Posted By: Robin Easton
The Ivy CC versus BBC Bushmen 11 – Arundel Castle May 12 2026.
Written by Ross Cathcart, FirstWorld Media
We’re back. Spring returns. Cricket returns.
And for the Ivy CC’s 11th year on the road…where else to begin? But Arundel Castle. Where this crazy Piano-Bar-meets-cricketing-adventure all began on the second Tuesday of May in 2016. And has been returning every year ever since.
New readers should know this. In the 10 years of this fixture at this most beautiful garden of Eden – the Ivy and the BBC have stood toe to toe, enveloped by the most wonderful surroundings and gracing one of the finest pitches in the country. And have battled it out.
Until this week the record stood:
Played 10
BBC – 4 Wins
Ivy – 3 Wins
Tied – 1
Drawn – 1
Abandoned (broken rib VC) – 1
This fixture has always been a close one. Tight doesn’t describe it. All to play for.
And It’s especially all to play for when the Ivy is under new leadership. After 10 years of dedicated direction, our founder and spiritual leader Chairman Ralph Brünjes called it a day last September. His baggy was passed to club legend Chris “10 CC” Carey. No pressure.
So here we are once again. And we begin as ever in the West Sussex citadel of dreams…his / her highness of Arundel.
BBC win toss and bat first.
Ivy stalwart “Ripper” opens from the Castle end alongside his son “Nipper” who while not being a fully paid up member of the club has been known to wolf down a chorizo squid salad in the piano bar…so he gets to play.
And thank goodness he does play for the team because he takes two very quick wickets. Ripper chips in quickly and suddenly we’re off to the right start: BBC are three down for 30 runs.
It’s a time game which if you have the patience to be cricket-splained means – we’re here for a long day and hopefully a good day – but three wickets down in the first 10 minutes might mean a short day.
Thankfully the BBC reset and rebuild.
The Ivy is a well-balanced side today. We’ve got bowling in spade-loads and batting to come. So we keep at it.
By lunch the BBC are crawling their way to a giddy two runs per over.
The hundred or so spectators who have paid actual money to come and watch this feast of paint-drying cannot wait to get out of their deck chairs and hit the bar. But as ever the Gods of cricket have a second half…
The BBC pair make good use of the Ivy’s post-lunch full-stomach carb-crash. When the fielders are full of roast beef and Yorkshire pudds there’s plenty of runs to be had. Congrats to Mr Anthony Fincham for his high torque 58 – i.e. like a diesel engine he started slow then puttered into perfection.
The Ivy bowling report: nine bowlers – nine FGS!
Ripper tight / Nipper too good / Prez doing his thing / New lads: Sumner, Raj, Scott, Gabbana, Spray – and old boy Doktor (Strange) – all held it together. Wickets fell in the carb infested afternoon. At the right time – in the right sequence.
BBC got to 235 and declared. Remember folks – it’s Arundel. It’s old school timed rules and we set the rules by a gentle handshake and look in the eye. Things will be done right.
So here we go…Ivy set to chase 235 and we’re on the clock – everything needs to be done by about 6.30pm and it’s now 3.45.
Then all thanks to Luke Inglis – fresh off the boat from Melbourne. He got things moving quickly. He’s Australian premier league standard – but likes a martini so is spiritually an Ivy member. Anyway he does something stupid called: “scoring 100 off 50 balls”. Sixes here, fours there…bowler humiliation everywhere. Just what the Doctor ordered. And as he departs at 126-3 the game is in the balance.
So the drama unfolds…with 130 runs to get and eight batters to go…the twists and some very odd turns begin.
Now of course the BBC has a track record at drama. Their bowler Pablo Smith (4-55) also has an uncanny knack of creating the greatest seen since Shakespeare - at this very ground. So buckle up.
D Spray looks good – then out
Our other Aussie - one mullet-draped Connor gets out cheap.
Sumner, Prez, Raj, Scott, Edwards, Gabbana…guess what? They all make Luke look like a deity born for Arundel. Ie It wasn’t quite their day. We’ve all been there right?
And so we have a proper game.
With seven wickets falling in quick succession, the BBC are up for this. Our batting let’s be honest has looked a wee bit “Hammer of God”. If God has double vision.
Cut to: Nine wickets down: 40 runs to get: one hour to get em in.
Step forward Nipper and newly elected 10CC.
Ladies and gentlemen – it was never really in doubt.
A crunched four here…a well taken single there.
Our debutant new Ivy friends were chewing their finger nails in the final moments as much as I was. But really we should have had faith. Chairman 10CC had a plan all the way – down to playing himself at number 11.
Guiding an innings through thick and thin is something you’re probably born to do. Guiding an Ivy innings to victory over the BBC is something many of us want to do. Guiding the Ivy CC into the future is something only 10CC can do.
Ivy 4 – BBC 4.
Next time.
For the record:
BBC
Anthony Fincham – 58
Will Yates* - 46
Tim Taylor – 36
Ivy
Neil Sumner – 12 3 55 2
Harris Cathcart – 6 2 21 2
Ross Cathcart – 9 3 24 1
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Ivy
Luke Inglis – 102
Dom Spray – 35
Harris Cathcart* - 31
Chris Carey *– 15
BBC
Pablo Smith – 11-55-4
Will Yates – 4-21-2
See you next May. (Second Tuesday in May 2027).
