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Brentwood CC Yearbook - 2006 Season
This is a reduced version of the Brentwood CC Yearbook produced by Malcolm Webb.
125th Anniversary
2006 YEARBOOK
2006 will be remembered for several reasons: it was the 125th Anniversary of Brentwood Cricket Club; it concluded with our 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs all in their respective Premier Divisions, and it was the climax of the Committee's "Five-Year Plan" embarked upon in 2002 with the ultimate aim of turning us into one of the top clubs in the county, both in terms of players and infrastructure. So what exactly has been achieved during those five years? Well, an almost unblemished tide of success on the field. Six sides participating in the four Divisions of the Essex League. A colts' set-up which is second to none, providing weekly professional coaching to nearly 150 junior members and an annual Coaching Clinic Week. The purchase of the freehold of the Old County Ground. Acquisition of state-of-the-art covers and scorebox, plus all the paraphernalia of equipment commensurate with a club such as ours. As Neil says in the Committee's Report, we are truly a Community Club Available to All. But inevitably, if "getting there" was difficult, "staying there" will be an even greater challenge. Our squad of 1st team players is growing, both from the acquisition of new players who want to join us for the 'right' reasons (which are certainly not pecuniary) and the advancement of our home-grown talent. We must continue to seek betterment at the top end of the Club - the knock-on effect is that all the other sides will become stronger too - and to that end the maintained development of our Colts Section is crucial. Pursuit of these ideals requires two major resources: financial and human. I think we must accept that we are unlikely to unearth a major financial backer in the foreseeable future, so we'll just have to continue to work hard to raise our own funds. Paul's endeavours and success in this field have been rightly acknowledged, and Peter Lowman has accepted the challenge of sourcing and applying to various grant-making organisations to try to increase our funds - already with some success via the Jack Petchey Foundation. You the members can play your part by continuing to support our annual programme of social events - and indeed by taking an active role in arranging them, if you feel so inclined. Which brings me to the second resource: the human one. In the five years that I have acted as the Club's Administrator I honestly don't know how we (or I) would have coped with, never mind enjoyed, all our success and growth without the industry of a relatively small handful of individuals:
All these blokes are stepping down now and they deserve the grateful thanks of the whole Club. And they need to be replaced. Without of course blurring the lines of accepted democratic process, I am confident that we have most of the positions covered. But not all. The new incumbents will be joining the remainder of our Executive Committee - Ken Lingwood, whose Chairmanship has been inspirational, particularly in 2006 when he had other issues in his life far more important than cricket; David Barbone, whose work as Colts Chairman - and not least his ability to involve a gratifyingly large number of parents - has been fantastic, and Ash Patel, who has been Hon. Treasurer seemingly for aeons without ever appearing to lose his patience when members are still trying to invent new excuses for not paying their subs until September. Without people such as these we would have no club - certainly not one enjoying the stature and success that we have now. Please remember that, if you are tapped up by a member of the Committee seeking your help and involvement. I have enjoyed - mostly - the challenge of being the Club's first Administrator. If the Club is better now than it was five years ago, it's not because of anything I've done, but perhaps because of what I've encouraged others to do. I now propose reverting to being a conventional President - around when required, and spending summer Saturdays watching all our sides from time to time, but particularly the 1st XI as they challenge for honours in the Premier Division, whilst sharing a beer with any like-minded supporters. The Club is in fantastic shape at the present time, and I am confident that we have the membership to maintain that, both on and off the pitch. So long as we guard against complacency and don't take our foot off the gas. Malcolm Webb, President
In a blatant display of nepotism, the President gives his award to his son REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 2006 Yet another memorable year for Brentwood CC (at what point does 'memorable' become the norm to the point that it is no longer memorable? Answers on a postcard, please!) But in truth the combination of our 1st XI being in the Premiership for the first time and the Club celebrating its 125th Anniversary meant that 2006 was always likely to be a special year. And we weren't disappointed. I think it's fair to say that before the season started, any of the 1st XI would have accepted a fourth-place finish with alacrity. Yet such was the way in which the side - with virtually no experience of Premier Division cricket at 1st XI level - adapted to the different format that there was even a (small) tinge of disappointment that we didn't finish higher. The side gelled as a unit quite brilliantly. Sutho made a welcome return; the new guys - Chris Sains, Gul Muwas and Phil Ayres - slotted in seamlessly, and all in all we showed that there was life after Hrishi. Proving ourselves at the highest level was probably the pinnacle of Richard's four years as captain and he has decided the time has come to step down. The Club is indebted to Richard for his inspirational work in getting the 1st team to where they are today, and the good news is that he will still be playing for us as well as being our Essex League representative and Chairman of Cricket. In terms of league position, the 2nd XI was the most successful side. Unsurprisingly they regained their Premiership