Captain’s blog #5 – End of Season Reflections 2025 by Sam Brooks

As we bring another season to a close, I wanted to offer my season reflections on what’s been a truly brilliant year for Anson CC — both on and off the field.

There’s been some great cricket played, some memorable wins, and a handful of standout individual performances that deserve a proper mention. Let’s get stuck in.

Milestones, Partnerships & Match-winners

To start, it’s only right to give a huge shoutout to Dane Attard, who notched up his maiden century for the club — and then followed it up with another ton in the very next game. Class. Dane was part of both of our top two partnerships this season too, once with Billy, once with Lee — proving just how important he’s been to our batting line-up. Despite not being able to hit a Six😅

Joe Defreitas also made a huge impact with the bat whenever he was available. His century against Chigwell was a standout, but the real showstopper was in our final match of the season — a 99 not out against the John Moody XI, steering us to a memorable victory.

That win marked our 11th of the season, alongside a draw and five losses — giving us a win percentage just under 65%, the best we’ve had in the past four years. As captain, I’ll take that all day.

Playing with Freedom – Anson All-rounders

One thing I wanted to focus on this year was giving everyone more freedom — not just labelling players as “batsmen” or “bowlers,” but encouraging the lads to try new roles and enjoy all aspects of the game.

Take Paul Evans, for example — one of our star bowlers, but this season he spent a lot of time batting in the top 3. Whether it was a throwback to a blog from former skipper Greg or doctor’s orders limiting his overs, Paul stepped up. He scored a couple of fifties — including a brilliant 71 against Capricorn — and is now just shy of 4,000 runs for the club, which is some going for a player who’s contributed so much with both bat and ball over the years.

Another standout all-round effort came from Mitch Gilbert. When I needed a bit of magic with the ball, Mitch delivered — whether it was 4-12 against Blue Star or 4-39 against Chadwell Heath Lions. He bowled tough spells, kept things tight, and still averaged 33 with the bat. In fact, he even opened the bowling in one game. Mitch became my go-to guy when things got tense — always up for the challenge and always competing.

Needless to say, as captain, I’ll be looking at more players to shine in other areas next season. I’ve got my eye on Jim and Luke to become bowling maestros, while Billy and Steve will be under gentle pressure to bolster their batting stats. The potential is definitely there — and with the right opportunities, who knows what they could deliver?

The goal is simple: keep it fun, keep it competitive, and help every player grow their game.

The Hat-trick Hero

And now to one of the most unbelievable stories of the season — Charlie Brooks, or as we affectionately call him, “Uncle Buck.”

Charlie returned to the side last year, and this season we worked hard to turn him into a spin bowler (a slow bowler, if we’re honest). And the result? 27 wickets in 16 games, making him our leading wicket-taker.

But the real headline? Two hat-tricks in two weeks.
First, against Blue Star, he cleaned up the innings in style. Then, the very next game, he bagged another hat-trick — 4-46 against Newham. The scenes on the boundary were unreal — I remember standing at long off watching Taggs storm the field, fists pumping in celebration.

Now, for those who were there, we all know that first hat-trick might forever be remembered as a “Shat-Trick” — three full tosses, three wickets. But who cares? A hat-trick is a hat-trick — and to do it two weeks running in Sunday cricket? That’s legendary stuff. Well done, Chas — one for the club’s history books.

The Tight Ones

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. We had our fair share of close calls — and none more nerve-wracking than our game against East Ham Corinthians. We scrapped our way to 165 after a battling final-wicket stand between Mark Ansell and Chris James.

In the field, we had to be at our absolute best — and we were. Enter Daniel Parnell – who took two unreal catches, including the best of the season off my bowling. I’d just moved him to cover to stop the singles – four balls later, I bowled a loose one, and the batsman crunched it… only for Dan to fly full-stretch to his left and pull off a Ben Stokes-esque catch with his weaker hand. Genuinely unreal.

Fielding – the Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Now, on the whole, our fielding was a bit of a mixed bag. 69 catches taken, 43 dropped. I’ll put my hand up — I dropped three in one match, all off Steve’s bowling (apologies again, mate… let’s blame the hangover).

But there were flashes of brilliance — Daniel, Luke, Dane, Dave, Charlie, Billy, George — lads with far safer hands than me. And I’ll cling to the fact that I did finally take my first slip catch for the club this season. Small wins.

The Anson Spirit

Beyond the stats, the wickets, and the runs, what made this season so special was the spirit of the team. Week in, week out, this group of lads turned up, gave it everything, and had a proper laugh doing it. It’s been my favourite season as captain, hands down.

The personalities in this squad make leading the side an absolute pleasure. We support each other, we push each other, and we enjoy the game together — exactly how Sunday cricket should be.

What’s Next

Looking ahead, I’m already excited for next season. There’s so much more we can do — more records to chase, more moments to create, and more memories to make. But first, we’ve got our usual off-season fun — Christmas do, karaoke, darts, golf days and of course, the AGM in early 2026.

A massive thank you to all the players, opposition teams, committee members, and all the friends and family who support us. Your energy, commitment, and laughter are what make this club what it is.

Let’s enjoy the winter — with The Ashes on telly to keep the cricket spirit alive.

Until next season,
Cheeks
Anson St George CC Captain