The 2nd XI had a fantastic season in 2025, finishing ‘best of the rest’ in 3rd place in what we predicted would be the highest standard of cricket the 2nd XI had played in. This came following the restructuring of the Surrey Championship leagues which placed us into Division 3 West consisting of some familiar foes and five 1st XI sides! The lads took the challenge in their stride, facing overseas ex-professional cricketers and travelling to grounds we have never played at, as we managed to win 6 out of the 10 games against the 1st teams. This proved to be integral to our success and fantastic experience for some of the younger members of the team.
The season started off with a bang against Guildford with a thriller that went down to the wire. Looking to not brood on our past experiences at Woodbridge Road, Ali Birkby lost the toss on a flat deck, and we were stuck in the field. After consistent and tight bowling from Tom Brown and Joe de la Fuente, and some heroic fielding from Matt Macpherson (yes you read that right!) we contained Guildford to 290 (129 less runs than when we last visited this ground). After a difficult start at 70/3 after 15 overs, Ali Birkby and Darren Helwick steadied the ship putting on a 150 partnership. Darren departed for a well made 55 off 72 and was replaced by Matt Macpherson who made an important quick fire 21. However, the star of the show was Ali Birkby who made 144 not out off 132 deliveries scoring the winning runs with just two balls to spare. A great day for all involved and exactly the start we were looking for.
We were slightly up and down at the start of the season. Following a big win at Guildford, we had a tight loss to Ashtead, despite great knocks from Nathan Roberts and Ali Birkby, thrashed Chertsey 1st XI by 10 wickets and then came convincingly second against East Molesey and Leatherhead. This has been the trend with the 2nd XI over the past few years, however this time we took the positive from each game and built a strong core group.
The core group consisted of a number of young guns who thrived in their new roles in the 2nd XI. Priyesh Patel and Adam Helwick played the most 2nd XI games out of anyone this year. Adam (U16) scored 428 runs across the season opening the batting against tricky and experienced bowlers week in, week out. He raised the bat three times this season playing for the 2nd XI with the highlight being his 91 at New Road against Farnham 1st XI. Not only did Adam shine with the bat, but he also kept wicket for the majority of the games and showed terrific skill standing up to Joe de La Fuente and Dan Taylor. His performances this year didn’t go unnoticed as Adam was called up to make his 1st XI debut in August. Priyesh (U16) “bucket hands” Patel played a huge role with both bat and ball. Batting at eight or nine each week Priyesh accumulated runs effectively and at pivotal times of the season. He made a fantastic 53* off just 46 balls in a close affair with Sunbury including a 50 partnership with Kei Lalor where Priyesh made 27 off just 16 balls. With the ball, Priyesh shined throughout the season as he spun a web around the opposition on multiple occasions. He was Man of the Match against East Molesey where he bowled 10 overs on the bounce taking 4-36 with three maidens and changed the game. He also batted superbly on a difficult pitch to keep us in the game making 31 off 59 balls. I would like to both Adam and Priyesh, along with all the other youngsters who played, for their fantastic attitudes throughout the season – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Did I mention East Molesey? After being comfortably beaten at home at the start of the season, we headed to Graburn Way in August seeking vengeance. We arrived to a sub-par pitch with a strong side and were not sure which way it might go. East Molesey decided to have a bat. The bowlers bowled tight as the ball jagged and seamed all over the place. Dan Taylor and the aforementioned Priyesh Patel bowled superbly in a pair, keeping it tight in the all-important middle overs. We bowled East Molesey out for a chaseable 184. We lost some early wickets and found ourselves 70-5 in the 23rd over. In came Joe De La Fuente and Priyesh Patel who with nerves of steel put on 77 runs for the 6th wicket getting us right back into the game. A few wickets later and we require 6 runs off the last over with just Dan Taylor left in the sheds. Kunal Mishra and Jack Fletcher found themselves at the crease with a job to do. Kunal remained calm, whilst Jack acted like he was calm to Kunal. After knocking it around for 5 balls we needed 2 runs off the last ball and Jack managed to hoick one over mid-wicket for a boundary. East Molesey is tough place to go and is the first time the 2nd XI has won there in Dan Taylor and Mark Hopkinson’s long memory. Days like this make all the hard work worth it!
Our batting performances throughout the season were what really sealed the deal on our success. Three centuries were scored two by Darren Helwick and one by Ali Birkby. Darren proved key to a number of wins this year and was the backbone of our batting line-up. This man is hard as nails. Through most of the season his hamstring was black and blue but that didn’t stop him making 50s and 100s with ease. The bowlers also performed well throughout the season despite there being no 5-fors this year. Joe de La Fuente and Dan Taylor were the pick of the punch with Joe averaging 16.30 and Dan averaging 17.73. Dan also managed to take 3/1 against Chertsey early on in the season. The bowlers will be looking to one-up it in 2026 and make more 5-fors than the batters make 100s!
I would like to thank my other captains Ali Birkby and Joe de La Fuente for their work across the season. It was a joint effort and worked out well as we all dealt with busy summers. I would like to give a huge thank you to Mark (Doc) Holliday for scoring all year-round and providing us with statistics throughout the season, not only on our team but the opposition too. Thank you too all the players and parents who were involved with the 2nd XI this season. Everyone was fully committed every week and made this my most enjoyable year senior cricket I have experienced. Finally, thank you to Vince Chandler and the rest of the selection committee. It is not an easy task organising 5 or 6 matches every week and without their hard work it would not be possible.
I hope you all have an enjoyable winter and bring on 2026!
2nd XI player of the season
Our 2025 player of the season was voted for by the 2nd XI players and resulted in a tie. To avoid any family feuds, we decided it was only right that both Adam and Darren Helwick won the award this year. Darren Helwick made 535 runs this year in just 13 innings at an average of 48.64. He made two 50s and two 100s and finished as the 8th highest run scorer in the league. Adam Helwick 428 runs across 15 innings at an average of 30.57. He opened the batting with maturity beyond his age and kept brilliantly throughout the season. Adam was awarded with his 1st XI debut this year and made 22 opening the batting against a high-quality Reigate Priory side. Congratulations to both and very well deserved!