Originally 2 games planned in Brussels but just one played – the final match of the tour.

GAME 12 v ROYAL BRUSSELS CC AT CHEMIN DES MESSES, LASNE   ON SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 2026: REPORT BY JOE SCARCELLA

This, our last tour match, was played on a cricket ground located close to the battlefield of the famous Battle of Waterloo. History buffs will know that there, on 18 June 1815, the Duke of Wellington and his allies inflicted the final defeat on French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Like Wellington, we defeated our foe in a one-day contest on our own battlefield, the RBCC. 

Skipper Greg Brooks won the toss and decided to bat. Along with regular opener Frank Baliotis, Joe Scarcella was invited to open the innings after batting in the tail in all his other tour matches, and he eagerly took the opportunity. Scarcella started confidently with a square cut for 4 from the first delivery of the match and continued to bat aggressively, scoring his 29 runs in quick time (34 balls faced) before being dismissed contentiously (at least in his mind) lbw playing forward to a spinner. Tony Wood, coming in at number 4, made a solid contribution; his partnership with rampaging no. 5 batter Soren Hughes yielding 93 runs. Hughes continued his very impressive tour form with the bat, retiringnot out on 54* after hammering a belligerent unbeaten half century (six 4s and two 6s) from just 31 balls faced. Not to be outdone, no. 7 Trevor Whittall came in and wasted no time continuing the onslaught on the bowling attack, retiring with his unbeaten half century, 53* (six 4s and three 6s) in even quicker time (27 balls) . The ever-reliable and consistent Dave Potts continued his good tour form, too, scoring a quick-fire 33* from 28 balls. 

Chasing a very good total of 257, the RBCC openers started strongly. Clint Palmer was causing problems for the batsmen at one end, but Scarcella was wayward and was replaced after 3 overs by Garry James. Palmer made the first breakthrough in the 7^th over, nicking off one of the openers. Tony Wood replaced Palmer after his first spell of 4 overs and immediately put the breaks on the scoring rate with his accurate left arm orthodox bowling. He completed his 8 overs with impressive figures of 2-25. At the other end, after conceding runs in his first couple of overs, James found his rhythm. Bowling in tandem with Wood, he tightened the screws on the scoring rate and also picked up 2 wickets in his 8-over spell. Between them, the spinners took us to a commanding position of 6-96 around the half-way mark. Skipper Brooks made a welcome return to the bowling crease, replacing Wood, and bowled accurately without success. Palmer replaced Brooks for his second spell and, fittingly, took the last wicket  with the score at 201 to finish with 2-18 in his 6^th over.

The Team was (playing 12): – Joe Scarcella 29 , Frank Baliotis 9, Scott Wells 6, Tony Wood 35, Soren Hughes 54* ret not out, Craig Fletcher 12, Trevor Whittall 53* ret not out,  David Potts (w) 33*, Greg Brooks (c) 5,  Garry James 13*, Garry Clark dnb, Clinton Palmer dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 6-257 (40 Overs) (Soren Hughes 54* ret not out,  T. Whittall 53* ret not out)

Defeated 

Royal Brussels CC: – 10-201 (35.4 Overs) 

By 56 runs

FoW: – 1-23 (F. Baliotis); 2-44 (S. Wells); 3-52 (J. Scarcella); 4-145 (Tony Wood); 5-166 (C. Fletcher); 6-226 (G. Brooks).

The Bowling was: – C. Palmer 5.4-1-18-2; J. Scarcella 3-0-25-0; G. James 8-0-37-2; Tony Wood 8-1-25-2; S. Wells 4-1-29-1; G. Brooks 4-0-27-0; Soren Hughes 1-0-13-0; C. Fletcher 2-0-21-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to D. Potts

Catches: – One to D. Potts (w); one to each of C. Palmer, T. Whittall and Tony Wood 

Run outs: – One to G. Brooks

GAME 11  v  THAMES DITTON CC AT GIGGS HILL ROAD, THAMES DITTON   ON WEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST 2026: REPORT BY SHERVILLE HALL

Executive Summary

Thames Ditton CC defeated C.C.N.S.W. by 51 runs in a fast-paced, high-scoring 30-over fixture.

At first glance, the newly appointed captain Sherville(“Wes”) Hall saw the beautiful grassy green wicket (which had been lacking on all our tour games). His eyes lit up, as that was the only green resemblance of grass on the entire oval. As a bowler, there would be no democratic decision to bat; bowling first was the mandate in his brain, much to the ire of the batters in the team… as well as the rest of the team.

Ultimately, Thames Ditton capitalised on their home conditions at Giggs Hill Road, setting a formidable target of 234. Despite a highly resilient, unbeaten 42* from David Potts and a strong mid-order counter-attack, C.C.N.S.W. fell short, finishing their 30 overs well short at 9-183.

