2nd XI vs North London Muslims

Southgate 2nd XI vs North London Muslims 2nd XI

25th July 2026 @ Hackney Marshes

In a murderous twist of Craig David: We had 8 men on Monday, got up to 9 on Tuesday, we had 10 players by Wednesday… And somehow it was up to 11 and back down to 10 over Friday night.

Fortunately, we arrived early to the scorched lands to watch Southgate Women taking on Stoke Newington Women, also on the marshes. Players surrounding the green squares dotted amongst the brown.

Collo’s Sunday cricket web runs deep. He knew the husband of one of the Stoke Newington players happens to dabble. We opened diplomacy talks on his behalf, Collo secured him until 5pm. We also had Andy “Dr. Nick” Nicholl on debut, further bolstering the top lip facial hair strength of the squad.

A questionable WhatsApp from one Southgate opening bowler in the early hours of the morning led skipper Faruqi to feel he would be better running that off up the hill straight away.

Some good tight opening bowling from Bint, whose spoken word Coldplay lyrics serenaded the Serengeti. Holmes tried a different approach with 7 wides followed by 6 dots. Then the wicket floodgates opened.

Bint & Holmes combined for 2 strangles (impressively on both the Mulla brothers), 2 bowled, and one firey snick to reduce them to 46/5 off 11.2 (wickets split 3:2 in favour of Bint). At this point the hangover was definitely peaking for the latter and Faruqi made his first change.

Southgate 2s charity knows no bounds when it comes to dropping catches. Over the next 25+ overs we dropped a catch at least every 5 overs. This kindly allowed 6 and 7 to add 99 runs of the eventual total 181 scored.

Cox eventually started the wickets tumbling again and went on to secure 3-43 off 15.1. Debutant Latchmore on our pioneering creche-release program, secured the biggest wicket (1-12 off 4) and another for Bint (4-32 off 12).

At the halfway stage chasing 182, on a pitch that had more than a spot or two that could’ve complicated matters, we needed a solid start. And yes, Mus came and went playing the way he does - on another day he breaks the back of the fielding team. But hour-of-the-game recruit Max Latchmore did the old-school graft alongside Liam Collett.

Meanwhile, our maestro meditated his way through the gears after clipping a serene boundary to get moving. At the peak of his powers he remains.

He had a few partners down the list but the 73 added with Coxy was the decisive stand for the fifth wicket, broken only in the final stages when trying to engineer the Australian to fifth league ton.

Colly was caught behind for 94 in that endeavour, but it mattered little. What a player. It’s through him that our promotion hopes remain more than alive with six weeks to go.

Southgate by three wickets.

3rd XI vs Winchmore Hill 4s

Amila’s Incredible 194* Powers Southgate to Derby Glory

Some games are memorable. Some games are special. And then there are games that people talk about long after the final ball.

Fresh from a brilliant win against Crouch End, Southgate came into the local derby against Winchmore Hill full of confidence. Derby games always bring something extra — more noise, more passion and a little more drama — and this one certainly delivered.

Southgate lost the toss and were asked to bowl first on a dry pitch. Winchmore Hill’s openers came out with attacking intent, taking on the new-ball pair of Parinda and Kazi from the start.

Kazi, coming straight from his 18th birthday celebrations the night before, struck first to give Southgate the breakthrough.

Parinda then produced a beautiful inswinger that trapped the batsman right in front. It looked like a clear LBW, but the decision didn’t go Southgate’s way. Winchmore Hill continued to push the scoring rate, but Southgate kept fighting.

Amila’s off-spin changed the momentum of the innings. His accurate darts made it difficult for the batsmen to attack, while Srikanth and Sarfaraz both chipped in with important wickets. Slowly but surely, Southgate pulled things back and bowled Winchmore Hill out for 305 in 45 overs.

It was a big target. A very big target.

But Southgate had something just as important — belief

The batting had been in excellent form, and the team knew they had the firepower to chase down a challenging score.

Then Amila walked out to bat.

And what followed was something very special.

Winchmore Hill brought plenty of noise and energy into the field, appealing for almost everything and trying to build pressure. Amila’s answer was simple.

He let the bat do the talking.

From the first few overs, it was clear this was going to be his day. Anything loose disappeared to the boundary, and even the good deliveries were treated with complete confidence. Drives, pulls, cuts and lofted shots came out effortlessly as he put on a batting masterclass.

The more pressure there was, the better he seemed to play.

Wickets fell at the other end, but Amila remained calm and completely in control. Saf and Kushan provided valuable support, but this was Amila’s innings. He reached his hundred, then powered on past 150, continuing to find the boundary with incredible consistency.

The crowd started to sense something special.

The target was getting closer.

The records were tumbling.

Rory’s brilliant 196 from the previous week was within reach, and Amila moved to an incredible 194 not out,. There was even the possibility of a famous double century.

But cricket always has a little drama left.

With Southgate needing only one run to win, Amila needed six more to reach 200. Instead, then four byes raced away to the boundary and Southgate sealed a famous victory.

