Navy Seal IST T20 Trophy Success on Net Run-Rate
This years’ instalment of the Men’s IST T20 tri-series proved to be one of the most gripping in living memory, with the Royal Navy coming out on top on net run-rate.
A win over defending champions the Army at Middleton on Sea Cricket Club on Tuesday 14 May, by 46 runs, made the Royal Navy slight favourites as the three sides arrived at Lords on Thursday 16 May for the remaining two fixtures.
The sides were welcomed at the Home of Cricket in North London by rain and cloud cover – resulting in the UKAFCA Women’s game versus an MCC Women’s XI being abandoned due to the rain without a ball being bowled.
The action finally got underway, and the Army defeated the Royal Air Force by seven wickets in a rain affected game – setting up the third and final game of the tournament between the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force nicely.
The Royal Air Force knew they needed to win and win big to lift the trophy, but the Royal Navy’s fate was in their own hands, knowing that a win or a tie would seal their first IST T20 trophy since 2010, and the Royal Air Force needed to win in style to increase their net run-rate to pip them to the title.
The RAF came out all guns blazing chasing the 157 they were set to win. It was believed that they would need to knock the runs off within 16 overs to top the table on net run-rate, but there was still an air of confusion in the RAF camp as to how lost wickets would affect their calculations when opening batters Thomas Shorthouse and Ross Diver strode out to bat.
Things seemed to be going according to plan for the RAF after 15 overs when they were cruising along nicely at 144-3 but then a collapse of wickets, including two run-outs in two balls, slowed their charge to the line down. Hawk’s cover drive for a single sealed the victory to start muted celebrations from the RAF, still unsure if they had done enough. Moments later, the calculations were completed by the match officials and the news of the Royal Navy’s victory via net run-rate was confirmed, and the Royal Navy celebrations began.
2024 Results Summary
Game One Royal Navy vs The Army Middleton on Sea Cricket Club
The Royal Navy 154-6 (20) Johnston 67 (49) James (2-14)
The Army 108 all out (17.1) James 57 (41) Rutter (3-11) Hill (3-11)
The Royal Navy won by 46 runs
Game Two The Royal Air Force vs The Army Lord’s Cricket Ground
The Royal Air Force 87-3 (12) Diver 27 (26) James (2-17)
The Army 100-7 (11.4) Kolk 44* (28) Shorthouse (4-15)
The Army won by 3 wickets (revised target of 98 from 12.0 overs)
Game Three The Royal Air Forces vs The Royal Navy Lord’s Cricket Ground
The Royal Navy 156-4 (20) Hewitt 75 (59) Pearce (2-20)
The Royal Air Force 157-7 (18.5) Fisher 52* (37) Hill (2-25)
The Royal Air Force won by 3 wickets

Player of the Tournament
Royal Navy opener Sam Hewitt was voted as the player of the tournament after two excellent knocks. His innings of 24 (22) against the Army in the opening game of the tournament got his side off to a good start at the top of the innings. He then followed this up at Lords against the RAF with an innings of 75 (59) which proved to be a tournament-winning knock despite the defeat.
A visibly delighted Hewitt said moments after the RAF game:
“Winning the Inter-Services tournament and being named player of the tournament is an immense honour, and one that I owe entirely to the unwavering support and dedication of my teammates and coaching staff. Their tireless efforts both on and off the field were instrumental in our success, pushing me to elevate my game and perform at my best.
Hewitt concluded:
“From the strategic guidance of our coaches to the camaraderie and encouragement of my fellow players, everyone’s contribution played a vital role in our collective triumph. It’s a testament to the power of teamwork and the belief that together, we can achieve greatness. Bonds have been forged within our team for years to come.”
Right-handed opening batter Hewitt’s 99 runs off 75 balls at the top of the order was instrumental in getting his side off to two good starts, setting the tone and he was backed up by his skipper and Navy number three batter Ben Johnston, who scored 67 and 37 in his two innings to finish at the tournament’s top run scorer with 104 runs.

