Wall finally succumbed to one that kept low, for a brilliant innings of 68. Robertson finished on a sublime unbeaten 47 – his highest for the club – after inadvertently taking a single in the final over to give away the strike. The target was set – 239 on a tough pitch. The new ball was thrown to Will “Morkel” Bennett, who, coming in off his iconic 31-pace run-up, dished out three overs of venomous, short-pitched bowling at Claygate’s capable openers. At the other end, Freddie Broster-Turner delivered a beautiful spell of bowling, charging in in the heat for seven straight overs of tidy lines, beating the bat several times and being unlucky to come away wicketless, a recurring theme for season 2025. With what looked like a proper scrap on the Strollers’ hands, the ball was thrown to Isa Pandor, who managed to exploit the eccentricities of the pitch more than most, and prised out three of the top order in a characteristically tidy spell. Meanwhile, loitering around the boundary and notching up his third ice cream and sixth beer of the day, Mike Pittams yelled a barrage of unsolicited advice to the men in the field. Claygate’s batting card was strong, featuring a long procession of swashbuckling, cap-wearing power hitters, and what followed was an innings of ebbing and flowing momentum changes. Steve Rogers bowled brilliantly, picking up a crucial wicket, and Jack Le Serve bucked his recent trend of dropping easy catches, to take a sharp, low one off the bowling of…himself. With the game at times threatening to get away from them, the Strollers continued to pick up wickets at key moments, with Alastair Macaulay dismissing opening batsman Jefe Cervello for a classy 64. A personal highlight for this correspondent was Rob, ‘the great Wall of Putney’, shrugging aside his earlier fatigue to patrol the deep point boundary with the agility of a youthful gazelle. With the shadows lengthening, things started to get tight, with concerns that the absent James Dela Rue may have once again delivered ‘the lord’s curse’ by confidently proclaiming the game over via WhatsApp, when Claygate were 164-7. Macaulay and Tristan Hooper combined to bowl well at the death, holding their nerve to take four wickets between them and end a stubborn partnership to finally finish Claygate off – all out for 223. The troops were finally able to enjoy a cold beer at the lovely clubhouse with a friendly opposition. A fantastic day out in Claygate. Capt: Steve Rogers. Wkt: Pete Robertson.
Match reporter: Jack Le Serve. Match fees: Alastair Macaulay.
Ripley Sunday August 17 at Ripley Strollers won by 37 runs Strollers 199-8
(35 overs; Ben Mangham 38, Travis 35, Wall 28, Broster-Turley 19, Millar 11)
Ripley 162-9
(35 overs; Ben Mangham 3-29, Rogers 2-20, Broster-Turley 2-23, Macaulay 1-15, Harry Mangham 1-19). Ripley CC was formed in 1749, a year that saw the premiere of Handel's “Music for The Royal Fireworks” and the publication of “Tom Jones” by Henry Fielding. By contrast 1976, the year of the first Strollers match, saw a heatwave, the launch of the Ford Fiesta and the release of "Anarchy in the UK" by the Sex Pistols. Given the current heatwave and a baked outfield the colour of straw, a captain only has one job. Ben Mangham duly obliged and sent Blair Travis and new recruit Hector Millar in to bat in a 35-over game. Hector has been recruited for the game from our old adversaries Sheepscombe but actually lives in Brixton so benefited from the almost door-to-door pick-up from the skipper. A man of firm ideas, Hector revealed on the car journey to the game that he has never seen a single ball of the 100 and is nevertheless firmly agin it. Thrust into opening, he showed skill in playing a few off his legs, a skill given to few of us. The Ripley openers were accurate and the bounce variable but Blair and Hector put on 50 in eight overs and saw them off. Anything past a fielder went to the boundary on the rapid outfield. First change bowler Dan Smith was also quick and Hector soon nicked to the keeper for a promising 11. Blair is on the hunt for his record-breaking fifth ton of the season as well as making his inexorable way to 1,000 runs for the season (cruelly robbed last year). However, he also fell victim to Smith, playing on for 35. Harry Mangham, who has a ton on this ground, got a horrible ball that shot along the ground and was out for two as the innings tottered at 78-3. Smith finished with 3-19 off his seven overs and was very much the pick of the bowlers. Rob Wall and Steve Rogers started to rebuild the innings and after 20 overs we were 110-3 with 15 overs left. Rob and Steve both departed with the score on 123 (scoring 28 and 20 respectively). Freddie Broster-Turley played his usual high-tempo innings with a quick 19. Ben Mangham and Isa Pandor then put together a very good stand of 50 with Ben taking the initiative, hitting the bowlers back over their head. Isa was run out for nine as was Ben on the last ball of the innings for a quickfire 38, a true captain's innings. They had helped the Strollers reach 199, which was felt at least to be defendable with the variable bounce. Then there was tea, yes tea. A good spread was provided in the ancient Grade 2 listed club house by our hosts – sandwiches, quiches, pizza, cakes and fruit (all the major food groups). Thus refreshed, the Strollers headed out to field. Broster-Turley opened the bowling and should have had Neal Panting (who guested for the Strollers in 2021) out first ball. However, Harry Mangham shelled it but luckily it turned out not to be too expensive. David Hughes and Panting made a steady start and put on 40 in the first seven overs before Freddie had the former caught by Ben Mangham for 30, a crucial wicket and followed up with an lbw to dismiss the No 3 (Freddie Povey, their best bat we were told). Ben brought himself on to bowl and had Panting caught by Travis. Scoring became more difficult as Pandor got through five overs for only 19 without reward. At the other end Rogers had the batsmen really struggling with bounce and turn, taking 2-20 thanks to an lbw and a simple catch at mid-wicket by Jim Hodgson. Wall deserves special mention for keeping to balls which were coming through at varying heights. Ripley were falling behind the rate as wickets fell. Harry Mangham twirled his leggies and Alastair Macaulay his offies and they picked up a wicket each. Ripley all-rounder Smith was doing his best to take the attack on while wickets fell around him and was their best hope. He was eventually out for 40, victim to the return of Ben Mangham, once again having a good day out down the A3. Ben finished with 3-29 and had the good grace not to phone Paige immediately to find if he'd taken more wickets than her. The 35 overs ended with Ripley on 162-9. A win with a few fireworks but no anarchy. Ben rounded off his captaincy duties by buying a couple of jugs, a gesture that we need to see more often.
