Whitchurch-on-Thames Cricket Club

These have been lovingly prepared by Lyn , confident that one day he's going to top both the batting and the bowling lists.  Not this year though! The full report is here and here's some highlights... Played 27 Won 7 25.9% Drawn 2 7.4% Lost 18 66.7% Batsman Innings Not out H. Score Runs Average Williams L 16 5 119* 484 44.00 Shanahan J 10 1 83* 329 36.57 Turner N 13 2 94 352 32.00 Vaughan P 17 2 72* 403 26.87 Mutepfa A 14 0 63 348 24.86     Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Economy Strike Rate Average (runs/over) (balls/wicket) Heard A 97.3 24 370 21 3.79 27.86 17.62 Chapman T 31 3 133 ...

Cricket Club AGM This will take place on Thursday 26 February commencing at 8.00pm .  The meeting will be at David Mattimoe’s house on Hardwicke Road and be followed by a curry in Pangbourne. If you'd like a copy of the accounts before the meeting, mail Andy H. Pre-Season Nets Indoor Nets have been booked for Monday evenings at Bradfield Sports Centre.  The first is Monday 9 March between 8.15pm and 9.15pm and the last on Monday 13 April.   Cost this year will be £5 per session; colts and students free. We’ve got 2 nets every evening so there’ll be lots of opportunity to bat and bowl.  Thereby ensuring that you pull and strain every muscle you haven’t used in the last 5months and can’t move for two days after.  Post-net recovery will be in the Greyhound at Tidmarsh. Pre-Season Work Parties Work parties will take place on the weekends of Sat 28 / Sun 29 March and Sat 4 / Sun 5 April .  There is a lot of work to be done and it...

With many thanks to Alan Kilford for putting in the hard work, I'm pleased to be able to publish a draft fixture list for 2015 season (see menu). It all starts on Sunday April 19th, away to Bradfield. Andy

Another great Whitchurch CC annual dinner-dance took place last night at the Ferryboat, once again organised by Brian & Caroline.  Most of the usual suspects were on show with awards presented for top bat (Lyn), top bowler (that's Number One again) and of course the Duckman Award. Party chief, Brian "Goldenfleece" Reddecliffe surveying the dance floor. Jon Steward is the Duckman Award winner, many would say because he was also the most frequently selected |Getting on down after the formalities, it's Harry Williams in the foreground. Incidental to all this, our auctioneer, Cormac, raised £125 from Ronnie for a generously-donated golf day; and a goodly amount for cuff-links bid for by, um, Tania's sister.  The main raffle brought the merest smidgeon under £200, which is the best for four years at least. Andy H

After a rainy morning and with drops of wet still lingering in the air, we did finally get under way in a game against old rivals, Greys Green.  This picture, taken about half-an-hour before, doesn't quite convey the chill and dank.  But for sure, without these modest covers which were applied at sunrise by the groundsman, any game would have been most unlikely. No matter that GG edged the final outcome by 20, which was down to one or two individual performances, it was a good day all round, as I think this team-selfie (the only team-pic from 2014?) courtesy of James Cartwright shows.  Hiding in the back is Anand; and almost hiding in the front is Francis.  I seem to be distracted by something, and Richie Leach must have been elsewhere entirely at the time. Nick, Brian, Alan, Cormac, John, James and John have captured the moment perfectly. Then we came to the end , till next year. Andy H

On the last double-header of the season, Whitchurch came close in matches against Treasury Valuers on Saturday and Wayfarers on Sunday. Over 200 were scored by each side in the first game, with Nick Turner making 94, the first of two nearly-hundreds this weekend.  The match went to the the final ball with Cormac and Craig at the crease; but poor old Craig stumbled whilst striving for the run that would have tied the match, leaving us maddeningly one run short. The second came on Sunday, where Scooby struck 92 in another vain chase (also his first 50). This time we were chasing a monumental 271 made by the Wayfarers, and despite scores from Tony (42), Yusuf (30) and useful contributions from the Chapmans, Woody and Andy, we feel 14 short. Some exquisite ground fielding from the younger crowd remains in the memory, especially Matt K, Scooby and, er, Vaughany, too. As does a great catch taken on the boundary by Woody. Andy H (with a bit of help from Cormac to clarify some key fact...

A swing-and-a-miss to a typically fierce delivery from Ben Karlo. The photographer, Adrian Turner (Dad of Nick), points out: "The ball that hit the bails is by the batsman’s left calf, not out yet!" Greater success for the batsman this time.  Tom Chapman is the agile-looking fielder in the background. Taken from the narrow victory yesterday against University of Oxford Hospitals.