First Innings: Thames Ditton CC

Thames Ditton CC used their home-ground advantage to maximum effect, exploiting a flat, dead wicket and an extremely drought-ravaged fast outfield. They scored at a rapid rate of 7.8 runs per over to post a daunting 4-234. C.C.N.S.W. utilized seven different bowlers in an effort to break partnerships on the batting-friendly surface, though the bowling effort was heavily plagued by misfortune and injury. Opening bowler Tim Croft sustained a strained pectoral muscle and could not finish his second over (maybe it was from carrying his camera around all tour), reducing him to pie-chucking his last two balls. Meanwhile, Wes Hall could not seem to contain the opening batsmen from scoring runs; instead of finding the middle of the wicket, he repeatedly found the middle of the batsmen’s bat. First-change bowler Joe Scarcella bowled well initially but took a hammering in his later overs. Greg Brooks, coming into this game with a serious hip (we’d say bum) strain, was under a massive injury cloud. But as the leader of the club, and to show he has still got it, ‘the Prez’ provided the most disciplined spell of the innings. He contained the batsmen beautifully to concede just 5 runs per over and was dare say the pick of the bowlers—injured bum and all. Trevor Whittall now resembling a specialised bowler (not the batsman that he was picked as), came into the bowling attack. This did curb the flow of runs a bit, as did the introduction ‘of the one time only…. guest appearance…..stand in only when rarely needed,’ leg spinner to the stars’, Scott Wells. Well runs weren’t really curbed when he bowled, but it was a valuable contribution. Matt Edge bowled well, with an attitude perhaps best described as “thank Christ its the last game on this desert ground“, when things didn’t go his way; he conceded runs and did not take wickets (join the queue Matt). All in all it came done to too many sore, injury ravaged old players playing their last game in the UK,  sore and stiff, on a desert of an oval, and playing against a team of young gun opposition batters. Oh and also maybe, just maybe ….. a slightly wrong decision by the captain to bowl first.

Second Innings: C.C.N.S.W. Run Chase

The C.C.N.S.W. batting response suffered early blows as openers (newly appointed bowler) Trevor Whittall unfortunately continued his streak of easy low score dismissals (not happy Jan!) and Martin Speiser (tour specialist batter), falling cheaply, leaving the side at 2-22. Next in, the well decorated Scott Wells, who scored flowingly for his 35, teaming well with Tim Croft who punched some very valuable big hitting (Soren Hughes like) boundaries for his 29 runs (His pectoral was still sore). This was a vital mid-order recovery to get the chase moving again 

Following their departures, David “Mr Reliable“, Potts ((Michael Bevan like, ‘I’ll steady the innings and get as many runs as you require’) anchored the lower order with a superb, unbeaten 42*. While Potts ensured C.C.N.S.W. batted out their full 30-over quota, wickets fell regularly at the other end: – John Finucane, Garry Clark, Sherville Hall and Matt Edge just wanting to beat these young guns, but alas …. to no avail. This prevented the team from mounting the sustained, high-tempo charge needed to threaten the target. Which in turn prevented Joe Scarcella from being the hero to bring the team victoriously home!

Captain’s Post-Match Reflection

From a captain’s perspective, it was a great experience travelling (on the train) to this quaint village cricket ground, to play this magnificent game we all love. This was my last game (on the UK tour) and the team’s last game in the UK. We were all sore and tired and could not believe the drought ravaged  condition of the ground, but in true Cricketers’ Club NSW tradition we persevered and tried our best.

We toasted our last game at the marvelous ‘Ye Old Swan’ pub, drinking beers, having a laugh and looking out over the Thames river, flowing right next to us: – a very surreal moment. It was a great evening to end an amazing tour. Free scotches were had in haste (thanks to hotel management), which were interrupted by the dash to the station to catch the 9:20pm train home.

To all the players on the UK tour, I thank you for the wonderful experience I got to share with all of you. There is a memory bank full of stories to share the next time we meet and I thank you for letting me have the privilege of sharing them with you.

The Team was: –  Martin Speiser 10, Trevor Whittall 4, Scott Wells 35, David Potts 42*, John Finucane (w) 10, Tim Croft 29, Garry Clark 3, Sherville Hall (c) 10, Matt Edge 14, Joe Scarcella, 0, Greg Brooks 6*

The Result was: –

Thames Ditton CC:- 4-234  (30 Overs) 

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 9-183 (30 Overs) (D. Potts 42*)

By 51 runs

FoW: – 1-18 (T. Whittall); 2-22 (M. Speiser); 3- 62 (S. Wells); 4-97 (J. Finucane); 5-104 (G. Clark); 6- 121 (S. Hall); 7-155 (T. Croft); 8-161 (M. Edge); 9-162 (J. Scarcella).

