Season Review 2024
INTRODUCTION
A steady season with three trophies won, but a fair bit of disappointment, too, where with a little more commitment on some fronts we might have won a few more competitions.
In essence, Sheen is very strong at U14/15 and U9/10, and there are many talented younger players that hint at prosperous times ahead.
I think our big takeaway is that with so many distractions as the boys get older, for a number the focus on cricket and Sheen is becoming blurred.
Many might reflect on the fact that Sheen offers a unique opportunity to prosper for those who work hard to improve their games and with this ethic, playing one or even two years up is commonplace.
Sheen has always prided itself on punching above its weight, but there are signs now in certain age groups that this may no longer be the case anymore and I would ask those who have had modest seasons to consider why that might have been so and what they can do to rectify it if they plan to carry on.
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I have read extensively about many things sporting, and in this context I have a perspective which I have always felt important to try to engender into the Sheen players.
It’s called ENTHUSIASM.
If you can be the most enthusiastic person you know, you won’t go far wrong.
Enthusiasm is power. It sustains when times are tough. It encourages others around you. It is, like a smile, infectious. And it rapidly becomes a habit.
Enthusiasm adds the extra 5% sparkle to everything we do.
We all like someone who:
* Gets up early to see the sun rise and is always early to training and matches.
* Warms up people’s days with a smile – or does a little kindness.
* Says that all they want is a chance to show how hard they can work and always be willing to go the extra mile.
Success almost always follows a great attitude.
You may not be the strongest, the fastest, the fittest the cleverest…..
But NOTHING stops you from being the most enthusiastic person you know.
Without naming names, we have some boundlessly enthusiastic children at Sheen. We can all think of one – and how they have the ability to change a mood, light up the place, even create opportunities for others to flourish.
If you take one thing away with you to think about in the close season it is to make the most of everything it lies within your power to manage. Above all else, learn to give.
U17 - Div 1
Pld 1 Won 1 Lost 0 (Conceded 4)
When we got an U17 side out – on just the one occasion all summer – it prospered with a convincing win over fancied Teddington Town.
The team was made up of three U15’s and seven U14’s – nine in all - yet stll managed a convincing 46 run win.
Availability in this age group was non-existent for much of the season. The reality was that the U14’s had their own summer to be getting on with – 23 games of their own – and despite their being three U17’s, one U16 and eight U15’s to draw from, availability was desperately poor.
Harry Klein made a 50 in the one game played and Ranveer Dangi registered a four wicket haul.
SEASON’S HIGHLIGHT: Getting a team out once in 11 games!
U15 – Middx Div 2 & Cup
Pld 8 Won 2 Lost 1 Abandoned 1 (Conceded 4)
Wins over Hampton Wick Royal and Ashford hinted at what might have been but again very poor availability upset any title challenge.
Sheen chased down just 93 against HWR, Ishaan Patel setting the tone with 2-13 off four overs and Ranveer Dangi steering the team home with an unbeaten 30, in an eight wicket win.
Omkar Shenai’s 69* was the difference against Ashford.
There was also a strong showing against Richmond where the team were well placed at 140-2 thanks to Dangi’s 65, but a lack of depth in the batting was the side’s undoing.
SEASON’S HIGHLIGHT: Omkar Shenai’s half century against Ashford.
U14 – Middx Div 1 & Cup
Pld 13 Won 6 Lost 4 Abandoned 3
Surrey Tier 1 West
Pld 10 Won 6 Lost 1 Abandoned 1 (Conceded 2)
On reflection, this is the one side that has never quite lived up to expectations over the seasons and while it can pull off some excellent results, too often, when put under pressure, is found out.
It is packed with extremely gifted players – there is excellent depth – and I might be writing this a different way had they not fallen away so alarmingly at the tail end of the Middlesex season.
The batting was often dominant, but the bowling possibly lacked the depth required to reach out for County Honours and the captain – Jeevan Bhandal – should have bowled up front a lot more than he did.
The Surrey League was entirely different in that a poor start was rectified by six consecutive from seven games with the other abandoned – and the side pipped Maori Oxshott to the title on the last day.
Bhandal (580 runs at 72.5) and Dangi (490 runs at 49) were the batting mainstays across the Middlesex and Surrey seasons while Jack Haynes (20) and Ishaan Patel (17) were the leading wicket takers.
SEASON’S HIGHLIGHTS: Jeevan Bhandal’s 123 not out off 54 balls against Hampton Hill and Ranveer Dangi’s 72 ball century against Maori Oxshott that clinched the Surrey League Title.
