A train wreck in slow motion.
As with all MCC cricket tours, this one began with a sense of trepidation. The pre-tour nerves were only heightened by the fact it was organised by our very own Joy. What was meant to be a week of cricket on grass wickets around greater London quickly descended into a desperate struggle, as just eight men limped their way to a first win on the final day. Kitted out in a new Newbery design, the Munich Cricket Club were set to enjoy the week ahead. For some, though, the tour ended even earlier—with an unscheduled trip to Stonehenge. But we’ll get to that.
A Tour, within a tour to the Lords Cricket Ground.
Lords: The view from the nursery ground looking at the Indoor Cricket Center.
With excitement running high, the early pioneers of the now-fabled Beaconsfield Wetherspoons packed their cricket bags—along with Christian’s car—for a pilgrimage to the hallowed Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Subtle: A reminder for Christian to drive on the correct side of the road.
Located in the heart of London and firmly on many cricketers’ bucket lists, the net session at Lord’s was destined to be unforgettable. Not for Jason’s elegant drives through the covers, Niraj’s control with the ball in hand, or even the famous slope at Lord’s (did you know there’s a slope at Lord’s?). No, what etched it into memory was the sound of Joy’s despair as his beloved ‘new’ Darth Vader bat—conveniently just out of warranty—split. The force, it seemed, was not strong with that one.
Back at the Wetherspoons, reinforcements had arrived. More tourists joined the party and were eager to take their shift on the beers, doing their best to keep pace with our resident German and soon-to-be birthday boy, Christian.
The indoor setup at Lords
The Iconic entrance of Lords
Northwood Cricket Club Vs. Munich Cricket Club
Friday August 15th 2025 – 20 Over Match
Northwood Cricket Club 8/159 Defeated Munich Cricket Club 8/156 on the final ball of the day.
Match Scorecard | Stream – Munich CC Bowling – Munich CC Batting
Bowling: Niraj Thapliyal 3/33, Such Desai 2/32, Paul Scott 1/21.
Batting: Such Desai 52 (36) ret no, Joy Arun 29 (20), Cameron Foskett 25 (19).
As Munich Cricket Club arrived at the ground, spirits were high and hopes even higher of kick-starting the campaign on English soil with a win against what appeared to be a youthful Northwood CC side. Sent in to bowl on an oval—and wicket—reminiscent of Lord’s (you do know there’s a slope at Lord’s, don’t you?), Scotty rolled back the years with immaculate line and length, claiming an early wicket that had the young fella “up and about.”
But with some pLLLLayers slipping over, other pLLLLayers putting down catches, and runs flowing freely down the slope to the boundary, it was far from a memorable fielding display. The highlight came in a Neeraj over, when a Cameron Foskett run-out helped complete a team hat-trick and 4 wickets in 4 balls.
Chasing 160, Munich were confident they could use the “Lordesque” slope to their advantage. The intent was clear—well, for most of the side. Cam, however, offered a unique interpretation of preparedness. Having nudged a single off his first delivery, he looked down to discover he was batting without pads. That effort secured the first nomination for DOtD (Dick of the Day)—though the “award” would also feature later thanks to Cam’s “unwanted” attention from a local grandmother.
Wickets began to tumble like balls down the Northwood slope (and leg side) before Joy and Such steadied the innings and dragged Munich back into contention. Ultimately, the 31 extras conceded—compared to the opposition’s 19—proved costly. With the match coming down to the final ball, Billy couldn’t quite muscle one through the leg side for the winning boundary, leaving MCC just short of their opening victory.
If disappointment lingered, it didn’t last long. The third innings was taken on in typical Munich style, countless beers, average chat, and a delectable Indian feast courtesy of the hosts. The Northwood connection came thanks to Joy and his cousin (who may or may not have also made the pilgrimage to Stonehenge). The DOtD was officially awarded to Cam for his batting effort.
From there, the Yellow and Black carried their momentum into the night, celebrating Christian’s birthday back at the Spoons with intent.
