The Cup has now become a permanent feature in the cricket calendar and is played between teams of lawyers from all over the world, mostly from the Commonwealth. The Bar has provided a team from the start (the Bar of England and Wales Cricket Club, BEWCC) and, for this Cup, solicitors also managed to recruit a team.

Arriving in Brisbane in time for the first game on New Year’s Eve was no mean logistical feat and we entered the field as though playing in the dark, but with the sun directly overhead. Twelve teams in two pools gave the Bar matches against Australia B, India A, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka A with a game washed out by (heavy) rain.

Australia B

Australia B is our grudge match and it is pleasant to report a victory. Stockwell (62), Mohindru (36) and Patel (37) were the base of our 211 runs and Walder (3-24), Prior (2-22), Patel (2-34) and Stockwell (1-9) were, as bowlers, responsible for restricting them to 151. India A were next. BEWCC managed 128 runs in the allotted 35 overs. Patel (24), Brinsmead-Stockham (50) and de Mestre (20) saved our blushes, while Stockwell (2-37) and Newcomb (1-15) did what could be done to prevent India passing our total in the 23rd over.

Bangladesh

At this stage a pause. There are teams, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia, which are not only committed to winning (under our motto of ‘cricket for friendship’) but which each contain several seriously good players. BEWCC has good players and has a nominal desire to win but no team, we feel, by way of extenuation, had anything as remotely enjoyable a tour as we did, band of brothers etc. At the other extreme was a new team from Bangladesh who played with great enthusiasm and many laughs but was severely hampered by their best players (so we were told) unable to come because of Australia’s immigration laws. Can you prove a big income, much travel abroad, etc? All frustrating and definitely ‘not cricket’.

Back to the real cricket and 295 against the said Bangladesh. Gullick (78) and Newcomb (70) doing more than proved to be necessary for once the ball had been handed to Lee (5-32), which we shall not forget for some time, Patel (2-31) and Bell (2-51), Bangladesh were laid low. Last of the pool matches, Sri Lanka A, saw Patel (2-46) and Stockwell (1-57) labour to take wickets as the batsmen enjoyed, no doubt, scoring 279-3. BEWCC’s response of 119 was not enough. Burrett (50 with 2 lovely 6s) and, as we are reminded, Bell (14) saved us from disaster.

India B

The pool results discover the semi-finalists while the rest of us play a further game to ‘grade’ us down to 12. This gives us a further game, at least, and friendships are further forged no doubt. India B scored 199-4, Lee (3-40) and Matthews (1-29). In response we managed 164-8, Gullick (21), Williams (22), Lee (28 NO) and Matthews (23 NO). Not forgetting the wicket-keepers, Percival and Burrett, the anchor of any great fielding innings. Cartwright and Haria-Shah were hampered by injury. Pakistan won the Cup in a thrilling last over against India A.

Transcendent team

Law, as someone once said, is a great profession for it leads you anywhere you want to go. Cricket was absent, it is sure, from that person’s hypothetical list of destinations and we are sure that we have now found the Nirvana of life at the Bar, the Cup.

And there was a conference – on sports law at the University of Queensland.

The full team was Quinton Newcomb, our 10,000-watt-smile Captain, James Cartwright, Jamie Williams, Deni Matthews, Matthew Gullick, Robert Percival, Charles Prior, John Brinsmead-Stockham, Tom Bell, Andrew de Mestre, Aaron Walder, Anu Mohindru, Shiv Haria-Shah, Gordon Lee, Sam Stockwell, Sam Burrett and Yasim Patel.

Contact jamesiccy@aol.com for further information.

Contributor James Cartwright, BEWCC

Following on: Bar v Clerks, 17 July, Dulwich College

The Bar v Barristers’ Clerks cricket match, for many years abandoned and previously played at the Oval, is being reinstated. The last match is thought to have been held in 1939, and those with memories of the match in days gone by should please get in touch. (Historical fixture scorecards for Bar cricket aficiandos are available at Cricket Archive  – eg ‘Bar v Barristers’ Clerks, match drawn, 23 May 1902’.)

The all-day match, arranged by King’s Bench Walk Cricket Club, will take place on 17 July at Dulwich College. The ground at Dulwich College is a great venue (an important consideration for cricketers) that has been used in the past by Test teams for practice games. It will be a good day out for all: players, spectators and families very welcome.

Please contact: jamesiccy@aol.com for more details.