3rd XI vs Kay Plus

10th May | 45 overs per side Kay Plus won the toss and elected to bat

Kay Plus: 291 all out (38.5) - Parinda Kularatne 4-17

Southgate 74 all out (22.1)

Southgate 3rd XI fielded a team blending youth and experience but were unfortunately one player short, with only 10 taking the field. Kay Plus CC won the toss and chose to bat first, posting an imposing total of 291 all out in 38.5 overs.

It was a frustrating day in the field for Southgate, with too many missed opportunities and a costly 47 wides contributing to the total. While some good catches were taken, lapses in the field allowed too many runs to slip through. Thilipan bowled with good pace and his 2nd spell bowled with a lot more control. A standout performance came from Parinda, who delivered an outstanding opening spell and returned later to clean up the tail, finishing with impressive figures of 5.5 overs, 5 wickets for just 17 runs.

It was also encouraging to see strong efforts from the younger players. Finn (U15) was excellent in the field, showing real promise, while Aaryan (U15) bowled well and was unlucky not to claim a wicket. Jason (17) also bowled well and deservedly picked up a wicket.

Southgate’s chase got off to a difficult start, quickly slipping to 29-5. Parinda then added a gritty partnership of 18 with Finn, who showed great resilience, scoring 6 from 41 balls. Parinda top-scored with 17, and Kevin chipped in with a brisk 11, but the innings never truly recovered. Southgate were bowled out for 74 in 22 overs.

Bhavesh Kotecha

2nd XI vs Middlesex Titans

10th May | 45 overs per side Titans won the toss and elected to bat

Titans: 167 all out (40) - Ravi Desai (4-21)

Southgate 149 all out (38.1) - Javed Ahmed 59

Southgate’s 2nd XI started off the league season with an away trek to Harrow against a Middlesex Titans side, relegated from Division Two the previous season.

On a less than impressive track for the season opener, Southgate lost the toss and were sent into field – an astute decision from the Titan’s skipper given the lack of a full XI from the away side until the 18th over.

Southgate’s fielding innings started brightly with Javed Ahmed and George Bloyce firing through opening salvos upon an uneven pitch. Javed removed Titan’s opener before Ravi Desai (4-21) and Lewis Johnston made further progress through the Titan’s batting lineup, backed up by solid fielding efforts throughout.

The arrival of Abdullah Rafi not only restored Southgate to a full XI but also resulted in 3 wickets, a catch, a runout, and a knee-shaped crater in the side screen chasing a ball down to the boundary – some impact.

Southgate lost a little control towards the end of the innings, allowing Titans to pile on 30 runs for their final wicket – bowled out for 167 in an encouraging first display of the season.

The batting innings started brightly with skipper Christian McLoughlin (17) and Mustapha Mirza accounting for a couple of early boundaries in a partnership of 22 for the first wicket. 22-1 soon became 38-5 as a combination of accurate bowling and an uncompromising pitch ripped through the top order.

Javed and debutant Nish Shah steadied the innings and started to quieten down a raucous home side. A young Titan’s spinner geed up with the responsibility tasked for not just the home side, but his entire friends and family was promptly hit out of the ground by a couple of lusty blows from Javed.

Unfortunately, with partners falling around him, Javed was stumped for a well-made 59 and Southgate ultimately fell 19 runs short of Titan’s total – bowled out for 149.

A disappointing result to take in but also many positives that will hold the 2nd XI in good stead for the rest of the season.

Lewis Johnston

2nd XI Preseason vs Finchley

2nd XI: Southgate v Finchley

3rd May | Preseason friendly Southgate won the toss and elected to bat

Southgate 2nd XI finished the preseason strongly with a great display against a solid Finchley side. After winning the toss and electing to bat, runs at the top from openers Scott Ellis (60) and Mustapha Mirza (43) set a good platform. This was built upon by a strong performance by Oliver Bellwood (51) who shepherded the middle and lower order with cameos from Akhil Sanapala (15) and Christian McLoughlin (22) allowing Southgate to reach 223 the allotted 40 overs.

Whilst Finchley started strongly reaching 39 before the first Southgate wicket, wickets from debutants Javed Ahmed (2-37 off 7.3 overs) and Bavesh Kotecha (2-33 off 5) were highlights of a spirited Southgate attack which was aided by two late Harshil Vipani run outs to seal victory.

All-in-all, everyone had an opportunity to prepare for the season proper and the future looks bright for the second and third eleven as they embark on the season.

Christian McLoughlin

1st XI Preseason vs Finchley

1st XI: Finchley v Southgate

3rd May | Preseason friendly Finchley won the toss and elected to bat

Unfortunately new captain Dangerfield is as bad at winning tosses as previous captain Jup, with the net result being that Southgate fielded first. Despite an early breakthrough from Ben Elders and some promising spells from young spinners Kazi and Nevin, Finchley put together a good partnership in the middle overs, and aided by a couple of dropped catches posted a competitive total of 247 from their 45 overs.

Southgate made a quick start to the chase, and despite good cameos and Ben Elders reaching his first ever batting drinks break, regular wickets meant that we never quite got going, with only Sacha (40*) posting a score of note as Southgate were bowled out for 140.

Despite the loss, Southgate’s young team put up a spirited performance, and the team now looks forward to their first league fixture against Brondesbury at the Walker Ground on Saturday.

Charlie Spink