Royal Household Vs. Munich Cricket Club
Saturday August 17th 2025 – Timed Match
Munich Cricket Club 11/201 (39.4) Defeated By Royal Household Cricket Club 10/202 (39 overs)
Match Scorecard | Stream – Munich CC Batting Munich CC Bowling
Bowling: Joy Arun 4/57, Cameron Foskett 3/9, Neeraj Thapilyal 2/39
Batting: Amol Modak 72 (95), Cameron Foskett 51 (53), Jason James 27 (26)
Playing at Frogmore is another bucket-list experience for many cricketers, famed for its elite afternoon tea, warm post-match hospitality, and a glorious setting with the iconic Windsor Castle as a backdrop. For me, though, it was yet another slope that kept catching the eye.
MCC Vs. Royal Household at Frogmore
For most of us, preparations were focused on the game ahead. For Joy, however, the priority was a personalised birthday present for Christian. Arriving at the gates of Windsor Castle, anticipation was high—Joy had arranged something special. Or so we thought. Instead, the birthday boy was promptly ordered out of the car by a police officer and left waiting for clearance to enter the castle grounds.
Back on the cricket front, Billy – aptly dubbed “Judas” – switched allegiances to play for Frogmore, while the rest of us donned the whites once more. Openers Dan Downes and Praf Toke began with confidence, but after five overs the scoreboard read a cautious 0/8. Given Dan’s well-documented loathing of the monarchy, his visit to Windsor Castle was poetic irony; while others might have felt the usual disappointment of being out, Dan likely felt the added sting of being dismissed in the shadow of the very institution he despises. The Royals soon found their rhythm, pitching the ball up and reaping the rewards. A hat-trick in the sixth over sparked a collapse, and by the end of the eighth we were reeling at 5/21.
Enter Cameron Foskett and Amol Modak. Taking their time to settle, they rebuilt the innings with a superb 100-run stand. Cam struck a fluent 51 (53), while Amol compiled a gritty 72 (95), the pick of the batters against a disciplined bowling attack. Later, Jason “Horse Whisperer” James added valuable late runs, finishing with a composed 26 not out at better than a run a ball. From the depths of despair, Munich closed on a far more respectable 200.
Horse Whisper: Three stallions eying off a philly in the background.
The change of innings brought renewed hope. Munich’s new-ball pair delivered, with Cameron Foskett and Paul Scott reducing the Royals to 5/21 inside 10 overs. On a lively turf wicket, every run was hard-fought, and the middle overs became a tense grind as MCC hunted for breakthroughs.
Just as the finish loomed, distractions emerged. A helicopter circled ominously over Windsor Castle, and—coincidence or not—while chasing a ball to the boundary, Cameron Foskett went down as though snipered from the skies, suffering a knee and shoulder injury that ended both his match and his tour.
Still, the fight went on. Joy and Scotty combined to keep the Royals in check, taking wickets at crucial intervals. But in the end, it was Mark O’Leary’s match-winning 75 (72) and 5/57 that proved decisive. The Royals edged home with only a handful of deliveries to spare, denying Munich what would have been a famous victory.
View of the slope at Frogmore
Joy rushing off the field to quickly get to Stonehenge
In the third innings, it was once again MCC who took the early initiative—this time on the front foot against Gee’s shenanigans and the temptations of cheap alcoholic offerings within the castle grounds. Highlights were plentiful as the evening wore on, none more memorable than Christian “Das Boot” Haack and his birthday-boy antics. Special mention to the MCC member(s) who showed their appreciation for the wonderful hospitality by redecorating the LLLLavetory before we departed. We do wish to thank all the support we received from our friends, family and wider supporters of the MCC for coming along and enjoying the day from us.
The DOtD, however, went to none other than Joy, who managed the rare treble: ‘forgetting’ to add Christian’s name to the team list, bagging a golden duck, and contributing to the hat-trick. To compound matters, he also refused to don the MCC DoTD shirt in front of certain family members. It felt rather disappointing—after all, some of us ‘Australians’ were exiled to Australia for doing less on English soil.
