(Almost) end of season round-up

Our double-winning T20 side, following their victory in the Stevens Cup Final

Though there are still a couple of fixtures in the diary, autumn seems to have come early after a fabulous summer, and now seems a good moment to reflect on what has been a remarkable year for the club.  It’s impossible to do justice to all that happened in a season in which our numerous senior and junior teams between them played several hundred matches, but here goes …

Men’s cricket

In a year of many highlights, the biggest was undoubtedly our men’s T20 squad winning both the Surrey Slam and Stevens Cup. 

After the two nail-biting matches on Surrey Slam finals day, our victory over Grayshott in the Stevens Cup final at Woodbridge Road on Sunday was much easier on the nerves.  Batting first on a good wicket, Grayshott never really got going.  Fast and aggressive bowling from Ben Arengo-Jones and Oscar Gilliam was well backed up by Simon Mansell and especially by spinners Sam Behn (3 for 16) and Tom McClean (2 for 14).  It was only a late flurry that took Grayshott to three figures; they finished on 105 for 6 from their twenty overs.

With the skies threatening rain, Blackheath’s opening partnership of Rob Greenway and Luca La Costa set about knocking off the runs as though there was no time to lose, rattling along at 12 an over for the first few overs.  After Rob was bowled by Joshua Cook for 20, the rate slowed but with the target in sight Luca once again opened his shoulders, hitting a series of boundaries.  In the end, Vishwajith Kalubadanage (the pick of the Grayshott bowlers) saw him advancing down the wicket for one more and he was stumped off a wide for 46, but by then we were nearly home; Varun Garg (20 n.o.) in company with skipper Tom Vickers calmly steered us to victory in just 13.2 overs.  Sam Behn picked up the man of the match award for his excellent spell.  You can find the full scorecard here.

Huge credit is due to the whole T20 squad for their season, above all to Tom Vickers, who captained masterfully throughout, whilst making regular contributions with both bat and ball.  A special mention, too, to the youngsters in the squad – especially teenagers Freddie Alexander, Rob Greenway, Oscar Gilliam, Sam Behn, Jasper Arengo-Jones and Ozzy Rooken-Smith, and others such as Ben Bushell and Charlie Rooken-Smith who are not much older.  Rarely in the history of the club can we have had such a crop of young talent.

It was also a very good season for us in the I’Anson League, although ultimately both the 1st XI and 2nd XI fell just short of what would have been the extraordinary achievement for the club of winning both the 1st and 2nd Division titles – both finished as runners-up.

The 1st XI were significantly strengthened from the start of the summer by two players: Ben Arengo-Jones, who returned to league cricket at Blackheath as our main strike bowler, and overseas player Varun Garg, who slotted in beautifully to replace the absent Harry Bardon and scored heavily from the outset.  Later in the season, the team was further strengthened by the return of Oscar Gilliam and Rob Greenway (after the end of schools’ cricket), Luca La Costa (who rejoined us from Cranleigh), Sam Behn (whose eye-catching performances for the 2nd XI brought him well-deserved promotion) and Tom McClean (another fine cricketer from St Albans CC in New Zealand, happily for us in the UK to complete his legal studies).  With all these additions to last season’s regulars, our squad was a formidable one, and it would have have surprised no-one had we come out league champions for the second time in 3 years.

The fact that in the end we fell just short was due to a combination of factors.  As always, there were one or two games we narrowly lost which we really should have won; availability issues affected us for a few key fixtures; and skipper Will Melhuish seemed cursed when it came to the toss, especially in the critical declaration games – we repeatedly found ourselves asked to bat first and unable winkle out the last one or two opposition wickets on good batting tracks.  More generally, the standard in I’Anson Division 1 is certainly higher than it was a few years ago, with more and more clubs presenting a tough challenge on their day.  In particular, Puttenham were an excellent side who well deserved the title for their consistency throughout the season.

The season saw some great individual performances.  Highlights included centuries from both Pete and Will Melhuish in our comprehensive victory over Elstead and another from Pete against Chiddingfold; a 150 run unbroken partnership between Pete and Varun in our 9-wicket win against Dogmersfield; Ronny Harrison’s 6 for 24 in our first match against Puttenham and Oscar Gilliam’s 4-13 in our second (both critical in achieving narrow victories); Tom McClean's 6 for 46 against Dogmersfield; and 5-fers from Danny Harrison and Ben Arengo-Jones, as well as Ben's 4 for 17 in dismissing Farncombe for just 65.  Our top wicket takers were Ben, who finished with 46 at just 14.24, and Danny, who took 36 at 13.86.  Amongst the batsmen, Pete, Will and Varun all finished with more than 600 runs.

