Journal

Nothing Toulouse – cricket report

---

CIPA-CITMA Cricket Club season and tour report.

It’s been a while since the final ball of the 2024 season was bowled, but the memories from CIPA-CITMA CC’s 2024 season live on. The team, mostly comprised of patent attorneys with a few well-chosen ‘ringers’, kicked off the year after a washed-out May with the inaugural North London T20 league. This newly formed league was CIPA CC’s first foray into ‘competitive’ cricket with three other friendly teams based in or around Alexandra Palace.

Almost every game in the league went down to the final over (some to the final ball) and were played with the usual good nature. CIPA CC were on the end of three narrow losses before avoiding the wooden spoon by beating Highgate Taverners in the 3rd/4th playoff a week after losing by three runs to the same opponent.

The season then reverted to our usual friendly games against familiar opponents; CIPA CC winning two and losing two. A highlight every year is a fixture against the Refreshers, a team from the Bar Association. CIPA CC posted a very respectable 154 from their 20 overs, with two batsmen reaching the 25 retirement limit. The Refreshers started cautiously, playing out two maidens in the opening spells but timed the chase to perfection – hitting the winning runs off the final ball.

Results in 2024

Opponent	Date	Result
LT Dinos	13 August	Won by 34 runs
Plastics	6 August	Lost by 15 runs
Refreshers	30 July	Lost by 7 wickets
Octopus Ventures	23 July	Won by 56 runs
Highgate Taverners	25 June	Won by 19 runs
Highgate Taverners	18 June	Lost by 3 runs
Archway Ladder	11 June	Lost by 3 wickets
Tetherdown Trundlers	4 June	Lost by 20 runs

Scorecards and statistics can be accessed at www.cipacc.org.uk

Highlights, high jinks and hall of fame

• Nick Etherington, the season’s Best Batsman, led from the front with his explosive strike rate of 156 and scoring 120 runs in this season. Whether hitting boundaries or guiding chases, Nick was our sometimes reliable finisher.
• Krishna Raghavan, the season’s Best Bowler and Superstat winner, dominated with the ball picking eight wickets and was a consistent force throughout. Rumours that his pre-season net attendance directly influenced his Superstat ranking remain unconfirmed but highly plausible.
• James Shearman, stepping out of retirement, adopted the classic ‘see ball, hit ball’ philosophy, smashing handy runs despite years away from the crease. Of course, his return also included some truly vintage catch drops, proving he’s a CIPA CC stalwart through and through.
• Rob Jackson had the dubious honour of being dismissed twice for nought in the same match. Yes, you read that correctly. When the team was short of a player, Rob valiantly returned to the crease after his first dismissal. Sadly, fate (and the opposition bowler) had other plans, cementing his place in club folklore.
• Shriraam Venkatasubramani, in his debut season, turned heads by finishing second in the Superstat with just five appearances. Clearly, talent outweighs experience in CIPA CC.

Milestones and moments

The season also celebrated Andy Spurr, team captain, reaching his 100th match — a testament to his dedication both on and off the field. Whether rallying the team or tweaking the Superstat formula (allegedly), Andy continues to be the heart of CIPA CC.

Finally, a thank you to our longstanding sponsor, Dawn Ellmore Employment, without whom.

Tour

September 2024 saw nine brave patent attorneys (and three friends) head to France to take on Toulouse Cricket Club. This was in fact CIPA CC’s tenth overseas tour so expectations were high.

Led and organised expertly by George Pidgeon, the team assembled on a Thursday evening at Gatwick for departure. To no-one’s surprise, a delayed departure meant arrival in Toulouse in the early hours of Friday morning.

A relatively fresh-faced group gathered on Friday morning for the traditional tour of cultural highlights, including the Romanesque cathedral. Post sight-seeing, everyone engaged with the local gastronomy whilst some checked out the local viticulture. Subsequent pre-game practice was poorly attended and half-hearted at best. The evening saw a further tour of Toulouse, this time accompanied by a real guide, cheese and wine. A good time was had by all.

