3rd XI vs Bessborough 4s

🔥 Match of the Season? Southgate Hold Their Nerve to Defend 249 in a Thrilling Team Performance

Our Innings – 249 All Out (49.5 overs)

After being put into bat on a dry pitch, Nevin and his new opening partner Viraj faced a tough challenge against some disciplined new-ball bowling. Both did their best to see off the opening spell, but runs were hard to come by, with Southgate reaching 10/1 after the first 10 overs.

Santosh then injected some much-needed momentum with a positive 27 from 36 balls before falling to Vikram.

Bhavesh anchored the innings superbly with a patient 67 from 103 deliveries, while Sarfaraz played the perfect supporting role with a fluent 46 at almost a run a ball. The late acceleration came from Srikanth Reddy, who blasted 59 from just 45 balls at a strike rate of over 130 to push the total towards a very competitive score.

At the halfway stage, Southgate felt that 249 was a total they could defend if everyone played their part.

Opposition Innings – The Chase

Bessborough 4th XI’s first objective was to reach 202 in 42 overs to secure a winning draw, and they came out with positive intent. Their openers got off to a brisk start and put Southgate under pressure.

The breakthrough came when Arpit struck, with Srikanth taking a smart catch at mid-on. Arpit soon struck again, removing the other opener for a fluent 31, brilliantly caught by young Aaron Shah on the boundary.

Despite those wickets, Bessborough continued to score at a healthy rate. Southgate never stopped believing, worked tirelessly in the field and kept creating chances. Nevin and Jason also chipped in with important wickets to keep the game alive.

With wickets falling at one end, Ishara kept Bessborough’s hopes alive with a determined innings despite battling cramp. Sensing the game needed tightening, skipper Parinda brought himself and Srikanth into the attack. The move paid immediate dividends as the pressure built, wickets began to tumble, and what had looked like a winning position for Bessborough slowly swung in Southgate’s favour.

The game came down to the final two overs, with Bessborough needing just 6 runs with one wicket remaining from 12 balls. With fantastic support from the 1st and 2nd XI around the boundary, the atmosphere was electric.

Then came the moment. On the third ball of the over, Srikanth produced the magic delivery. Diraj skied the ball high, and a pumped-up Safs held his nerve to take the catch at mid-on, sparking jubilant celebrations.

Southgate erupted.

It was a brilliant team performance full of belief, character and resilience. The lads fought back when the game looked to be slipping away, never gave up and thoroughly deserved the win. It was a fantastic atmosphere throughout and, without doubt, one of the best games of the season so far.

Viraj/Parinda

1st XI vs Brentham

After a freakishly high scoring losing draw at London Tigers, the 1st XI returned to more familiar disappointments at home to Brentham – not scoring enough runs. With the weather again resplendent, captain James Dangerfield won the toss and chose to bat first on a good looking pitch. 

Max Joseph fell early, but his opening partner Sunny Kanuparthi built a composed innings of 41, leaving the crease at 55-2. However, by this time Brentham were operating with slow left arm spin from both ends and negating this kind of bowling has long been a shortcoming of Southgate’s 1st XI. Hugh Hyslop scored a mature 38 from 58 balls, but nobody else was able to effectively rotate strike, let alone put pressure back on the bowlers. SLAs Kand and Bradley finished with 7 wickets and 1 wicket respectively, and with a runout thrown into the mix, Southgate were all out for 131 in the 51st over. 

Brentham got off to a swift reply with one opener playing nicely and the other more fortuitously – Daragh Edwards was unlucky to go wicketless – and their first wicket didn’t fall until the 9th over with their score on 55. Laurence Perry was initially less accurate than we have come to expect, but found his rhythm and became very difficult to navigate. He dismissed two Brentham batters clean bowled with near identical googlys. The Brentham batting order had recently experienced a collapse and again wavered with 5 wickets falling for 17 runs. Laurence picked up 4 for 40 off his 12 overs and the evergreen David Woffinden took 3 before Brentham eventually crept to their target, albeit with plenty of overs to spare. 

The 1st XI were again left wondering how they might have fared had they been able to accrue a total closer to the 180 mark. We shall never know. 

Max Joseph

1st XI vs London Tigers

Dearest gentle reader,

A scorcher across at Tony the Tiger’s Cage for the 1s on Saturday.

We kicked off with a solid warm up soundtracked expertly by yours truly before an absence of tossing skills from James Dangerfield sent us out to bowl first.

