Woodley Park, Friday 21 November 2025
If cricket is not immediately associated with California, then neither are thunderstorms, but both were out in full force on the morning of Friday 21 November as twenty two players from around the world donned their whites and attempted to navigate the muddy bog that stood between their parked cars and the pitch for the inaugural England v ANZAC cricket match at Woodley Park in Los Angeles.
The two captains, R.J.W. Topley, of England and TMZ fame, and New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson, were already there, barefoot, after an hour mopping the outfield in a bid to keep the game on. An effort that would no doubt have been applauded by C Aubrey-Smith, founder of the original Hollywood Cricket Club in 1932, who expected full commitment to the cause. Arriving in Los Angeles for the first time in 1933, a young Laurence Olivier found a handwritten note from Aubrey-Smith waiting for him in his hotel room that read simply: “There will be nets tomorrow at 9am. I trust I shall see you there.”
Just shy of a century later, practice had perhaps been a little less stringent than in the Aubrey-Smith era, but the commitment to the cause couldn’t be faulted as players removed their shoes and socks and joined the mopping up efforts led by their captains. After some expert pitch rolling by groundsman Rodney Cutting, coconut matting was tacked into the turf by Malibu cricket club stalwart Paul Severn and as the sun started to filter through the dark clouds over the ground it looked like there might be a game to be played at last.
In seaming conditions, it was England who took to the field first and Chris Sumner and Josh Bowden who splashed out to open the batting for the ANZACs. Calm and collected behind dark sunglasses, Sumner took guard and prodded a shade uncertainly at the checkerboard of matting, tape and mud underfoot while entertainment attorney Ed Buggé paced out the long run. In came Buggé, leap, gather and then the unmistakeable sound of leather on willow; the ANZACs off and running in the rain.
Soon it was Bowden’s turn. After a watchful start, the stylish left hander quickly got into gear, cutting and driving to great effect as the ANZACs built a solid opening partnership. Unable to achieve a breakthrough with the ball, it proved to be the music industry’s grapples with AI that had Sumner’s number, as the opener was forced to retire mid-flow to take a conference call from the boundary edge, much to the relief of the already soaked England fielders.
Despite some excellent bowling from fitness trainer to the stars, Brad Gould, number three Liam Ginnivan was soon into his stride, plundering the medium pace of Olly Manhi for a profitable over for the ANZACs. With Bowden and Ginnivan roaring ahead, it was soon time for Topley. England’s captain was quickly into his work, exerting all his franchise experience to dry up the ANZAC run rate, ably 2 supported by keeper Christian Hose with some excellent takes in the sea of mud behind the stumps.
Following another useful over from Dave Westerhout, the gentlemanly retirement of Bowden and Ginnivan brought ANZAC skipper Lockie Ferguson to the crease. Alongside batting partner Vedant Jain, the pair quickly took the attack back to England. In the vein of a man with three full size cricket nets in his back garden, Vedant briefly went blow for blow with his skipper before Alex Rylance snuck one through his finely honed defences for the first England wicket of the day.
Sensing the opportunity, Topley immediately turned to England one day specialist Sachin Premnath. Even with his natural variations, though, Premnath couldn’t contain Ferguson, whose flurry of boundaries and Errol Flynn moustache had the resident photographers snapping into action, while the bedraggled English fielders chased wet leather, slipping, sliding and often stacking it in spectacular style in the sodden outfield. The fireworks finally concluded when Ferguson dutifully retired after a huge six over mid-on and some semblance of order was restored. The England bowlers stuck to their task well to contain the stylish Kashyap Nishtala and Raj Naik in the final overs before Topley brought Buggé back off the long run to mop up the ANZAC tail. With 122 on the scoreboard, it was the ANZACs who walked off the field in front, albeit with an England side resurgent after a decent finish to the first session of play.