Match Reports
Game One Royal Navy vs The Army: Johnston Stars With Bat And Ball as the Navy Sink The Army
It was a day to remember for Navy Skipper Ben Johnston as his all-round excellence played a big part in his side’s 46-run win over the Army. The stylish left-handed batter stroked his way to 67 off 49 balls with the bat and also excelled with the ball – picking up 2-12 from his four overs of right arm fast-medium. Navy Skipper Ben Johnston won the toss and didn’t hesitate in batting first. Their innings started well and Johnston was involved in a second wicket stand of 58 with opener Sam Hewitt (24 from 22 balls). Johnston powered on to score 67 (49) before being bowled by Denzel James. The skipper’s knock included five fours and five sixes. A cameo at the end from Brendan Streather (19 off 16 balls) saw the Royal Navy post a good score of 154-6. It was a solid all-round bowling performance from the defending champions with Aidan Hawkesworth (2-15) and Denzel James (2-14) the pick of the bowlers. The Army’s reply got off to a flier with 20 runs coming off the first over, which was bowled by Matt Walton, with opener Denzel James taking a particular liking to him. Skipper Johnston took the new ball from the other end and took the prize wicket of Liam Fletcher for a duck (which ball of the over), caught by (what fielding position) Ben White. The Army then stuttered and lost wickets at regular intervals, and only Denzel James (57 off 41 balls) and skipper Ross Dearden (13 from 14 balls). Nathan Hill bowled wicket-keeper Sam Blackburn (3 off 4 balls) after 17.1 overs and the Navy romped to a 46-run win. All of the Royal Navy bowlers impressed by the stand-out performers were Johnston, Rutter and Hill. Winning skipper Johnston said: I feel like we got off to a great start with the bat despite losing the early wicket of Dan Robbins in the power play. We then cruised to the final total of 154-6 with boundaries coming regularly from Sam Hewitt, myself and at the end from Brendan Streather (19) with some powerful hitting. We felt confident with this total going into the second innings as we see ourselves as a strong bowling outfit. Johnston concluded: After a nervy start with the first over going for 20, we managed to pull the momentum back in our favour with some very economical bowling from Charlie Rutter and myself. We then continued to pile on the pressure and I felt like we had the momentum from then on with outstanding bowling performances from Nathan Hill, Rob Wigley and Ben white in the middle overs. In my opinion a very well-deserved victory earned by a great team performance in all disciplines. Royal Navy skipper Ben Johnston goes on the attack. Image courtesy of Shaun Roster.
Game Two The Royal Air Force vs The Army: Kolk Power turns off the RAF
Oskar Kolk hit a timely 44 not out at the end of the Army innings to see his side home by three wickets. Army skipper Ross Dearden won the toss and elected to bowl first, in damp and overcast conditions. With rain around, it seemed an obvious choice, but the Royal Air Force openers Thomas Shorthouse (24 from 21 balls) and Ross Diver (27 from 26 balls) got off to a good start before Denzel James dismissed Shorthouse, caught behind by Connor Preston, with the score on 48. Shorthouse nicked behind playing a back foot cut shot and walked off before the umpire raised his finger. It was déjà vu the very next delivery with Preston & James combining again to dismiss Fisher caught behind first ball. James put the ball in the corridor of uncertainty and Fisher followed the ball and nicked it to Preston who took an excellent diving catch. The two quick wickets to fall brought wicket-keeper Adam Sutcliffe to the crease. With the score on 58- When play resumed, the game was reduced to 12 overs a side, and the RAF only had 3.5 overs to go. Ross Diver was excellently run out. He had a big swipe at one of off-spinner Jake Benson’s flighted deliveries and the ball went behind the stumps. Diver set off to run a quick single but he slipped over and the ball went to short third man where Jonathan Burden was found and his direct hit was enough to see the back of the opener. Adam Sutcliffe finished the innings not out (26 off 21 balls) but his side’s score of 87 off their allocated 12 overs seemed a bit under par. The Army’s revised target was 98 from 12 overs and it got off to the worst possible start when Denzel James was out first ball of the innings, caught behind by Sutcliffe off the bowling of off-spinning skipper Thomas Shorthouse. Bowling around the wicket, Shorthouse bowled a ball across James with a bit of width but extracted a bit of pace and bounce from the Lord’s surface and he nicked it to Sutcliffe who made no mistake. It was a dream start for the Royal Air Force. Keddy Lesporis (25 off 12 balls) came in and added some much-needed fire into the Army run chase, but he was dismissed by Thomas Shorthouse, caught well on the long-on boundary by Thomas Stephan. With wickets falling around him and tension building, Oskar Kolk (44 not out from 28 balls) proved to be the match winner. Kolk’s side needed 9 to win off the last over which was to be bowled by left-arm seamer Keiran Pearce. Kolk took some pressure off by smashing Pearce’s second ball of the final over for a boundary when he hit the ball down to the vacant third man area. He then hit the next ball for a couple of runs before punching the fourth ball of the final over through extra cover for four, to seal the victory. Oskar Kolk kept a cool head in the Army's run chase. Image courtesy of Shaun Roster.
2, the rain started to fall and caused a temporary halt to proceedings.
