Follies Farm get their revenge off the last ball

Picture this: the day was Sunday 2 August 2026, the venue was the beautiful Follies Farm in Surrey, and the occasion was an attempt to back up last year's dramatic final-over victory. That was the challenge facing the travelling London New Zealand boys—could they repeat the heroics of 2025? Read on to find out.

London New Zealand returned to the familiar Follies Farm Oval, although many noticed the iconic straight-boundary tree, which had played a part in so many previous fixtures, was sadly missing. Like much of the country, the long, hot summer had turned the usually lush green outfield into shades of yellow. The pitch, however, looked another solid deck—but anyone who had played here before knew it could be deceptively tricky to bat on.

Captain Sam Martin had been through the tough selection process and put together what many described as one of the most balanced London New Zealand sides in recent memory, albeit without a frontline spinner. Thankfully, with the prospect of another 30-degree afternoon in the field, Sam made the wise decision to bat first—a call warmly welcomed by the boys in the sheds.

After a leisurely morning, Jacob Vanner and Fergus Hegan strode out to open the batting and begin what would become another 35-over thriller. The pair gave LNZ a competitive start, negotiating both a testing surface and some disciplined bowling. A special mention goes to Follies' Man of the Match, A. Travis, whose remarkable spell of 1 for 5 from 7 overs, including four maidens, kept the scoring in check.

Making his third appearance for the club, Fergus was the first to depart after a well-made 35, bringing the ever-reliable Reza Maroof to the crease. Remarkably, Reza was making his 32nd appearance for the club in just two years. Jacob was next to fall for a hard-fought 19, which introduced exciting newcomer Matt Wills to the middle.

The partnership between Reza and Matt added 43 runs, with many spectators wondering whether a single run featured at all. Reza once again showcased his class with some magnificent stroke play on his way to a team-high 36, while Matt played with confidence, making a valuable 32. Jonny Brewis joined him for a late cameo, contributing a quick-fire 16 before the innings began to unravel.

Following a mini-collapse, club legend Vance Thompson walked to the crease needing just two runs to bring up 2,000 career runs for London New Zealand. He comfortably reached the milestone while making a well-crafted 19, alongside Jacob Murray, the club's latest recipient of the Nottman Cap, who chipped in with 12.

During the post-match celebrations, Vance was quick to remind everyone that although he'd now played over 192 matches and only just reached 2,000 runs, that definitely didn't mean he averaged 10!

In the end, London New Zealand were bowled out for exactly 200, falling just short of batting through the full 35 overs. Whether that was a par score or 15–20 runs light was a matter of opinion.

As always, Follies Farm treated everyone to some outstanding burgers. Looking back, perhaps it was a clever tactic to fill LNZ stomachs before sending us out to field under the still-relentless afternoon sun.

Opening the bowling was club legend Vance Thompson from the top end, fresh off his batting milestone, and Mike McClean from the bottom end, taking on the uphill challenge. Mike battled through all seven overs in one spell—we're still waiting to hear whether he's managed to walk properly in the days since.

His accuracy or inaccuracy kept wicketkeeper Dickie Courie busy behind the stumps, with Dickie producing an energetic display that probably saved 15 runs through sheer athleticism. Mike finished with figures of 0 for 30, with fewer than half of those runs coming off the bat.

After Vance completed his opening spell, Captain Sam Martin took over and immediately produced a masterclass. He had the ball talking, swinging and seaming exactly as he pleased. The highlight came when he cleanly removed the off stump bail with a beauty. On this form, he's shaping up to be a frightening prospect for the North Islanders in the upcoming North vs South fixture.

The middle overs proved more challenging. Jacob Murray returned tidy figures of 0 for 18 from 4 overs, Callum McClean picked up 1 for 62 from his 7, while Matt Wills chipped in with 1 for 27 from 3 overs of valuable off-spin.

With around 40 runs required from the final six overs, the experienced duo of Sam Martin and Vance Thompson were handed the responsibility of defending the total.The Follies batsmen, however, held their nerve. Some clinical batting, particularly during the penultimate over, swung the momentum decisively their way as the relentless heat finally began to sap the energy from the LNZ fielders.

Could Captain Sam Martin repeat his heroics from last year? After all, he had already claimed outstanding figures of 2 for 13 from his first six overs.

In short—and sorry to disappoint—the answer was no.

This time, Follies Farm got their revenge, meaning the two clubs have now shared one last-over thriller apiece over the past two seasons.

Despite the result, it was another fantastic day of cricket, rounded off with refreshments under the setting sun on what many agreed was a perfect summer evening.

New recruit Matt Wills deservedly took home the London New Zealand Man of the Match award, thanks to his lively fielding, valuable 32 with the bat, and brave spell of middle-overs off-spin.

Although London New Zealand couldn't quite defend the total, cricket was once again the real winner. One thing is certain: after two consecutive nail-biters at Follies Farm, the anticipation for next year's fixture is already building.

Will it be a hat-trick of final-over thrillers? Only time will tell.

Photos

Jacob Murray getting his Nottman Cap