Capt: Ben Mangham. Wkt: Rob Wall.
Match reporter and match fees: Alastair Macaulay.
Wall Saturday August 30 in Lichfield Strollers lost by seven wickets Strollers 148-5
(25 overs; Helsby 30no, Le Serve 30no, Salvesen 30no, Pandor 19, Rogers 19)
Wall 149-3
(18.4 overs; Oliver 2-34, Pandor 1-14). The Strollers gathered, for the first time, at Lichfield Sports Club, with side-by-side cricket fields, floodlit hockey astros and other sports facilities available. The club is just round the corner from our previous venue of Friary Grange School. Wall stalwart Mark Hatton has been the groundman here for several years and we were looking forward to experiencing his craftmanship. There were some raised eyebrows as we watched very youthful cricketers go through a lengthy series of training drills. I’d like to say they were similar to the Strollers version of throwing a ball around for five minutes before the start, but that would not be true. Thankfully we were playing on the unpopulated far pitch. We trooped off to Changing Room 4, or Ladies Hockey, to put on as many sweaters as we could, under the watchful eye of David Hasselhoff. Yes, it was cold and windy, and the forecast was not good. Skipper Alastair Macaulay agreed a 25-over game with home captain David Craig. We lost the toss and were asked to bat first. Steve Rogers and Jake Helsby opened and were faced by the brisk and accurate Asim Junaid. Steve bravely decided he was going to face most of Junaid, which left Jake to smote several boundaries from Javad Khattack, on his way to 30 and retiring in the fifth over. Steve was then bowled by Khattack for a respectable 19. Glen Oliver arrived and departed, receiving an unplayable snorter from Junaid. Jack Le Serve and Ben Mangham were instructed to move things along. This wasn’t easy as the Wall bowling was decent. Ben fell to Khattack for six and then Jack retired on 30, having hit the only six of our innings. Tom Salvesen and Isa Pandor batted well together but boundaries were hard to come by. Tom retired on 30 in the 21st over and Jim Hodgson, following the skipper’s instruction to get out quickly to let the retired hitters back in, was bowled by David Craig. Isa went on to make 19 and our innings finished on 148-5 (with three retirees who we couldn’t get back in). Was this enough? We’d shortly find out as tea had been wisely delayed until the end of the match. Jo Perrin and Steph Oliver had returned from their walk to the local cemetery, at the end of our innings, and watched us head out to field as the heavens opened. Sensibly they retired to the clubhouse, with most of the Wall side. Maggie made use of all available umbrellas to keep her and the scorebook as dry as possible. The wet, slippery ball did not help our bowling or fielding and we dropped several catches we would have taken on a dry day. The retreating Steph could be heard shouting ‘Catch the ball’. Heeding his wife’s advice, Glen finally held on to one, off the bowling of Isa, sending Kev Griffiths back to the hutch. The other opener, Richie Buxton, carried on to 30 and retirement. A crumb of hope was offered to us as Glen bowled Soumitra Bhattacharya for a duck, then Amit Sharma retired on 32 and Glen bowled Laurence Skermer for 13. That was it really, as Pete Richards and Henry Craig knocked our total off in the 19th over and we had lost by seven wickets. Every cloud has a silver lining. Wall are among a diminishing number of clubs who still offer tea, and what a feast they provide. Personal highlights included coronation chicken baguettes, proper samosas and a wonderful strawberry and cream sponge, baked by Mrs Rae Craig. David had been given strict instructions not to bring any of it home! Help was at hand. David said some heartfelt words on retaining the Patston/Edwards Cup, keeping the memory of both stalwarts front and forward. The Strollers headed to Branston and The Bridge Inn for an Italian dinner. Much wine, and even some grappa, was taken. Late into the evening Simon enlisted Ben and Jim to support him singing ‘Are you lonesome tonight’, with accompanying sheet music. This took everyone by surprise, including Jim, who really has a terrible singing voice! Maggie, font of all Strollers knowledge, told us Simon had performed this on the very first tour in 1977, to The Forest of Dean.
And so to bed…
Capt: Alastair Macaulay. Wkt: Jack Le Serve.
Match report: Jim Hodgson.