status at the first attempt, easily finishing runners-up in Division 1. Some seriously good players emerged from the side, which is important as we seek to increase the number of individuals capable of playing 1st XI cricket, which both builds up the "squad" and provides healthy competition for places. The 3rd and 4th teams both maintained their Premier Division status, albeit without anything like the same degree of success as in 2005. Indeed, the 3rds went into the final game of the season at Upminster knowing that if various results went against them they would be relegated, which would have been careless in the extreme. In the event their victory in an enthralling encounter was more than enough to preserve their status, which means that Ken Lingwood can hand over the reins of captaincy (after being talked out of it at the start of the season) without it resembling a poisoned chalice. A combination of poor early-season weather and availability meant that the 4th's season never seemed to get going, and in the circumstances mid-table mediocrity was probably a fair reflection. I too am stepping down from the captaincy, so 2007 will see our four Premier League sides collectively boasting captains with a total of one year's experience between them! Once again we entered our 5th and 6th XIs in the East and West Divisions of the 4th team League. The 5th XI, under the captaincy of the brilliant Phil Crook, finished third in their division (having been bottom the previous season), whilst the 6th XI were rather tailed off in last place in their division. We have always maintained that where these two sides finish in the league is academic: the important thing is to be able to blood the colts into competitive adult cricket. But regrettably that was the problem this year. We anticipated difficulties in producing a 6th XI due to the understandable unavailability of many of the lads until their exams were over, and sounded out the League informally about deferring their games until later in the season (the fewer number of teams in the division means that there are always a few blank dates during the course of the summer). The League appeared unsympathetic however, and with too few senior members either able or willing to get involved, we had no captain, few players and an unacceptable number of cancelled games until the second half of the season. Thereafter, with improved availability and with Ian Dawes kindly agreeing to take charge of the side, results were more encouraging, but we really must have guaranteed commitment at the AGM before the Committee will be prepared to re-enter the 6th XI in the League for 2007. Apart form anything else it is embarrassing and unfair to our opponents to so often deny their side a game by virtue of our cry-offs. The OCG saw a bit more Sunday cricket than hitherto this year with the 1st XI's run in the Cockspur Cup and more games in the Under-16's Matchplay competition supplementing the Victorians. The Vics continue to be the flag-bearers for Sunday cricket, and whilst there is still a healthy number of 'original Victorians' in their number, it is encouraging that they continue to attract newer blood to preserve their existence. And without a doubt they win more than they lose without ever abandoning their principles of practising the traditional values of Sunday cricket - before, during and after the game. Marketing & Social Even before the start of the year, we had decided to acknowledge our 125th Anniversary with one major event. We had hoped that, as with our Centenary in 1981, we would be able to form a sub-committee to deal exclusively with this side of things, but disappointingly we had no volunteers. Consequently, Paul Webb was left to handle all the arrangements with Little Havens Children's Hospice and Old England in order that this prestigious event took place. In the end he managed to get a bit of help from, specifically, the President and John Walford, as well as various contributors to and sellers of the programme. And as the day drew near, a number of other members did belatedly help out, but the fact that the event itself was such a resounding success was at least 99% due to Paul. The day was fantastic, the cricket entertaining (even if there was some confusion as to who won!), and the programme itself - also put together by Paul - a worthy memento of the occasion. And don't forget that in his "spare" time, he also arranged the usual number of excellent and lucrative social events. The Evening with Devon Malcolm was brilliant - and the sight, a week later, of 'standing room only' at the Quiz Night was mindblowing. Nishi Datta's curries have rapidly gone down in folklore! Paul's efforts over the past few years have helped raise a very large amount of money for the Club. There are three ways that an amateur club such as ours can afford to buy such things as state-of-the-art covers: acquire a wealthy benefactor, jack up subs, or fundraise. We don't have a benefactor; we shall never risk pricing members or potential members away from the Club by extortionate subs, so that leaves fundraising. Paul has done that in spades, both by nurturing local businesses and by a programme of regular social events, which thankfully are now usually well-supported. He is taking a break in 2007. He received the President's Award at the Dinner & Dance, and was elected a Life Vice-president at the same time. It was the least we could do. A thousand thanks, Paul. House & Ground I would hazard a guess that very few members actually realise what Mark Donkin does as H&G Chairman. Just a snapshot of his quiet and unsung chores include sourcing and arranging the purchase of an outfield mower - and then cutting the outfield himself most weeks; ensuring the sightscreens are serviceable (or destroying them if they're not); filling in rabbit holes; clearing away all the junk that we inevitably and regularly acquire, and always being there whenever anybody needed help with a job. Mark and Trevor Coote have continued to work on the outfield and we are now getting it back to its former quality. And even that is an expensive business, and we are extremely grateful to