2026 Season Review

Season Summary

Seven games into the season and we have two wins in the bag. Confidence is high that more will follow.

Saturday 27 June 2026 - Eastleigh Baptist - Riverside Park

Although the heatwave had officially been downgraded from “Red Warning” to “slightly toasty” at a mere 29°C, BP arrived at Riverside and immediately did what elite athletes do best: sought shade.

Luckily, Eastleigh were the home side, so they were forced to venture out onto the scorched earth and prepare the wicket, while BP conducted vital pre-match hydration strategy from beneath the nearest tree.

In preparation for the warm day, H had dug out one of those “seemed like a good idea at the time” Costco purchases: a large cooler that had been sitting in the garage for several years, waiting for its moment. Packed with ice and cold drinks, it instantly became BP’s most valuable player.

BP were then horrified to see that Steve from Eastleigh had arrived wearing just shorts. Initial concerns that he had forgotten half his kit were quickly replaced by outright amazement when it became clear this was also how he intended to keep wicket. ECB dress-code regulations were checked, mainly to confirm whether “minimalist wicketkeeping” was covered under Law 40 or simply reported to environmental health.

Having won the toss, Will elected to bat first. Before play began, the walkie-talkies were tested.

“Can you hear me?” was shouted across the square.

Everyone could hear. The Eastleigh fielders could hear. The people walking by the river could hear. The air ambulance flying overhead probably asked to be patched in. Frequencies were changed.

It was also quickly discovered that BP would need its own phonetic alphabet, as using phrases like “over” and “out” during a cricket match was likely to confuse everyone. This was proved almost immediately when Will, umpiring, forgot the entire communications system and resorted to the traditional method of shouting:

“Bowler’s name?”

Opening the batting were Lenny and Gav, who began steadily accumulating runs, especially against a bowler called Fielder, which did absolutely nothing to reduce the general confusion.

Eastleigh then brought on their secret weapons: Sunil and Aman, probably two of the best bowlers BP have faced all season. They proceeded to dismantle the BP top order with ruthless efficiency, including three wickets in one over.

Amen to that.

Gav, however, remained stoic. Very stoic. Positively Boycottian. He defended, left, blocked, absorbed, and occasionally allowed the ball to disturb the outfield.

At the other end, Phil M was batting very nicely while swearing at absolutely everybody and everything: the pitch, the ball, the fielders, the weather, basic geometry, and possibly himself. A classic Phil innings.

At the second hydration break — no adverts — a quick team talk from the skipper identified 120 as a competitive target. At 70-5, this felt ambitious, in much the same way that climbing Everest in flip-flops feels ambitious. But Powerades were drunk — other sugary energy drinks are available — and battle recommenced.

A few more wickets tumbled, including Phil, caught by BP’s own Daz, who had apparently been loaned to Eastleigh in a moment of administrative madness. Matt Shroff, newly returned from Hong Kong, also came and went.

Still, Gav remained defiant, eventually falling for a well-made 33 off approximately 100 balls, each of which he treated with the caution normally reserved for unexploded ordnance.

When Will departed cheaply, H joined Jono at the crease with only a couple of overs remaining. A few cheeky runs were added before the inevitable run out. Jono departed, H apologised, and everyone agreed that this was almost certainly part of a wider tactical masterplan.

Tea was taken, during which BP consumed a container full of Will’s extra-hot homemade onion bhajis. Suitably fuelled, and in some cases gently burping, BP walked out to field.

Councillor Phil guest-starred as wicketkeeper and immediately gave the impression that democracy was safe behind the stumps.

With the return of Matt, confidence was high — and rightly so. He tore through Eastleigh’s top order in a matter of overs, including the dangerous Aman for a duck. A beautiful reversal of fortunes and a rare moment when BP looked organised on purpose.

Will added to the wicket haul, and with Phil doing a proper job behind the stumps, Eastleigh’s scoring was kept under control.

Eastleigh began to rebuild, but having lost one player to “more important matters” — a concept BP struggled to understand — they were running out of batters.

Then Sunil arrived. With gloves.

This was immediately worrying.

