Hillhead Cricket Club

APPRECIATION

It’s normal in domestic amateur sports for players to finally shuffle off the square, advising their retirement with unfortunately not too much acknowledgment or recognition from their team mates or indeed their committees, apart from the handshakes or the purchase of a drink at the bar after the final game. Matters are somewhat better at Hillhead, as the committee has ever since 1947 been able to provide awards, the Craik Cups, for player and young player of the year. If you look at the WW2 memorial panel in the main upstairs bar you will find the name of Captain James F Craik inscribed there. More to follow at the next Craik Cup dinner. We also have the Malcolm Mclean Cup, presented in memory of Mr Hillhead Cricket, who passed in 2011.

One of the benefits of social media in all its various guises is that opportunities are provided for anyone to post what s/he wants. Since the final game of season 2026 on Saturday the 29th August, there have been numerous entries in the HCC what’s app group, unanimously thanking PAUL BARLETT on his retirement for all his many contributions to our Club over the last 12 seasons. Typically self effacing and humble, Paul has indicated that he is happy with his memories and notes of gratitude and that was it !! Hence NO wider appreciation !!

The “Scorer”, while recognising Paul’s wishes, has been overwhelmed by what has been written about Paul in the closed world of the What’s app group, and has determined to share it as widely as possible below. His understated humility and humanity come through loudly and talk to us eloquently about a privilege some will take for granted. I leave all who find this narrative on the privilege with Paul’s words emboldened and italicised. Images of Paul and his elder son, Jared, are provided below.

I’ve had the utmost privilege of playing a game that I love (and rather addicted too) at a club that exists because of the real sacrifice of others. As a memorial trust, Hillhead’s sports club existence has come at an enormous sacrifice of brave men and women.
Everyone who has the privilege of using the facilities there needs to ask themselves, what can I give rather than what can I get from the establishment. We all have life skills that can be used to ensure HCC flourishes for the next generation.
Please remember if you play at this great club for a season or 12 seasons, you are the custodians and have a responsibility to ensure the club flourishes whilst you get to enjoy your sport.

Image 1 Paul and Jared at Huntly CC season 2022

Image 2 Paul the TEAM and CLUB MAN A at Torrance House, East Kilbride

BBM

HILLHEAD 1st X1 FINISH THE SEASON ON A HIGH AT DUMFRIES

“VIGILANT” DUMFRIES 208 all out 50 overs ( 0pts ) HILLHEAD 209 for 1 37 overs ( 25 Pts )

The Hillhead squad which travelled hopefully to Dumfries for the final league game of the 2026 season saved their best form to the last by overpowering the Nunholm squad by 9 wickets. In sporting parlance, this would best be described as an “ upset” win, given the home squads pre- eminence in Scottish domestic Cricket over many years, and the visitors recent league status. However the squad’s all round skills which were honed in a thrilling conclusion to 2026 – successive victories against Helensburgh, Greenock and Langside - ensured success.

Dumfries’s progress, when batting, was halted by a fine opening bowling performance from Agrim Jain whose figures of 10-1-34 -3 were testimony to his control on one of the best batting wickets in the Country. Not far behind was the left arm medium pacer, Ajay Kumar, who justified his selection by returning 10-0-41-4. For once the “ spin twins” , captain Shaswat Mazumder and Saif Khan, were not majorly among the wickets 1-49 and 2-40 respectively, but they kept going well. As in previous games, fine catches contributed to the fielding performance.

Previously being set a target of 208 to win would have been almost “ mission impossible “ for this Hillhead squad, but there have been signs during the season of the ( latent ) talent which batters possessed and so it proved on the bowling green surface and fast outfield at Dumfries. A search of Hillhead’s archive records – 1995-2026 - reveals only 1 opening partnership which exceeded the 122 crafted by Henry James and Alex Hawley. The former was beaten by the Dumfries spinner for a fine 58, but his opening partner, Alex Hawley, marched on to 86 n.o off 123 balls. His second wicket partner, Shash Mazumder was equally prolific with 41 n.o off 41 balls.

And so the 2026 season, which started indifferently, finished well with this wonderful, highly deserved victory. Well done to the captain and his squad.

Footnote – in 2012 Openers Paul Bartlett and Shehroz Memhood scored a record 238 undefeated in a league game away against Galloway.

