Strollers continue winning streak with comfortable victory over the Bohemians
posted: July 28, 2025

The Strollers arrived at Shepherds Cot this Sunday for only our second game of the season at Ferme Park. It was fitting, then, that we were playing our long-time foes, the Battersea Bohemians. 

Upon winning the toss, Harry went against the recent successful formula of batting first, opting to field and restrict the Bohos to a subpar score, in confidence that we could chase a big one if required. 

Adam and Kash started tightly, restricting the early flow of runs that often happens at Ferme Park. Kash struck first, removing Smith LBW in the fifth. This brought the Bohos' main threat, the returning Kyle Pittman, to the crease, who got off the mark first ball with a boundary. Ominous signs, but Adam and Kash persisted with a tidy line and length, and it was Adam who was rewarded with the key wicket of Pitman when he miscued to Abhik at extra cover, who took an impressive catch on his second attempt.

Spencer and KK then replaced the openers, and both instantly found their groove. KK struck in his very first over, with Connor taking a sharp catch behind the stumps. Spence, getting some variable bounce out of the pitch, picked up a couple of crucial wickets before drinks, with Tim and Abhik catching well in the deep. With the Bohos 84-5 at the halfway stage, we felt we were in a strong position, made even better when Spencer struck again to leave the Bohos six down before they had reached three figures.

Any hopes of chasing a target below 200 were soon dashed when Bohos' skipper Ollie Buxton and Botterill shared a 120-odd run stand for the sixth wicket. It seemed we had peaked in the field already, as our initial flawless catching deserted us, and as we amassed a total of five costly drops from over eighteen onward, as the Bohos eventually closed on 218-8. History told us this may have been a bit light for Ferme Park, but it certainly wasn’t going to be an easy chase on a track that looked a bit tricky to bat on.

Our reply got off to a good start, with George and Abhik seeing us through to 30-0 off the first four overs. Two wickets then fell in quick succession, with George first bowled by Sherman and then Connor swiftly following suit when he obliged with tradition to deliver his annual Strollers appearance/ duck. Abhik ensured we remained well within the required rate with some trademark big hits, but was deceived by the spin of Hamsard for 43. After looking steady and connecting with some equally intrinsic sweep shots, passing 3,000 club runs in the process, Tim somehow managed to play onto a ball going down the leg, and we found ourselves in a sticky situation, 72-4 off the first ten. 

This brought Harry and Kash to the crease, in what proved to be the match-winning partnership. Both batsmen played diligently to drinks, while also ensuring we remained firmly on track to meet our target, guiding us to 118-4 at the halfway point of our innings. Requiring a further 101 for victory off the remaining seventeen overs, Harry and Kash needed just eight, smashing the ball to all parts of the ground, reaching the target with nine overs to spare — a comfortable victory in the end, and the second 150-run plus partnership in three games for Kash (don't tell Ron!)

Four in four for the Strollers, and we are back at NLCC next week as we look to make it five.


Harry Brown
28.07.2025