Veterans see off Jardines in the London heatwave

There are T20s, and then there are evenings like this.

With London basking in a 34-degree heatwave, the inaugural fixture between the LNZCC Veterans and the newly formed Jardines XI was played under glorious sunshine, with a 6pm start that still felt more like midday in the Mediterranean than North-West London.

The Jardines, masterminded by fellow London New Zealanders Reza Maroof and Dickie Laurenson, temporarily swapped allegiances to lead the opposition from behind enemy lines. With plenty of familiar faces on both sides, this was never about fierce rivalry. It was a celebration of cricket, old friendships and introducing some exciting new faces to the club.

The format reflected the occasion. Batsmen retired on reaching 30, ensuring everyone had the chance to contribute, while the Jardines generously rotated every player through two overs with the ball. The LNZ opted for a more traditional four-over maximum, partly because a few members of the side had sensibly decided bowling wasn't their strongest suit!

Winning the toss and batting first, LNZ quickly showed they had no intention of merely occupying the crease. The scoring rattled along throughout the innings as one batsman after another found the boundary.

Fresh from his superb century at Eastbourne just days earlier, Peter Southey-Jensen clearly hadn't tired of batting. Retiring unbeaten on a blistering 33 from just 11 deliveries, he treated the crowd to four fours and two towering sixes out of the ground, ensuring the momentum never dipped.

Elsewhere, Matt Wills retired on 30, Eddie Commons matched him with an equally fluent unbeaten 30, while Tim Mitchelle hammered 32 from only 16 balls. Captain Cheyne Voss contributed an entertaining 13 from seven deliveries before becoming one of the few batsmen not to escape the retirement rule, and the innings closed on an imposing 188 for 6 from 20 overs.

At the interval, Captain Voss made his intentions perfectly clear. There would be no defensive cricket.

"Runs are on the board, we don’t need to protect boundaries, lets take wickets and have some fun!”

True to his word, fields remained aggressive throughout as wickets, rather than dot balls, became the priority.

The Jardines responded positively. Nathan Armitage, Ed Hewins and Sam Hallam all retired after lively innings, while Tom Ved's explosive 18 from just 10 balls briefly threatened to inject some real momentum into the chase.

The Veterans continued to chip away. Jonny Reid claimed the first wicket, Tim Mitchelle and Matt Wills added one apiece, while behind enemy lines Reza Maroof briefly forgot his loyalties long enough for Captain Voss to cling on to a smart catch.

With attacking fields throughout, the Jardines were always encouraged to keep swinging, making the contest closer than it might otherwise have been. David Laurenson's unbeaten 24 ensured they finished strongly, but the target always remained just beyond reach as the Veterans completed a 13-run victory, restricting the Jardines to 175 for 3.

The scorebook will remember the result, but that hardly tells the story. More importantly, the evening showcased several talented new faces in London New Zealand colours who already look more than capable of strengthening the club for seasons to come.

As the sun finally dipped below the trees, everyone retired to well-earned pizzas and cold beers, exactly as a summer cricket evening should end.

And in a fitting twist, with this very much a festival of cricket rather than a fiercely contested battle, the traditional Player of the Match award was quietly set aside. Instead, the bottle of wine deservedly went to Jo, who umpired the game superbly and helped the evening run as smoothly as it deserved.

Here's to making the Jardines fixture a regular feature of the London New Zealand calendar. It already feels like one worth keeping.