Image 1 – The victorious squad in front of the Dumfries clubhouse :-

Back row ( left to right )
Agrim Jain, Ajay Kumar , Saif Khan, Luke Scott, Alex Hawley, Henry James and Isaac Howell
Front row ( left to right ) Annand Kumar ( wkt ), Shash Mazumder ( c ), Krushnesh Patel, and Harish Ravichandran

This weekend’s ball sponsor is Sharon Locke.
The name Locke has been synonymous with Hillhead Cricket Club for almost 100 years — yes, 100!
Sharon is the wife of the late Grahame Locke (Lockie) who achieved the remarkable feat of playing for Hillhead for more than 50 years. Grahame was also a former Club Captain and President, giving a lifetime of service both on and off the field.
The Locke story stretches back even further. Grahame’s father, Harry Locke, scored more than 10,000 runs for the Club during a career that spanned both the pre- and post-Second World War eras. Harry’s brother Tom also played for the Club, as did both of his sons. Grahame’s brother, David Locke, also represented HCC during the 1980s and 1990s.
The next generation saw Grahame and Sharon’s son Hamish continue the family tradition. A prodigious sporting talent, Hamish represented Scotland at age-group levels in cricket. Tragically, he died in an accident in 2022, taken far too soon.
All in all, the Locke family’s connection with Hillhead represents an unparalleled story of loyalty, service and commitment, stretching back to the 1930s. To the Locke family, HCC was — and remains — much more than simply a place to play cricket. It became part of their family identity, and throughout their time at Hughenden they demonstrated great honour, affection and respect for the traditions of the Club.
Perhaps the Locke "story" provides a thought for all of us. We may never match their remarkable nearly 100 years of connection with Hillhead, but whether we are part of the Club for three years or thirty, what will be our legacy? What will we leave behind for those that follow? Sharon, we thank you for your many years of interest in and support for Hillhead Cricket Club. (Pictured are Grahame and Hamish)

📣 NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2026 📣 👇

📣 NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2026 📣 

Notice has now been issued for the 104th Annual General Meeting of Hillhead High School War Memorial Trust Limited (incorporating Hillhead Sports Club).

📅 Monday 14 September 2026
🕖 7.00pm
📍 Clubhouse, Hughenden

The formal AGM Notice & Papers are now available online at:

🔗 hillheadsportsclub.com/about 

Further AGM papers will be added in advance of the meeting.

We’d really encourage Members from across all our sports and activities to come along, hear about the work of the Trust and our great club over the past year, and take part in the AGM.

We hope to see as many of you there as possible!

THRILLER

Hillhead 175 all out 48.4 overs 25 pts Greenock 146 all out 44.4 overs 7 pts

The fortunes of both X1s ebbed and flowed throughout this bottom of the table WDCU Premiership 2 contest at Glenpark. The visitors stumbled frequently in their innings, recovering briefly from being 3 for 2 in the 3rd over, to reach 57 for 5 in the 17th and then 122 for 8 in the 35th. Their total of 175 owed a lot to the profligacy of the Greenock attack which conceded 35 wides, Hillhead’s major run contributor. Double figures were achieved by captain Shash Mazunder with an aggressive 26, containing 5 4’s; Saif Khan with a carefully crafted 33 including 3 4’s, Ajay Kumar with a very watchful 14 from 57 balls and the tail, Keshav Soni battering 26 from 35 balls, supported by Harish Ravichandran with 19 n.o. from 43 balls. The local wisdom suggested the total of 175 seemed to be in reach if the home batters.

Signs were encouraging for Greenock as their openers raced to 60 before the 1st wicket fell with Chirag Pandher recording 39 to add to his excellent bowling figures of 10-3-33-5. His opening partner, Jamie Nowell, continued to anchor the reply with 38, taking his side to 113 before the 3rd wicket fell. Up to this point the visitors bowling had been tidy but lacked any real pe*******on. However, the game turned on its head in the 37th over of the reply when the 4th wicket, that of the visiting Australian Adam McGuirk, fell. His dismissal came about in freak circumstances, when Keshav Soni, fielding at close mid on, shelled a hard drive only to grab it one handed on the rebound.

All of a sudden, like confetti falling to the ground, Greenock’s wickets began to tumble. 134 for 4 quickly became 145 all out, some 8 overs later. The cumulative effect of very disciplined slow bowling, supported by excellent ground fielding and catching from Alex Hawley with 2 screamers did for the Glenpark squad. Shash Mazumder with 9-0-20-2 and Saif Khan with 8-2-16-3 altered the dynamics of the contest, assisted by Rayyan Butt who held on too well to a rocket from Amdasi which split the webbing on the bowler’s right hand. In summary, Hillhead conceded only 15 extras to the hosts 42, astonishingly close to their winning margin of 29 runs.

Basement battles continue for both these clubs as they try to avoid the trapdoor to Premiership 3. Two more weekends await in the fight to reach 8th place. On the 22nd Hillhead, sitting 9th entertain Langside, currently 4th in the table while Greenock, now 10th, travel across the Firth to play Helensburgh, at 7th. All still to play for.

Image 1 The winning squad with 12th man, Yaya Butt front right.