Having only achieved promotion to Division 2 by the skin of their teeth last year, the 2nd XI started the season with some expecting that they would struggle in a division consisting almost entirely of other clubs’ 1st XIs.  But new skipper Tim Velstra had other ideas, and the addition of several strong players as regulars in the squad, as well as much better organised training sessions (particular thanks here to Aussie veteran Steve Moore) made a big difference.  It soon became clear that the team would not merely be confounding the pessimists, but would be challenging for the Div.2 title. 

Amongst the batsmen, Ed Behn led the way, scoring over 300 runs at an average of nearly 40, but not far behind were Ranald Schulz, Jordan Brodley and Paul Nash.  Amongst the bowlers, Tim Velstra was the leading wicket taker with 35, with Steve Moore and Steve Brennand each picking up 16.  But, in addition, the youngsters in the team made a huge difference, especially Sam Behn (until his promotion to the 1st XI), Idris Iqbal (who at just 15 is already a fine seamer as well as a more than useful batsman) and Freddie Alexander (whose wicket-keeping was a huge asset, as well as his contributions with the bat).  The team’s more youthful look meant that the standard of fielding was much improved as well.

Particular highlights of the season included Ranald Schultz’s 93 against Peper Harow off just 77 balls (it was Ranuld’s day – he also took 2 wickets, a catch and a run-out in the same match), Sam Behn’s 5 for 25 in the return fixture against the same opposition, and Freddie Alexander’s 5 for 46 against eventual champions Grayshott (not bad for a wicket-keeper).  Remarkably, like the 1st XI against Puttenham in Div.1, the second XI actually beat the champions twice – on the second occasion bowling them out for just 55.  In all, they won no fewer than 11 times, and though the title was just beyond them, it was the best performance by any club’s 2nd XI in the I’Anson League for many years.

The 3rd XI had a very tough start to the season in Div.5, with availability issues affecting them badly pending the return of various youngsters from schools’ cricket, and lost their first five fixtures (albeit all against other clubs’ 1st and 2nd XIs).  But as the season progressed, so results improved and the team finished strongly, winning 5 of their last 6 games played.  They finished in a comfortable 6th position, the second placed 3rd XI in the I’Anson League.

As last season, the leading batsman by a distance was skipper Keith Hemshall, who scored 430 runs at an average of 43, but there were valuable contributions over the season from several others, including in particular Chris Lewis and James Wooller.  The 3rd XI innings of the season was without question the century scored by Ozzy Rooken-Smith off just 74 balls against Chiddingfold.

The leading wicket taker was U14 Elliot Lewis, with 18 at an impressive average of just 10.67, but there were many fine individual bowling performances.  These included 5 for 13 by Pete Rooken-Smith against Midhurst, two 4-fers for Elliot, one for Will Nash and a remarkable 4 for 4 from U15 Freddie Park against Wood Street (Freddie’s bowling average for the 3rd XI was an astonishing 4.63).

As usual, Sundays saw a combination of highly competitive matches in the National Village Cup and friendlies against a wide range of different opposition.  In the National Village Cup, another strong run saw us defeat first Shepperton (skipper Pete Melhuish getting his second ton in two days); then Chobham (exacting a measure of revenge for last year’s humiliation); before a surprisingly comfortable win over Valley End in the Surrey Regional Final, thanks to some very tight bowling followed by a rapid 84 not out from Will Melhuish.  Sadly, however, we fell just short against a very strong Leeds & Broomfield, the champions of Kent, despite restricting them to just 169 all out and a valiant 62 n.o. from 18-year-old James Fortescue, which took the match into the last over.

These days our Sunday friendly side can draw on a large number of good young players, and we are often somewhat stronger than our opponents.  This has the advantage that, whilst ensuring a decent contest, the captain can make sure that everyone gets either a bat or a bowl (if not both) and that those who missed out on Saturday for whatever reason are generally given priority.  It also means that these days no-one tends to dominate the end of season statistics, as no-one plays more than about half the games and the batting and bowling is well shared around.  Reflecting this, the season’s leading run scorer and wicket taker were actually two overseas players in their weaker suits: Steve Moore scored 219 runs at an average of 73 and Varun Garg took 15 wickets at 14.47.  The top score was Sam Behn’s 84 against Wonersh and the best bowling figures were Sam Riddy’s 4 for 14 against Leatherhead.  For the record, the team has won 11 of their 16 fixtures played (with two still to come).