Southgate completed the chase of 306 for 6 with nine balls to spare.

A fantastic team performance. A brilliant derby win. And an innings that will be remembered for a long time.

Amila’s unbeaten 194 was a breathtaking display of timing, power and composure. One of the finest knocks ever seen from a Southgate 3rd XI batsman.

Another thrilling 3rd XI game.

Another Southgate victory.

Everyone who was there could simply say:

“I was lucky to be there to witness a batting masterclass.”

Parinda

3rd XI vs Crouch End

SCC 3XI vs Crouch End CC

Southgate CC won the toss in a highly anticipated face off against one of the table toppers and chose to bat first, backing themselves to put runs on the board and apply pressure during the chase. It was not always a smooth journey, but SCC showed character, depth and enough attacking intent to reach a competitive 225 all out in 47.4 overs.

The innings began cautiously, with Crouch End’s bowlers maintaining good discipline. Cooray provided the early momentum with a useful 24 from 43 balls. Nish and Bhavesh then backed this effort and worked hard through a testing phase to steady the inning but when Southgate slipped to 129 for 5, the match was delicately poised.

That was when captain Parinda took control.

His innings of 52 from just 42 deliveries, including nine boundaries, was the defining contribution of Southgate’s batting effort. He understood exactly what the situation demanded—absorbing pressure when required before shifting gears and putting the bowlers under attack.

He received valuable support from Santosh, Shrikant and Kushal alongwith lower-order contributions to push Southgate beyond 200 and towards a defendable total.

Chasing 226, Crouch End were put to test through disciplined bowling by Parinda and Santosh for first 15 overs. They lost early wicket, but F Shafiq and W Ludlow rebuilt the innings with patience. Their partnership moved the score from 35 for 2 to 109 for 3 and briefly placed the opposition in a strong position.

However, Southgate did not panic.

Cooray changed the complexion of the match with a superb spell, removing Ludlow and then striking repeatedly through the middle order. Crouch End collapsed from 109 for 2 to 134 for 6, handing the initiative firmly back to SCC.

Shafiq battled hard for his 41 from 78 balls, while H Weymouth counterattacked with 35 from 36 and A Abishek struck a quick 25 from 27. Their 50-run partnership carried Crouch End to 184 and kept the contest alive.

But once again, Southgate found the breakthrough at the right moment.

Shrikant produced an excellent spell of 3 for 21 from 9 overs, including the crucial dismissal of Weymouth, who was smartly stumped by Bhavesh. Shrikant ran through the lower order as Crouch End lost their final four wickets for only seven runs.

Cooray finished as the leading wicket-taker with 4 for 49, while captain Parinda completed an outstanding all-round performance with 3 for 34 from 11 overs.

Crouch End were eventually bowled out for 191 in 39.5 overs, giving Southgate CC 3XI a well-earned 34-run victory.

It was not a flawless performance—44 extras will be an area SCC will want to improve—but the most encouraging aspect was the team’s response under pressure. Different players stepped forward at different stages, and whenever Crouch End threatened to take control, Southgate found a way back.

Captain’s fifty, a collective bowling performance and a composed finish—a thoroughly deserved victory for SCC 3XI.

1st XI vs Bessborough

A trip to Bessborough CC ended in a narrow defeat for Southgate's 1st XI. Whilst the result ultimately went against them, there was plenty to admire in the way the visitors competed throughout.

Asked to bat first, Southgate got off to a positive start through Hugh Hyslop's fluent 42 from 44 balls. However, what initially looked like an excellent batting wicket soon began to break up, and Bessborough were quick to make the most of their spin options. Three wickets fell for the addition of just one run to leave Southgate wobbling at 105-5. With the innings threatening to unravel, Stefaan Fernando produced a gritty 25 from 80 balls, an innings worth considerably more than the score suggests as he battled the conditions and held the innings together. Useful lower-order contributions helped Southgate recover to 153, a total that looked increasingly competitive on a surface that became harder to bat on with every over.

Bessborough's reply appeared to be progressing comfortably thanks largely to Pratik Patel's unbeaten 81. It wasn't one for the purists, but it proved highly effective as he guided the home side towards what looked a comfortable victory. At 104-2, the home side looked firmly in control, but Southgate refused to let the game drift away. Laurence Perry led the attack superbly with three wickets, David Woffinden claimed two, and suddenly wickets began to tumble. Five wickets fell for just 49 runs as what had looked a routine chase developed into a nervy finish.

As the pressure increased, so too did the volume. The home side's vocal encouragement during Southgate's bowlers' run-ups was met with understandable frustration and a few tempers briefly flared. Credit should go to Southgate, though, who kept their composure, played the game in the right spirit and continued to compete until the very end.

Bessborough eventually got over the line with two wickets to spare, leaving Southgate to reflect on what might have been with just a few more runs on the board. The result may not have gone our way, but the fight, character and competitiveness on show offered plenty of encouragement for the remainder of the season. The judges were unanimous in awarding a joint Man of the Match to Stefaan and Beavan Fernando for their transfer decisions earlier this season.

Kunaal Kankate