Solicitors Retain the Radford Cup in Summer Thriller

Summer has officially arrived, which can mean only one thing for Nottinghamshire’s legal community – the return of the Radford Cup, as Nottinghamshire Law Society Solicitors once again faced off against their long-standing rivals, the Barristers.

On a glorious evening at Gedling and Sherwood Cricket Ground on 2 July, players, supporters and spectators gathered for the first cricket fixture of the season. With the sun shining and the outfield looking inviting, all the ingredients were in place for another memorable encounter.

The Barristers, captained by Luc Chignell, won the toss and elected to bat first, sending out Simon Eckersley and Martin Naylor to open the innings. The Solicitors responded with Sam Jenkinson and George Neville taking the new ball, while captain Aaron Singh donned the gloves behind the stumps.

The opening overs were a cautious affair, with the Barristers building steadily against some disciplined bowling. This year's Solicitors side also welcomed several new faces, with Shoaib Azad, Andrew Edwards and Afif Sarker all making their Radford Cup debuts.

A bowling change saw Shoaib Azad and Shiv Nand enter the attack, and before long the first breakthrough arrived. Martin Naylor struck a superb boundary but shortly afterwards was caught out, bringing Sam Lowne to the crease. Lowne quickly got into his stride, driving several deliveries to the boundary and reminding everyone that few sounds evoke summer quite like the crack of willow meeting ball.

The Solicitors continued to rotate bowlers and fielders throughout the innings, ensuring everyone had the opportunity to contribute. The pressure eventually told when Afif Sarker clean bowled Simon Eckersley, adding another important wicket to the tally.

After 10 overs, the Barristers had reached 45 for 3. Jack McCracken joined the action but departed after six runs, while captain Luc Chignell’s innings proved even shorter, with the Solicitors swiftly removing another dangerous batter before he could settle.

One of the evening’s funniest moments came during confusion over Sam Lowne’s retirement. Shouts of “Come in!” were rapidly followed by cries of “Stay out, we’ve got it wrong!” leaving Sam standing in the middle wondering whether to channel The Clash and ask himself, Should I Stay or Should I Go? Eventually the matter was resolved, and Lowne’s excellent innings came to an end on 29 runs.

The arrival of Jack Neville created an intriguing family subplot given his brother George was fielding for the Solicitors. The sibling rivalry did not disappoint. Attempting an ambitious run with Gregor Purcell, Jack found himself on the wrong end of a run-out involving George, proving that family loyalty only stretches so far once the game begins!

Meanwhile, birthday boy Kassra Powles bowled excellently alongside Andrew Edwards, while the bright pink cricket ball proved a wise choice, making regular trips into the surrounding shrubbery but remaining surprisingly easy to locate.

As the innings progressed, Theo Le-Jeune and Connor Mee helped keep the scoreboard ticking over. Encouraged by increasingly enthusiastic cries of “Run, run, run!” from their teammates, Theo certainly responded to instructions, although he was eventually bowled out after scoring four runs.

At 7.10pm, the Barristers stood at 91 for 7 after 17 overs, putting themselves in position for one of their strongest totals in recent years. A frantic late push finally took them beyond the 100 mark before Gregor Purcell was dismissed. Callum Purcell arrived to see out the innings, which closed on a respectable 114 for 8 from 20 overs, with Alastair Rose bowling the final over.

With a target of 115, the Solicitors began their chase with Aaron Singh and Jak Ward opening the batting. Facing the opening deliveries from Jack McCracken, Aaron survived an early scare by the narrowest of margins before settling into his innings.

Ward and Singh kept the score moving nicely before Ward departed for eight runs. Martin Foulds followed but was unfortunately only able to add a single run before becoming another victim of some sharp Barristers fielding. The Purcell family in particular seemed intent on catching absolutely everything that came their way.

The Solicitors quickly regained momentum through Shoaib Azad, before another chapter was written in the Neville family rivalry. George Neville came to the crease only to see brother Jack Neville take the catch to dismiss him after just one run. Christmas dinner conversations may be interesting this year.

With Aaron steadily approaching retirement on 30 runs, contributions from Shiv Nand, Afif Sarker and others kept the chase moving in the right direction. Sam Jenkinson then added a valuable 10 runs while standing up well against the pace of Simon Eckersley and Callum Purcell.

At 92 for 4 after 13 overs, the Solicitors were firmly closing in on their target. There were still a few late twists as Shoaib departed for 12 runs, Sam was run out by Kassra Powles, and wickets continued to fall as the Barristers fought back through Luc Chignell and Gregor Purcell.

However, the required runs were now within touching distance. With the scoreboard reading 113 for 7 after 15 overs, victory was all but secured. Despite losing additional wickets, the Solicitors eventually crossed the line when Aaron Singh emerged from retirement to finish the job, taking his side to 117 for 9 in just 15 overs.

And with that, the Radford Cup remained firmly in Solicitors’ hands for another year.

As always, the match was played in fantastic spirit, full of competitive cricket, good-natured banter and plenty of laughs. These summer fixtures remain one of the highlights of the legal community calendar, bringing together colleagues from across the profession to enjoy an evening of sport, friendship and a little healthy rivalry.

A huge thank you also goes to our umpires, Tristan and Melvyn, who somehow managed to keep control of 22 enthusiastic lawyers armed with cricket bats, competitive instincts and no shortage of opinions! Their good humour, sharp eyes and steady nerves helped keep the match flowing smoothly from first ball to last, and their efforts were greatly appreciated by both teams.

Congratulations to everyone who took part, and especially to the Solicitors’ team, who successfully retained the Radford Cup for a third consecutive year. 🏏🏆

Solicitors' Team Captain - Aaron Singh and Barristers' Team Captain Luc Chignell discussing the opening strategies!

Barristers' team talking team tactics...

Umpires Tristan and Melvyn...

Solicitors' Team discussing the first part of the game and preparing to bat....

The final scores....