The Bowling was: – S. Hall 5-0-44-0; T. Croft 2-0-16-1; J. Scarcella 5-0-31-0; G. Brooks 5-0-25-1; T. Whittall 6-0-47-1; M. Edge 4-0-35-1; S. Wells 3-0-32-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to J. Finucane (w); One each to G. Brooks and M. Edge

Run outs: – Nil

GAME 10 v INCOGNITI CC  AT DATCHET ,  WALLY GAGE MEMORIAL GROUND, DATCHET ON SUNDAY 2 AUGUST  2026: REPORT BY TIM CROFT 

The first of the two London games saw the squad head off on the overland train to Datchet CC in Berkshire Country. This game saw Tony Wood who had done an amazing job facilitating our fixtures for the tour play for the other team, Incogniti…!  (Ed note: he is the President of Incogniti) And his Son Ollie would be captain of the Incogniti side. We were not sure if it would be a friendly fixture or as competitive as they come.

In the end the game was played in exceptional spirit and at another great ground. The Datchettpavilion had recently been renovated and the Incogniti club, established in 1861 and acknowledged as the third oldest ‘wandering’ club in the world, were very gracious hosts. Tony Wood gave a wonderful speech on the history of the club at lunch. Each lunch and afternoon tea on the tour was a gastronomic wonderland. Today’s was no exception.

‘The Prez’, Greg Brooks, lead the CCNSW team. He had no hesitation when he won the toss and decided to bat in the game which was our second experience of a ‘declaration’game on this tour following the game vs Gloucester Gypsies. For those unfamiliar, this means the game is limited by time, not overs and the side batting first can choose an appropriate time to declare (if they are not all out). They need to consider have they left the opposition enough time to have a challenging chase after the runs scored and have they given enough time to also dismiss the opposition. The wicket at Datchet was another very hard one. Martin Speiser and Frank Baliotis opened but neither got into double figures in the face of some accurate pace bowling from the younger Wood, Ollie, and the other opener, Beldon. This brought Scott Wells to the crease, then Soren Hughes who at this point on tour had definitely found the wickets to his liking: to date, he had scored 5 fifties, with a top score of 70. The question was whether he could maintain his average above 100 (109.3 at this time). 

Wells and S Hughes put on 61 before Wells went to the well once too often. He was bowled by the left arm off-spinner S. Mughal. He went for over 6rpo but obviously knew where to bowl on the flat wicket as he bowled another 3 batters and picked up five in total. Soren continued as he had all tour, watchful  with  the good balls, but anything full went the distance ..and some more over the boundary. In all he smote 5 x 6s and lost as many balls. In his second partnership with Tim Croft, they put on 82 in 10 overs. Croft moved along in Soren’s wake, as many had this tour, scoring 34 (7 x 4s) before he also  fell to Mughal just after Soren departed for the innings top score of 76 (8x 4s, 5 x 6s). This brought Trevor Whittall to the crease desperate to bat time and have a score of significance for tour after a few bright starts. That he did, and in a 92 run partnership with Matt Edge (31) took the game to and then away from the Incogniti bowlers. They did well against the returning pace of Ollie Wood who cranked out some very good bouncers, maybe to hint that the touring side should consider a declaration. Brooks added some icing to the score with a quick 25*. The innings was declared at 9 -315 after 59 overs.

Trevor had his best innings of the tour (69, 10 x 4s, 3 x 6s) and scored freely around the ground on the good batting deck, unselfishly giving his wicket away in search of more runs in the final overs.  Time would tell if the declaration was at the right time.

Incogniti faced the opening bowling of Clinton Palmer and Croft with the innings commencing about 4.30pm. There were to be 20 overs in the last hour of play. The Incogniti openers were watchful and with good reason, Palmer was able to get the ball to nibble occasionally and Croft was relatively accurate with his back of a length out-swing. After their opening 9 over salvo. Incogniti were only 1-15 and may have found the asking rate of ~ 9 rpo too steep. The introduction of spinners Garry James and David Craig to entice some chasing worked for little while – two of the high quality bats from the Incogniti side A Smith and Ryan Lynch, added to strengthen the Incogniti batting, put on 120 in the last 13 overs of the game to get them to 3-202. The captains shook hands and the match was considered a ? draw and we progressed to a great post match presentation and enjoyed some more of the Datchet CC and Incogniti hospitality.

The Team was: – Martin Speiser 7, Frank Baliotis 5, Scott Wells (w) 40, Soren Hughes 76, Ezekiel Hughes 9, Tim Croft 34, Trevor Whittall 69, Matt Edge 31 , David Craig 2, Greg Brooks 25* (c), Garry James 1*

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.:  9-315 declared (59 Overs) (Soren Hughes 76; T. Whittall 69)

Drew with

Incogniti  CC: 3-202 (32 Overs) 

FoW: – 1-7 (M. Speiser); 2-14 (F. Baliotis); 3-76 (S. Wells); 4- 92 (Ezekiel Hughes); 5-174 (Soren Hughes); 6-178 (T. Croft); 7- 270 (M. Edge); 8-280 (D. Craig); 9-301 (T. Whittall).