Stanton by Dale Sunday August 31 at Stanton Strollers lost by eight wickets Strollers 222-8
(40 overs; Salvesen 57, Helsby 47, Oliver 37, Mangham 19, Medina 12, Rogers 11)
Stanton by Dale 226-2
(35 overs; Medina 2-30). The Fleet Street Strollers returned for their annual tour fixture against Stanton by Dale, a game that always carries a little extra weight with the David Tranter Trophy on the line. Tradition dictated that the Strollers would bat first and, as ever, there was the added colour of Jim Hodgson keeping spirits high the night before with a generous supply of wine. Jack Le Serve and Mrinal Medina opened the innings with some sharp running between the wickets. Jack managed a boundary but was soon trapped lbw. Isa Pandor arrived at No 3 and did his best to weather a fiery opening spell. Mrinal followed shortly after, also falling lbw, which brought captain Glen Oliver to the crease. Glen arrived under pressure, having not scored a run all tour, but when he finally got off the mark the cheers from the Strollers made it feel like he had reached a century. Glen and Isa began to settle things, although Pandor eventually succumbed to a loose shot against the spin and was bowled. Glen, however, found his rhythm at last. He and Steve Rogers built steadily, with Glen playing his best innings of the tour. He reached a well-made 37 before a short ball, which deserved punishment, was instead hit straight to the fielder on the boundary. Steve’s innings ended in desperately unlucky fashion. Having just struck a four, he was run out for 11 when a firm drive from Tom Salvesen was deflected onto the stumps by the bowler’s fingertip. At that point the Strollers simply looked to bat out the overs and post a respectable total but Tom and Jake Helsby rose to the occasion, stitching together the partnership of the innings. Tom played fluently for a fine 57 and Jake fell agonisingly short of a half-century with 49. Their stand gave the Strollers a much-needed lift. Rain forced a break with six overs left, which was embraced as the perfect moment for a superb cricket tea – produced courtesy of premier caterers Tricia Taylor, Steph Turner and Kathy Brodbeck. Sweet treats, sandwiches and even a pot of chilli left everyone more than satisfied. After tea the innings resumed briefly. Tom was dismissed and Ben Mangham contributed 19 before being run out. Paige Copsey and Alastair Macaulay were unable to add to the score, while Simon Brodbeck remained happily unrequired. The innings closed on 222-8 from the allotted 40 overs, a total that gave the Strollers something to defend. Pandor and Le Serve took the new ball. Isa bowled his eight overs straight through, conceding just 31 runs without reward. Jack struggled for consistency, his five overs going for 36 as the Stanton openers took advantage. Mangham then delivered a tight seven-over spell that even included a maiden, although he was unlucky not to claim a wicket. Rogers kept wicket for the first 20 overs and did well on one of his rare outings behind the stumps. After drinks the side reshuffled, with Steve coming on to bowl and Le Serve donning the gloves. Medina joined the attack and provided the breakthrough, dismissing both the first and third batsmen to finish with 2-30 from four overs. He might have had a third had a slip catch been held. Despite those efforts Stanton opener David King anchored the chase, battling through cramps to reach a hundred. Copsey, Oliver and Macaulay all contributed overs in the closing stages but the target was eventually reached. Stanton secured victory by eight wickets. With the result confirmed, the Strollers handed over the trophy for this year. Despite the defeat there were plenty of positives to take, not least the fine batting of Tom and Jake, Glen’s return to form, and Mrinal’s wickets. The fixture was played in the best of spirits and the team is already looking forward to next year’s rematch and the chance to reclaim the silverware. Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Steve Rogers/Jack Le Serve.
Match report: Isa Pandor.
The Lee Sunday September 7 at The Lee Strollers lost by 34 runs The Lee 224
(39.3 overs; Brodbeck 2-10, Oliver 2-21, Lendrum 2-28, Diaconu 2-25, Macaulay 1-18, Rogers 1-44)
Strollers 190
(32.2 overs; Oliver 49, Travis 43, Lendrum 37, Martindale 17, Rogers 12, Baylis-Allen 10). In spite of the long dry summer recent rain meant the pitch and outfield at The Lee were surprisingly green. Captain Gen Oliver’s accuracy with the toss was as reliable as always and the Strollers were asked to bowl first. Starting with a mix of pace and spin, opening bowlers Will Baylis-Allen and Steve Rogers began well, keeping the batting quiet for the first few overs, with the first wicket falling courtesy of a sharp caught and bowled from Rogers, Mike Harris falling for 11 with the score on 33. This brought Alex Morgan to the crease who started brightly, timing the ball well straight away. He and Ben Harris, now scoring well, took the score to 90-1, including several boundaries off Rogers’ seventh over and seeing off Baylis-Allen’s spell with him finishing with 38 runs off seven overs. Oliver took over for the 15th over and a loud appeal for lbw straight away saw Harris out four short of a half-century. Murmurs of ‘at least we got another one before drinks’ became a call for ‘one more before drinks!’ which was duly provided by Alex Diaconu, on Strollers debut, trapping Adam Crosby in front for a duck, drinks being taken with the score on 114-3. The very first ball after drinks saw Morgan bowled by Oliver for 29, the momentum swinging firmly in favour of the Strollers with two new batsmen now at the crease. A second wicket soon followed for Diaconu, Daniel Boakes stumped by Aidan Selby while still advancing down the wicket, departing for six with the score on 128-5. After 24 overs the Strollers were comfortably on top, Oliver finishing with 5-2-21-2 and Diaconu 4-0-35-2. Inigo Lendrum and Alastair Macaulay continued to keep the run rate low, Lendrum picking up the wickets of Harry Rice and Hyder Munir, both bowled, having been unlucky not to get his first Strollers wicket earlier when a catch fell equidistant between cover, mid-off and the bowler himself. Respective spells were 2-28 off five and 1-28 off six, Macaulay bowling the No 5 Ed Boakes for 37. The closing pair of bowlers Hugh Martindale (0-22) and Simon Brodbeck (2-10) struggled to prevent runs from accumulating in the final overs but Brodbeck did finish with two wickets in consecutive balls in the 40th over, leaving himself on a tantalising hat-trick, and wrapping up the innings for 224. An excellent tea was then provided by The Lee, very much appreciated with second helpings tasting even better having fielded already. With a seemingly reasonable target of 225, Blair Travis and Diaconu, with debutant Alex keen to get off to a quick start, opened for the Strollers against the bowling of Ed Boakes and Luke Dawes. But it was Blair who got off to a flier, scoring six off the first over, with Alex falling in the third over caught by Khalid off Ed Boakes for one. This brought Inigo Lendrum to the crease and he and Blair began to make steady progress. By the end of the ninth over the score was 62-1, well on course, Inigo having hit two large sixes into the paddock off Boakes. But Lendrum departed in the tenth over, bowled by Dawes for a solid 37 runs out of a partnership of 58, leaving the Strollers on 67-2. Oliver was next in and he and Blair continued with several boundaries off Dawes keeping the run-rate healthy. But Dawes was replaced after his seventh over by the deceptive Muneer Khalid, his gentle spin tempting Blair first ball into an expansive leg-side heave and bowling him seven short of his half-century. Muneer’s third ball accounted for Brad Trebilcock without scoring, bringing Hugh Martindale to the crease to see out the over without further damage. Oliver and Martindale kept up a steady run-rate under little pressure from the bowling and by drinks had reached 118-4, nicely placed to win with only 107 more required. Runs continued to flow but in the second over after drinks Martindale dollied a return catch to Muneer for his third wicket. Aidan Selby followed soon after for two, bowled by Munir off the last ball of his final over. Khalid’s final over brought nine runs with Rogers hitting a couple of boundaries, and with 26 overs gone the score was 153-6 with 72 more to get. Harry Rice’s first over went for eight more to Oliver, and the first ball of Morgan’s over went for four to Rogers. But Morgan’s next ball accounted for Rogers, caught for 12, bringing Will Baylis-Allen to the crease. Baylis-Allen and Oliver continued to score well with Rice’s next over gong for 13 runs including a six for Oliver, but Morgan struck again in his second over to remove Baylis-Allen, bowled for 10, leaving the score on 184-8. Morgan’s third over brought the wicket of Oliver, caught for 49 and the innings was wrapped up in the next over, with Macaulay bowled for a duck and the Strollers suddenly all out for 190, still 35 runs short of the target. Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Aidan Selby.