U12 – Middx Div 1
Pld 10 Won 3 Lost 7
Made up in part with understandably less robust U11’s and U10’s, the team performed admirably in adversity on any number of occasions, but the batting lacked depth with only Pearson (194 runs at 38.8) and Rohan Bhandal (124 runs at 24.80) making any impression and many games ended up being one-sided affairs. Pearson was again to the fore with ball in hand in claiming nine wickets at 13.44 - most notably the stunning performance against Sunbury at Sheen where he claimed 6-7. But the only other bowlers to make their mark were Danny Hart (seven wickets at 15.71) and Bhandal (seven wickets at 16.42).
SEASON’S HIGHLIGHT: Seb Pearson’s extraordinary spell of 4-2-7-6 against Sunbury.
U11 – Middx Div 1 & Cup
Pld 13 Won 2 Lost 9 Abandoned 2
Again, U10’s played up in this team on a regular basis, Gilby Richards the leading wicket-taker with 11 at 20.72.
Jack Bailey, Harry Thornton, George Cole and U9 Flynn Thornton all had their moments but in truth there were only six bowlers in the squad (if available) to turn to.
The real issue though, was in the batting, where after Harry Thornton (199 runs), George Cole (140), Bailey (137) and Richards (133) there was little else to write home about. The fifth highest run scorer – Sam Westlake – managed just 47 in eight innings.
SEASON’S HIGHLIGHTS: Harry Thornton’s 48 against Wycombe House & a spell of 4-9 against Moormead in the Cup.
U10 – Middx Div 1 & Cup
Pld 12 Won 9 Lost 1 Abandoned 1 (Conceded 1)
Surrey Tier 2 West
Pld 10 Won 8 Tied 1 Lost 1
Comfortably the most successful side at the club, losing just two games through the entire season in Middlesex and Surrey.
The critical moments of the Middlesex summer came first when the match against Teddington (the ultimate league winners) was abandoned and then when we were unable to raise a side for the away game at Sunbury.
The side logged win after win in both leagues finishing second in Middlesex and tied top in Surrey – and then won the Middlesex U10 regional Cup with a thrilling 4 run victory over Sunbury in the final at Sheen.
Jack Bailey was leading run scorer with 221 at 44.20 while George Cole had the extraordinary average of 191, managing six not outs from seven innings!
Rory Jones – an U9, was the top wicket-taker (17 at 7.94) while Flynn Thornton (also U9) took 16 wickets at 7.18.
Bailey and Gus Siviraj both took 15 wickets.
SEASON’S HIGHLIGHT: Gus Siviraj’s 4/13 against East Molesey
U9 – Middx Softball League
Pld 8 Won 4 Lost 4
With 18 players being blooded for the first time, it was a solid season for the newcomers, but the art of protecting one’s wicket still needs some work! Far too many wickets were lost unnecessarily overall, but it does take time for the players to get a grasp of the tactics in pairs cricket.
Flynn Thornton, Aiden Burrows Sam Dales and Ben Blanshard all caught the eye with the bat while Tom Bellingham, Burrows, Louis Barrett and Gus Siviraj all had their moments with the ball.
SEASON HIGHLIGHT: Flynn Thornton’s 47 not out off 21 balls against Hampton Hill.
Season Review 2022
The summer of 2022 will perhaps be remembered most for the extraordinary hot dry weather which for a time seemed unremitting in its intensity. There was even a three day period where matches were postponed because temperatures were deemed unsafe for Colts cricket – even after 6pm!
For the most part though, all it served to do was to inspire our young teams to another year of rich success with the U10’s, U12’s, U13’s and U17’s claiming six trophies between them.
Perhaps the greatest thrill was the U17’s triumph in their Middlesex League and a never-seen-before title at this age group.
It was also a gratifying to get sides out for the Middlesex T20 Trophy at U19 where U12’s carried their weight alongside adult first team players.
That now means Sheen Colts has been competing in Middlesex and Surrey Leagues for 20 seasons. Where in earth did that time go?
UNDER 19’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 6 W 3 L 1 A 2
WINS over Brentham, Chiswick and Barnes with a side that had an average age of 16 was a significant achievement, made all the more memorable by some excellent batting. There were half-centuries from Matty George (52* v Brentham and 51* v Chiswick), Owen Thornbury (50* v Brentham), Olly Richards (50* v Barnes) and Mikyle Ossman (51* v Barnes).
UNDER 17’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 13 W 7 L 4 A 2
LED intelligently by Rufus Goodman, the side produced a first for Sheen Scorchers – a league title at this age group with five wins from six games. The highlights of the season were the glorious run chases against Kew and Hounslow & Whitton – Sheen reaching 153 in just 16.2 overs against Kew thanks to an unbroken stand of 106 in 10.4 overs between Luke Magalhaes (44*) and Varen Gowda (54*). Against Hounslow & Whitton the chase was almost identical – 152 – and Sheen eased to a nine wicket win with 4.5 overs to spare – Arya Singh scoring a maiden unbeaten half century. There were some stiffer tests in the Middlesex Youth Cup where the side registered just two wins.