The Bowling was: – C. Palmer 4-2-6-1; T. Croft 5-1-10-0; D. Craig 9-0-66-1; Ezekiel Hughes 2-0-21-0; G. James 9-0-62-1; M. Speiser  3-0-36-0.

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to Ezekiel Hughes

Run outs: – Nil

GAME 9 v GLOUCESTER GYPSIES  AT STOWELL PARK CC ,  ON FRIDAY 31 JULY 2026

C.C.N.S.W. secured a hard-fought 3-wicket victory against Gloucester Gypsies CC in a declaration tour match at Stowell Park on July 31, 2026.

After a beautiful drive through the English countryside, we turned down a small farm road to discover the beautiful Stowell Park hidden amongst rolling farmland. Though it had been impacted by the drought as with every ground this tour, it seemed set for a great day of cricket. Buoyed by an injection of youth with both Ryan Lynch and Tom Barrett making guest appearances. A lot of the old sore bodies on the team were grateful for some young ‘fellas’ in the field and they would prove vital.

Having won the toss, Gloucester Gypsies opted to bat first. C.C.N.S.W. restricted the scoring through a disciplined bowling performance, led by captain Tim Croft (3-33 off 10 overs) and Soren Hughes (3-30 off 7 overs). Greg Brooks provided excellent control in the middle overs with 2-31 off 8 overs, while Matt Edge claimed 1-11 off his 3 overs. The Gypsies declared what may have seemed a touch early at 9-216 after 50 overs, setting C.C.N.S.W. a target of 217 for victory.

We were provided with an amazing lunch including a delicious chicken curry and rich chocolate cake that a lot of the C.C.N.S.W. regretted overindulging when they returned to the field. 

The chase began cautiously after losing Martin Speiser early for 0. Scott Wells (28) and Ezekiel Hughes (11) steadied the innings, but C.C.N.S.W. found themselves in a slight spot of bother at 3-52.

Ryan Lynch and Soren Hughes then combined for a key fourth-wicket partnership, shifting momentum back toward C.C.N.S.W. Lynch paced his innings expertly, completing a retired-not-out half-century (50*). Hughes contributed a fluent 43 to keep the required run rate well in check. Although quick wickets fell in the middle order—Trevor Whittall (2) and Tim Croft (5)—the final stretch was managed comfortably, requiring around 4 runs per over for the final 90 runs. Tom Barrett added a vital 23, while Matt Edge (26*) and David Potts (12*) saw C.C.N.S.W. safely over the line at 7-219 in 45.4 overs and a few sensible beverages were shared between teams.

The Team was (playing 12): – Scott Wells (w) 28, Martin Speiser 0, Ezekiel Hughes 11, Ryan Lynch 50* ret not out, Soren Hughes 43,  Trevor Whittall 2, Matt Edge 26*, Tim Croft 5 (c), Tom Barrett 23, David Potts 12* (w), Greg Brooks dnb and Sherville Hall dnb

The Result was: –

Gloucester Gypsies CC: – 9-216 dec (50 Overs) 

Lost to 

C.C.N.S.W.: – 7-219 (45.4 Overs) (R. Lynch 50* ret not out, Soren Hughes 43)

By 3 wickets

FoW: – 1-6 (M. Speiser); 2-38 (Ezekiel Hughes); 3-52 (S. Wells); 4-142 (Soren Hughes ); 5-146 (T. Whittall); 6-153 (T. Croft); 7- 199 (T. Barrett); 8- ( ); 9- ( ); 10- ( ).

The Bowling was: – S. Hall 6-1-23-0; T. Croft 10-2-33-3; Soren Hughes 7-1-30-3; G. Brooks 8-1-31-2; T. Barrett 12-2-43-0, M. Speiser 3-0-21-0; M. Edge 3-0-11-1; T. Whittall 1-0-9-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One each to T. Barrett, G. Brooks, M. Edge, Soren Hughes and S. Wells

Run outs: – Nil 

GAME 8 v  BOURTON VALE CC AT RISSINGTON ROAD, BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER, CHELTENHAM ,  ON THURSDAY 30 JULY 2026 – REPORT BY DAVID CRAIG: 

It is not without a certain sense of irony that I sit here, surrounded by lush, green, soft fields on a cool, drizzly Sydney afternoon, writing about our day out in the idyllic Cotswolds. Bourton Vale, surrounded by such quaint English villages as Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper Slaughter, Cold Aston, Clapton-on-the-Hill, and a trio of Rissingtons (Wyck, Upper, and Great), was our destination, and we were fortunate to arrive in the brief interlude between the fourth and fifth major heat waves of the summer, just as the general drought had been declared, to find yet another rock-hard, brown and barren field. Another sunny day, high 20s temperature, a hard true deck and an outfield so slick that any gentle push into a gap was worth four runs. Who’d be a bowler in England 2026?

