What happened when Histon Cricket Club’s finest took on ‘lashings and lashings’ of well-known ex-professional cricketing greats in a charity event at the Rec? Lucy Callington and youth player, Freddie Meldal, report on a day to remember…
Thunder, lightning and even a hail shower did their best to try and stop play at Histon Cricket Club earlier this month – but thankfully they didn’t prevail – and a few hours later and a little damper than planned, the much-anticipated T20 match between Histon and some of the world’s best retired international professionals went ahead at the Rec.
The match, which was organised by first team player Ben Leach with the support of the Parish Council is one of a series of charity games played around the country by The Lashings World Cricket XI, a group of ex-professional cricketers, who describe themselves as the Harlem Globetrotters of cricket.
Playing with legends proved a memorable opportunity for the team, including 19-year-old captain of Histon 2nds team, Freddie Meldal who gives HI HUB his match report:
Inspirational and fun…
I had a great day playing against the Lashings World XI at Histon Cricket Club. Despite the weather there was a great crowd and some excellent cricket on show.
It was very fun and a privilege to meet all the legends that I’ve only ever seen clips of – stars from the English and West Indies such as Curtly Ambrose, Chris Schofield, Devon Malcolm and Courtney Walsh.
I batted for two deliveries and managed to get two runs, which was OK but the real highlight for me was taking a catch. We all played really well but the Lashings are still a strong team, and we ended up losing by 20 runs after they got 102 from their 10 overs.
Disappointingly the weather cut the match short in the end from a T20 to a T10 and due to the tricky conditions, a few of the Lashings players couldn’t field – as some are now in their sixties, so that was a bit of a shame.
Star struck
One of the best moments for me personally was getting to chat to a couple of the players after the match. Speaking to people who have such experience in the sport is really inspirational.
Another amusing moment was when former West Indies batsman, Kirk Edwards took a ball square in a ‘delicate place’ from one of our bowlers… Unfortunate for him – but definitely a hazard of the sport!
The day also involved a sports lunch in a marquee as well as a charity auction before the main event.
This is my fourth year playing adult cricket at the club, but I’ve also been a junior here since I was 8. The Lashings match has been a real highlight for me, and we are lucky they chose to come and play here in Histon. I definitely plan to carry on playing for the club as long as I can.
For more information about Lashings touring professionals visit here.