Game Three The Royal Air Force vs The Royal Navy: Hewitt Heroics Seal Navy Success Despite Defeat to RAF
After winning their opening game against the Army a couple of days earlier, the Royal Navy arrived at Lord’s in a confident mood. Expertly lead by skipper Ben Johnston, the Navy lost the toss and were put into bat. Openers Sam Hewitt and Dan Robbins (14 off 12 balls) got them off to a good start before Robbins was well caught by Sean McCabe off the bowling of right arm seamer Harry Hollingsworth. Robbins’ dismissal brought skipper Johnston to the crease and the pair put on a second wicket stand of 85 before Johnston was adjudged LBW off the bowling of left arm seamer Keiran Pearce. The impressive Pearce then struck again a few balls later to dismiss wicket-keeper Finlay Marks (4) with the score on 127-3. Opener Hewitt was finally dismissed with his team on 141-4 and his knock of 75 included seven fours and two sixes. Brendan Streather and Ben White nudged the Royal Navy along to 156 for 4 at the completion of their innings. The RAF did well with the ball and the pick of their bowlers were off-spinning skipper Tom Shorthouse (1-24) and left-arm seamer Keiran Pearce (2-20). Shorthouse then strode out to bat with his trusty opening batting partner Ross Diver. The RAF knew they had to win but were unsure of the permutations of the net run-rate rule, including wickets lost and balls left, but it made for scintillating cricket. In true Shorthouse fashion, he started aggressively and didn’t worry too much about the permutations. He raced to 27 off only 14 balls before he was dismissed by Navy skipper Johnston when he was caught by Ben White with the score on 29. It was sweet revenge for Johnston after Shorthouse hit him for 20 off the first over of the innings. Adam Fisher then joined Diver at the crease and the pair put on 53 when Diver was expertly stumped by Finlay Marks off the off-spin bowling of Nathan Hill for 23 (27 balls). Another 50 partnership then followed when Fisher and number four batter and wicket-keeper Adam Sutcliffe put on 54 before Sutcliffe’s brutal innings was ended, caught by James Edworthy off the bowling of Rob Wigley. Sutcliffe and Fisher seemed to be coasting towards the finish line and Sutcliffe’s dismissal created panic in the RAF dressing room that cumulated in two run outs in successive balls as their run chase and title charge stuttered. Luke Hansford was run out for 6 by Dan Robbins, and Harry Hollingsworth were dismissed the very next ball attempting to run a second, run out by Johnston, despite not even facing a ball. Thomas Stephan was then given out first ball, caught behind by the ever-impressive Finlay Marks off the bowling of seamer Charlie Rutter and moments later Sean McCabe was bowled by Nathan Hill. Adam Fisher (52 not out) kept his head despite all the tension and drama and he was not out at the end as was Jon Hawk (4 not out) who had the pleasure of hitting the winning run thanks to an extra cover drive off Johnston, to seal a three-wicket victory with 7 balls to spare. There was then a period of uncertainty as both sides didn’t know how they had fared on the net run-rate calculations, but then a few minutes afterwards, the calculations were confirmed, sparking jubilant celebrations in the Navy camp as they sealed their first IST T20 success since 2010. It was another extremely tight and gripping tournament with all three sides but Hewitt’s exploits with the bat against the RAF proved to be the difference as it bolstered his side’s net run-rate despite defeat. Navy skipper Johnston was understandably ecstatic with his side’s triumph: “After winning the toss and again electing to bat first, I feel like we put ourselves in a good position to post a winning total in the first 15 overs. This time with the runs coming from a player of the tournament-winning innings from Sam Hewitt, who I thought batted very well on the big stage. I feel like we didn’t have the finish to the innings that we would have hoped for but again, we felt like it was a total we could defend. Johnston added: “The RAF got off to a bit of a flyer taking good advantage of the short boundary early on. This set the tone for the next ten overs or so as the game got away from us slightly. However, we were still aware that if we took the game deep enough, we still had a chance of winning the tournament through having a superior run-rate. This was then our mindset and as a squad it took a lot of resolve to bring the game back slightly with a few quick wickets in the last half of the innings. We were completely in the dark as to what the RAF needed to achieve to be able to win the tournament, we just wanted to take the game as deep as possible to give ourselves the best chance of winning. I’m still not 100% sure what the scenario was but I do know that we did enough to get over the line. Johnston concluded: “I couldn’t be any prouder of everyone in the squad and it was a genuine pleasure to share the pitch and changing room with those involved. We hope to take this winning momentum with us into the rest of the season and coming years. Hopefully we can use this success as a springboard for more success, as we look forward to the rest of the summer, with one eye on the IST 50 that is due to start at the end of July.”