Our hosts ceded the initial decision to our skipper Garry James (who has seen as many summers as any three or four of our youthful opponents), and we were happy to bat first. Ken Yardy and Tom Robertson began proceedings; alas the first real sign of aggression from KY sailed lugubriously into the hands of mid-off, and a new owner of the dreaded duck vest had been determined. Tom, in typical fashion slapped two balls to the backward point boundary, watched them move a fielder to that precise vector, then hit a third cut shot straight down his throat, 2-14. Trevor Whittall joined Scott Wells in the middle aiming to rebuild a platform, and they took the score along to 35 without appearing troubled. However, in what was rapidly becoming an unfortunate sort of trend, both hit balls into the air in areas that could in no way be described as gaps, ending their innings after a few handy boundaries.

Matthew Edge was joined by the Greek God of the Glide, Frank Baliotis and this pair added a handy 34 runs before Mr. Edge followed the trend of hitting the ball on the full to a fielder. Don Bradman would have been appalled by such reckless generosity, but then he never had a forty over limit to deal with, did he? At 5-82 in the 15^th, I entered the fray with strict instructions to bat “properly”. As far as I can recall I (almost completely) shelved the reverse and the ramp and just punched a few long-hops into gaps in the field, letting the concrete-hard outfield do the rest, and before you could say “rich vein of form” I was sitting down with 50* to my name. Sherville “Wes” Hall joined Frank Baliotis, and although Frank perished to yet another catch, Wes was clubbing boundaries without a care, and built a bright partnership with Joe “New Knees” Scarcella. Wes’ aggressive knock ended in unique fashion (he missed one and got bowled instead of lobbing it to a fielder), and our West Australian import/export Clinton Palmer batted out the 40 overs with Joe. 7-231 was better than looked likely after a rocky start, but fewer than needed under the conditions.

The real fixture then took place in the clubhouse, with an impressive spread of scones, cakes, sandwiches, fruit, and savouries presented and consumed with gusto. Sadly, we were forced to cut short the festivities to go out into the field. There was a rumour that some of the Bourton batters had been overheard expressing a high degree of confidence in their ability to “smash these old blokes”, which was naturally used to fire us up for the defence. We also fortified our resources by recruiting a fine young women’s cricketer named Jade to field for us, and her enthusiasm and mobility were a real asset.

What ensued was quite a tussle, with many of the Bourton Vale lads demonstrating that they did indeed have the talent required to ‘smash ‘em,’ while our bowlers toiled manfully and purposefully, mowing them down one by one and keeping the game in the balance throughout. Clint Palmer and Sherville Hall took the new ball, and although they tied up one of their openers, the other lad was keeping the scoring rate up above requirements with regular boundaries. Our skipper decided to roll the dice with his promising young leggie, and was rewarded when Clint Palmer took a straightforward catch to break the partnership. Unfortunately, the breakthrough resulted in an acceleration of the run-rate as both batters were looking aggressive and capable. Garry James brought himself on to stem the tide, and he quickly induced a false shot to long-on, where Clinton Palmer took a spectacular diving grab to remove their other opener just when he seemed set to reach the retirement score.

James and Scarcella continued with accurate, probing bowling, while the Bourton Vale bats remained positive. The score had climbed to 84 in the 13^th when James was rewarded with another wicket (bowled), and repeated the feat a few overs later. In the meantime their number 4 bat was looking ominously good, and was threatening to take the game away from us (40* off 23 balls). We had a secret weapon, though as Ken Yardy took the ball for the last over before drinks, trapping him lbw with his very first delivery, a perfectly pitched slow something or other. The sheer unlikelihood of this event was underscored by the rest of the over, which consumed a large part of the afternoon as numerous wides and double-bouncers extended a bowling spell that concluded 1-0-10-1, but what a scalp! At 5-130 from 20 overs, the match was in the balance. They had a very skilful left-hander batting at number 6 who was taking the long handle, ensuring that run-rate was not going to be the deciding issue. We needed wickets, five of them to be precise. When James induced the aggressor to loft one to long-on, I settled under it and took the high ball cleanly, but felt the dreaded lump of the boundary rope under my heel as I took the smallest of steps backwards to secure my balance. A helpful teammate consoled me with “Nice catch. Shame it cost us the match.” I had to bowl at this guy next, and he lofted me for consecutive sixes to reach 44 (18 balls). As he went for a third six in a row, my wrong ‘un spun past his outside edge and lightly clipped the off bail – a moment I will treasure until the dementia sets in. Although we kept on trying and picked up a couple more wickets, in the end, we just didn’t have enough runs on the board to defeat a very good batting side, and lost by 2 wickets. A great day, played in the right spirit, well done to Bourton Vale.