Match fees: Alastair Macaulay. Match report: Hugh Martindale. Pinkneys Green Sunday September 21 at Pinkneys Green Strollers won by 154 runs Strollers 276-3
(40 overs; Oliver 105no, Millar 69, Wall 29no, Harry Mangham 25, Travis 17, Rogers 10no)
Pinkneys Green 122
(28.2 overs; Hodgson 4-2, Harry Mangham 2-7, Rogers 2-28, Broster-Turley 1-19, Dela Rue 1-38)
While observing the first innings at Pinkneys Green you would have been forgiven for thinking you were sitting on the famous ramparts in Galle swatting bothersome mosquitos and complaining about the oppressive humidity as each bowling change brought yet another leg-spinner on. The Strollers opening partnership of Blair Travis and Hector Millar were understandably cautious in light of Pinkneys’ subcontinental tactics, taking their time with an attractive pull by Hector over square leg for four the only traditional opener’s shot on display in the first 10 overs. Blair fell for 17 to a crafty quicker delivery from Archie ‘the spinning spice’ Fennell in the 10th over. Rather than continuing this circumspect approach, Glen Oliver came to the crease and took the game to the opposition, galvanising Millar in the process. Few chances were given as the two played gloriously for the better part of 20 overs putting on 119 for the second wicket with Hector getting to his first Strollers 50 with a deft poke for one. Millar eventually succumbed to a neat ball from the tidy line and length bowling of Naresh, caught by Alex Fennell, bringing Harry Mangham into bat. Mangham and Oliver oscillated between smacking Ian Hann (another spinner – modality unclear) around the park and playing cautiously to initially Naresh and then the quick opener Oli Fennell. Glen went through the gears reaching his third ton of the year in the 36th over and was subsequently retired injured, only for Mangham to get caught and bowled in the next over, out to the first ball of the spinning spice’s second spell having put on 77 in the process. The two new batters, Steve Rogers and Rob Wall, were unperturbed by this wobble, with Steve coming down the wicket to his first ball and Wall scooping and reversing like a man who has watched far too much Bazball. Playing like a man who could not be bothered to run for singles, Wall smacked the ball to all parts including an eye catching six onto the roof of the club house. These two renegades put on 40 in four overs taking the Strollers to a daunting total of 276-3 off their 40 overs. After a tea spent watching the end of the England v Ireland T20, the Strollers took to the field, opting for a slightly more traditional swing and seam approach given we were playing on a lovely summer’s day in a pretty little village north of Maidenhead. Freddie Broster-Turley and James ‘the Lord’ Dela Rue opened the bowling well, piling on the pressure with Freddie bowling Naresh in his second over. James Hemmings and Will Heyes built a rather ominous partnership with Heyes wielding every Saturday cricketer’s bat of choice – the Chase. He discovered the middle of it immediately and found some real rhythm despite the neat bowling. As the worried glances multiplied the Lord finally broke the partnership, having Heyes brilliantly caught by Wall behind the stumps. Steve, having been brought on the over before, then took Hemmings in a tidy caught and bowled before claiming Sid Iyer the very next ball with a salmon-like leap across the pitch. The Strollers seized the initiative from here on, bringing on a leg-spin demon of their own in Harry Mangham, who took two quick wickets in successive overs before Jim Hodgson was thrown the ball. He bowled an exceptionally neat maiden for his first over; a sloppy, by his standards, two-run over for his second; then smelling blood and puncturing all life out of Pinkneys in his third, which was a brutal triple-wicket maiden. He clean bowled three batsman and backed it up with the final wicket of the match in his fourth over, bowling out Pinkneys for 118 and ending with match figures of 4-2 off 3.2 overs. All in all, it was a textbook victory for the Strollers with Glen’s ton, Hector’s first Strollers 50 and Jim’s demolition the key highlights with the only damp squib being Blair’s failure to get to the landmark 1,000 runs for the season, falling just 33 runs short. With one domestic and two international games to go, his wait continues… Capt: Blair Travis. Wkt: Rob Wall.
Match fees: Simon Brodbeck. Match report: Harry Mangham.