The following morning saw an 11am start against a Toulouse CC select XI. Many of the Toulouse players were employed by Airbus, or related companies, who are by far the largest employer in the region. Patent attorney curiosity prompted many engaging conversations, and we even witnessed two ‘Beluga’ transport planes coming in to land.

Captain Pidgeon wisely elected to bat first in a 40 over contest. Unfortunately Jon Bailey (4) departed early and was soon followed back to the pavilion by Justin Wilson (11), who failed to take advantage of an earlier recall by the opposing captain. Tom Fraser and John Hull were left to attempt a recovery. The score had passed 70 when Hull (24) chipped a catch to deep midwicket

The wicket brought Jon Fleming (21) to the crease and he and Fraser put together a lengthy partnership as Fraser racked up a remarkable third tour century. After Fraser’s departure (retired on 122 to give everyone else a chance), scoring slowed and CIPA struggled to make it to 239 in their 40 overs, with a late flurry Chris King (11 off 4) adding a sheen.

King and Andrew Spurr opened the bowling and created early chances. Unfortunately, no chances stuck. Krishna Raghavan also bowled tidily without immediate success. Toulouse capitalised on local conditions, hitting square through point or over midwicket clearly favourable on a what was a very true artificial wicket. Such shots typically went to (or sailing over) the boundary as the pitch was a repurposed rugby pitch with corresponding dimensions.

Pidgeon finally got the first breakthrough and CIPA sensed a chance. Although Spurr and King returned to pick up further wickets, Toulouse remained up with the required rate and a late acceleration saw them victorious with four overs to spare.

The opposition played the game in excellent spirit and kept this up by several players joining us for an evening of cassoulet and other local delicacies.

Sunday brought a 25 over fixture against a completely different XI from the same club. A slightly more jaded CIPA outfit elected to field first and soon found themselves chasing leather (or hunting for the ball in the trees). Wickets fell steadily, but the runs kept coming. Bailey provided a highlight of a wicket maiden and there was good outfielding with catches from Pidgeon, Spurr (2) and Paddy Lambton.

However, Toulouse racked up an impressive 250, possibly demonstrating the restraint yesterday’s opposition displayed when chasing. This was not an impossible chase, but it would require some spectacular batting. Spurr and King opened and made a steady start. After Spurr was out, Paddy Lambton kept the scoreboard ticking over, but the rate continued to rise. Some late order hitting from Charles Emery, Bailey and Fraser dragged CIPA up to a respectable 178, but victory for Toulouse was never in doubt.

This game was also played with smiles on the faces of all players. Everyone on both sides got a chance to bat and bowl and a lot of fun was had by all. Special congratulations to Henry from Toulouse, who was making his debut in adult cricket and picked up two wickets.

There was still time for a (French) pizza and Sunday flight back home for the happy tourists. This marked the end of another enjoyable tour where we might have been beaten but remained unbowed.

Thanks to George Pidgeon for his efforts in herding the CIPA cats and to Toulouse CC for being wonderful hosts.

Looking forward to 2025

Next season will be CIPA CC’s 25th season and we will be celebrating this milestone, notably with an ‘old v new’ game on Sunday 15 June at Alexandra Park. If you are interested in playing, please contact Andy Spurr at [email protected].

Weekly pre-season nets will run from Tuesday 1 April until Tuesday 13 May, alternating between Lords and The Oval (please check the website for details). Our fixture list is now filling up; we plan to play every Tuesday evening from late May to mid-August. Games are at Alexandra Park Cricket Club, starting at 6pm (or as close as possible).

We are always looking for new players, and value eagerness over ability. Most in-season matches have modified rules to ensure everyone gets a game.

A full list of fixtures will be placed on the website: www.cipacc.org.uk.

Written by Krishna Raghavan, John Hull and Andy Spurr
Pictures by Chris Milton, John Bailey, Rob Jackson and George Pidgeon

---