UNDER 15’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 11 W 3 L 5 A 3
WITH two centuries – against Richmond and Teddington Town – and 71* against Indian Gymkhana, Olly Richards was once more the go-to batter. While the team were always competitive at the crease– Arya Singh and Tommaso Wood lending Richards good support – the Achilles heel was the attack which was blunt up front and heavily reliant on spin as a weapon. While Oberoi and Singh had their moments, the inability of the seamers to carve out early openings made it extremely hard to later contain the more muscular of opposition.
UNDER 14’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 9 W 3 L 5 A 1
A development side, much of the workload was shared around with 30 players bowling and 24 batting through the summer. Will Summers registered the only half century – 73 against Hampton Hill – whilst Jack Haynes was the best of the bowlers with five wickets at 7.20.
UNDER 13’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 15 W 9 L 5 A 1
There was success for this team in the South Region League – five consecutive wins at the back end of the season securing the title, but there was a narrow first round loss against Teddington in the ECB Cup and a shock defeat at Twickenham in the Plate that hinted at inconsistency.
The side also reached the County League semi-final, but was unable to chase down 107 against a bristling Stanmore attack.
Dhruv Ganesan often anchored the innings and scored 227 runs at 56.75, including a half-century in the defeat at Twickenham while Ranveer Dangi (214) Omkar Shenai (203), Harry Klein (168) and Alf Beresford-Peirse (139) all managed over 100 runs.
The classy Ishrat Oberoi was the stand-out bowler with 17 wickets at 7.82, including a spell of wizardry versus Kew where he took 4-8 while Jeevan Bhandal took 10 wickets at 19.7 and Ned Ballantyne seven at 14.71.
UNDER 12’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 13 W 10 L 3
Surrey League:
Surrey record: Pld 8 W5 L2 A1
An outstanding side, studded with talent, that came so close to winning not just one, but four titles through a gripping season. The team finished runners up in both the Middlesex and Surrey Leagues and reached the Middlesex County League semi-finals after a hugely impressive performance against North Middlesex – but in the end had to settle for just one trophy in the summer – the South Region Plate.
Double-figure wicket takers were Huw Stradling (21 at 12.42), George Lacy (14 at 11.28) and Omkar Shenai (14 at 12.07).
Top batters were Jeevan Bhandal with 385 runs, including three half-centuries, Ranveer Dangi (311) and Omkar Shenai (236).
In Dangi, Sheen have a batsman of supreme talent and he is up there with the very best to have played at Sheen. Watch this space!
County and school commitments limited Rory Jacomb’s availability, but there was still time for a memorable half-century against Teddington and possibly the most explosive spell of the summer against North Middlesex.
UNDER 11’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 10 W 7 L 3
This team possibly punched above its weight for much of the summer and came close to winning the league before being toppled by a powerful Richmond in the end of season showdown.
There was an equally sobering defeat to Merchant Taylors in the County League knock-out as well as a disappointing loss to Sunbury in the Regional Cup semi-final.
But there were many excellent wins from a very young side, notably the away victory against Teddington.
Sammy Wade, with 223 runs at 31.85 and Seb Pearson with 121 runs at 24.20 were the leading run scorers while Joe Inch (nine wickets at 7.11) and Johnny Carswell (eight wickets at 9.00) headed the wicket-takers.
UNDER 11 GIRLS
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 10 W 2 L 8
ONCE again, a very happy team – always competitive, but generous in defeat. Marshalled by co-managers Ali Thomson and Charlie Wood it was a team that never lost its spirited approach and improved considerably through the season. In both the last two summers these girls have been playing at least a year up – but all that will change in 2023 when they will again enter the U11 league. Jess Wood again led the side well, scoring 68 runs at 34 whilst wickets were shared across the squad – the pick of the bowlers being the blossoming talent, Bella Carswell.
UNDER 10’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 9 W 6 L 3
Surrey League:
Surrey Record: Pld 10 W 9 L 0 A 1
This was arguably the club’s strongest team pound for pound and by the end of an exuberant summer had secured both Middlesex and Surrey League titles.
The only real disappointment came in the Gubby Allen play-off against a strong Richmond outfit where a poor batting performance left an uphill struggle for the bowlers who nevertheless almost pulled off a sensational victory.
It was a breakthrough year for Josh Pagnamenta who hammered 304 runs at 50.66 and took eight wickets at 5.87. Others amongst the runs included the redoubtable Danny Hart (210), Rohan Bhandal (185) and Franklin King (169).
