Greg Mellor, Jack Airey, Tom Higginson, Udit Duseja, Paddy Alexander (didn’t play)
Josh Finklestein, Bij Hameed, Stan Leeson
Not pictured: Ziaur, Faizan, Dennis McDonagh

Springfield Park is one of the prettiest in London. Bushes and bandstands accent the green hill banks and children make good use of the playground. It’s not troubled by tourists, either; getting to it requires a fair knowledge of orienteering. A natural home for England’s summer (or early May) game.

To disrupt this genre painting, enter The Passage. Our history on Springfield begins in 2019, when we were called by another name. Ivo Hobson and Kunle scored centuries to chase down a Canary Wharf Royals 302 in what came to be known as the “Miracle of Springfield” (Watch the innings here: https://youtu.be/COf2lWpAmtY?si=YyKiv-vNK8-KXpMd). Then in 2023 bottom of the table Passage beat Hackney CC to deny them the league. The pitch is always green, the grass is always long. We don’t care. Balls will find their way into the Springfield canal. This is our fortress.

We arrived on a warm, sunny day to face Bright Cricket Club, new boys in the league. Before the game, an air ambulance flew some 20 feet above our heads and landed in the next field, giving the pitch one final fan. Stan Leeson was set to be late, so I half wondered whether one of the pilots fancied opening. A player of ours for the previous two years, Hanzala, defected to Bright CC, adding some particular intrigue. Our duel is now immortalised as the annual “Hanzala Cup”.

The Passage won the toss and batted. I opened up with big-hitting Sheldon Greenland in what I hoped would be an Anchor/Hope partnership. I set about confounding expectations by hitting the first two balls for four and we raced to 14 off the first over. Some brutal shots from Greenland took us to 35-0 off 4 overs before I played around a straight one and departed LBW for 14. In strode Udit, on debut. Following his captain’s example, he too played around a straight one and was given out LBW a few balls later.

Another debutant followed Udit, the very cheerful Faizan. His stout defensive strokes drew approving ahhs from a nervous Passage boundary. The Anchor had dug in. Greenland meanwhile took apart the Bright CC bowling, hitting a huge six over cow corner. He survived a high top edge after the Bright keeper, first slip and gully all collided. The ship fairly well steadied, Faizan then hesitated on a call for a bye and sadly ran himself out in a brave move to keep Greenland at the crease.

62-3 now, but Bright CC’s leisurely approach meant that only eight overs had been bowled. Another debutant, Dennis McDonagh, made his way to the crease in a Yorkshire CC shirt. Before much Boycott could be done, Greenland then fell to a good catch on the long-on boundary for 34 off 23. Cue sharp intakes of breath from the assembled Passagers. We had batting to come but Greenland looked on for a big score.

Bij Hameed, fast becoming a Passager talisman, took his guard at the crease and got busy. He and Dennis nudged Passage to 77 including one mega six over long off. At this point, Bright CC opted to bring on a short lad bowling with more than a slight bent arm. Two balls passed and Mr Murali took the wicket of Dennis with a grubber to howls from the Passagiati. Another few balls and Bij too fell to a chuck. After a friendly word with both bowler and umpire, your author took up square leg and repeatedly no-balled the player until he worked out his action.

7 and 8 Greg Mellor and Stan Leeson looked in good touch. Both played nicely through the V and chipped up our total to the 90s. Greg fell caught and bowled on the drive, leaving Stan to shepherd the tail. Canada’s own Josh Finklestein (elbows up!) and two debutants Ziaur and Jack Airey rounded out the Passage innings. 106 all out from 20 overs including 23 extras.

This felt a slightly below-par score. Accounting for the inevitable leak of extras at our level, your author wanted 30 more. We couldn’t bowl at 106, could we?

Greenland picked his end and Greg set up shop behind the stumps. Jack Airey opened from the air-ambulance end. Our fallen comrade Hanzala opened the batting for Bright and showed us a straight defence hitherto unseen; Greenland took himself round the wicket. The first overs were hostile and accurate, and a breakthrough came in the second over to bowl non-Hanzala. After getting loose, Jack Airey found his length and tied up the batsmen with his first Passage wickets coming in his third and fourth overs including the prize wicket of Hanzala. He would have had a third had I not dropped one at point. I was told after the game that he was on 4 hours sleep; a bowler after our own hearts.

Bright were 39-3 and the Passage tails were up. An LBW decision was then declined, sending Greenland into orbit. However he struck once again to reduce Bright to 42-4. Airey made way for Bij, who caught a batsman through the gate in his first over. This, however, brought Bright’s star bat to the crease in a smurf-blue cap. He got his eye in and began to hit out, carting Passage bowling over the boundary repeatedly. Greenland counterpunched and dismissed another Bright batsman with a sharp Bij catch at mid on. Bright had only 30 to get with four in hand.

But the wind was with us. Greenland stormed in for his seventh over on the bounce and sent down two successive thunderbolts to trap blue-cap LBW and splatter the stumps of number 8. With one over left in his spell, Greenland needed only one more wicket.

You miss, I hit.

Bowling round the wicket, Greenland sent down a beauty with the first of his last six. Off stump fell over. The five-fer complete, his seventh on the ground. A superlative spell of bowling.

We still had a game to win. Bright were 92-8 when Udit’s first ball of his second over (another Passage maiden wicket) dismissed their ten and leave our hearts racing. With his very next ball he managed to get one to go on with the arm and cue ecstasy. He’s on a hattrick.

This was a proper team performance. So jubilant was I that I forgot to get a picture of our winning side!

The Springfield magic endures.

Passage 106 All out in 20 overs

Bright CC 92 All out in 16.2 overs

Passage win by 14 runs.

S Greenland 36 & 8-0-5-40

T Higginson (c)

S Greenland

U Duseja

Faizan

D McDonagh

B Hameed

G Mellor (wk)

S Leeson

J Finklestein

Ziaur

J Airey

Get involved

The Passage win the inaugural Hanzala Cup

A short Passage of play and a long goodbye