Trevor for putting his hand in his pocket to minimise the impact on the Club's finances and to Essex Playing Fields Association for a grant towards the work. Mark also liaises with (i.e. keeps an eye on) Chris Boniface, who continues to produce consistently excellent wickets for us on both the main ground and the 'back pitch' - and in this latter connection we are as always indebted to Brentwood School for allowing us to use their facilities and also their Heseltine's pitch for our 5th and 6th XIs - at no cost, incidentally. We are indeed lucky to have Ian Bruton, the Bursar, as such an ardent supporter - as well as all the young players and the coaches that link us to the School. Colts Quite simply, the Colts Section continues to be THE success story of the Club. By the end of the season we had 144 colts registered from the ages of five to 16. To our knowledge, no other club - certainly not locally - takes colts as young as five. For us to be able to do so (and to be able to accommodate and give coaching to all the other age groups) requires an incredible amount of infrastructure, and we are very fortunate indeed that under David Barbone's management we are able to achieve that. To combine training for all age groups on a Friday evening was a masterstroke. To see the OCG awash with little (and not so little) white blobs and the likes of Phil Crook, Keith Goodman, Phil Rees, Terry Charrington, Sutho and various parents bringing organisation out of potential chaos, whilst countless other mums and dads 'socialised' in or within the vicinity of the bar was a seriously rewarding experience. As was the turn out of 150 at the Colts Awards evening. Amazing! It all underlined our mission statement of being a Community Club Available to All. And of course we are producing decent cricketers along the way as well - witness our Under-15s winning their League (unbeaten) and failing by only one run to make it a League and Cup double. As a result of their size, the Colts Section will henceforth have its own Committee. This will essentially involve parents of colts of all age groups and, we hope, ultimately even provide succession at main Club Committee level. It is appropriate and traditional at this point in the Report to acknowledge and thank those whose unsparing (and often unpublicised) help makes life easy for the rest of us. Chris Stuart, not only for scoring but also for ensuring that our results were always phoned in on time and accurately (despite Boony's occasional inability to come to terms with the word 'accurately'); Tom Reilly and Keith Lennon for scoring when they could, and Roy French - new to the Club this year - for umpiring the whole season for the 2nds. Frank, Vic, Jack, and Graham and Judy Belchamber and Winston and Judy-May Brandy for their support and help in the kitchen, Jeff Salt and Phil Howlett for looking after the 1st XI, and just about every member of the Walford family, but especially Ange, whose catering was sensational and way beyond the call of duty, especially since (according to Richard) she was due to hatch "within three weeks" from the end of April onwards. An equally big 'thank you' as well to Pat and Roger for stepping into the breach when Trevor Coote bravely (and correctly) grasped the nettle. The bar functioned superbly - not only at weekends but also on Friday evenings and indeed whenever we wanted it. It reverted back to being a happy place where one was encouraged to have a drink, and it was such a relief to once again have the involvement of a trio for whom nothing was too much trouble. Which brings me on to our President. When Malcolm told us five years ago that the way forward was to engage an Administrator to ensure the smooth running of all aspects of the Club off the field with the ultimate aim of producing success on it, it is fair to say that in some quarters he was viewed with the same scepticism as Alf Ramsey when he said Martin Peters was ten years ahead of his time. To prove his point, Malcolm took on the role of Administrator, and unlike Alf he was right. Anyone who doesn't now believe that our success on the pitch, our efficiency off it, and the work of the Administrator are not connected is indeed a cynic - and a deluded one. Now Malcolm is stepping down as Administrator (although not, happily, as our President). It is one hell of an act to follow - but your Committee is confident that it has the right man earmarked to do so. So another year is nearly over, and another pennant has been collected at the League Dinner. Can we sustain this tide of success? You bet we can. And if you don't believe it - you're at the wrong club. I wish you all a happy Christmas and continued enjoyment and success at Brentwood Cricket Club in 2007. Neil Webb - Hon. Secretary on behalf of the Executive Committee
The season started on a very disappointing note with poor turn-outs at both the Pre-Season drinks and the School Disco which made me question whether it was all worth it, as was well documented on the message board at the time. The next event however more than made up for it as the Evening with Devon Malcolm was not only a great night but also a huge success financially and went a fair way to paying for the covers which we'd ordered from Devon's company but embarrassingly for him hadn't actually turned up at the time. Needless to say, as soon as they did turn up, the rains ceased and we didn't need to use them for another 3 months! It should be pointed out that the success of the night was largely down to the fact that Devon came free as part of the deal and thanks are due to Malcolm for his part in brokering the deal in the first place. Both Quiz Nights were massive successes and were really well attended as for the first time we offered food in the form of a curry, courtesy of Mrs Datta, one of the colts mothers, at the first one, and provided by Papadom Takeaway at the second. The popularity was such that at the first one some people at the back of the food queue had to go without. Unfortunately this was down to a lot of the teams who entered not notifying me beforehand and we were left with 80 or so people and food for about 40! This was