Dan bowled beautifully, keeping things tight and restricting the runs. But after his spell, Sunil removed his gloves, which in village cricket is the universal sign for: “Right, enough of this.”

The ball was then dispatched to various parts of Riverside. Fielders were spread. Plans were formed. Plans were ignored. BP kept plugging away, and wickets continued to fall, including a great catch by Daz, now thankfully back fielding for BP, restoring balance to the universe.

Richard walked out as last man. BP brought the fielders in close, smelling victory. Richard, however, decided to become a human wall, blocking defiantly while Sunil continued to make hay at the other end.

With the game tightening, Will made the bold tactical decision to place himself at cow corner and H — Fielder of the Year 2025 — at deep fine leg.

As predictable as night following day, Sunil promptly launched two chances to Will.

Will dropped both.

A strong late contender for “Who’s Fault Was That Then?”

Thankfully, with runs running out and nerves shredding, Lenny came on and finally removed Richard’s off stump.

BP had won — by the barest of margins!

There was joy. There was relief. There was a faint smell of onion bhaji.

Off BP went to The Hop to celebrate a historic win and the very welcome return of Matt. Drinks and snacks were consumed as BP revelled in victory, everyone agreed it had been a famous day, and H’s Costco cooler was formally nominated for Player of the Match.

Champagne Moment went to Daz for his excellent catch — made all the more impressive by the fact that, earlier in the day, he had been fielding for Eastleigh. A truly versatile performance: one catch for BP, several moments of emotional confusion for everyone else, and proof that even when loaned out, Daz remains contractually obliged to help us win.

Health & Safety Report

The afternoon was not without casualties. Gav, bravely stationed in the field, took one in the unmentionables — a direct hit to an area no cricketer wishes to discuss, but every cricketer immediately understands. As Gav folded in half like a deckchair in a breeze, H showed great compassion by offering him the cooling water spray, presumably because nothing says medical care quite like misting the affected region like a hanging basket.

Will, meanwhile, displayed the warm bedside manner of a Victorian PE teacher, instructing Gav to “get up” not once, but twice. There was no sympathy, no concern, and absolutely no evidence of an HR-approved welfare policy. Just leadership, urgency, and the clear expectation that Gav should stop making such a fuss about being violently rearranged.

Wednesday 17 June 2026 - St Cross House - Away fixture, Sports Centre

St Cross vs BPCC the important game of the day. Speed Cricket…..

Whatever may be said about BPCC, we will always be accommodating.

Wednesday night, St Cross were keen to reschedule given that it’s coming home and the good man of BP made sure we could get the game in, visit the pub and be home in time for kick off.

Game 2 for the Sumpter/Verduyn axis, or is it Verduyn/Sumpter?

We lost the toss and batted, fortunately the lad doing sprint training in football boots hadn’t done too much damage to the square. Rob and James led off, with Rob starting like he had somewhere to be crashing the first 2 balls for 4, he didn’t face a 4th. James and Neil, steadied the ship with some good running and sensible batting in what turned out to be our best partnership of the innings.

Wickets fell regularly and any hope of a BP lower order resurgence was wiped out be a hat trick!  68 all out done in quick time, did I mention the football?

We set off in the field not so much full of hope but sugar with Gav liberally offering round the wine gums.

Notable mentions to Ethan for his first wicket and plenty of promise for the future, Simon taking 2 catches behind the stumps. including one off an inside edge (yes we found the edge).

Saturday 13 June 2026 - Eastleigh Baptist - Riverside Park

Ahead of Saturday’s trophy-laden showdown with Eastleigh, BPCC were in disarray. The ever-present captain was sidelined with sciatica—rumoured (and not entirely denied) to have been sustained during a late-night incident on the piazza that would’ve made Ben Stokes’ headlines look tame. Meanwhile, the usually reliable gloveman H was AWOL and the pace attack had been decimated by injuries picked up playing out-of-season “soccerball,” which we’re told is absolutely massive in the USA.

There was, in short, trouble at mill. Step forward Yorkshire’s finest: Gav. Like Botham rocking up in 1981 with the series on the line, he took charge.

 Despite the hot conditions, an outfield resembling a National Trust meadow, and a pitch softer than a wet sponge pudding, Gav elected to field—bold, brave, and very much in the “what would Nasser Hussain regret later?” school of decision-making. For a while, it looked like genius.