The Team was (playing 12): – Tom Robertson 8, Ken Yardy 0, Scott Wells (w) 16, Trevor Whittall 14, Matt Edge24, Frank Baliotis 24, David Craig 50* ret not out, Sherville Hall 28, Joe Scarcella 21*, Clinton Palmer 6*, John Finucane dnb, Garry James (c) dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 7-231 (40 Overs) (D. Craig 50* ret not out)

Lost to 

Bourton Vale CC: – 8-235 (34.4 Overs)  

By 2 wickets

FoW: – 1-8 (K. Yardy); 2-14 (T. Robertson); 3-35 (S. Wells); 4-48 (T. Whittall); 5-82 (M. Edge); 6-174 (F. Baliotis); 7-209 (S. Hall); 

The Bowling was: – C. Palmer 6-0-36-1; S. Hall 5.4-0-44-0; D. Craig 7-0-44-3; G. James 8-0-53-3 ; J. Scarcella 4-0-24-0; K. Yardy 1-0-10-0; T. Whittall 3-0-8-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – Two to C. Palmer

Run outs: – Nil

GAME 7 v WALES OVER 50s AT PENTRYCH CC, PENUEL ROAD, PENTYRCH, CARDIFF,  ON TUESDAY 28 JULY 2026: REPORT BY  

The Team was (playing 12): –  Trevor Whittall 6, Tom Robertson 33* ret hurt, Scott Wells (c) 0, Ezekiel Hughes 0, Soren Hughes 50 * ret not out, Tim Croft 51* ret not out, David Potts 50* ret not out, David Craig 48*, John Finucane (w) 1  Sherville Hall 0*, Garry James dnb, Craig Fletcher dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 4-257 (50 Overs) (Soren Hughes 50 * ret not out, T. Croft 51* ret not out, D. Potts 50* ret not out, D. Craig 48*)

Defeated

Wales over 50s: – 10-218 (37.1 Overs) (S. Hall 5-20 ) 

By 39 runs

FoW: – 1-14 (T. Whittall); 2-33 (S. Wells); 3-33 (Ezekiel Hughes); 4-255 (J. Finucane).

The Bowling was: – T. Croft 8-0-45-1; S. Hall 6.5-0-20-5; Soren Hughes 7-0-16-2; C. Fletcher 4-0-34-0; D. Craig 4-0-44-0; G. James 8-0-51-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to S. Wells; One each to D. Craig, J. Finucane (w), Ezekiel Hughes, Soren Hughes and T. Whittall

Run outs: – One to Soren Hughes

GAME 6 v PENARTH CC  AT THE ATHLETIC FIELD, LAVERNOCK ROAD, PENARTH ,  ON MONDAY 27 JULY 2026: REPORT BY DAVID POTTS

Game 6 saw the Wales leg of the CCNSW tour continue. Similar to previous games on tour, we gave away a lot of years to a much younger team. Our combined team age was over 670 years young with an average age of 56 as compared to about 240 years old for our opposition. To add to the demands on our aged team, the heat wave throughout Ireland and Wales was certainly on the decline, with cold, overcast and windy conditions greeting us for the afternoon’s play.

Unfortunately skipper for the day Gary James called incorrectly and lost the toss. Without hesitation Penarth decided to bat. Luck was to elude us for the day with a couple of half chances falling safe in Soren Hughes’s first over. That would be the most luck we were to have for the day with the Penarth opener’s plundering us to all parts. With no fences surrounding the field, at one stage stalwart Ken Yardy went some 50m past the boundary to fetch the ball back. Only the distant neighbouring house fences prevented the ball from running any further. Ken could certainly have used his ever reliable pushbike he hired all over the UK to retrieve the ball.

With both Penarth openers retired not out at 50* and back in the shed, the run rate didn’t slow at all. Finally Ezekiel Hughes struck with his darts, trapping the number 3 in front. Unfortunately the damage was well and truly done with the score at 1-226 and the number 4 bat also retired and back in the sheds. Some lofty hitting and a couple of late wickets for Sherville (Wes) Hall saw Penarth finish up at 3-286 from their 40 overs. Special mention to Frank Baliotis who ran miles as the ball seemed to follow him no matter where he was in the field. Frank tried to emulate Michael Weaver’s busted collar bone from the Japan tour last year when he suffered a shoulder injury diving on the rock hard ground in an attempt to prevent another boundary.

With another hard pitch and extremely quick, dry outfield we were confident of having a real crack at the total. As with their batting, Penarth started well with the ball. A few tight overs with very few loose balls saw us struggle to 4-45 early on. “Cometh the hour, cometh the man.” Enter Soren Hughes who wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Soren continued his blistering tour form and dispatched balls to all parts, combining with Greg “Prez” Brooks for a vital 93 run partnership to give us a glimmer of hope for an unlikely victory.

Unfortunately the run rate proved beyond our aged batting line-up. Greg scored a tour high 36 with contributions from Matt Edge (24) and Scot Wells (21). Soren continued his Bradmanesque form to end up 70* not out and keep his tour average about the magical 100!