resolved for the second one and you can be sure that it will be even better next year. Keith Lennon must be singled out for thanks for being the Question Master on both occasions again. Similarly he almost single-handedly makes the Race Night the success that it is each year by not only running things on the night but also blagging prizes for the races. Whilst this year was less successful than it has been in previous years, it always clears more than all of the other annual events do historically, and is an opportunity to get the colts and their parents involved. The Summer Party was run by the Victorians this year and I would like to see them take this on every year. They always, without fail (well, except last year!) put on a great night and whilst these nights tend not to make huge amounts of money, they are vastly entertaining, particularly when Bobby O'Brien takes centre stage, and it is great to see both sides of the Club coming together. Both home games were cancelled on the day due to rain but some of us nobly stayed in the bar all day awaiting the big event! Thanks to everyone involved in arranging the event; Mick Pinkney, Trevor Coote and of course Bobby himself. More of the same next year please! The Six-a-Side was a total wash-out but thanks to all those who were planning on taking part and congratulations to the St Martins PE Department team (of which I may have been a part!) for retaining the title with a fine bar performance! And so to what was the main event of the year, the Old England game. And what a day it was. Everything went well. The weather couldn't have been better, the turn out was excellent, the OCG looked resplendent including what was at the time a shiny new boundary rope and whilst the input of the Charity was something of a disappointment (they still have about 400 un-sold programmes if anyone wants one!) the day itself was an outstanding success. If I'd have been sober enough to turn my car alarm off I might even have got some sleep the night before! It was disappointing that the special event committee which was hoped would arrange and run the day never materialised and it was only thanks to the help of Malcolm, Ken, Dave Barbone, Peter Lowman and most notably John Walford that I managed to get the event off the ground at all. Donks again and Rob Coote also gave their services for free to run one of the bars on the day. Ben Cocklin stepped up to the plate and sold nearly 50 programmes in the lead up to the day. I think the only person he didn't manage to sell one to was his brother Daniel. Des Alford sponsored the match shirts for the day and it made a real difference to see the whole Brentwood team wearing the same shirt. Pat, Roger, Trevor and Mick all helped out with the organisation of the bar and it all goes to show what can be achieved when people pull together. Thanks to you all. The day itself showed just what this fine Club of ours is capable of. We should consider making this sort of game an annual event and we should expect to have high profile games at the OCG more often. Whilst we shouldn't underestimate the work involved, if, as is now a possibility, we are asked to host a number of Essex 2's games next year, then that can only be a good thing in my opinion. The Annual Dinner was again a great night and had a record attendance this year of nearly 120 people ... although most that I've spoken to since seem to suffer from the same case of alcohol induced amnesia as I do! Thanks to Trevor again for being chief auctioneer, particularly after the hard season he'd had remaining ahead of Ken in their 'most runs scored' bet! Away from the social events the pursuit of a sponsor was again high on the agenda but unfortunately still bore no fruit. I think we have a great package to offer any potential sponsor but for whatever reason we seem to be unable to attract anything. The tie-in with Thinc Destini had to be severed after they let us down and failed to live up to their promises. I managed to bring in various relatively small amounts of money from local businesses advertising in the fixture card. SpringHealth Leisure, La Tasca and Vega Hairstylists still offer discounts to Club members and I'm hoping to arrange something similar, if not bigger, with Papadom Takeaway down by Brentwood Station. Feel free to mention the Club if you go in there and you might get a discount. The more we support such places the more we are likely to benefit as a Club. Sponsorship must still remain a top priority if we want to improve the facilities. The outfield still needs a lot of work, nets always need improving, the mobile net now needs replacing having been vandalised once too often, the covers need to be looked after, the sightscreens need constant care and attention. And that is just to stand still and doesn't include day-to-day running costs. Long term aims are to improve the clubhouse and maybe secure a dedicated third home pitch. But obviously all this needs money if it is to become any more than a pipe-dream. We have so much to offer sponsors so if you know of anyone who might be interested then please ask them to get in touch. It is very humbling to be granted Life Vice-presidency of the Club. And equally humbling to receive the President's Award, particularly from Dad. As everyone knows by now, I am stepping down as Social & Marketing Chairman this year after doing it for the last 4 years. In those 4 years I've won two awards for the work that I've done in the role. That's not me showing off, but it goes to show not only the appreciation that comes with the role but also how the Club has become reliant on the same people year in, year out. Looking at the other award winners in recent years the same trend is true. Keith Lennon and Keith Burgess have both won awards for their roles in raising funds. Dave Barbone, Malcolm and Ken have all won awards for the time and effort that they've put in. It's not a case of 'jobs for the boys' but simply a case of the same people being expected to put the work in each year. And that work only gets harder. In the last 4 years the aims, aspirations and ambitions of the Club have rightly become a lot greater