Blackheath v Old Boys of Blackheath Kent (4 August 2025)

Finally, Cricket Week was once again a great success, as for the second year running we managed to complete all five games, and bar takings hit new heights.  We won four of the five fixtures, including three cracking games which all went to the wire: against Old Boys of Blackheath Kent (thanks largely to a fine century from Varun Garg), Kenya Kongonis and the MCC.  The last game in particular had the spectators on the edge of their seats as, after we dismissed a strong MCC side for just 114 and looked on course for a comfortable victory, we suffered a late order collapse and found ourselves 9 wickets down with still another 9 runs needed.  Fortunately, our last wicket pair of Oscar Gilliam and Danny Harrison hung in there, until the winning runs were scored by Oscar with a brilliantly executed paddle-sweep from outside off-stump to the fine leg boundary, from where the fielder had just been moved the ball before.  A shot worthy of a Melhuish!

Women’s cricket

After a disappointing end to last season, our Women’s Softball team started 2025 with a spring in their step, having been reprieved from what would have been a somewhat unfair relegation to Division 2 of the I’Anson Women’s League, and boosted by new intake of keen members.  Training sessions were very well attended, drawn by the enthusiastic coaching not only of Sharon Eyers but also of a second very experienced coach, Clair Slaney (as well as, possibly, by the early season offer of free pizza and prosecco).

In matches, the squad comfortably held their own in Division 1 this year, and finished in mid-table.  Amongst our victories, probably the most satisfying was against Farncombe Ferns, whom we had never beaten before – Lucy Halliday, Anne Marie Wakefield and Rachel Dann all scored well in our total of 343, our best of the season.  But it is invidious to single out individuals in a squad to which so many players contributed significantly with bat, ball or both over the course of the summer.

In addition, this summer our women’s squad for the first time dipped their toes in the waters of hard ball cricket, both in training and in their first ever match.  Our older girls are of course well used to hard ball cricket and next season we plan to enter a team in the proposed new I’Anson Women’s Hardball League, as well as continuing to run a softball team.  Watch this space …

Junior cricket

Our junior section continues to go from strength to strength, with overall numbers this season at an all-time high and no fewer than 21 league teams across our boys’ and girls’ sections.  Both boys’ and girls’ training sessions were busier than ever, and the bar did great business throughout the summer as we mostly blessed with glorious weather.  Results were generally pretty good as well, though space permits only brief summaries …

Amongst the boys’ teams, the U17s led the way, finishing level on points with Normandy at the top of their Tier 1 group, though losing out on top spot because of the head to head result (a game they should certainly have won), despite a vastly superior net run rate.  Their season included comprehensive wins over Guildford, Woking & Horsell and Epsom, as well as a comfortable victory over Cranleigh, and their only other defeat was in the final of the County Plate competition against Esher.  The squad is a very strong one; nearly all of them are well established in senior cricket and have already been mentioned in that context.

Blackheath U15s v Leatherhead U15s (13 July 2025)

After struggling badly last season in Tier 1, the U15s found their feet this year, with generally much improved performances.  Highlights included their wins over Teddington, who were dismissed for just 86 with Freddie Park taking a remarkable 7 for 17 from just 5 overs (the best figures for any Blackheath bowler in senior or junior cricket this season), and over Crown Taverners, largely thanks to a brilliant eighth wicket partnership between Idris Iqbal and Elliot Lewis (the former depositing a ball through the windscreen of coach Chris Poil in his 49 n.o. off 35 balls).  The top score of the season was Benjamin Reed’s 64 (off 45 balls) against East Molesey.  Though they finished in the bottom half of the table, they were competitive in nearly every game, everyone contributed significantly during the season and several of the squad also did well for the senior teams.  The B team suffered from availability issues and had to concede several games, but of the 5 they played they won two and lost two, with their game against Cranleigh ending in a tie.

The U14s just had a single team in Tier 2 this year.  Like the U17s, they finished level on points at the top of their division, but lost out on the title to Wonersh & Shamley Green by virtue of the head to head result.  Save for that narrow defeat and one against Royal Ascot, they won all their games, most by a considerable margin.  Tom Newman was the leading run scorer with 180 (at an average of 90), but Elliott Kitson, Harry Vickerman, Thomas Springett and Elliot Lewis all made good scores.  The top wicket-takers were Ben Jones and Elliot Lewis, with 9 each.