King was leading bowler with 20 wickets at 7.25, while Gilby Richards (13 at 8.46) and Xavier Pearce (10 at 8.50) also reached double figures.
UNDER 9’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 10 W 6 L 2 A 2
That we have an abundance of talent filtering through the ranks is unquestioned. Such was the skill displayed that a number of boys in this age group played up to U10 and even U11. Leading run scorer was Jack Bailey (77 at 33.50) while the top bowler was the irrepressible Gilby Richards, who amongst his other exploits, took 4-0 and claimed a hat-trick early in the summer against HWR. Richards captained the side with an acumen well beyond his years and was one of five boys who played up on a regular basis.
A mixed summer in the context of results in a crammed schedule with 67 matches won and 48 lost in all competition, including the summer leagues.
Sheen Colts are always competitive, but there was a strong element of inclusiveness around the club this year and winning was often not at the top of the agenda.
The U12’s were our most powerful team, claiming the Middlesex South Region League and narrowly failing to make the County League finals day and they were closely followed by the U11’s who won both Middlesex (South) and Surrey (East) titles.
The U9’s grew in stature as the season progressed, claiming seven victories in 10 matches and finished second in their league.
The result of the season was arguably the Girls U12’s extraordinary victory over a powerful Richmond outfit at Christ’s School in late June.
UNDER 17’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 6 W 1 L 3 A 2
With the average age of boys in this XI 15 or under, it was no surprise that this team were outplayed in a number of matches, but there were some excellent contributions. After early season batterings from Teddington (10 wickets) and Richmond (six wickets) there was a much tighter game against Teddington in the reverse fixture with Sheen going down by just 25 runs. In the final match, Josh Summers (41) and George Grisdale (41) helped Sheen to a defendable 113-7 against Hampton Hill and it was left to Olly Richards (4-3) to spin Sheen to a 26 run win.
UNDER 15’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 8 W 1 L 3 A 4
It was never possible to gain any real momentum through the summer with a number of games abandoned due to poor weather. Rufus Goodman was the excellent captain of a side that was always competitive but generally lacked the strength-in-depth or power of other teams. It was, however, an invaluable experience for the youngsters playing up, with Ishrat Oberoi particularly making his mark.
There was a s solitary half century from Olly Richards against Teddington
UNDER 14’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld W 6 L 3 A 4
With Olly Richards the cornerstone of this team with bat, ball and in the field and an in turn aided by a willing first lieutenant, Tommaso Wood, the side enjoyed an excellent season producing fine wins against Teddington (twice), Kew (twice) Sunbury and Indian Gymkhana.
Richards managed three half centuries, including an outstanding 93* against Sunbury, and he also grabbed 20 wickets at 10.9 with his phantom spinners.
Others to hit half centuries were Wood, with 77* against Teddington and George Grisdale – 59 against Sunbury.
UNDER 13’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 11 W 1 L 8 A 2
Very much a development side with the majority of the team playing up from the U12’s, there was just the one win all summer – against Teddington, with Harry Klein steering the side to victory with an unbeaten half-century.. There were also two tight games against a powerful Wycombe House side – Alf Beresford-Pierse hitting 50* in a loss-off-the-last-ball encounter while Danny Barlow was consistent all summer with his left arm spin.
UNDER 12’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 12 W 8 L 2 A 2
Unbeaten for the majority of the summer, Beresford-Pierse’s charges only slipped at the death, losing to Barnes in the Regional Cup semi-final and Hampstead in the County league semi-final (in the last over).
The batting was both a strength and a weakness – on occasions brutally destructive – but was exposed against Barnes when the XI were bowled out for 32 chasing just 50.
Beresford-Pierse cudgeled three half-centuries including 87* against Indian Gymkhana, while Klein, Freddie Danos, Oberoi, Will Summers and Josh Kavia also reached the landmark.
The bowling was spearheaded by the indefatigable Danos who claimed 12 wickets at 12.91 while Enzo Manuel snapped up 4-3 against Barnes, including a hat-trick.
UNDER 11’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 12 W 8 L 3 A 1
This was another team with considerable in-depth talent that carried much before it but ultimately was found wanting against Teddington in both league and cup (actually one player – Omker Shenai) and then falling short in the County League semi-final against North Middlesex.
Ranveer Dangi was a class act at the top of the order, compiling three effortless half centuries and in all scoring over 400 runs for the club at three age groups.
He was aided by the brutal and uncompromising Jeevan Bhandal who scored 366 runs including two half centuries at U11.