than they were when I took on the role and with that comes more work which in turn means that more people need to be willing to do their bit. So I raised £50,000 in 4 years? Not bad. But we still need more and more each year if we are to maintain and improve our facilities to the standards which we have come to expect. Whoever takes on the role I wish him every success. I will certainly make my services available to him but I and he will expect new people to get involved as well. I've managed to do all this throughout this year with a full time job and a new baby so no-one can have any excuses and say that they haven't got time. If you want to keep the Club at the level that it now is then you need to make time. If everyone does their bit then the time is shared and the job becomes a lot easier. As with my time in the role I want to end on a high. I'm proud of where we have taken the Club over recent years and the financial success off the pitch has gone some way towards the success on the pitch. We are now a club in the true sense of the word; we're all mates and it is up to every one of us to do our bit. Everyone who attends the events that are arranged deserves thanks for their part in raising the funds. Give yourself a pat on the back but ask yourself if you can do more to help your mates enjoy the 2007 season and beyond. Winter well, Paul Webb
The 2 games against Hainault & Clayhall stand as testaments to the 1st team's success this year. H&C won the league 'at a canter', winning every game but 3, of which 2 were against us. The first of those games was the first league game where we batted first and helped by a patient 93 from Ben Debenham and crucial runs in the lower middle order we went past the maximum batting bonus points total. It was an innings that taught us a lot regarding the importance of batting the full 66 overs when put into bat. We then bowled very well, in particular spinners Paul Sutherland and Ian Belchamber and H&C ended the game holding on, over 100 runs short. At home in mid-season H&C came to us having won every game since the opening one, yet we restricted them to 250 on an OCG belter. It was a superb team bowling and fielding performance. We then chased the total with overs to spare thanks to one of the five hundreds that Jon Walford scored this season and support from Phil Ayres and Damian Brandy. In those 2 games the question of whether we could compete at Premier League level was conclusively answered. Elsewhere last season we beat Ilford, South Woodford, Saffron Walden, Wanstead and Loughton. Chris Sains saw us to victory over Ilford and was later to score an improbable (according to Ben!) hundred against South Woodford. Ben Cocklin hit 43 not out under pressure against South Woodford. Damian Brandy took 4 crucial wickets to help us bowl out Wanstead for only 85 when we had batted first and scored only 103. We were to ultimately finish a more than respectable 4th. The season was not all bouquets and garlands. We lost twice to Ardleigh Green with fairly abject performances in both games. It is telling that our performances against the top 3 were better than against those sides that finished 5th, 6th and 7th. We must play with more consistency and concentrate as hard against sides with a lesser reputation as we do against the 'best.' Once again some individuals stood out as having fantastic seasons. The 2 spinners were excellent. Ian Belchamber, despite a mid-season loss of form, took 38 wickets @ 16.21. But he will be the first to admit that many of his wickets were thanks to the pressure created at the other end by Paul Sutherland. It was great to have him back, not just as an 'in-turner', but also as a character around the club. His coaching on a Friday night was of an exceptional quality. His bowling was similarly impressive as he too took 38 wickets. His dancing remains poor at best. Damian Brandy matched his performances with the bat last year by averaging 41.6 this season. This season however his bowling was much improved, both in terms of having greater control and becoming more penetrative. He took 21 wickets with a strike rate of 36.06 and an average of 23.05. His fielding is still of the highest quality and a target for us all to work towards. Yet it was Jon Walford who for the second successive year justly won the Player of the Year award. He was the highest run scorer, again just missing out on 1000 runs, totalling 940 at an average of 62.67. More impressive were his big innings that helped us to win games. He scored 5 hundreds including 119 and 118* in the wins against Hainault and Saffron Walden respectively. Our performances in the Cup competitions were not as impressive. On the up-side was progression in the ECB National Knockout beating both Bishop Stortford and Saffron Walden (with the help of substitute fielder Winston Brandy) before coming unstuck on a turning wicket to Chingford whose 5 spinners proved difficult to score runs against. In the League Cup we lost to South Woodford having beaten Leigh-on-Sea in the first round. Local rivals Hutton easily knocked us out of the Evening Standard. Our record in the Standard and the attitude of some players to these competitions leaves something to be desired. If we are truly to become a premier club then strong and consistent results in this sphere are required. My thanks as ever to Chris Stuart for his fastidious record-keeping which again ensured we did not lose any points for administrative errors (Boony take note!); Jeff Salt, John Walford Snr and Graham Belchamber for varying degrees of help on match days. Ange for ensuring lunches and teas were enjoyable for all. Trevor Coote and Donks for their work on the outfield. Also thanks to all those who came to support and offer assistance throughout the season. In some ways our achievements this year were usurped by those of the 2nd XI. It was undoubtedly true that a key reason that they were relegated last year was because of a lack of depth in the 1st XI squad and as such it was superb to see them bounce straight back to the Premier League. The consistent availability of 1st XI players played its part. We now have all 4 sides in