Captain’s blog #4 – Where Legends Take Guard 🏏 by Sam Brooks

A new season dawns at Anson St George Cricket Club

With our WhatsApp groups filling with chatter and questionable memes, it signals one thing loud and clear: Anson St George Cricket Club is back for 2025. The anticipation for another cricket season is absolutely pulsating among the Anson boys. For many of us, cricket isn’t just a game – it becomes a personality trait from April through September. White kits come out, work spreadsheets get ignored, and weekends revolve around sun, sledging and the hope that this is the year we won’t lose a game to Chadwell Heath Lions or GBXI alike.

The creation of this blog has sparked a ripple of goodwill and nostalgia across the club. It’s inspired like-minded players, new and old, to dive headfirst into the Anson culture. With new initiatives, returning heroes, and a commitment to blending cricketing tradition with off-field camaraderie, Anson heads into the season with more on the cards than just runs and wickets. You can expect some village and brilliant cricketing moments, sharp chat and the occasional jug or two at the Harrow Lodge.

Fantasy Picks & The Return of Mitch Gilbert – A Club Like No Other (Now With Trading Cards?)

I’d like to share some notable triumphs from the team in the off season leading into 2025 and further look ahead to playing for Anson in my second year as captain.

An honourable mention for none other than our returning (and newly appointed) Treasurer, Mitch Gilbert. Far from just crunching numbers, Mitch has thrown his support behind Lee’s (his dad) beloved Anson History and introduced Anson Player Cards.

A Top Trumps-style game celebrating the squad. Imagine Panini stickers with a healthy dose of village banter. We’re not saying they’ll be collectors’ items in a decade… but we’re also not not saying that.

As soon as the season starts, expect to see them passed around the changing rooms and possibly even used to settle selection debates. 

“Sorry mate, you’ve got a lower strike rate than Hugh.”

Alongside the cards, Mitch has also masterminded our newest initiative: Anson’s Last Man Stands. This is a weekly fantasy-style competition where players pick their MVP before each game. Once the team sheets are out, you’ve got until the morning of the match to lock in your selection. A growing list of rules adds to the matchday drama – perfect fuel for boundary banter or a post-match beer debate.

Off-Season Dispatches: From Sri Lanka to South Africa

Cricket might be a seasonal game, but the Anson boys don’t hibernate.

Sam and Harry Doyle took part in a cricket tour of South Africa over the winter, no doubt gaining life experience and valuable playing time. Will it compare to the challenge of Cromer Road’s two-paced deck and questionable bounce? Probably not – but they’ll find out soon enough.

Meanwhile, our own Hugh Henry, Fixture and Kit Secretary, had a more official winter assignment. As scorer for the England Over-50s side, Hugh travelled to Sri Lanka for the World Cup, overseeing England’s impressive run to a third-place finish. Certainly a quiet triumph, which, let’s be honest, is better than the senior squad has managed in recent memory).

Club Chairman, Lee Gilbert, also clocked up some air miles, representing Hornchurch CC at the European Cricket League in Spain. With a few fiery contests and some rain delays (even in Spain, you can’t escape it), the tournament added another chapter to Lee’s ever-growing cricketing CV.

For me, I’ve been hibernating and scrolling through social media watching hours of Can You Cricket and other village cricket videos to fuel my void. Hopefully we can start to produce our own content to share online for the world to see!

Additionally, I have also indulged in purchasing a new bat and hoping this one works🤣 

The Squad: Consistency Meets Confidence

The Anson core remains firmly in place for 2025, with Mitch’s relieving Paul as Treasurer the only official change. It’s a familiar group, bonded by seasons past.

Club Officers 2025:

• Captain: Sam Brooks

• Vice Captain: Dave Bage

• Chairman: Lee Gilbert

• Fixture & Kit Secretary: Hugh Henry

• Match Secretary: Jim Dale

• Social Secretaries: Jim Dale & Billy Parnell

• Treasurer: Mitch Gilbert

Looking Ahead

Our numbers are healthy with as many as 18 members paid up for the upcoming season.

Importantly, it’s my role as captain to fine tune what could be a rotating XI which if you had asked me last season, is a very good challenge to have. 

Lots on offer for our regulars to boost their own stats each week, with the common goal of winning games of cricket for Anson St George Cricket Club. 

Over, Over

Cheeks