Leading wicket-taker was George Lacy with 23 while Ned Ballantyne 4-14 against Hampton Hill, U9 Seb Pearson 4-12 against HWR and Bhandal 5-8 against Barnes were all extremely effective.
A blow to the side was the early season injury to left-arm pace man Huw Stradling who underlined his talent by claiming 13 wickets when he returned in August for informal summer league cricket.
UNDER 11’s
Surrey League:
Surrey Record: Pld 12 W 10 L 1 A 2
A tier two league, there was the opportunity to play up a number of U10’s to this side and they didn’t disappoint. There was a solitary loss against Barnes away, but the team gained revenge in the home fixture to clinch the league title.
UNDER 10’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 12 W 5 L 5 A 2
Surrey League:
Surrey Record: Pld W 4 L 3 T 1 A 1
With a strong policy of playing up youngsters and they often turning out as U10/9 teams, these XI’s acquitted themselves extremely well in bot Middlesex and Surrey all summer. There was excellent availability so it was rare for the team to be recognizable game to game.
Leading run-scorer was Nico Watts, with 189 at a touch under 38 while new ball specialist Seb Pearson ended up as the club’s leading wicket-taker with 26 at 12.46.
UNDER 9’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 10 W 7 L 3
With five seven year-olds playing in this side on a regular basis and a streak of four wins from the last four matches played, there is a lot of excitement generating from this age group.
If your U8’s and U9’s are your future, then Sheen definitely has a great one in prospect.
Franklin King topped the run-scoring charts with 122 at 30.50 whie seven-year-old Gilby Richards – younger brother of Olly - remodeled his action in the early weeks of the summer and ended up with 18 wickets at 7.83 including 4-16 against Sunbury.
Another of the young musketeers to stand out was Jack Bailey who ripped through Richmond, claiming 4-9.
GIRLS UNDER 12’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 12 W 2 L 4 A 6
Availability was a problem throughout the summer but the outstanding Ellie Phillips held the side together and the team was rewarded with a stunning win over one of Middlesex’s leading sides – Richmond – in late June.
With Sonali Garcha claiming 3-10 and Phillips scoring an unbeaten 30, Sheen’s girls won by seven wickets in the 19thover of the chase.
Other girls particularly mentioned in dispatches were Lucy Wilson and Layla Edwards.
Nathan Townsend did a tremendous job of managing this side with the support of Charlie Ullathorne.
GIRLS UNDER 10’s
Middlesex League:
Middlesex Record: Pld 9 W 2 L 5 A 1
This was a happy team, outstandingly marshaled by Ali Thomson. With the goal being to introduce cricket to a new crop of girls at the club, it wasn’t so important to win matches as to expose our younger players to competition.
Jess Wood proved an excellent captain and Anneli Randall was the leading all-rounder.
| Olly | RICHARDS | 463 | 300 | 120 | 883 | |
| Jeevan | BHANDAL | 386 | 375 | 110 | 871 | |
| Ranveer | DANGI | 480 | 180 | 60 | 720 | |
| Harry | KLEIN | 387 | 50 | 180 | 617 | |
| Seb | PEARSON | 186 | 390 | 40 | 616 | |
| Ishrat | OBEROI | 275 | 315 | 20 | 610 | |
| Alf | B-PEIRSE | 405 | 90 | 90 | 585 | |
| Joseph | INCH | 343 | 180 | 40 | 563 | |
| Samuel | WADE | 295 | 105 | 40 | 120 | 560 |
| Freddie | DANOS | 245 | 240 | 20 | 505 | |
| Gilbert | RICHARDS | 165 | 300 | 40 | 505 | |
| George | LACY | 74 | 360 | 30 | 464 | |
| Rory | JACOMB | 232 | 180 | 40 | 452 | |
| Franklin | KING | 177 | 255 | 20 | 452 | |
| Tommaso | WOOD (Gottardi) | 214 | 165 | 60 | 439 | |
| George | BUTLER | 142 | 240 | 50 | 432 | |
| Max | JACKSON | 281 | 105 | 30 | 416 | |
| Nico | WATTS | 213 | 165 | 30 | 408 | |
| Huw | STRADLING | 40 | 240 | 30 | 310 | |
| Jack | BAILEY | 76 | 225 | 301 | ||
| Rohan | BHANDAL | 117 | 165 | 282 | ||
| Ed | CLEMENT | 173 | 105 | 278 | ||
| Marcus | GRISDALE | 106 | 90 | 80 | 276 | |
| Josh | SUMMERS | 184 | 0 | 90 | 274 | |
| Eloise | PHILLIPS | 129 | 90 | 40 | 259 | |
| Xavier | PEARCE | 60 | 195 | 255 | ||