Watford Town Sunday September 28 in Watford Match abandoned Watford Town 149-7
(20 overs; Dela Rue 3-40, Wall 2-22, Mulholland 2-30) The year of 2025 began with a Strollers triumph in the fundraising quiz at Waitoa bar. A tactical sacrifice by Jono Addis and Piers Ovenden saw most of the winning prize (a couple of jugs of the sponsor's product) consumed by the Vintage Lions. But sadly that did not translate into glory on the pitch. Eleven runs was the margin of defeat which was then followed by a three-wicket reverse at Bottom Paddock. When the UK campaign began in mid-April Jack Le Serve contrived to set a winning target at Great Missenden before George Love bid a fond farewell to these shores in chasing a victory target of 261 at Bledow Ridge : In the process, Love’s 77 not out eclipsed his previous personal best of 74 v Stanton by Dale on 27.08.2022 at Stanton. It was a record fourth-wicket unbroken stand of 228 for the Strollers, beating the previous best of 180 by Mike Pittams, Glen Oliver, Ben Mangham and Paige Copsey [who curiously were all involved] v Broughton Gifford on 24.06.23 By now a party atmosphere had developed in the clubhouse, a karaoke striking up with a familiar Eurythmics song, which Love and Brad Trebilcock had to be discouraged from joining, the latter doubtless in need of some activity after 28 overs padded up as next man in. But it was a fine way for Love to sign off, an unbeaten highest score before leaving to travel the world and the seven seas - well South America at least. A cool refreshing beer capped a very satisfying win for the Strollers, which had more than once looked highly unlikely. Sweet dreams are made of this. Hang on, it’s that karaoke song again. And it was too, on and on like another broken record…. At Ascot a negotiated toss saw the Strollers bat first in a 40-over match which for the second week running was being filmed live. But the global audience must have recoiled in disbelief as the Strollers limped to a disappointing defeat – which surprisingly proved to be the first of just three reversals in the Sunday season. Jordans Taverners were edged out by 36 runs as Glen Oliver racked up the little matter of 157 not out. Brad Trebilcock’s adventures continued: Next into the middle was the newest and most enthusiastic recruit to the Strollers, Brad Trebilcock, coming in having scored one run off three balls across his last two innings and having been out in two different ways. Brad had said his goal for the day was improve on his number of runs and get out in a new fashion. Brad made some solid contact with the middle of his bat and managed to double his run tally. But as can sometimes be an issue with the Strollers batting, calling was a problem. After one particularly lofty blow from Brad crunched straight to the man at mid-off, our hero set off with the speed of a short-distance runner and was three-quarters of the way down the pitch before Peter turned his head from ball-watching to notice and yelled: “No run!” Poor Brad was stranded a long way short of his crease as mid-off threw to the keeper for a run-out. While this was unfortunate for Brad, his goal had been achieved. At Winchmore Hill Blair Travis’s season got under way, while Brad’s adventures continued: Blair (102 not out) continued to knock the ball around the park, playing like Kane Williamson to keep the ship steady. Trebilcock was the next Stroller to the middle, where he continued his fashion of getting out in any many different ways possible. This week was a stumping as he took off down the pitch to send the spinner over the fence but failed – and departed for three runs. Another Travis century (106 not out) followed at Roehampton as the Strollers chased down a target of 254. At Maidenhead & Bray a Titanic struggle saw Oliver (83 not out) and Freddie Broster-Turley (56 not out) snatch glory from the jaws of defeat. As match reporter Ben Mangham declared: Well sports fans, we’ve had The Rumble in the Jungle, The Thrilla in Manila…now there is another legendary sporting tagline, The Affray in Bray! Who would have thought that this village oval, naturally church spired, vicarage observed with picture-perfect beach hedge and picket fence would be the backdrop, nay arena, for such a gladiatorial tussle, a coming of age, a fulfilment of destiny! A day, that in future years, “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”, will raise our chins slightly higher, blink our now cloudy eyes, the fire reigniting in the steely blue momentarily once more…and say I was there. Our beloved game was served well this day, Cricket is a team sport true, but within that team are 11 solo artists strumming their cords and riffs making the one song and on this day the song was sweet, so very sweet, that angels did weep. Oliver and Broster-Turley put on an undefeated 126 to see their side home as the welkins rang to the sound of the rolling cheers… West Chiltington outplayed us but then the side began their winning Sunday roll. Hurley felt the force of debutant Jonny Waugh: Waugh, a recent recruit who had attracted the eye of scout George Love during a midweek match, was called in to open alongside Blair Travis. The pair worked the opening bowlers with ease, and after a few overs’ grace, it became quickly apparent that Waugh’s recruitment will be devastating to our opponents' new ball budget. After dispatching both Hurley’s new ball and its replacement into the neighbouring paddock, the Strollers’ new ball was provided and was promptly dealt the same fate - Waugh scored 26 runs from that over from Singh. This prompted calls from the wicketkeeper to one fielder to “just stay over there” in the next paddock; a suggestion that would have saved us all time, as another two sixes were delivered to the same spot in the next over. It’s not often that the fielding side is brought back in from the ropes when Travis faces, but such was the devastation of Waugh. With his mother-in-law watching from the boundary with admiration, Waugh brought up his marvellous century off 52 balls and retired in the 17th over. The Cotswolds tour began with victory at Broughton Gifford where Travis hit another century and Simon Brodbeck recorded singular figures of 1.1-0-9-3 to keep his wickets tally moving. At Adlestrop the next day: Yes. I remember Adlestrop The name, because one afternoon
