Promotion and League Title

Now the dust settles on another productive season for Kislingbury Temperance Cricket Club, let’s take a look back over the highs and lows of the season and the collective effort aimed at seeing further silverware at the ECL Pavilion.

Starting with the 1st XI in their fourth season in the top-flight Premier Division. Team skipper Ashley Starmer shared his thoughts on the 2025 season. “We started the season by winning our opener against Kettering Town by 4 wickets, but faced two defeats afterwards. A highlight was Tiaan Louw’s hat-trick leading to a win against ON’s, followed by a hard-fought draw against Finedon, who became champions. New signings Harry Penberthy and Zak Khawaja helped propel us to a 5-game unbeaten streak. Unfortunately, we ended our T20 campaign on a low note, losing the last 4 games and narrowly missing finals day. The second half of the season was strong, with 6 wins in the last 9 matches, including victories over Peterborough and Oundle. Overall, the season was a success, marked by our highest-ever league position and record points in the Premier League.”

The 2nd XI had an extraordinary season, surprising the club after a change in captaincy. Known as ‘Box Office’ early on, they often took games to the wire, leading the team to win the Division 8 title by the season’s end. 

Reflecting on the season, Rob said, “Wow, what a season for the 2s! I never expected to be here with the Division 8 trophy. Credit to all the lads; it’s been a mammoth effort. We played 22 games, won 17, lost 4, and one was washed out; that was a sour pill to swallow. We only needed 5 more balls out there to have the game won. 

Our highlights along the way include our third game against Gretton. We were bowled out for 110, but Andrew Devonshire’s impressive bowling helped us secure a narrow win, bowling them out for 109. Against Podington, after struggling at 21-5, Gav Mobley and John Peel added 70 runs, while Andy Heather’s 6 wickets led us to bowl them out for 105 after setting a score of 165. At home against OGs, our skipper scored a brilliant 100* to lead us to chase down 225. In a tough match against Brixworth, we set a challenging target of 251. Despite a partnership from their side, a remarkable catch from John Peel helped us secure a 32-run win. Finally, we sealed the title against Dunchurch, bowling them out for 139 and winning by 10 wickets, thanks to a strong partnership of 140 from our skipper and Gav Mobley.”

The 3rd XI had another impressive season, achieving promotion for the third consecutive year. Skipper Andy Heather added, “For the third season in a row, we won our opening game of the season, and we remained close to the top of the table the whole year. Once again, our blend of youth and adults worked brilliantly, and with several of our key youth players from last season moving up to play 2s, it fell to a new crop of youngsters to make their debuts and meet the challenges of the 40-over game.

We secured promotion with a game to spare, and unbeaten at our picturesque home at Everdon. I continue to be incredibly grateful to all the adults who support the 3s project, whether by playing, scoring, or cheering us on. So that’s three promotions in the first 3 years for the 3s. Onwards and upwards we go!”

Ben Swingler wrapped up the 2025 season, adding,

What a year it’s been. The 3rd team earned a well-deserved promotion, the 2nd team took home the league title, and the 1st team had a moderate season, pulling off big wins against the top sides while dropping points in games they’ll feel they should have won.

Ben Swingler

“The effort and dedication shown by all three captains throughout the year have been outstanding. A huge thank you to each of them for their hard work and leadership.

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, we’re delighted to welcome Rob Keogh to the club in a new Club Ambassador role. We’re really looking forward to having him on board and seeing the positive impact he’ll bring to the team.

A massive thank you to all players, ground staff, bar staff, scorers, umpires, and parents for your incredible support over the year. It truly makes a difference. And finally, a special thanks to ECL and Steve for their continued backing and support. Here’s to an even better 2026 season!”