This weekend’s ball sponsor is David Sleight who grew up in Kent but has lived in Glasgow since 1989 and at Hughenden since 2012.
David’s interest in cricket began watching the very successful Kent sides of the 1970s but, since moving to Glasgow, he has, in the main, followed Lancashire where he is a member and an occasional commentator for BBC Radio Lancashire and Manchester. His favourite Lancashire player in his time following the club is Glen Chapple and his most memorable cricketing experience was being part of the commentary team when Lancashire won the County Championship for the first time in 77 years at Taunton in 2011.
David also maintains an interest in football and somehow or another manages to run season tickets at Partick Thistle, Celtic and .. Borussia Monchengladbach. He is a regular in the gym at Hillhead, usually wearing Gladbach training gear!
David is in Germany this weekend but wishes the team all the best.

HILLHEAD’s SPIRITED DEFEAT OF HELENSBURGH

Helensburgh 110 all out in 45 overs 1 pt Hillhead 111 for 4 in 27 overs 25 pts

Low scoring games aways produce tension, and this WDCU premiership 2 game at Hughenden was no exception. Chasing 110, Hillhead had slipped to 50 for 4 in the 13th over and the outcome of the game was on a knife edge. But “ cometh the hour, cometh the men “ in the shape of the 5th wicket partnership : Krushnesh Patel with a solid 27 no from 60 balls and Ali Khan with a belligerent 37 no in 42 balls, These 2 took their side across the finishing line for a 6 wicket win, their first since the 30th May.

Yet the foundations for this rare victory were put in place by Hillhead’s bowlers during the visitors’ batting. From the relative security of 40 for 1 after 40 0vers, Helensburgh’s last 9 wickers added only 70 runs in 30 overs. The strangulation of the visitors batting was attributable to captain Shash Mazumda’s clever rotation of his change bowlers. He and Ali Khan twirled way for 20 overs, leaking only 49 runs, the former returning 3 for 22 and the latter 2 for 27. Even more parsimonious were Rayaan Butt with his return of 4-1-4-2 and Harish Ravichandran with 4-1-5-0. They all enjoyed good support in the field with “KP “ Patel taking 2 fine catches and Alex Hawley with a “ Test Match Special” effort, pouching the ball falling over his right shoulder as he raced to the boundary. “Newbie” wicket keeper, Anand Kumar, recorded a sharp stumping.

However, “ one win does not a summer make “, as the WDCU league 2 table shows Hillhead still firmly rooted to the bottom. Opportunity for movement occurs next Saturday, August 15, when the side travels to Greenock who occupy 9th place. The winners will have some breathing space and hence Hillhead will require to produce another top class all round performance to take on Greenock in their Glenpark stronghold. Until then “ the dancing in the streets of Hillhead will continue “

Image 1 The Winning Hillhead X1, Captain Shash Mazumder 2nd left front row
Image 2 The Little and Large 5th wicket winning partnership : Krushnesh Patel ( left ) and Ali Khan ( right )

Our match ball sponsor for this weekend is our current First Eleven captain Shash Mazumder. Shash is originally from Chandannagar in West Bengal, India. His love of cricket began after watching India win the World Cup in 2011. He played at Renfrew CC before joining Hillhead in 2024. An attacking top order batsman and medium pace bowler Shash has made an immediate impact at HCC and was the winner of the Craik Cup for season 2025. His most memorable game to date was an exciting victory (in his first game as captain) over Milngavie in 2025 - HCC grabbing 5 wickets for 10 to secure a dramatic win. We thank Shash for his support and wish him and the Firsts well for the remainder of the season.

A belated thank you to our final evening ball sponsor of the season is the one and only Thomas Sutcliffe-Campo. An enthusiastic if slightly unorthodox cricketer, Thomas was a popular member (mainly as a junior) of HCC from around 1998 to 2006 - he claims he left with one of the lowest batting averages in club history!! He has fond memories of Hamish Locke smashing sixes into the hospital car park at Ferguslie in a junior game and also a destructive spell of fast bowling from Andrew "Billy" Lindsay against Accies. Special mention should also be made of a game at Weirs when we first heard the immortal cry from Thomas of "I'm a first aider". We also have great memories of TSC leading us in a stirring rendition of the Italian national anthem in the Bar. Thomas is now living in Lancashire and has a 8 year old son. We miss you Thomas and we thank you for the memories and your support!

This weekend's match ball sponsor is Aubrey Horton. Aubrey played at HCC for 6 years from 2000 - 2006. A naturally talented sportsman, Aubrey was a stylish middle order batsman and outstanding fielder. He was also played rugby at a high standard for Dundee HSFP and Glasgow Hawks. Aubrey was a contemporary of Hamish Locke and has many memories (as have we all) of his pal's supreme cricketing talent as a teenager. He also recalls the batting ability of "overseas amateur" Drian Steyn and also the opening batting skills of David Shanks. Even a "pace bowler" by the name of Bond and an all rounder called McEwan get honourable mentions! Aubrey is now living in Zurich working for FIFA. We thank you Aubrey for your contribution to the Club in the past and indeed for your valued support in terms of ball sponsorship.