Of heat, the express-train drew up there Unwontedly. It was late June. The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat. No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw Was Adlestrop—only the name And willows, willow-herb, and grass, And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky. And for that minute a blackbird sang Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. But on the idyllic Adlestrop ground in 2025 it was Mike Pittams and Travis (again) who rescued the day and set a target which the opposition could not reach. Jane Austen saw it thus: I happened to be in the idyllic soundings of The Park in Adelstrop this Sunday past admiring the livestock on the estate and came across an extraordinary scene in one corner of the grounds. A cricket match was setting up and I availed myself of the opportunity to gain insight into this game which I had hitherto dismissed. A group of itinerant scribblers from London called the Fleet Street Strollers were on tour in the area and were playing the local team. Papa used to tell of the time when the Fleet in London was a noxious open sewer and that the outpourings of the so-called journalists were no better. I was hopeful that these Strollers were more fragrant., Wendover and Peppard fell under the remorseless Strollers sword before a sweet victory at Prestcold thanks to Travis (94) yet again and Rowan Smith, whose stay in the UK looked like coming to a close. Wandsworth Cowboys in Thames Ditton proved Smith’s farewell (or did it?): Out in the middle, after a sedate first over of three runs, Smith and Waugh looked on with envy at the antics up on the balcony and decided they wanted to join as soon as possible. 70 runs came off the next six overs, including a particularly towering six from Waugh over backward square leg. He departed for 24, of which 22 were delivered in boundaries. Smith was joined by Pittams, who had clearly read the same memo and promptly crunched a few boundaries, before departing himself for 18. Wall glanced up from his beer at this point and considered whether he should get some whites on, let alone pad up given we only needed 10 runs to win. Next over Smith bought up his 50 and then promptly skied one, leaving Wall to rush out with about half his protective gear on and finish things off with Glen Oliver. The next over, the 13th, saw the winning runs hit. An almost perfect send-off for Smith as he heads back to New Zealand, with his only black mark being a dropped catch of this match reporter’s bowling… Chenies and Latimer fell (yet another Travis ton) as did Bledlow (Travis only 91 this time) before a nail-biter at Claygate (Travis 90) saw the Strollers take a 15-run win to keep the hot streak going. Harry Mangham reappeared at Ripley before the Three Counties tour. That is now strictly the Two Counties but although the Strollers beat the rain (getting in two games despite the horrendous weather forecast) they could not beat Wall or Stanton by Dale. But the real winners were Rae-Ann Craig (Wall) and
……………………………………………………………………………………………… On the midweek front it was a tale of resilience and fortitude as the club was stretched to produce 11 players in an 11-match programme. But undaunted, the valiant nine – or sometimes 10 and sometimes 11 men –- still contrived to record a successful campaign: P8 W6 L2 [Three of the original fixtures had to be cancelled]. The real heroes were the midweek match managers – Richard Keightley, Aidan Selby and Glen Oliver – who somehow managed to persuade their troops to trek to King’s House and Barn Elms in search of glory. The flavour of it all was captured by match reporter James Stubbs in the OSD Superstars triumph which rounded off the campaign: To replace Inigo Lendrum, Rob Wall strode out, wielding James Stubbs’s new bat. Wall and John Low combined well, albeit briefly, before Wall set off for an ambitious single, with Low unable to make his ground. Up stepped Mike Pittams and with Wall they swung, slashed, and carved their way through the bowling attack. With a bounty of boundaries, including two massive sixes to his name, Wall retired on 31 not out. With 20 to win, the Strollers were down to the 10th batsman. Will Baylis-Allen stepped up to the mark. Pittams swung wildly and dispatched one over the rope for six. Requiring 10 to win off 12 balls, Will followed suit with a strong two into the covers and a massive six over square leg. The match concluded with a wide from Anand, with Mike and Will ending unbeaten on 22 and 12. A strong middle/lower order affair from both sides was followed by a strong ale/lager order affair in the Red Lion, Barnes’ most popular of public houses. A well-earned prize after a very good cricket match. Altogether a strong midweek order of events…
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Tricia Taylor (Stanton) who each produced a tea of groaning magnificence to weigh down the tourists and prevent them from performing to an acceptable standard. Concorde fell by the wayside (they could not raise a side); Marlow Park fell foul of the watery climate and the rot could not be stopped at The Lee. Despite a helpful contribution from newcomer Inigo Lendrum (2-28 and 37) the Strollers fell short in their chase of 223. But the rain held off and The Lee’s lovely ground was as welcoming as ever. Then it was back to our old friends at Pinkneys Green where Oliver chalked up another ton while Travis’s 17 took his season’s total to 967. With three games to go, could BT do the double: 1,000 runs and a fifth ton of the season to set a new record? Chasing 277 Pinkneys fell short once the dangerous Will Heyes had departed. Evergreen Jim Hodgson returned the astonishing figures of 3.2-2-2-4. The knees may be creaking but the metronome is still setting the tempo despite the passing years. The domestic season ended with a damp squib at Watford. The rain, which the Met Office had promised would push through, did not oblige. And after 20 overs of consistent drizzle (with Watford on 149-7) the troops took tea and adjourned to the bar, never to return to the field. Discussion then centred on the delights of a certain grill, haunt of those bon viveurs Rob Wall and Mike Pittams. It describes itself as a burger restaurant which prides itself on juicy mouthwatering burgers with quality ingredients. One Trip Advisor review was not so complimentary: “The menu was quite cheap, but there is a reason for that.” Other items on the discussion agenda were: Favourite day of the season [victory at Maidenhead & Bray]/Afternoon tea at The Ritz/Blair still requiring 33 more runs for his thousand/Baby tour outfits being prepared for Bordeaux/Where in Brazil is George Love?/And who is that lady in Oktoberfest uniform cavorting with Brad Trebilcock? It was agreed that there were encouraging signs over the summer with a long list of new names, among them: James Allan, Will Bennett, Alex Diaconu, Hector Millar, Inigo Lendrum, Mrinal Madina, Isa Pandor, Chris Stevenson, Brad Trebilcock, Jonny Waugh and more. They were all most welcome; now they have to play more games in 2026… When the discussion was brought to a close the curtain came down on the 2025 domestic campaign. Soon Jim Hodgson’s armada sets sail for France with two games to round off the year.
Will Bordeaux survive the 30-strong Strollers party? Is Macron’s faltering
regime ready for such an invasion? Will Travis notch up that 1,000th run? Still so many questions waiting to be answered… Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Hugh Martindale.