 
The opening bowling partnership of Gav himself and Murray strangled Eastleigh like McGrath and Gillespie in their pomp. Early wickets fell, including an outrageously casual grab from Suneet, later (and correctly) declared the champagne moment. BPCC were rolling. Then reality arrived. Toby and James building a platform that began to tilt the game. And when Aman strode out wielding what transpired to be Thor’s hammer disguised as a cricket bat, things escalated quickly. Boundaries started flying.

Just as it threatened to get away entirely, BP rallied. A couple of key wickets and retirements shifted momentum back, and Ethan produced a spell of genuine quality, probing away like Jimmy Anderson under cloud cover, which deserved far better than the figures would suggest. By the close, Eastleigh were restricted to 182: a total that felt competitive, but chaseable… in the same way 250 used to feel “gettable” before England invented Bazball.
 
During the interval, tensions flared briefly over a potential 5-run penalty for a slow over rate. This was swiftly, and vocally, dismissed by BPCC’s captain, who demonstrated an encyclopaedic knowledge of the laws of cricket that would make MCC members nod approvingly. He also made it abundantly clear that any future misdemeanours would be spotted quicker than a hotspot review in India.

Undeterred, opening pair Daz and Neil set off confidently, looking as assured as Strauss and Cook on a flat one… until Daz received a delivery of such unplayable quality, a proper jaffa.

From there, Neil, Simon, and Gav dug in on a surface where runs came slowly. Boundaries were hard-earned, the outfield refusing to cooperate like a hostile crowd in an Ashes decider. Wickets, however, kept falling, steadily, inexorably—like England in a fourth-innings chase that starts with hope and ends with quiet resignation. The required rate crept upward. The mood tightened.

Then came the moment. With passion bubbling over like a DRS controversy at Headingley, the BP captain delivered a booming reminder, audible to bowler, umpire, fielders, spectators, passing dog walkers, and the hoodies on bikes tearing up the next field, that a ball pitching off the wicket is, in fact, a no-ball. Laws were clarified. Points were made. Decibels were exceeded. Galvanised, BP rallied.
 
Suneet and Murray swung with admirable intent while Ethan produced a few classy strokes that briefly suggested something miraculous might be brewing. But alas, the overs drained away like England review calls in a tight Test. The target remained just out of reach.
 
BPCC finished second on the day, but, crucially, first in the eyes of the loyal BP family members lining the boundary (and possibly the hoodies, now emotionally invested).  And with that, it was off to the pub for consolation snacks, post-match analysis, and the inevitable retelling of events where, by the second round, BP had basically won.

Wednesday 10 June 2026 - Shirley CC - Away fixture, Sports Centres

Cancelled due to rain

Saturday 30 May 2026 - Cavaliers - Riverside Park

First test match of the season is at Riverside Park. An advance party of Will, Jon and Mole attack the toilets with bleach and brushes attempting to make them acceptable for human occupation. Job done but the lack of running water undermines our efforts sadly. 

The Cavs are keen, arriving early and in large numbers with a team of thirteen. BP are twelve so the use of rolling subs is adopted by both teams. A useful tactic allowing some of the more 'experienced' players a well earned rest.

The Cavs bat first and score quickly despite the early loss of Arvind. Jon, ever the showman, attemps to take a catch using his nose rather than the more traditional hands based method. It was not a success. After a quick break was thankfully able to continue. Bharajh hit some majestic fours on his way to 52 before retiring to give others a go (and BP fielders a break). At the half-way mark Cavs are 91 for two and we are looking at a big score to chase down. 

We needed wickets to slow the run-rate as the Cavs looked to cash in on their excellent start. A combination of fine bowling and committed fielding lead to a flurry of wickets. A great all round effort with bowling from Will and Jon proving particularly effective. A second-half highlight for the Cavs was a fine cameo by Sam. A great way to mark his father Tony's birthday.

Cavs finish on 152. A challenging total but less than we had feared at the half-way stage.