The worst of the weather now passed, players and supporters alike enjoyed some fleeting Los Angeles sunshine with their tea and sandwiches in between innings. Following the interval, England openers Manhi and Gould got off to a watchful start, but after a well struck single Manhi was bowled by Flynn and star batter Gould, who had earlier given something of a Bazball exhibiton warming up in the nets, was soon also making his way back to the pavilion leaving England in trouble at 1 - 2.
When England number three Alex Rylance was dismissed by Sid Majumadar without scoring, the last of the scones were abandoned in a sudden scramble for pads. If hopes rested on one man, it had to be keeper Christian Hose, the renowned Hollywood realtor who made a storied thirty five on his previous outing against a New Zealand international in Dubai. After another promising start though, he too joined the procession, prompting claims from the England faithful that the pitch had “rapidly deteriorated” in the thirty minutes since the ANZAC batters had been swashbuckling the ball to all parts.
Realising it might not be long before he got one with his name on it, England number five Premnath quickly moved to counter punch, striking a number of lusty blows in his partnership with Dave Westerhout before he too was castled by Ginnivan. With England in crisis, incoming batsman Winston received an animated briefing from 3 captain Topley who reassured the dressing room that this was an experienced campaigner renowned for his pinch-hitting prowess. As defence followed defence, though, it appeared wires had been crossed. If the crowd wanted Richards, they were witnessing Boycott and Topley was left bemused as his overseas signing blocked resolutely until the inimitable Bowden snuck one through his defences to leave England firmly on the ropes.
With the required run rate surging, Topley himself marched out to bat. No sooner had he got out there than Ferguson was in his ear, confident the mountain to climb was too steep even for a batsman who has topped the strike rate in franchise leagues around the world. Topley, though, was having none of it and quickly settled into his innings, unleashing the long handle to devastating effect and providing a glimmer of hope to the England faithful.
Inspired by his captain, David Westerhaut struck some lusty blows at the other end further advancing the England cause. It took a moment of brilliance in the field to swing the momentum back the ANZAC way, as Westerhaut looked to go over the top only for Luke Flynn to sprint from mid-on, leap, parry, juggle and finally pouch the sodden cricket ball on his second grab in the mud, prompting wild scenes from the ANZAC players in the outfield.
England’s final hopes now rested with the bowlers, as last man Buggé joined Topley in the middle. The light fading, it was now or never and Topley continued his blistering attack on the ANZAC bowlers, concluding with a hat trick of huge sixes that brought the Barmy Army gathered at the boundary edge into full voice with hopes revived that there might be a Hollywood twist in the tale yet.
The tension palpable, the crowd watched as the ANZAC skipper went through his warm-up routine – was the battle that they had all travelled so far to see about to unfold? Indeed it was. Ball in hand, it was Ferguson v Topley at last. Like two giants on a stage of mere mortals, the two battled it out, Ferguson jagging one back off a length to miss the stumps by a whisper, only for the Basildon Botham to counter with a series of lusty blows scattering the field to all parts.
In the end it took a masterful piece of bowling from Ferguson to bring the contest to an end. A looping slower ball deceiving Topley, who could only lob the ball out to deep mid-off as England hopes faded with the light. Despite some desperate pinch hitting from Buggé at the close and an isolated incident of umpire intimidation from Bowden that is still under investigation, the ask ultimately proved too steep for the spirited England tail with Buggé finally bowled by the fired-up Luke Flynn to secure a famous fifteen run victory for the ANZACs.
Fitting with the nature of the day, celebrations lasted long well into the evening with unconfirmed reports that a number of the England and ANZAC teams were spotted at a West Hollywood establishment later that night. Local eyewitnesses claimed that 4 after a convivial dinner, the rivalry seemed to briefly resume with the sides agreeing to settle the score with a “boat race.” A suitable ending, perhaps, for a game that will live long in the memory, less for the quality of the cricket played than for the circumstances and spirit that it was played in, the stage set for years to come amidst a very Hollywood downpour.