their respective Premier divisions, a position we must fight hard to maintain. As I write in October I look back on my four years in charge of the 1st XI with much pride. In particular I think of the 2003 season when we were in transition having lost 6 senior players for varying reasons. The nucleus of our side now was present then: Myself, Jon, Paul Sutherland, Ben Cocklin, Ian Belchamber and Joe Fryd. Other members of the squad that year were Paul Larner, Richard Walford, Shane Surujbally, Tony Jones and Chris Boon to name but a few. The promotion we achieved that year in adversity was testament to the spirit of this club and evidence that a team is more powerful than a collection of individuals. I hope that belief is still felt not only in the 1st XI but throughout the whole club and will remain a part of our ethos for some considerable time to come. I look forward to taking on a new role as Cricket Committee Chairman (subject to AGM approval) and wish my successor as 1st XI Captain the best of luck for next season. Thanks for all your support, see you next season. Richard Whitehall Batting (5 completed innings)
Bowling (5 wickets)
In-coming and out-going captains together as Jonny receives the award for Best Performance from Richard After thrashing Harlow at home in our penultimate game, and hearing the news that GPR had failed to beat Upminster, promotion was assured. The influx of quality players made for a strong settled first team, so players who previously yo-yoed between 1's and 2's were now second team 'fixtures' and this coupled with some outstanding young talent meant that we were always going to be one of the stronger sides in the division. The season took a while to get going. An opening day defeat at the hands of eventual champions Hainault, despite Phil Brooks scoring a century on his league debut, was followed by two washouts. Our first win came at home against a woeful Leigh side, who could only manage 160 on a very flat pitch. After a lost toss, and a draw against Chingford, we were already 30 points adrift of Hainault. An easy win at Harlow, thanks to Harri Jones's 5 wicket haul was followed by a draw against GPR, who stuck us in, then amazingly sledged us for batting 52 overs for 277. We successfully chased 200 at home to Ardleigh Green, Steve Taylor playing the anchor, (I think that's how you say it) and finishing unbeaten on 91. Nick Childs came into the side to open, and initially clearly struggled to make an impact, scoring 240 runs in his first 3 knocks at a strike rate of 120! Against Upminster Nick and Aaron West destroyed their attack, with Aaron narrowly missing out on three figures. A total of 284 proved way to many, and underlined the importance of winning the toss, as Upminster lost early wickets, then shut up shop, and finished 150 runs short, 7 wickets down. Another bat-first draw against leaders Hainault was followed by easy wins at home to Westcliff and Wickford, the Westcliff game notable for another scintillating opening stand between Aaron and Nick of 166. For the Wickford game I was desperate to be at full strength, especially in the bowling department. Unfortunately I was without Degg, first team call up, and Balroop, making cakes, so in came Ian Moore (first game for 2 years), and Kevin Bradford. Wickford surprisingly chose to bat first and 2 early wickets brought Lee Dellor to the crease. Dellor had scored over 1200 runs the previous season, and I thought he might fancy his chances against our weakened attack. Kevin Bradford had other ideas and ripped one through his defences, kissing the edge of his bat. Reilly neatly pouched the catch and Dellor stood in stunned disbelief, but was sent on his way by a baying Brentwood mob. Their eventual total of 220 was easily overhauled, thanks to an imperious maiden century from Aaron. The trip to Leigh brought our third straight win, and our best run chase of the season, 245 on a poor pitch against an improved side, and we were now 14 points clear of third placed GPR, who we were due to play next. With rain in the air, we were changed and ready to start, but GPR strangely showed no interest in playing, and the game was abandoned. All the other games in our division were played, and other teams closed the gap. We slipped up away at Ardleigh Green, despite Dave Balroop's amazing spell of in-swing. They managed to score157 on a pitch covered in tyre tracks and empty cans of White Lightning super-strength cider. For the first time our top and middle order let us down, perhaps distracted by the chavs on mini bikes roaring past the bowlers arm, and it was only thanks to some huge blows from Deggy that we got close. Our next match at Chingford started an hour late because the covers had leaked. Their skipper won the toss and went off for a team meeting. He came back 5 minutes later to tell me they fancied a bat. I couldn't believe my luck. Dave Balroop was inspirational taking 7-14 from 13 overs, and Chingford were rolled out for 77. The top order struggled again and it was Larner and Degg who saw us home to a 3-wicket success. Then it was the Harlow game, and an easy 9-wicket victory meant we had made it. I thought we thoroughly deserved promotion, and had we had better luck with the weather, we would have pushed Hainault a lot closer. I see no reason why we can't challenge for honours next year, given the genuine strength-in-depth at the club. Having the first 4 teams all in their respective Premier Divisions is a great achievement, but we should look to build on this, not rest on our laurels. I would like to thank all the players for their efforts over the season, Ange for keeping us well fed and Roy French for umpiring. Special mentions for Harri Jones, who bowled stacks of overs, took the most wickets and worked hard all season at his fielding and batting, and could soon follow Rocky into the first team. We are extremely lucky to have 2 outstanding young spinners, and an exceptional young batsman in Aaron West. Everything Aaron did impressed me; he loves scoring runs, kept wicket and opened the bowling, but he also reads and understands the game so well. The work being done at colts level is a credit to the club and hopefully more will break through next year. Also the stats below illustrate what a phenomenal season Dave Balroop had. I am currently trying to persuade him to become a milkman, surely they don't work till 1pm on Saturday afternoons. Chris Boon