A strong start with both James and Daragh Edwards taking wickets the latter of which was an over exaggerated diving catch by Christian McLoughlin at second slip. But in all seriousness it was the second week Chris has taken a speccy so we probably should give him some credit for that.

Sadly this is about where we peaked for the day as the hosts began taking advantage of the advantageous batting conditions on a pitch that resembled the M25. Turns out dropping a bloke who scores 122 (78) isn’t the smartest thing you can do on a cricket field… if only someone had told me this earlier on (sorry Coxy).

A valiant effort from Michael Cox saw him pick up 4 wickets with Dangermouse returning to pick up another prior to a growl of declaration from captain tiger brought the innings to a close.

333-7 dec (47)

Hydration break

We looked to be positive in the chase as our resident beaver (Beaven Fernando) and Max Joseph put some balls to the fence before perishing. Chris and Hugh Hyslop batted well together for a period putting on 65 prior to Chris’ demise (a good 44).

Redacted segment describing a questionable run out decision

Slop passed 50 before running past one looking to put a dent in the chase and it was at this point the hatches were battened down. Daz and Mike were our proverbial tortoises returning to shell and defending the remaining balls, whilst I became very clammy thinking about the prospect of having to bat out for the draw.

A losing draw but not all doom and gloom. 4 wickets for Mr. Cox, 59 for the burfday boy and some impeccable chat from myself.

Home next week to Brentham to see us to halfway. A great opportunity for us to demonstrate our bouncebackability (31 points on the scrabble board).

Love and Champagne

Dan Bint x

(Enjoyer of Mahou, Tuchel out, “Are we the baddies?”)

3rd XI vs Hornsey 4s

Following a crucial and impressive victory over Friends United the previous week, an upbeat Southgate 3rd XI travelled to Hornsey full of confidence. Spirits were high, the vibes were great, and the sun was shining. The squad arrived refreshed, optimistic, and believing they had every chance of building on the previous weekend’s success.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Southgate’s opening pair immediately justified that confidence. Kazi and Nevin put on a superb opening stand of 83, laying the perfect platform for a big total. Nevin batted with excellent composure for his 37 before being adjudged leg before wicket to a decision he may feel was a little harsh.

At the other end, Kazi produced a genuine masterclass. He anchored the innings superbly, punishing anything loose and looking completely in control throughout. He eventually fell agonisingly short of a deserved century, dismissed for a magnificent 93 from just 94 balls, including 16 fours and a six.

Kazi’s dismissal sparked a brief middle-order wobble as Hornsey’s Sandeep struck regularly, reducing Southgate from a commanding position to 178/5. Any fears of the innings fading away were quickly put to rest by Saf, who treated everyone to a display of vintage power hitting. His unbeaten 45 from only 32 balls swung the momentum firmly back in Southgate’s favour. Harshil provided valuable support with 21 before unsuccessfully attempting an inventive ramp shot and being bowled. With the scoring rate climbing, skipper Parinda declared on an imposing 247/6 after 46 overs.

Defending 247, Southgate’s opening attack began with excellent discipline. Josh maintained relentless pressure while, in familiar fashion, Parinda struck early to leave Hornsey reeling at 42/2. The fielding matched the intensity of the bowling in the opening stages, and Southgate looked firmly in control.

The contest, however, was transformed by a sensational counter-attacking innings from Hornsey’s Sif. Riding his luck at times, Sif launched a relentless assault on the bowling, smashing five sixes on his way to a blistering 93 from just 62 deliveries. Unfortunately for Southgate, several dropped catches during this period proved costly, allowing Hornsey to seize the initiative as partnerships developed and the required run rate steadily came down.

Just as the game threatened to slip away, Josh Holmes returned to produce the crucial breakthrough, clean bowling Sif for 93. The wicket injected fresh belief into the visitors, and further strikes from Holmes and Parinda left the game finely poised at 214/6.

With 33 runs still required, Southgate searched desperately for the final breakthroughs needed to complete a memorable victory. Ultimately, the match was decided during a spell in which the pressure eased and Hornsey capitalised. Fernando anchored the closing stages, taking advantage of a few missed opportunities in the field to guide the hosts home with four wickets in hand and six balls to spare.

Although it was a frustrating end to a high-scoring thriller, there were plenty of positives for Southgate to take away. The batting performance was one of the side’s strongest of the season, demonstrating the quality and depth within the line-up. Sharper fielding and greater control through the middle overs could easily have changed the outcome. If Southgate can carry this batting intent into next week’s fixture while tightening up in the field, another victory will surely not be far away.

Nevin Kularatne