| Ned | BALLANTYNE | 2 | 240 | 10 | 252 | |
| George | COLE | 98 | 135 | 233 | ||
| Arya | SINGH | 101 | 105 | 20 | 226 | |
| Danny | BARLOW | 58 | 150 | 10 | 218 | |
| George | GRISDALE | 163 | 30 | 20 | 213 | |
| Oscar | LEONARD | 88 | 45 | 60 | 193 | |
| Will | SUMMERS | 138 | 45 | 10 | 193 | |
| Bertie | DANOS | 45 | 135 | 10 | 190 | |
| Jack | HAYNES | 44 | 105 | 40 | 189 | |
| Harry | THORNTON | 118 | 45 | 10 | 173 | |
| Toby | STRADLING | 30 | 135 | 165 | ||
| Lukas | GEORGE | 52 | 90 | 20 | 162 | |
| Wilfred | PITCHFORD | 50 | 75 | 20 | 145 | |
| Rufus | GOODMAN | 117 | 15 | 10 | 142 | |
| Kit | STEWART | 47 | 75 | 10 | 132 | |
| Dominic | ULLATHORNE | 42 | 90 | 132 | ||
| Johnny | CARSWELL | 48 | 75 | 123 | ||
| George | BUCKINGHAM | 111 | 0 | 10 | 121 | |
| Nathan | PINTO | 51 | 60 | 111 | ||
| James | FRASER | 19 | 60 | 30 | 109 | |
| Kunsh | KHANNA | 90 | 0 | 10 | 100 |
Season Review 2020
An extraordinary summer, which at one time seemed an unlikely prospect, was re-scheduled from June through to September and was quite simply the most wonderful in Sheen’s history.
From the very start, when a Pod system of coaching was introduced to conform to Government guidelines, there was a wellspring of support from parents and on one memorable evening twelve pods of young boys and girls – 72 children – were out on the common showcasing their talent.
Ali Fraser, the former Middlesex all-rounder ran these sessions with no little skill managing a fantastic group of adult volunteers who stepped in to assist with the running of the pods.
The true breakthrough came in mid July when it was announced that a cricket season could go ahead and In all, 54 matches were then played across all age groups over the next 10 weeks – just a dozen less than one would expect in a normal summer.
This was made possible by the string of volunteer managers who stepped up to take games – Jon Grisdale, Richard Barlow, Dom Danos, Will Inch, John & Sarah Wade, Charles Ullathorne and Nathan Townsend.
Of the 43 official matches played (the others were internal games) Sheen won 30. The U10’s and Girls U10’s went unbeaten and the U9’s lost just one match.
More important, the degree of participation increased dramatically, prompting us to enter two teams at both U10 and U11 next summer as well as U14, U15 and U17 teams to Middlesex League and Cup competitions.
We are a small club, but that is part of our attraction. Do we want to grow to 300-400 members? Never. We believe that to give the majority the best chance of playing competitive cricket our optimum is between 110 and 130 boys and girls.
Many, many, congratulations to Olly Richards, who emerged a runaway winner of the Victor Ludorum Trophy. In an unprecedented season, this young man scored 775 runs, took 13 wickets and claimed ten catches or run-outs for an outstanding total of 1070 points.
UNDER 14’s
Middlesex League: 1st in Div 2
Middlesex Record: Pld 8 W 5 L 2 T 1
Season synopsis: Despite losses to Sunbury and Kew, the team managed by John Grisdale nevertheless clinched the unofficial league tile, edging out Sunbury, whose challenge was ultimately impacted on by the weather.Having registered four consecutive wins to easily top the table early on, the two defeats seriously undermined the side’s chances of winning the league, but a quality innings of 62* from Marcus Grisdale forced a tie against Hounslow and Whitton, (Sheen fielded just eight players) and a crunching win over Ashford in the final match edged the team over the line. The sublime Olly Richards scored 363 runs at 90.75 while George Grisdale registered a century against Hampton Hill and Rufus Goodman (182 runs at 26.00) produced a number of foundation-laying innings’ at the top of the order. As if gorging himself on hapless attacks wasn’t enough, Richards was also leading wicket-taker claiming nine victims, while Danny Barlow topped the averages with six wickets at 5.66 including 4-4 against Hampton Hill. Goodman also managed six wickets while the front-line seamers – Keegan Phillips and Leo Cusden took four apiece.