Match report and match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
Bordeaux Giscours Saturday October 4 in Bordeaux Match tied Strollers 165-8
(20 overs; Wall 54no, Pittams 53no, Travis 18)
Chateaux Giscours 165-4
(20 overs; Macaulay 2-32, Broster-Turley 1-15, Le Serve 1-16)
Dark clouds and steady rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the occupants of the giant black Renault Trafic autobus I was conducteuring to Chateau Giscours on the Saturday morning of 2025’s French Tour. This was probably in equal parts due to serious vibes being created by1998 Vengaboys banger We Like to Party playing on loop, and last year’s tourists’ recollection of how good Giscours’ hospitality is (cricket or no cricket, a good time would be had by all!). Sure enough, we arrived to the sight of a table the size of a football penalty area, groaning with wine, beer and foie gras. Skipper for the day Aidan Selby quickly acquainted himself with Giscours captain Mr Ferreira, agreeing that tea would be taken immediately and we would hope to play a 20-over match later with the weather forecast to clear around 3pm. Selby was wearing his blazer with both buttons done up, and appear to be acting in a more statesmanlike manner than usual – one suspects he felt that by showing strong enough leadership for the Strollers he might put his best foot forward for the vacant position of French Prime Minister…“Don’t call us Aidan, we’ll call you”. With Bledisloe Cup action to be watched and delicious beverages and comestibles available, many of the Strollers gathered happily around Wall’s (by now greasy foie gras-fingerprinted) iPad to watch the rugby. By the time the non-playing tour party members (who were 20 more in number than the playing corps of the group – a truly momentous feat of travel planning from Jo et Jim!) returned from their wine tasting up at the chateau, spirits were particularly high. Rosalophagus Jack, Aaron Walder and Naomi Selby were making particularly strong efforts to get through the available wine, while the Kiwi rugby fans were happy with a close-fought win (albeit one dominated by James Dela Rue nemesis and all round pompous, officious and thoroughly defenestratable bloke Matthew Carly). Australian Frenchman Jack Le Serve (albeit feeling more like a French Australian since landing in Bordeaux the previous day) was perhaps less thrilled about the state of affairs – as was the Salt and Pepper Princess Rob Wall, who had stuffed his face with so much foie gras that he could by this point be heard moaning ‘oh, my poor gout’, while clutching his foot. Siena Porter-Wall and ‘Sobel Pittams-Smith lack both the brains and educated palates of their Daddies, so satisfied themselves with banana and as many of the small stones in the chateau courtyard as they could sneak into their mouths (the fools). Right on schedule the weather began to clear, so the gathered party decamped to the very scenic cricket field. Selby negotiated to bat first in a 20-over game on a still very wet artificial wicket. Travis, looking nearly as green as the lush and waterlogged outfield (one suspects he consumed considerably more beverages the night before than he normally would of a Friday evening), accompanied Pittams to open the batting, leaving 29 gathered Strollers on the sideline with liquid refreshments to cheer their boys on. The tour party was not particularly impressed with the early run rate being achieved by Pittams and Travis, judging by the raucous advice to retire themselves out coming from the sideline. Doing their best to hit the ball harder and more cleanly through the tears in their eyes at these harsh jibes, Travis and Pittams concurred that now they understood how Rory McIlroy must have felt at Bethpage during the recent Ryder Cup. After bringing up a half-century inclusive of three lusty maxima, Pittams was yanked, swapping both places and protective boxes with first drop HRH Rob Wall of Salt and Pepperiness. Wall proceeded to notch up an unbeaten half-century of his own, featuring no fewer than four lusty maxima! Impressed, the gathered crowd were heard pondering what exactly about Pittams’ beloved protective equipment had rubbed off on Wall to make him bat so uncharacteristically unstodgily? Unrelated (or is it?) Siena and Sobel were having a whale of a time playing on the boundary. Blair was bowled by Finn for 18, leaving him still 15 runs adrift of 1,000 for the season with just one innings remaining in which to acquire them. Would he notch up the requisite boulanger’s half-dozen plus two tomorrow against Damazan? Return to the match reports section (likely in about three months when Freddie finally files his) to find out! Blair’s dismissal precipitated a flurry of action in the middle. Neil Hartley (‘Petit Neil’) unfurled a Peter McGlashan-esque array of sweeps both conventional and reverse before being bowled by impressive leg-spinner Sotthey. Glen Oliver was in and then out again, undone by a skiddy straight one – from impressive leg spinner Sotthey. This forced Jonny Waugh to cease curling his imaginary Hercule Poirot moustache while trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of who had broken into his and ‘Rederick ‘The Brooster’ Broster-Turley’s room the night before and bopped them both on the head to leave them feeling so worse for wear that morning, and also vomited in their sink – and get to the middle. Early on he seemed to fancy that he had heard an inspirational cry of ‘TALLY HOOOOOOOO!!!!!’ from Monsieur le Capitaine and charged at the bowler with the sort of speed usually associated with Peter Wood at a tea table. When approximately three-quarters of the way down the pitch, Jonny converted all of the momentum from his burst of kinetic energy into a lusty swing of the bat, apparently aiming to despatch the ball out of the Margaux appellation and into the Haut-Medoc. Instead, the bat slipped out of his hands and looped high over the head of mid-on. By now Jonny’s momentum had taken him past the umpire and halfway to the straight boundary, and he would have been almost certain to be stumped had captain-keeper Ferreira not been doubled over in laughter. Ferriera need not have worried, as the ball took middle stump and Jonny was on his way – bowled by impressive leg-spinner Sotthey. The French Australian Jack Le Serve was busy with a series of twos, much to the chuntering displeasure of old gouty mcgoutface Rob Wall and his sore foot at the other end, before his stay was ended for seven. Neale Mulholland (‘Grand Neale’), like Le Serve, feels very comfortable on the continent. Grand Neale, as many readers will already know, is such an accomplished car salesman that he recently moved from London to Brussels in order to challenge himself more in his career (as everyone knows, Belgium lead all of the EU metrics relating to car sale degree of difficulty – ‘Most difficult to sell cars to’, ‘Least decisive about large automobile purchases’, ‘Most vehicle lease contracts per capita’ – etc). At home in Brussels, equally at home in Bordeaux it turned out, as Grand Neale made a career-best 14 