Beaconsfield Cricket Club Vs. Munich Cricket Club
Sunday August 18th 2025 – 40 Over Match
Munich Cricket Club Defeated By Beaconsfield Cricket Club
Match Scorecard | Stream – Munich CC Batting Munich CC Bowling
Bowling: Neeraj Thapilyal 3/23, Christian Haack 2/22, Billy Mirtschin 2/39.
Batting: Deep Kortu 51 (34 ret no), Suchit Desai 42, Praf Toke 27 (not out).
The familiar trend continued as Munich rolled into Beaconsfield: a hungover side, praying to bat first, eager to escape the cold, wind, and elements. But this time was different. At the gates we were greeted by a cheerful young chap dressed head-to-toe in Bavaria’s finest. A lederhosen, Birkenstocks, socks, and proudly donning his Munich CC yellows. Our old friend, Toby Slater. The Beaconsfield Cricket Club had generously invited us to play as part of their Presidents day on their award winning wicket —and what a day it proved to be.
Opening for the visitors were the in-form pair of Amol Modak and Jason James. On a fine wicket – disappointingly without a slope – Jason continued his busy batting form, knocking the ball into gaps and running hard to give Munich a promising start. Wickets, however, fell quickly around him. Amol succumbed to the blood still surfacing through his alcohol system, while Vish’s innings never really took flight, fuelled only by Guinness 0. It fell to our very own number 69, Deep, to steady the innings and build a partnership. It must be noted that Deep had insisted he wouldn’t tour unless he was given that number, aggressively campaigning for it; some might argue it was one of the reasons we suffered so many late withdrawals and perhaps the motivation as to why Joy went to Stonehenge.
Deep, having had his way, got going quickly. He reached 50 and retired compulsorily, leaving Suchit to carry on the momentum. Runs flowed until one of Toby’s “off-spinners” miraculously went straight, trapping Such LBW. On his way in, Billy asked, “What’s he doing?” To which Such dryly replied, “Toby doesn’t spin it.” Billy scratched around but managed to produce the shot of the tour—threading a drive along the carpet through the covers off their overseas pro. That boundary aside, he didn’t trouble the scorers much further. It was left to Praf, who chose the aerial route, finishing with a lively 27 not out as MCC closed on 195. Toby “Judas” Slater, of course, was the pick of the bowlers with 3/16.
After yet another glorious Beaconsfield tea, Munich sluggishly took to the field to defend their modest total. With an all-out pace attack, Vish and Christian opened up, nagging away at the Beaconsfield openers. Amazingly, it was Christian, who had consumed enough alcohol the night before to sink a small vessel in Windsor Castle’s moat, who struck the early blows. It must be noted, however, that the alcohol hadn’t fully left his system: a sharp caught-and-bowled chance went begging off the Kiwi import, who was clearly a class above which proved to be costly. Meanwhile our good friend Toby was operating at a similar class to us here at the MCC. He was aptly bowled around his legs by Neeraj. The fielding throughout the game from was less than notable, Praf packed his cinderblock shoes as he patrolled the boundary and at this stage of the tour the majority refused to throw the ball overarm with the fear of doing more damage to their shoulder.
Bowling in tandem with evergreen Paul Scott, momentum began to swing back Munich’s way. Neeraj bowled an exceptional spell, while Scotty – propped up by Deep Heat and painkillers – chipped in with vital breakthroughs. Wickets fell at regular intervals to keep the game in the balance heading into the final overs. Ultimately, though, it was the Kiwi import who returned to finish the job for the hosts, leaving Munich to once again target victory in the third innings back at the pavilion.
Presentation: The Munich CC cap placed at the 200 year old Beaconsfield Cricket Club. Taking pride of place in front of the Over 70’s England Vs. Australia commemorative plaque.
Jumping for Joy: Joy enJOYing himself at Stonehenge.