Boony with Balroop the Baker - 2nd XI Player of the Year Batting (5 completed innings)
Also batted
Bowling (5 wickets)
Chris Cowdrey trying to hide the fact that Boony has just discovered that he's forgotten to take off Annette's best blouse
The 3rd XI had been Premiership runners up for the previous two seasons and I could see no reason this time last year why season 2006 should not be anything but continued success and another tilt at the title. The players were in place, my enthusiasm was as ever high, and all was good. Bring it on ......!! Then the new calendar year started with the devastating news that Jim's cancer was back, culminating in his death just as the season's preparation was to get underway. Cricket was, quite frankly, the last thing on my mind. But life goes on, and in such circumstances you dust yourself down, give yourself a good talking to and just get on with it. I thought cricket would be the perfect antidote for any negative personal thoughts. Clearly the reality was different. My mind was not, in cricketing terms, where it should have been, and as a consequence my own form fell through the floor. Additionally, looking back, certainly my ability to inspire others - which once was easy - also didn't happen. I'm a firm believer that the captain must be one of the best players, if not the best player, and lead through deed as much as thought. My poor form seemed to be contagious, as week after week we failed as a team, and considering the personnel available, to register our first win as late as mid-June was unheard of for a 3rd XI that has known nothing but success for a number of years. Cricket clubs' successes are cyclical, as are teams within clubs. When I first took over the captaincy, 90% of the side were close friends off the pitch, and cricket was an extension of that. All we wanted to do was turn the opposition over, have some fun, then get drunk. A simple formula that worked very well. But times have changed, and I feel that as a result our team spirit diminished somewhat. Yes, it was still fun: yes, we still had the banter, but the spark seemed to go. That spark and camaraderie that turned defeat into a draw, and a draw into victory. We did have a mid-season resurgence with three wins on the bounce, starting against South Woodford, when Tony Jones made 129 not out and past-master Gary Jones produced a sublime 73. An excellent fielding and bowling display enabled us to claim a twenty point victory against Wanstead, and a splendid run chase of over 300 helped us beat Woodford Wells. We had managed to claw our way clear of the relegation dog-fight and looked to have played our way back into form. Such optimism was short lived as we slipped back into our bad habits of dropped catches and lack of batting application. We were slowly dragged back down into the drop zone and we were in real danger of relegation, which would have been calamitous for a Club with such a record of success recently. It is vital that Brentwood 3rd XI are in the top flight to provide the stepping stone for our many talented youngsters. The outcome was that everything came down to the last game of the season, away at Upminster. Win and we stay up; lose and Division 1 was on the cards. That week and the game itself were perhaps the least enjoyable period of my time at Brentwood. But without going into too much detail, we won and stayed up to fight another day. I hope that the above tale of woe hasn't made you want to stop reading, because despite the season's struggle there were positives that lead me to believe that this term was just a 'blip'. Joe Surtees can be a cricketer of real substance at the very top of our Club with both bat and ball, but he needs constant reassurance of his own ability and he must apply himself throughout this winter if he wants to fulfil his potential. Jamie Battu grew in stature this season. He is a seam and swing bowler of enormous potential but - like Joe - he must push himself and match his ability with application and commitment. An injury-free Tony Jones is just the batsman we need. He's now on the mend and a full season from Tony next year will make a huge difference. I was delighted to see Stephen Lennon back and enjoying his cricket. He too will prove to be a great asset. Peter Bainbridge was once again the best bowler with 21 wickets and an economy rate of just over three runs per over, and Ed Allen showed great promise with his few late-season appearances. He has all the right ingredients necessary for success. Alex Priddle improved yet again behind the stumps and with the bat. He is a sharp and well-rounded individual whose enthusiasm for the battle is good to see. I have asked Alex to be the new captain for the 3rd XI, a position that, subject to the approval of the AGM, he has accepted. He will have Tony Jones as his vice-captain, which is a good partnership and one that will, I am sure, bring back the success the 3rd XI craves. So the 3rd XI's future looks good. In addition to those already mentioned, Alex can rely upon the runs of Chris Lawless and Phil Brooks, both of whom showed this year in bite-sized pieces what they are capable of. Tony Prior will, I'm sure, continue to run (albeit more slowly) through brick walls; Dave Moisan will score lots of ugly runs, and I'm certain Alex and Tony can get the best out of Shane. In closing, I would like to thank Barry Brooks in particular for his help and support, especially early season when I was unable to participate in the pre-season games. Barry has had his own troubles to contend with and I am sure he could have done without me dumping some more on him. And to all those with whom I have had the pleasure of sharing the field of play this year - thank you also for your support. It has been much appreciated. Ken Lingwood Batting (5 completed innings)
Also batted
Bowling (5 wickets)
Detailed statistics for the 3rd XI.