runs. Highlights included his fastidious de-follicling of the team box before loping out to bat, and the first six of his cricketing life! An almost indescribably lusty straight blow that carried at least 25 years beyond the boundary. As the gathered crowd ooohed, aaaahed, oh-la-laa’d and vocally admired the length of his levers, Laura Shuck – more than used to the power of Grand Neale’s long levers – arched an eyebrow knowingly. Freddie ‘Redddie’ Brooster-Turley lasted just a single delivery, bowled by a fast yorker from Finn, much to the chagrin of Oliver who had carted ‘Red’s enormous 97kg cricket bag full of batting equipment from London to Bordeaux for him. One would be surprised if Glen is not itemising – even as I write this – an extensive invoice for The BROOOSTER, inclusive of a sum to cover the damage incurred to his rear axle while hauling such heavy cargo, and at least €23 worth of fuel consumed due to additional drag. Selby arrived at the crease and caused a raucous cheer from the crowd when he bunted one to mid-off and set off on a bullocking, Waka Nathan-esque run to the other end – insodoing bringing up his first run on a French tour since 2018! Wall thereafter sensibly protected Selby from the strike by running byes through to the keeper. There remained time for Wall to retire, Jim Hodgson to head out to the middle only to receive the same treatment as ‘Red ‘The BROOOOOSTER of all BROOOOOSTERS’ Broster-Turley, and Wall to return to the middle (crucially not having touched or removed the hallowed protective box) before the innings was concluded on a competitive 165-8. Extraordinarily – all eight dismissals were bowled! Selby entrusted Red Forman Brooster-Turley-Wurley and the French Australian with the new ball, and both picked up an economical wicket apiece. Broosty-Woosty-Turley-Wurley with an edge gobbled up by Blair (who probably wished he had gobbled more baguette and charcuterie the night before to soak up slightly more alcohol), and Le Serve with AN ABSOLUTE BRUTE of a delivery that reared from back of a length on the now dry artificial, and which Giscours opener Rob McHugh could only splice back for Le Serve to take a confidently owned and never in doubt return catch. Jim and Glen replaced the openers, and it was around this time that Wall grew tired of having to run around on the boundary stopping balls on his sore and gouty foot, so pretended to twist his ankle in a phantom rabbithole (at a time he really should have been taking a simple catch off the bowling of Hodgson). The fallen Salt and Pepper Princess supplemented his theatrics by remaining prostrate on the ground for about 45 seconds, with circa 90% of his expansive right buttock, and at least 15% of the equally ample left on display due to a simultaneous trouser malfunction. When eventually he was charitably helped up by two Giscours lower order bats, and Pittams had jogged across with a stick to enable Wall's trousers to be levered up without needing to touch the aforementioned meaty expanses, Wall was assisted back to a comfortable looking chair in the sun with the rest of the Strollers. When just seconds later he had a glass of Giscours in hand, and had co-opted Tricia Taylor and Louise Ward to fan him with palm fronds, it was all too clear to the rest of the team that there was no rabbithole at all. There had never been one. Wall’s self-inflicted gout was bothering him and he fancied a break. Well played Princess…well played. Jim bowled better than his figures suggest, while Giscours No 4 Nomi took a liking to Glen’s offerings, after which new bowlers in the form of Alastair Macaulay and Grand Neale were invited to repondez s’il vous plait to the captain’s invitation to roll the arm over. Both said ‘oui’. Macaulay managed to break the promising partnership of 69 between Finn and Nomi, bowling one and having the other smartly stumped by Johnson Waugh – Stair’s 598th and 599th wickets for the club. When he induced a skied shot to Glen at long-on, we all thought the 600 milestone was dans le sac. However, Glen’s normally safe hands failed him and Stair was left stranded for at least another day. Would he raise the ‘stone tomorrow at Damazan? You’ll just have to wait for the match report to find out! And if that’s too much suspense for you, next year you can just join the tour party and see it all first hand. While the Strollers' catching was off its usual ropey standard, we were also guilty of a fair few (possibly just our usual number, but it maybe felt like more due to the shortened innings?) comical overthrows. Throughout my Strollers career I have diligently taken 'mental videos' of these occurrences, and It remains my fervent ambition to one day convert these richly detailed memories into a thoroughly hilarious film. Significant technological advances will be needed, so until then it is important that I frequently replay all the classics in my mind so that I don't forget them. This does mean that I spend more time with my eyes closed picturing Aidan Selby than I would strictly like, but these are the sacrifices we make in the name of #contentcreation. Oliver and Red Forman the BROOOOOOSTER of all BROOOOOSTERS Broostily-Woostily Turley-McWurley returned with Giscours requiring 21 from the final three overs, and bowled very well to amend the equation to three needed from the final delivery to win (or two to tie). Glen ambled in and lanced down a wide full toss which Giscours skipper Ferreira lashed towards the cover boundary. Pittams ambled towards le ballon with urgency, as a run-out appeared to be on the cards to secure a Strollers win. Unfortunately, Pittams then threw le ballon about four yards over wicketkeeper Waugh’s head, rendering a runout highly unlikely. Only the presence of mind of Le Serve backing up with an athletic dive (he considers any day of cricket that doesn’t feature an athletic dive to be wasted) reminiscent of a young Chantelle Newbery saved four overthrows and prevented a loss. With no provision in Selby and Ferreira’s pre-match negotiations for a super over, the match finished as a tie in warm fading sun. A fitting result for a wonderful game of cricket that this scribe in particular would have eaten his chapeau at the prospect of in the rain and gloom several hours earlier. Enormous thanks go to Giscours for hosting us and playing an enjoyable game in wonderful spirit, umpires Rupert (Giscours), Tom Wood, Tom Salvesen and Brian Taylor, the Hodgson-Perrin travel agency, and of course Madame President Maggie Patson for keeping a typically impeccable book. Capt: Aidan Selby. Wkt: Jonny Waugh.
Match report: Mike Pittams.
Damazan Sunday October 5 in the Lot-et-Garonne Strollers won by three wickets Damazan 221
(33.1 overs; Broster-Turley 2-12, Le Serve 2-33, Oliver 2-33, Salvesen 1-16, Mulholland 1-24, Hodgson 1-27, Macaulay 1-54)
Strollers 222-7
(33.2 overs; Pittams 94, Travis 55, Le Serve 18no, Oliver 14no)
Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Jonny Waugh.
Match report: Freddie Broster-Turley. Match report follows shortly…
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