Rob and Gav get us off to a great start but Murray does for both of them and also picks up the wicket of Neil thanks to a fine catch by Jack. We are ahead of the run-rate but wickets continue to fall. This is largely down to James with an exceptional spell of bowling. He finishes with 5 for 11 off five overs. All clean bowled. Game changing stuff. 

We are eight down and looking out of it. Luckily BP bat deep. Jon and Pete H steady things and the runs keep coming. As we get closer to the Cavs total we start to believe we might pull this off. Pete H hits a lovely four but has to take a break with us still needing four to win.

Will joins Jon in the middle. He trys to get Jon back on strike but is brilliantly run out by Dunc with a direct hit. We are nine down. Jon is facing. Dan steams in and Jon is bowled. The Cavs are triumphant. 

We retire to the Hop Inn for sausage, chips, beers and laughter, very much looking forward to the rematch later in the year.

Wednesday 27 May 2026 - OMCC - Sports Centre

Our last midweek game was one for 3 jumpers and thermals, this week our concerns were sun cream and heatstroke. The captain arrived full of confidence (that confidence manifested itself as suede loafers and sparkling water), and the sports centre was looking resplendent with the sun glistening off the building site. 

We lost the toss and Dick inserted us, Rob and Daz led the way with OMCC bowling well. Runs came at a trickle when  a rush was needed. No on was more surprised than Rob when he retired on 25. The run rate accelerated with Neil playing some excellent shots including 3 fours in the same over. Scoring 70 of 7 overs we felt in a good spot, the rate slowed as OMCC bowled really well. Phil M running between the wickets became folklore with him striding purposefully down the pitch whilst calling no. Lenny steered the tail well with some wristy flicks through the leg side and he became the third batsman to reach 25 in the innings. We closed on 113 unsure if that would be enough - it wasn’t.

Fair to say not our best day with the ball or in the field, Sam bowled well and his tag team run out with Howard would have to been seen to be believed. Lenny pushed through a shoulder injury to finish his overs and Gav was able to educate the opposition on the no-ball double bounce rule albeit from 30yds away. 

We decamped to the bar for a full post mortem, fuelled by beer and snacks, which is always the best bit of any game. Good chats, great laughs and the skippers new post match activity called ‘who’s to blame for that then’

Wednesday 13 May 2026 - Brookfield School - Riverside Park

After four days  of weather chat and staring at dark clouds over Hs hosue , the rain finally cleared for long enough for us to decide we're playing. The howling wind and cold still asked a few questions as we arrived.

It was brilliant to see the return of PHIL, "the battered sausage moulin", who turned up in light knitwear and was  mainly catatonic until he warmed up. 

Great to see MOLE arrive as Chairman of Selectors, and we also welcomed LENNY. GAV was on childcare duties but still made it after a dance class in SWANMORE, apparently he does  street and modern jazz.

BROOKFIELD SCHOOL are mainly sports teachers by the look of it, and they’re led by "still  in the Westminster  bubble " councillor PHIL.

We fielded after winning the toss. DUNC took a great catch in the deep, JAMES V bowled well, LENNY ripped it down, and H was busy behind the stumps as ever. JONO bowled really well and couldn’t apologise enough, but the wind was howling and he couldn’t be heard, so he just held up a sign that simply stated, “I’M SORRY”, although we were  not entirely sure what he was sorry about.

PHIL M bowled well and seemed to warm up,as  he swore his way through the session so we knew he was feeling better. 

BROOKFIELD batted well, but we held them back through hard work and they posted around 114. We decided to forgo tea because it was dark, wet, and cold, and we charged through our batting, as did BROOKFIELD.

JAMES V continued to get runs and was out on 24 to councillor , "now JAMES’ ex-friend" Phil.

PHIL M ran himself out and had a MASSIVE  episode on the way back. This made our ECB level two  umpires rub their hands in glee and reach for various by-laws.

We were delighted to find that daz was alive,despite being a light shade of blue owing to the weather. He batted well and interestingly refused to be run out, stating this is whole new him, and he wants to challenge  for BP's hardest man position . The enquiry in the pub found that LEWIS, who we welcomed back, didn’t really see if he was out, but he was so cold he just wanted to get to the pub and have a Bovril, so he gave it anyway. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. 