The U13s have a lot of strength in depth and this year their A team played in Tier 1A against the very best teams in the county.  The cricket was of an exceptionally high standard and very competitive, every team capable of winning on their day.  After challenging for the title for much of the season, we suffered from availability issues in July and fell away, but still finished on 25 points, just 6 points behind the eventual winners, Sutton.  Fynn Harvey was the leading run scorer with 226, but Freddie Harris and Tommy Hoodless also scored heavily and, though he only played 5 games, Olly Dann hit 143 runs at an average of 47 and a remarkable strike rate of almost 146 (Olly also played some senior cricket, making 44 for the Sunday team against the August Flies).  The leading wicket takers were Ollie Wynn with 10 and Josh-Austen Brown with 9.  The B team also had a good season, winning 4 of their 5 games played.

The U12s had a tough year, with a severely weakened squad after several team members decided to join their school-mates at Guildford over the winter: the A team finished bottom of their Tier 1 division and the B team suffered badly from mid-week availability issues, though they won both the games they actually played in Tier 2.  The squad’s leading run scorer was Artie Nichols and the leading wicket taker was Rafe Lewis.  These things go in cycles, and we will look to recruit this winter and rebuild next season. 

By contrast, our very strong U11 squad had another good season, with the A team winning 11 of their 15 games played, although this year they were just pipped to the Tier 1 title by Guildford and lost out to Esher in the semi-final of the County Cup.  Amongst the batsmen, George Dodson-Waite, Alex Wynn, Harry Beck, Harry Dann and Lochie Harris all scored heavily; the leading wicket takers were George Dodson-Waite (with 15) and Ben Retter (with 13).  The U11Bs finished in mid-table in Tier 2.

The U10s also had a good year, with the A team also finishing second in their Tier 1 group.  They improved noticeably in the course of the season, especially their fielding (thanks here to coach Steve Moore) and finished strongly, winning their last 3 games.  The player statistics are incomplete as not all the games made it onto play-cricket but, there were strong contributions from (amongst others) Lucas and Sam Craigs, Jesse East and Freddie Tebbit.  The B team won 3 and lost 3 of their 6 games played.

There are no points or league tables in U9 and U8 cricket, which is all about learning and participation rather than results.  Once again, we were one of the few clubs in the county with a U9 hardball team, and though they generally found it tough against more experienced opponents, there was much promise for the future.  Our various U9 and U8 softball teams all had their share of wins and losses, but more importantly games were played throughout with great spirit and enthusiasm, as anyone passing the Blackheath ground on a Saturday morning could hear!

Turning to the girls’ teams, overall numbers were up once again and Thursday training sessions were generally well attended, but once again both we and our opponents often suffered from problems with availability for matches, as a result of which quite a high percentage of games were cancelled across all squads, especially later in the season.

In the end the U15 girls played just 3 games, winning one (against Chertsey) and losing 2 (against Grayshott and East Molesey).  The U13 girls started the season well, with wins over Effingham and Cranleigh, but then suffered a series of narrow defeats and were particularly affected by holidays in July, as a result of which they had to concede their last 2 games.  We will be looking to expand both squads over the coming winter, to try to ensure we have good numbers for all matches next season.

As with the U9 and U8 boys, there are no points or league tables for the U11 or U9 girls, where the Smash-it leagues and mini-tournaments are aimed at maximising participation.  Thanks in large part to the enthusiasm of girls’ head coach Sharon Eyers and an outreach program we ran with local state schools, numbers were well up in both squads this year and, at nearly 40 girls, our U11/U10 squad was the largest girls’ squad we have ever had.  It was therefore disappointing that in the end, we played only a handful of U11 and U9 games against other clubs.  The girls however much enjoyed numerous internal practice games, and will be more than ready for more competitive cricket next season.

And finally …

It is only right to end this round-up with a huge thank you to all those involved behind the scenes in making it all happen.  Running a busy community cricket club like Blackheath involves an enormous amount of work: arranging fixtures, preparing and running coaching sessions, chasing players’ availability and selecting teams, dealing with DBS checks and welfare issues, preparing wickets, maintaining grounds and facilities, organising social events, running a substantial bar and catering operation, managing social media, arranging kit and sponsorship, and overseeing the club finances and membership.  On top of all this, the club now plays an increasing role in supporting other charities and the local community (of which more elsewhere).  We are blessed with a tremendous team who deal with all of this – some paid but many volunteers – and none of it would happen without them. Thanks also to all the clubs sponsors, especially our lead sponsor, Seymours.

It should be a source of great pride to everyone, not merely that we continue to achieve the success we do on the field, but that we provide so much healthy and enjoyable activity, especially for our juniors and young players, over the course of each summer – indeed there are quite a few youngsters who seem to live at the club over the holidays!  Roll on next summer …

Nick Harrison