|
It's been a wonderful year for cricket and, as Christmas and a new year approach, there's no harm in getting all misty eyed with nostalgia. On a national, even international, level who will ever forget the wonderful Ashes series, the high level combat, the sportsmanship, an England win?
At a more parochial level Elstead has had a great year too - Stevens Cup winners, runners-up in I'Anson Division One, and the 2nd X1 third in Division Four. At the Club's annual dinner we celebrated and handed out trophies for personal achievement.
Top of the heap here was David Tye. He scored runs and took wickets for the Twos, bowling better than anybody has seen him bowl before, and scored the major contribution in a low-scoring Stevens Cup final. He was a shoe-in for the Under 21 award, shared I'Anson Best Performance (with Mubarak Ahmed) and justifiably was voted Player of the Year. Brilliant!
In the 1st X1 Khalik Ahmed picked up the batting trophy (an average of 23.8), Fazal Syed won the bowling cup (34 wickets at 8 runs apiece) and Morgan Pearse took home the fielding trophy (33 catches / 5 stumpings). The Club's overall bowling trophy went to Mubarak for his 58 wickets.
In the 2nd X1 two men starred. Pat Murphy won the bowling shield (30 wickets at 14 runs each) and the best individual performance trophy for his 106 at Lindford. Meanwhile Richard Jones won the gritty performance award for single-handedly keeping the 2nd X1 batting afloat in the early season with a series of high scoring not outs, and deservedly picked up the Miller batting cup for his astonishing average of 80.75 (a record?).
The Under 18 cup went to Chris Mude. He scored a succession of high scores for the Twos, generally in quick time, without ever quite reach the fifty he promised to make, and was dynamic in the field for both Ones and Twos. To think, he's only 15 and he's really a wicketkeeper!
The cup for furthering youth cricket went to Dave Cooper, and rightly so. Dave puts in an enormous amount of time coaching the club's youngsters, at winter nets, on summer evenings and Saturday mornings, and runs a weekly session for St James's School. He also finds time to operate a bowling machine for the seniors at Thursday nets.
Finally to the Sportsman of the Year cup! Generally awarded for off the field contribution as much as on the field this was shared between Brian Pearse and Pat Murphy. These two gentlemen have continued to drive on the building- of our new pavilion and the fruits of their considerable labours are there for all to see.
No trophies but we won't forget other contributions such as Ian Gould's conversion into a run machine when he moved to opener, Gordon Chapman's plethora of not outs (well into double figures), and Sam Egan's frustration at failing to achieve his maiden fifty when rain intervened.
With a new pavilion for 2006 the Club has much to look forward to. Can we go from strength to strength and win more trophies? Who knows but it'll be fun finding out.
Gordon Wycherley
|
|
