LSSC vs. Trafalgar Nursey Road Playing Fields, South Wimbledon – 31st May 2026 LSSC vs. Trafalgar
Trafalgar 246-5 – 35.0 overs (Nanton 1-16)
LSSC – 132-7 35.0 overs (Sherriff B 30, Mr. Extras 28, DT 24 not out)
London Saints kicked off their 2026 season in familiar territory away to a strong Trafalgar team now featuring fresh faces bringing in faster bowling and harder hitting than we’ve seen in previous encounters.
Playing on a rock hard wicket and a really bumpy unforgiving bone-dry outfield DT tactically lost the toss and in line with his T-shirt instruction, we were asked to bowl first.
We didn’t have the strongest team on paper but having drafted in volunteers Andy Mayhew and Josh Walley, it was good to have 11 players at least for our first game.
A sweaty Josh had cycled for 50+ minutes to get to the game (nearly being hit by various elderly lady drivers en route) and was then ‘surprised’ to hear he could have just shared an Uber with Oscar (and Maddie) to get to the game as they’d only been 5 minutes away from his home when setting out – my fault entirely and I did try not to laugh too hard when this was realised.
Jonty and Max opened the bowling in confident mood – both having overs under their belts, so there was an impressive lack of rust with Jonty opening with a maiden for our first over of the season. Max then taking our first wicket with one of his worst deliveries ironically.
However once their spells came to an end, the lack of any other pace bowlers did handicap us as an array of spinners on a track taking no spin, meant the run rate started to accelerate albeit Richard took a wicket (Max taking a good catch) and then Oscar taking a wicket in his first over
Older hands told him to immediately feign an injury (trademark A. Mayhew) and go off so as to protect his figures but the enthusiasm of youth saw him keen to keep going – something he probably regrets in hindsight.
At drinks it was 95-3 off 18 overs and we’d got the Pompey fan out for 1!
Sadly your author got carried away saying to the huddled Saints – “Lads, we’re in this game”…. The appalled faces at this heinous tempting of fate was well deserved as Trafalgar’s version of Crawley and Duckett (but more successful) then proceeded to take the game away from us with the scoring accelerating markedly.
DT spotting the game was getting away from us brought back Jonty who remarkably maintained his accuracy in his second spell – has that ever happened before – and got a deserved wicket with a shortish delivery which didn’t bounce as much as you’d expect on such a dry pitch. Certainly it surprised the batsman.
The problem was this brought in ‘BRADDERS’ as his shirt says, someone we learned after the game who hasn’t been out yet in 9 innings for Traf and he tucked into our bowling along with ‘Duckett’ finishing with a brutal 26 smashed off the last over of the innings. The skipper had to ask Oscar and Pearce to close out the innings with the quicks bowled out and him still smarting from the damage to his own figures earlier.
Our fielding was pretty good to be honest on a really challenging outfield and whilst there were a good few nutmegs I can only think of 2 dropped catches and I’m not claiming that Andy Mayhew at point could have moved a bit quicker to take a looping catch off my bowling (he could). I will mention Jonty dropping Bradders on the deep square leg boundary earlier in his innings however, who the poor bowler was who was let down escapes me.
With no tea laid on, we tucked into our own rations and sent out POTY Jones and Dickie to chase down the total. This was frankly never going to happen once we saw the array of bowling Trafalgar had on show with Asif a very quick left armed bowler the pick.
Our first 2 wickets told us it wasn’t going to be our day. Dickie middled a ball only to see the Pompey fan take a great catch at cover point. Dickie at least has the reward of thus kicking off the 2026 Duck Trophy at least. If Traf had taken more of their catches then a few more would have joined him too.
Jonesie was then run out (yes, I know hard to imagine) when calling for a run to Asif at short fine leg – I had time to paint the scene at square leg on my easel and canvas to determine that the direct hit meant he wasn’t home, indeed he wasn’t even in the same county.
Max came in to face Asif and despite taking guard on middle stump he then repeatedly visited Umpire DT at square leg by the time each rocket was delivered at his stumps – inevitably he fell to them being sent everywhere eventually.
Surrey Ben had been to nets for the first time this year (ever) and testimony to the benefits of that practice, he settled in for a ‘net’ during the game, playing well and with a straight bat.
Oscar joined the duck trophy again skittled by Asif and the game was well and truly done but we batted out our innings, with various players getting some time to practice their play and misses and the innings ending in a flourish with DT bringing up his club 3,000 runs with a rush of boundaries to bring our total to a respectable score. We might easily have been all out for much less than 100.
So a big defeat but some positives to take and a great workout too in the field and most players getting a bat or a bowl.
Man of the Match
Special mention to Dickie as he kept superbly and didn’t concede a bye on a really tricky wicket, in contrast to Traf’s who conceded 13 byes plus he took a stumping and catch to start his season well – batting, not so much but plenty of time to get that right 😊
Surrey Ben however is the clear winner as following his intense nets work out (a clue to all of us), he hit the season running and scored a career-high 30 for the London Saints, smashing his PB of 19. He’s now not available until August sadly – hopefully this isn’t average protecting!
Champagne Moment – ‘did you see that’
The direct hit to remove Jonesie was good cricket but not by us so can’t count. I’m therefore going to give it to Josh coming into bat in the penultimate over and up against quality bowling and his timing his first ball faced so sweetly it was unlucky not be a boundary but finishing with a strike rate of 100 from his unbeaten cameo.
To be fair he did say beforehand to expect good things if he got a bat, “I played tennis two weeks ago” – I guess nets can come in all manner of ways.
Champagne Moment – ‘what was that’
A red-faced DT was in the last over of his spell (as it turned out) and had just seen a ball go straight through a fielder for another 4.
Desperate to get out of the over his final delivery went straight to the ‘well placed by the skip’ fielder at mid-on but a bad bounce nutmegged said fielder and so the ball progressed onto the next unnamed fielder stationed at long-on – only for him too to be beaten and thus see yet another boundary conceded.
DT’s now puce face was an absolute picture as he took his cap and stomped off in a huff to try and find someone to bowl instead of him next over.
Saints – 132-7 35 Overs
Jones ‘run’ out 10
Cushion ct Skate b Chinmay 0
Cohen b Asif 11
Sherriff B b Grahame 30
Sykes b Asif 0 (Bronze)
Nanton b Lloyd 13
Pearce b Johann 10
Thomas not out 24
Walley J not out 6
Griffiths R DNT
Mayhew A DNB
Extras (b13, lb1, w5, nb9) 28
Chinmay 6-2-30-1
Kerrigan 5-0-14-0
Asif 5-0-13-2
Lloyd J 4-1-15-1
Crichlow 7-0-22-1
Johann 6-0-22-1
Grahame 2-0-12-1
Trafalgar 246-5 35 Overs
Holmes b Cohen 5
Fourrie ct Cushion b Griffiths R 27
Edwards st Cushion b Pearce 78
O’Keefe ct Cohen b Sykes 1
Tom b Nanton 32
Graham not out 95
Webster not out 0
Extras (b0, lb1, w5, nb 2) 8
Nanton 7-2-16-1
Cohen 7-0-46-1
Griffiths R 4-0-33-1
Sykes 7-0-75-1
Thomas 5-0-32-0
Pearce 5-0-42-1
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