Chenies and Latimer Cricket Club
Sunday August 18th 2025 – 40 Over Match
Munich Cricket Club 1/258 Defeated Chenies and Latimer Cricket Club 10/254
Match Scorecard | Stream – Munich CC Batting Munich CC Bowling
Bowling: Suchit Desai 4/7, Niraj 3/37, Vish Bhatia 1/19
Batting: Pete (Ringer) – 51 ret no, Vish 51 ret no, Dave (Ringer) 52 ret no), Suchit Desai 41 (not out)
The final match of the tour brought Munich CC to Chenies & Latimer Cricket Club—a side we had previously faced on tour in VIS. Over a number of beers, the idea of playing them again seemed inspired. In reality, it proved anything but. With just eight wounded men left standing, a desperate plea went out for reinforcements—anyone willing to don Munich colours for the closing chapter of the London campaign.
At the 11th hour, three ringers answered the call: Pete, on loan from the home side; Dave, a South African cricketing badger from a neighbouring club; and Scott “Gary” Wagner, a mate of Billy’s from university. Collectively, they were best described as the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly—yet all undeniably effective and memorable.
Arriving at the ground, we were finally greeted with typical English weather: grey, cold, and miserable. With heads still heavy from the night before, the universal request was to bat first and enjoy the warmth of the pavilion. The skipper, however, had other ideas. On winning the toss, he elected to field—inflicting more pain on a side still searching for its first victory of the tour. With 45 overs to toil, the ringers showed optimism and determination, while the regulars approached the task with a healthy dose of trepidation.
The innings began brightly, Vish and Jason opening the bowling with immediate impact. A calamitous run-out from Billy in the second over left the hosts one down for very little. But the jubilation was short-lived. The remaining opener, clearly a class above, began threading elegant drives to all corners of the ground—proving you don’t need a slope to dominate an English wicket. As Munich searched for answers, Neeraj’s class shone through, supported by Christian, Suchit, and Amol, who all chipped in to keep the game alive.
Special mention must go to our Australian ringer, Scott/Wags/Gary/Rahul—take your pick. His three-over spell will live long in infamy: a full-blown case of the yips that left him unable to land the ball on the pitch with any regularity. Amol captured the evidence on video, and the performance was reminiscent of former Prime Minister John Howard’s infamous bowling display in Pakistan. Somehow, despite fears of conceding 500, Munich restricted the hosts to 254 from 41 overs—a chaseable target that offered hope of a long-awaited first win.
The batting response oozed class, composure, and runs in bulk. Opening for Munich were Pete—the ringer who modestly “bats a bit”—and our reliable Vish. Though they barely knew each other (Such had unceremoniously made Pete patrol fine leg to fine leg for 41 overs), the pair struck up an instant partnership. Vish caressed the ball elegantly through the off side, while Pete preferred squarer strokes, together building a complete wagon wheel. By the time both were forced to retire on reaching 50, the scoreboard showed 100 and Munich looked well set.
Next came Dave the ringer alongside Such, after Jason James had spoiled what might have been the perfect batting day by falling LBW, plumb in front. But Dave and Such continued in the same vein. Such, with his constant noodling and sharp running, worked the ball into gaps, while Dave simply launched it over the boundary and into the next postcode. Amol chipped in a few handy boundaries to close of the WIN!
The Chenies and MCC teams after the final game of the tour
As the runs continued to pile up and the required total dwindled—much like the remaining hours of the tour—the result finally fell Munich’s way. A well-earned victory at last, followed by a curry and a few heartfelt farewells, brought the curtain down on what can only be remembered as a successful and memorable trip.
Closing Comments
As we pause to reflect on the efforts of so many who gave up their time to be part of this tour, we extend our sincere thanks to the clubs who hosted us with such generosity. A special mention must go to Joy for organising the tour, and to Amol, whose tireless filming provided excellent content for both the socials and his YouTube channel.
Finally, to the partners, friends, and family members who came along to support us (and, in some cases, detoured to Stonehenge), thank you for backing our club both at home and abroad.
Munich Cricket Club Tour to England, 2025.
Suchit Desai, Joy Arun, Jason James, Christian Haack, Amol Modak, Billy Mirtschin, Paul Scott, David Llewellyn, Dan Downes, Neeraj Thapilyal, Vish Bhatia, Praf Toke, Cameron Foskett, Deep Kotru + numerous Phil Ins (aka ringers).