The Team was (playing 12): – Tom Robertson 9, Frank Baliotis 13, Scott Wells (w) 21, Ezekiel Hughes 1 , Soren Hughes 70*, Greg Brooks 36, David Potts 14,  Tony Wood 0, Matt Edge 24, Sherville Hall 1, Ken Yardy 8*,  Garry James (c) dnb

The Result was: –

Penarth CC: 3-286 (40 Overs) 

Defeated 

C.C.N.S.W.: – 9-223 (40 Overs) (Soren Hughes 70*)

By 63 runs

FoW: – 1-14 (T. Robertson); 2-43 (F. Baliotis); 3-44 (Ezekiel Hughes); 4-45 (S. Wells); 5-163 (D. Potts); 6-170 (Tony Wood) ; 7-176 (G. Brooks); 8-180 (S. Hall); 9-205 (M. Edge).

The Bowling was: – Soren Hughes 7-0-53-0; Tony Wood 8-0-42-0; S. Hall 8-0-49-2, G. Brooks  5-0-34-0; G. James 8-0-57-0; Ezekiel Hughes  4-0-42-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to M. Edge and one to Tony Wood

Run outs: – Nil

GAME 5 v CLYDACH CC AT WAVERLEY PARK, CLYDACH, SWANSEA ,  ON SUNDAY 26 JULY 2026 – REPORT BY TOM ROBERTSON

Another rock hard, small ground presented itself to the tourists. Wins were like rainfall for CCNSW so we were very keen to get a win under our belts. To this end management went for a captain that they knew could get us home but changed their mind and instead went with Tom Robertson.

The toss was negotiated and we went into bat. Frank Baliotis and John Finucane opened up and I’d say their combined age covered half the Clydach team. Lots of sundries came our way until Finucane was caught. Tom Robertson came out; hit a six and then straight down square leg’s throat. The pitch had a bit of spice for anyone putting it on the spot. The middle order offered little resistance with Baliotis remaining stoic. David Craig came out and continued his wonderful vein of form with a cracking 41. Frank almost carried his bat, marvelous concentration. Former Australian over 70s player Garry Clark  came out and hit a couple of  boundaries to get us to 9-177 off our 40 overs. We thought we were in it as the pitch has some juice.

Another cracking afternoon tea, a few inspirational words from the captain and we were out in the field. Tim Croft responded to the captain’s words with an early wicket. However after that it was all Clydach. The young opener (aged 13 or 14) played without fault to all parts. The game was never in doubt and they passed us, only two wickets down, in the 24^th over. A few ales were consumed and then it was off to reflect on another tour loss.

The Team was (playing 12): – Frank Baliotis 31, John Finucane (w) 4, Tom Robertson (c) 16, Matt Edge 2, Soren Hughes 5, Tim Croft 13, Trevor Whittall 1, David Craig 41, Garry Clark 8, Joe Scarcella 16*, Craig Fletcher 3*, Clinton Palmer dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: 9-177 (40 Overs) (D. Craig 41)

Lost to 

Clydach CC: 2-178 (23.1 Overs) 

By 8 wickets

FoW: – 1-15 (J. Finucane); 2-48 (T. Robertson); 3-51 (M. Edge); 4-56 (Soren Hughes); 5-78 (T. Croft); 6-79 (T. Whittall; 7-134 (F. Baliotis; 8-152 (D. Craig); 9-165 (J. Scarcella).

The Bowling was: –  T. Croft 4-0-16-1; C. Palmer 5-0-43-0; D. Craig 5-0-38-0; T. Whittall 1-0-8-0; Soren Hughes 3-0-27-0; M. Edge 2-0-21-0; J. Scarcella; 2-0-11-1 C. Fletcher 1.1-0-9-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to J. Finucane (w)

Run outs: – Nil 

GAME 4 v ULSTER GRASSHOPPERS  AT WARRINGSTOWN CC, CLARE ROAD, CRAIGAVON ,  ON WEDNESDAY 22 JULY 2026, REPORT BY GREG BROOKS

We came to the fourth of the Belfast fixtures without a win yet we could so  easily have been  two-one up with better match management closing out games one and two instead of three-nil down. Nonetheless we ventured to Waringstown for the final push.

This ground is one of the  best wickets in the city and was the site of the Premier League T20 cup final on the Sunday after our match. The two story pavilion completed a terrific set up. The wicket was rock hard and the outfield fast

The Ulster Grasshoppers allowed us the choice and we opened the batting with Tom Robertson and Greg Brooks. A steady start took us to 39 before two wickets in two balls changed the dynamic! A third fell at 51 and from there a rebuild was needed..Soren Hughes 54* continued his great tour and Dave Potts 21 did a fine job against some very good spin and medium pace. The club pro from Pretoria bowled left arm orthodox and right arm off spin in the same over! Handy contributions from the middle to lower order included a fine 27 from Tony Wood which saw us to 8/191 from 40 overs.

Ulster Grasshoppers chased hard from the start as we opened with Tim Croft and Garry James to mix things up. The class of the young batters was obvious but we never stopped trying. Garry James (2-47) and Tony Wood (1-16) kept them honest. In the end the total was reached in 31 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. 

