Halstead Cricket Club

The 2025 season at Star Stile concluded last weekend amidst heavy rain and ultimate disappointment at missing out in the East Anglian Premier League playoff semi-final. That, in truth, was virtually the only setback in what has been a wonderful summer of cricket played mostly under clear blue skies.

The 1st XI, under new skipper Ryan Vickery, won the Two Counties Division 1 for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year and also the T20 league. The 2nd and 3rd XI’s both consolidated their positions in their respective league with some particularly encouraging performances from several of our colts as they develop into senior cricket.

On the subject of the Colts, Chris Rayner and his team of coaches continue to build for the future, and this is a part of the club we are particularly keen to develop going forward.

Special mention must go to our Sri Lankan visitor, Tharusha Fernando, whose spin bowling destroyed many an opposition and was equally adept with bat in hand. We wish him well for the future.

Off the field, the annual Beer Festival broke all records aided by some glorious weather. A huge amount of work goes into the event, led by Richard, Lauren, Adam, and Pyro, and supported by a team of helpers behind the bar. The kind sponsorship by so many companies and individuals makes an enormous difference in helping to defray costs. Thank you.

On the Friday of festival week, we were able to host our first lunch post-Covid. Rutherford and Buck catered wonderfully. Having been well received, it is the plan for this once again to become an annual event.

Remarkably, we barely lost a Friday evening, enabling a full season of Colts cricket and many well-attended High Street Rangers fixtures, allowing for an upswing in bar takings on the previous year. The barbecue was also fired up more than ever, meaning Richard and Pyro won’t want to see another burger or sausage for a very long time.

Now for a long list of thank-yous.

To our generous sponsors, we are particularly indebted to Nick Hume of Hume Homes, who has taken over this year as Club Sponsor. We look forward to working with him in the future. All sponsors, large or small, are the lifeblood of the club, and we are extremely grateful for their support.

Neil, Adam, and Joe Morris have worked many, many hours over the year to once again produce what are widely regarded as the best pitches in the area. Neil will be stepping back in 2026 to a support role rather than lead, due to work and family commitments. A huge thank you from all at the club for his work over the years.

To David Robinson, for his umpiring of the 2nd XI team games.

To Gary and his wonderful co-groundworkers, who keep Star Stile in such immaculate condition.

To the tea ladies… welcome back! Cricket teas made a return this year to universal acclaim; thank you, all of you, it really does make such a difference to the whole afternoon.

To Richard, our Bar Manager and the glue that holds the many moving parts together, thank you, I know it’s rewarding and challenging in equal parts.

And last but by no means least, Lauren, our club secretary, without whom I’d be lost. I, and the whole club, really do appreciate your dedication to the role. It has certainly been challenging at times. Halstead Cricket Club is all about a wonderful group of people both on and off the pitch, and I am confident that 2026 will be another wonderful year.

Winter well, and we look forward to seeing you back at Star Stile in the spring.

Robert

Another fantastic year for HCC. Across the board, the teams have excelled, and it’s great to see us building on the strong foundation laid over the past few seasons with competition within squads at its highest in years.

The 1XI built on the continued success of recent seasons, with Captain Ryan Vickery leading the team on another storming campaign en route to securing a fourth consecutive Two Counties Division One title. Big contributions throughout the batting line-up saw runs scored across all positions, including four centuries, two of which came from the standout Callum O’Connell at the top of the order, highlighted by a sensational 144 against Clacton at Star Stile. With the ball, overseas signing Tharusha Fernando bamboozled opponents on his way to a staggering 52 league wickets, ably supported by spin twins King and Millions. A final mention goes to the skipper behind the stumps, who finished with 55 league dismissals.

The 2XI quickly proved they deserved their spot in Division 4 following last year’s promotion. Big contributions with the bat from Mark Johnson, including a classy 107* away at Wivenhoe, as well as important knocks from James Tyson. He was ably backed up by the wicket-taking efforts of his twin, Matt Tyson, and Callum Hansey, whose 5-fer against Brockley in early April kickstarted the season. The evergreen Chris Roper continued to spin his web, with a 4/13 at Nacton helping maintain the promotion push. Ultimately, they fell agonisingly short of back-to-back promotions.

The 3XI saw captain Mark Harris lead from the front, with best bowling figures of 5/10 and 4/9, as they played out a solid year in Division 8. Youthful exuberance paired with wily experience was the name of the game, as the younger members went from strength to strength. Strong performances from Freddie Rose, Archie Smith, and Leo Nicholls truly demonstrated what 3XI cricket is all about.

This momentum extended into the success of the Sunday team, following a merger with our friends at Wickham St Paul. Key contributions came from both young and old. Skipper Will Moss led the way with a swashbuckling hundred against rivals Gestingthorpe, while Carl Mixture’s 93* in a dominant win against Bures was a real highlight. With the ball, a father-son duo topped the figures table, Dan Smith’s 5/18 just piping son Archie’s fantastic pair of 4-fers against Bures and Wethersfield.

Rounding off the summer, the T20XI, under the steady hand of skipper Josh King, retained the T20 title. Fernando, King, and Hansey topped the wicket charts, while James Tyson, Fernando, and Vickery all made timely contributions with the bat.

A big thank you from all the players to the hard-working team behind the scenes who make each weekend possible, from pitch preparation by the Morris family and their dedicated helpers, to the many others who put countless hours into the grounds. Lastly, a huge thanks to everyone who came out to support the teams throughout the summer, your support, as always, is deeply appreciated.