Scorecard

Pinner CC 3rd XI v St Albans Cricket Club 5XI on Sat 02 Aug 2025 at 13:00
St Albans Cricket Club Won by 58

Match report Saints 5XI travelled to Roxbourne Park for a crucial fixture against Pinner CC 3rd XI. With both teams hovering near the relegation zone, it was a must-win game.

Skipper Imran won the toss and boldly chose to bat first, despite the pitch looking tricky. The strategy was clear: post a solid total and defend it, knowing the conditions would worsen as the day went on. Openers Andy Wright and Suli Nisar took to the crease, but it wasn’t Suli’s day—he fell early for just 2 runs. In came Toby Crisp at number 3, and together with Andy, he built a steady partnership. Andy looked in fine touch, timing the ball beautifully despite the difficult surface, where average team scores tend to be around 100-120. Skipper Imran even predicted early on: “We’re going to see an individual hundred today.” That prophecy proved true. After a 90-run stand, Toby was caught behind for 19, bringing Imran to the crease. Unfortunately, he departed quickly after scoring 9. At 3 down, Matt Shadwick walked in—playing a new role in the middle order rather than his usual opening slot—and he didn’t disappoint. He supported Andy brilliantly, and together they added another 100-run partnership.

Then came the moment of the match—Andy Wright brought up his first-ever century with a classic straight drive. It was not only the first-ever hundred for Saints 5XI, but also the first century ever recorded at Roxbourne Park. A historic innings that Andy will never forget—and probably didn’t sleep after, either! Saints finished their innings on a massive 209 runs off 40 overs—a score never chased before at Roxbourne. At the break, the message was loud and clear: “We cannot lose this game. We must stay disciplined, take all 10 wickets, and limit their bonus points to help our position on the table.”

Opening the bowler were Abdul Alim and the ever-reliable Uttam Vijender. However, Pinner’s openers started aggressively, reaching 50 in just 8 overs. A change was needed, and it was James Witty who came on first change—and it was Uttam who got the first breakthrough. James then bowled their other opener—who also happens to be the Pinner's league top scorer—and had scored runs against us in previous encounters. He followed it up with two more quick wickets to swing the momentum back in our favour. The game was then well and truly sealed by Fin McNab, who produced a magical spell. Fin took his maiden 5-wicket haul, and on a pitch like that, he was unplayable. Pinner CC were eventually all out for 151, handing Saints a massive 58-run victory. This win keeps our survival hopes alive. A win next week at SLCG could lift us out of the relegation zone and secure our place for next season. It was a fantastic team effort—every catch taken, excellent discipline in the field, and great energy throughout.

Congratulations again to Andy Wright for a historic and unforgettable century, and to Fin McNab for a stunning five-wicket haul in his comeback match. Sadly, I am sure this was Andy’s last appearance for Saints 5XI this season—but what a way to sign off. Here’s to more hundreds from him in the future!

St Albans Cricket Club 5XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 10w 5b 3lb 
for 5 wickets
19
209		        
Andy Wright ct H Zaidi b H Zaidi 120
Sulaiman Nisar ct J Evans b H Zaidi 2
Toby Crisp ct A Doey b A Nimje 19 2
Imran Ahmed ct A Nimje b S Pilsbury 9 1
Matt Shadwick b J Evans 31
John Shaw Not Out  9
Tom Cocks Not Out  0
Abdul Alim   2
Uttam Vijender  
Fin McNab  
James Witty  

Pinner CC 3rd XI Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Kyara Wanders4.002900.007.25
Hassan Zaidi8.0132216.004.00
Joseph Evans8.0133133.004.13
Ankit Nimje8.0129129.003.63
Simon Pilsbury8.0153153.006.63
Sachin Patel4.002500.006.25

Pinner CC 3rd XI Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
4nb 10w 6b 1lb 
for 10 wickets
21
151 (34.3 overs)		     
Simon Pilsbury b J Witty 16 24 2 66.67
Chris Hutchinson ct A Alim b U Vijender 25 40 5 62.50
Ethan Ramcharan ct I Ahmed b J Witty 7 11 1 63.64
Sachin Patel b J Witty 1 5 20.0
Cyrus Barrett ct T Crisp b F McNab 34 34 6 100
Saanidh Bhatt ct T Crisp b F McNab 19 34 2 55.88
Alex Doey ct A Alim b F McNab 17 33 1 51.52
Ankit Nimje b J Shaw 1 15 6.67
Joseph Evans Not Out  9 12 1 75.00
Hassan Zaidi b F McNab 1 2 50.0
Kyara Wanders b F McNab 0 1 0

St Albans Cricket Club 5XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Abdul Alim4.012600.006.50
Uttam Vijender7.0129129.004.14
James Witty6.002839.334.67
Imran Ahmed3.011100.003.67
Fin McNab7.322454.803.20
Sulaiman Nisar5.011600.003.20
John Shaw2.0010110.005.00