UNDER 13’s
Middlesex League: 4th in Div 1
Middlesex Record: Pld 8 W 3 L 5
Season synopsis: In an extremely competitive league where top and bottom were separated by just 18 points, Sheen underlined their credentials with victories over strong Richmond and Indian Gymkhana teams but did not, in the ultimate analysis, have the penetration in attack needed to mount a serious title challenge. Richards, again was the pick of the batters, registering a match-winning 115* against Indian Gymkhana and two half centuries against Sunbury. In all he amassed 409 runs at this age group at 81.80. Also amongst the runs was Josh Summers (145 at 24.16) while a host of other players contributed at various stages in the summer. The achilles heel was in the bowling, where no one took more than four wickets in the eight matches played, though Megan Wilson impressed with her accuracy and took 3-25 at 8.33.
UNDER 11’s
Middlesex (North) League: 2nd
Middlesex record: Pld 6 W 2 L 4
Season synopsis: Another tight league, but with availability a little stripped back at times, Sheen were unable to gain any momentum and only registered two wins against Kew. Freddie Danos underlined his all-round qualities by claiming nine wickets at 9.33 and scoring 168 runs at 56. Others to catch the eye with the bat were Alf Beresford-Pierse (135 runs at 67.5) and Will Summers (139 runs at 34.75). Summers recorded the only half century – 52* against Richmond.
UNDER 10’s
Middlesex League: 1st
Surrey Friendly League:1st
Middlesex record: Pld 7 W 7 L 0
Surrey record: Pld 5 W 5 L 0
Season synopsis: A curtailed season, it’s true, but the U10’s were once again magnificent, enjoying a 100% record through a hectic nine-week period. From the first match – a highly charged friendly against Sunbury won off the last ball – this squad proved itself time and time again under the inspired and benevolent leadership of manager Will Inch. Inch boasts the enviable record of two consecutive seasons unbeaten as manager-coach and has been at the heart of all things good at the club in recent times. Heading the averages by some way was the assured and gifted Ranveer Dangi (147 runs at 73.50), though top run scorer was Sammy Wade (219 runs at 27.37). Others to feature prominently with the bat were Joe Inch (174 runs at 29.00), skipper Jeevan Bhandal (141 runs at 35.25) and Nico Watts (105 runs at 26.25). Leading bowler, of those who bowled 10 or more overs, was Bhandal, with 13 wickets at 5.46 whilst Inch was top wicket-taker with 16 at 7.25. Seb Pearson took 10 wickets at 8.30, Wade nine at 8.55 and Max Jackson nine at 11.00. Rory Jacomb’s hat-trick against Richmond with the first three balls of the innings at Sheen was possibly the highlight of a remarkable summer.
UNDER 10 Girls
Middlesex South League: 1st
Middlesex record: Pld 4 W 4 L 0
In their inaugural season, the girls made a distinct impression, winning all four league matches played, beating Bushey Park Girls and Roehampton & Fulham twice each. Leading wicket-takers were Abby Knight and Cara Hughes, both with five, while Sophia Ullathorne collected four. Eloise Phillips was the stand-out player in the squad allying some express bowling to some thumping performances with the bat. In all she scored 104 runs for just once out. Cara Hughes netted 64 runs, Olivia Klein 35 and Zoe Lennon 30.
UNDER 9’s
Middlesex South League: 1st
Middlesex record: Pld 5 W 4 L 1
Another start-up team who excelled, enjoying victories over Hounslow, Wycombe House, Richmond and Ashford – enough to see them emerge with the league title. This was the first time Sheen had entered an U9 team to Midlesex competition, and it was an experiment that proved massively successful. With youngsters like Gilby Richards (younger brother of VL winner Olly), Wilfred Pitchford and George Cole – all just six years old – having the opportunity to enjoy the sharp edge of competition for the first time. Dominic Ullathorne topped the bowling averages with six wickets at 7.16, including 4-14 against the Towering Kings XI . Nathan Pinto (7), Richards (6) Pitchford (5), Rohan Bhandal (5) and Moore (5) all made significant contributions. Richards was top run scorer with 91 at 18.20, Pitchford scored 74 at 24.66 while Bhandal, Moore, Pearse and Weston all enjoyed match-winning performances.