GAV returned from contemporary dance and bowled the last over, and got bashed around, then went in to bat  and got a goldy, so  he was delighted.

Overall Great stuff all round, and the playing was the thing, the result was a close second.

Then into the HOP for a beer. ICE STATION RIVERSIDE, complete.

Saturday 9 May 2026 - Christ Church Winchester - Riverside Park

So the season starts at Riverside, in the humidity, and there have been encouraging signs that the wicket has been cared for in the off-season, and that the hoodies and footballers have kept off the square.

We also had a series of new officials in the team from Finance, H, CP Officer H, Level Two Umpire H, and Gav in Procurement and Logistics. We also had a new scoreboard, which was exciting once we made it, and Dave P got it user-friendly.

Neil scored like a man who knows his way around a complex spreadsheet, and I rather liked the way that, if he wasn’t sure, he just rubbed something out and it seemed to balance the books.

We were playing Christchurch, who always show up strong, and again they did. We won the toss and chose to bat, apparently we always do that anyway, so there were no surprises there then.

Rob T of “Treetops House” opened with “Marathon-a-Day” James, and they did well, building quickly and strongly. H was umpire in full ECB memorabilia, including keyring and mini torch. He was supported by Jono, who looked good in a light pastel.

After the losses of Rob and James, we welcomed Gav and Simon to the crease, and they got on with it, carrying on the good work of the openers. The pitch behaved, with only a few “Riverside specials”.

Christchurch were a 13, owing to a few youngsters wanting to play, and I let them all field because we obviously want youngsters to feel part of team sports, and how lovely to give them a look at adult cricket, etc. etc.. Little did we know they could all bat and bowl and had arms on them. It was like playing against 13 adults, albeit some of those adults still believed in the Easter Bunny.

After the loss of Simon, the mighty Daz joined “the flashing blade” Sumpter, and there were a lot of running threes, which we know can be taxing. On 17, Daz came in for a sit down and some of Carl’s nuts, which he often brings to a local park, I’m told.

We finished on a competitive 146. After no catering from the catering depot, I fear those days have gone. We got into it.

Dan Chadwick was keeping a low profile as the Cavs were playing on the other pitch and he didn’t want to rile them up. Nno one likes academics kicking off.

Christchurch are a strong batting team and we opened with Dan C and Simon, who did well, then Will and Gav. Gav nailed two in two, including the dangerous Luke, and was just denied a hat-trick. Carl couldn’t bowl with a “dodgy rotator cuff”. I suggested a decent tailor should sort that, but he just walked away shaking his head.

The Christchurch colts batted well and managed to give me, Simon, and even possibly Rob T some chat. They ran between the wickets like mini road runners, with a voice volume that could break windows.

Excellent bowling returns from James V, Rob T, Simon, and Dan. Jono bowled his dangerous loopy full-length stuff and only apologised a few times, to their batsmen.

Daz, who had returned to the pitch a light shade of salmon, took a great slip catch.

Fielding was ace, and a superb catch in the deep from Carl really made it our day. We bowled them out for 88. H kept wicket really well, got harassed by a fly and knocked over by Steve. Someone shouted “it’s kicking off”, but Howard, ever the total banker, laughed it off and dusted himself down.

So, Gav took a five-for, scored 47 runs, Daz was alive, we all had a nice time, and went to the pub. And we won, so that’s all good then. BP unbeaten in May!

Wednesday 15 July 2026 - Deportivo - Away fixture, venue TBC

Saturday 18 July 2026 - Cavaliers - Riverside Park

Saturday 25 July 2026 - Christ Church Winchester - Riverside Park

Wednesday 29 July 2026 - OMCC - Away fixture, venue TBC

Wednesday 19 August 2026 - Deportivo - Away fixture, venue TBC

Saturday 5 September 2026- Brookfield School - Cheriton

Saturday 12 September 2026 - TBC - Cheriton

Other matches BP players are invited to play;

Saturday 8 August 2026 - Christ Church v RoTW - Cheriton

Saturday 15 August - Cavaliers & friends v ECB & friends - Riverside

Saturday 22 August - Cavaliers & friends v ECB & friends - Riverside