Presentations and drinks were shared in an enjoyable finish to the day. While we ended up on the wrong side of the ledger it was another magnificent day of social cricket that our club can be proud of. Age differences were a  significant factor in the result but the friendship shown by both sides and the enjoyment of playing cricket in Belfast meant we went home with a smile on our faces.

The Team was: – Tom Robertson 13, Greg Brooks 18, Trevor Whittall 0, Soren Hughes (c) 54* Ret not out, ,David Potts (w) 21, Tim Croft 14, Matt Edge 3 , Tony Wood 27, Joe Scarcella 9, Sherville Hall, 6*, Garry James 11*

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: 8-191 (40 Overs) (Soren Hughes 54* ret not out)

Lost to

Ulster Grasshoppers CC: 6-192 (31 Overs)

By 4 wickets

FoW: – 1-39 (T. Robertson); 2-39 (T. Whittall); 3-50 (Brooks); 4-122 ( D. Potts); 5-132 (T. Croft); 6-138 (M. Edge); 7- 173(Tony Wood); 8-175  (J. Scarcella).

The Bowling was: – G.  James 8-0-47-2; T. Croft 6-0-31-1; S. Hall 3-0-25-1; J. Scarcella 2-0-17-0, Tony Wood 5-1-16-1; M. Edge 3-0-18-1; T. Whittall 4-0-27-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to D. Potts

Catches: – Three to  Tony Wood

Run outs: – Nil 

GAME 3 v LURGAN CC  AT POLLACK PARK, CASTLE LANE, LURGAN,  ON TUESDAY 21 JULY 2026: REPORT BY JOHN FINUCANE 

The great hospitality of the Northern Ireland cricket clubs continued as we made our way to our third game of the tour. After one and three runs losses respectively in the first two opening games, hopes were high of breaking the drought. It was a wee game of 30 overs and the weather was certainly Northern Ireland as you’d expect, ‘shite’, cold and blustery throughout, but at least dry.

An Aussie made an appearance in the Lurgan team with touring professional Liam Doddrill who plays with Penrith 1st grade. Throw in a couple of South Africans and Pakistanis and Lurgan looked formidable (and much younger!).

Winning the toss we bowled first and started well with an early wicket to Oliver Wood. Hopes were high at 1-11. A second wicket at 47 for Sherville (“Wes”) Hall maintained morale but the hard work was starting. A big run rate was building and despite regular wickets the middle order racked up 274 to be all out with one ball of the thirtieth over left.

Best of the bowlers, who all stuck at the task admirably, was Wed Hall with 3-46. Matt Edge had a short spell with the ball and started with 6,6,6 but hit back in his second over with 2 wickets. Did someone say “shite gets wickets”. He also put his body on the line for the club with brave fielding taking “middle stump” to save a certain 4. Zero sympathy, just laughs all around.

Our regular bowling star Dave Craig was unusually ‘shite’ today with 0-66 off 6 overs.

Young Ezekiel Hughes was handicapped throughout the game and ultimately unable to bat, courtesy of a few wee drams of whiskey the night before with Matt Edge and Tom  Robertson (who else!), his usual contribution was certainly missed.

We opened with father/son  duo of Tony and Ollie Wood. Unfortunately, Ollie went early, quickly followed by Robertson and thereafter there were regular wickets lost as we founght our way to 5-185 off our 30 overs.

Best with the bat were the ‘Dynamic Daves’, Potts and Craig, both making valuable not out fifties

Fines were handed out to Dave Craig for choosing which end to bowl from, getting smacked around, and then deciding it was the captains fault and he should change ends, and Craig  Fletcher for deciding not to accept a batting promotion with 4 overs left. Frank  Baliotis scored the duck vest for failing to follow up his fifty from the previous game.

So despite the heavy loss against a very good (young) side an enjoyable day was had by all.

The Team was (playing 12): – Oliver Wood 4, Tony Wood 34, Tom Robertson 2, Frank Baliotis 0, David Potts 50* retired not out, John Finucane (c) and (w) 13, David Craig 51*, Sherville Hall 4*, Craig Fletcher dnb, Ezekiel Hughes dnb, Trevor Whittall dnb, Matt Edge dnb

The Result was: –

Lurgan CC: 10-274 (29.4 Overs) (S. Hall 3-46) 

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: 5-185 (30 Overs) (D Craig 51*; D. Potts 50* ret not out)

By 89 runs

FoW: – 1-4 (Oliver Wood); 2-22 (T. Robertson); 3-47 (Tony Wood); 4-57 (F. Baliotis); 5-89 (J. Finucane).

The Bowling was: – Oliver Wood 6-1-41-2; S. Hall 5.5-0-46-3, D. Craig 6-0-66-0; T. Whittall 5-0-44-2, Tony Wood 5-0-45-1; M. Edge  2-0-29-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to D. Potts and Tony Wood; One each to J. Finucane (w), T. Robertson, and T. Whittall 

Run outs: – Nil