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Season Review 2019
UNDER 13’s
Middlesex League: 5th in Div 1
Middlesex Cup: First Round
Middlesex Plate: Winners
Surrey League: 3rd in Div 1
Surrey Cup: Losing semi-finalists
Middlesex Record: Pld 12 W 4 L 5 A 3
Surrey Record: Pld 11 W 6 L 3 A 2
Season synopsis: A summer that hinged around three games in the second half of June – all of which could have been won, but all that ended in agonising defeats. First there was a one run loss to Teddington in the Middlesex League where with seven to win off the final over the boys couldn’t quite get over the line. Then came a pivotal loss to Richmond in the Surrey League, where Sheen posted 138-5 thanks largely to a thumping partnership between Shori (40*) and Weir (41*) but then failed to defend the target, Richmond edging home with one ball to spare. Finally, there was another loss to Richmond in the Middlesex League where with eight to win off the final over, Richmond again got over the line. Wins in those three games would have confirmed Sheen as Surrey Champions and they would have finished runners-up in Middlesex. Small margins indeed. Statistically Dilly Shori was the stand-out batter, with 268 runs at 26.8 and he was well supported by Ted Clark (257), Rufus Goodman (196) and Olly Richards (187). Will Weir and Luke Magalhaes also topped 100 runs. On the bowling front Jamie Kennedy was the leading wicket-taker with 11 at 10.54 including a haul of 5-3 v Spencer Girls. Keegan Phillips was always steady and probing taking 10 wickets at 13.4 but other than that, the attack lacked a cutting edge and wickets were very much shared around. The summer ended on a high note with victory in the South Region Plate – a Cup competition arranged for those teams who lost in the first round of the National Championships. Anchored by Olly Richards (46) Sheen notched up 138-9 in their 20 overs while Wycombe House – at one stage well on course for victory – ultimately had no answer to the guile of Eddie Rogan, who produced a match-winning spell of 4-0-14-3.
UNDER 12’s
Middlesex League: 1st in Div 2
Middlesex Cup: Losing finalists
Middlesex record: Pld 13 W 9 L 2 A 2
Season synopsis: This squad won the U12 League title with something to spare and then went on to reach the final of the Regional Cup where the team were well beaten by a powerful Richmond team who went undefeated in Middlesex through the summer. A loss to Teddington in the League play-offs left a sour taste - questionable decisions having a significant impact on the game, but overall, it was an excellent season with a number of players stepping up and making an impression. Five players scored over 100 runs including Olly Richards (223), George Grisdale (161), Josh Summers (138), James Colt (120) and Nick Squire (101). Richards’ 57 was crucial in the semi-final win over Indian Gymkhana whilst George Grisdale was at his powercrazed best with 74 off 41 balls against Wycombe House. Leading wicket-taker was Olly Burke with 12 at 6.92, including 4/4 against Hampton Hill whilst Richards and Marcus Grisdale both managed 10.
UNDER 11’s
Middlesex League: 1st in Div 2
Middlesex Cup: Losing finalists
Middlesex record: Pld 13 W 8 L 2 A 3
Season synopsis: The U11’s summer almost a mirrored that of the U12’s. League winners by some distance and a run to the final of the Regional Cup, only to lose both the League play-off at Teddington and then the Regional Cup final against as good a Sunbury U11 side as there has been for many a year. Danny Barlow led the side from the front, scoring 121 runs at 24.2 including a fighting of 31* against Teddington in the County play-offs and taking seven wickets at 12.14. Runs were very much shared around, with Marcus Grisdale registering the only half century with 52 against Ashford. Wickets were spread, too, Grisdale (8), Barlow (7), Haris Khan (5) and Rory Jacomb (5) all chipping in.
UNDER 10’s
Middlesex League: 1stin Div 1; League play-off winners
Surrey League: 1stin Div 2
Middlesex Cup: Regional winners
Middlesex record: Pld 14 W 11 L 1 A 2
Surrey record: Pld 16 W 13 L 3 A 0
Season synopsis: Despite the hiccup of an off day in the County stages of the Gubby Allen, this was arguably the best U10 squad to have ever represented Sheen Park. Unbeaten in the Middlesex League, the team then played two unexpected play-off matches – but never took their eye off the ball and clinched the title with a pulsating win over Sunbury in September. There was also confirmation of their Cup status as they trounced Hampton Wick Royal in the Regional final the night before, winning by 62 runs. The story was similar in Surrey, though there were three defeats – twice to Esher in the league and then to Barnes in the Cup semi-final but a record of 24 wins and just four defeats in all competitions speaks volumes for the skill and resolve of this squad. Harry Klein scored 287 runs at 35.87 to top the averages whilst Rory Jacomb (218), Freddie Danos (212), Marcus Grisdale (203) Alf Beresford-Pierce (169) and Will Summers (159) all scored over 150 runs. Leading wicket-taker was George Lacy with 24 at 8.04 whilst Marcus Grisdale 23 at 4.30) and Freddie Danos (20 at 8.75) were almost as prolific. Five players took four or more wickets in an innings, and Cara Hughes became the first girl to achieve this feat.
NOTE: Overall, the club registered 51 wins from 67 matches played in 2019, a win ratio of 76.12% - or put more simply, three wins from every four matches played.
THE CLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR is selected on the basis of points scored for batting, bowling and fielding through all games in the summer. There are 15 points per wicket, one per run, 10 per catch/run out as well as 20 points per catch/stumping for ‘keepers. Below are all those Colts who scored 100+ points last summer.