Ryan Allan's 100th wicket not quite enough at St Paul's

Chasing 135 on the St Paul's First XI pitch, LNZ fell just short, but Ryan Allan became the eighth player to take 100 wickets for the club.

A Fixture Worthy of the Setting

There are cricket grounds… and then there is the St Paul’s School First Pitch — a venue so pristine that even the outfield seems to whisper “straight bat” and the sightscreen feels faintly judgemental of anything agricultural.

In glorious surroundings befitting the school’s long-established prestige and reputation, St Paul’s kindly hosted what proved to be a highly entertaining, occasionally chaotic, and ultimately competitive fixture between the St Pauls Staff XI and LNZCC.

A big thank you must go to St Paul’s Staff for their hospitality, excellent facilities, and for allowing cricketing amateurs to stride briefly where, one suspects, better players have trodden with considerably more elegance.

St Paul’s Staff Set the chase

LNZCC won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first on what looked a damp pitch that would dry out as the evening progressed. St Paul’s took the challenge and set about building a total through a combination of intent, resilience, and the occasional eye-catching stroke.

The innings began in slightly uncertain fashion, with early wickets keeping LNZCC interested. However:

Captain Simon Roberts led from the front with a composed and authoritative innings, anchoring proceedings while others came and went
Several top and middle-order batters got starts, including lively contributions from L Roberts and Hopkins, who found the boundary with pleasing frequency
L. Roberts (20) ensured there was substance to the innings, offering stability at a key juncture
The lower order, always cricket’s great lottery, chipped in usefully—B. Lucas (12) especially adding valuable late runs
LNZCC bowlers put in a really good shift against a good batting lineup – Wilkie, Allen, Abrahams and McClean provided some sharp pace and Brewis, Choc and Voss adding some slower variations.

What the scorecard didn’t fully capture is the collective effort: this was less a solo concerto and more a slightly improvised jazz ensemble—occasionally unpredictable, but effective enough to post a defendable 134.

LNZCC Reply

Chasing 135, LNZCC approached the innings with optimism and no shortage of intent – 135 in 20 overs, with a strong batting side, seemed very do-able . Unfortunately for them (and fortunately for the hosts), St Paul’s bowlers operated with discipline (more so than the LNZCC batsmen, and just enough menace to keep things under control.

There were bright spots:

Sam Priest produced the standout batting effort, combining patience and attacking strokes in equal measure
Useful contributions came from Brewis (18), Lawrenson (13), and Abraham (14), each threatening briefly to take the game away

However, the defining feature of the chase was one of cricket’s classic frustrations: 👉 getting in… but not getting on.

Wickets fell regularly

A partnership would form → hope would rise → a wicket would fall → repeat
No batter was able to go on to a decisive match-winning score

So, it was to be, that with a decreasing number of balls to face and a tail-end struggling to wag the maths evidentially precipitated with St Paul’s Staff: 134/8, LNZCC: 132/8 and the honours to St Paul’s Staff. The day finished, as it should, at a local pub with friendships renewed and many a pint downed.

Bowling Highlights and a Historic Moment

The St Paul’s Staff bowling attack shared wickets effectively, maintaining pressure throughout, but the standout story belongs to Ryan Allan who claimed 3 wickets, including one with his final ball of the day. In doing so, he reached a hugely impressive personal landmark: His 100th career wicket for LNZCC. A proper cricketer’s milestone — and, no doubt, one that will be mentioned repeatedly in future conversations (with increasing embellishment over time).

LNZCC showed plenty of fight, had multiple contributors, but lacked the required discipline to achieve the chase

Players of the Match honours went to Simon Roberts (Captain of St Pauls School) who Led from the front with the bat, and provided brilliant, calm, leadership in both innings. For LNZCC, Sam Priest took the honours with the team’s best batting performance of the chase, showing composure and class under pressure.

Final Thoughts

In the end, this was a match played in the right spirit:

Competitive but friendly
Featuring moments of quality… and moments best described as “character-building”

Above all:

A memorable fixture at a truly exceptional venue
A milestone for Ryan Allan
And a well-deserved win for St Paul’s Staff

We now have eagerly wait for our next opportunity to play this brilliant fixture

Photos

Ryan Allan became the 8th player to reach 100 wickets for the club

Sam Priest is awarded his Nottman Cap

Action shot v St Paul's Staff

Cheyne Voss misses a run out by millimetres