JP is actually the recipient and the Chair the giver of the 3rd XI Player of the Year award – although their facial expressions don't necessarily support that!
In that respect, 2006 was a totally different story. No longer did I have Messrs Childs and Barbone, traditionally two of my most reliable lieutenants, indelibly etched upon the teamsheet every week. DC played only 4 games in the whole season and Barbone just 6 ... the batting and bowling line ups respectively had a far weaker appearance as a result. Micky Payne also only managed 6 games, albeit (like the two Daves) for perfectly acceptable reasons. Indeed, besides myself, only Damo, Roger and Morgy played more than 10 games in the season. It was, in truth, a stop-start season right from the off. The first league game of the season was the day of the FA Cup final and many of us decided, after a 26 year wait, that West Ham were a higher priority than cricket for one week. In a way, that set the trend for the rest of the campaign. We had 3 games rained off over the course of the season and, as soon as holidays entered the equation, team selection became even more erratic. I'm a firm believer that, to generate any degree of team spirit and breed a successful squad, you need to have the same blokes playing together week in week out. That never happened. Not once did the Fours field an unchanged team, a problem partly through our own making but also largely due to topsy-turvy availability higher in the Club. But it wasn't all bad. The overall tale of the tape read that we finished a respectable fifth, having played 15, won six and lost seven. Despite propping up the table for the first four weeks of the season, we were never in serious danger of relegation. Looking back, we played with a slightly more cavalier spirit than in previous years, on no less than three occasions falling to narrow defeats in pursuit of victory when a more conservative team would have settled for a draw. This showed itself in the fact that we only drew two games in the whole season, both in the last three weeks of the season. In terms of personal performance, John Morgan was awarded the Player of the Year ... and there can never have been a more popular winner. Morgy may not win many games single-handedly or show the highest aggregates in the end of season averages, but he is the epitome of a Captain's dream. His availability was second to none, playing more games than anyone else in the entire side. When a calf injury hampered his athleticism for a few weeks mid-season, you could see how much it upset him ... no one I know takes their fitness more seriously than Morgy. Most importantly though, he always did exactly what was asked of him, even if it was a role that didn't necessarily always come naturally. At the start of the season, when availability of batsmen was a particular problem, Morgy stood in as an emergency opener on several occasions, never giving his wicket away. He kept wicket for more than half the season, despite that meaning he wouldn't be able to bowl. When he did get a chance with the ball, he regularly picked up vital wickets, most memorably the winning wicket away at Hainault which prompted an 11 man hug, so proving what a popular team member he had become. On top of all that, John was once again consistently the best fielder in the side, catching everything that came near him and was always the first to put his hand up when volunteers were required for pre-match chores, not to mention being responsible for our most loyal supporter, Jackie, following us to all parts of the county come rain or shine. Overall, Morgy made Saturdays a lot less stressful for me. The only real competition to Morgy for the player of year was Shane. The big man's runs were the stand out performance of the year, smashing two belligerent centuries and weighing in with 375 runs at an average of 62.5. If I'm being honest, the only reason Shane wasn't player of the year was because I still don't regard him as a genuine 4th XI player. In my opinion, anyone with Shane's ability should be a permanent fixture in the 3rd team and, on the few occasions that he does play in the Fours, of course he should score runs because he's a class above everyone else. The opposition believe this as well ... after Shane had smashed an unbeaten 122 away at Hutton to help us to a ten wicket thrashing of our local rivals, their former skipper and opening bat Nick Watson came up to Shane and said, "Well batted, now you can **** off back to the second team!" Shane's opening partner for most of the year was Roger. All I can say about Roger's season is thank goodness he ended the campaign strongly, hitting a fifty against Ardleigh Green and ending the year with a typically majestic century against Walthamstow. Without those two knocks, Roger 'amassed' 82 runs at an average of less than 10! It was tough going for Rog this year but he remains, in my opinion, one of the most naturally gifted batsmen in the club. Form is temporary, class is permanent as they say. Arguably the best knock of the year was Sonny Willis' unbeaten 111 away at Wanstead on a minefield at Snaresbrook. Wanstead were, at the time, top of the league and would end the season as worthy Champions. The pitch was truly awful but Sonny's technique served him well as he steered his side to what proved to be a winning total. Tom Childs returned from University for the middle part of the season and, as well as feasting upon Ange's banquetous teas, the likes of which he hadn't seen in many a month, he also helped himself to a few runs, including a fifty against Walthamstow at the palatial surroundings of the Peter May Centre. Sadly, Walthamstow were relegated this year so we won't have the joy of that trip next season. In terms of our bowling, Micky Payne topped the averages for the second year running, largely due to 15 wickets in three weeks at the start of June. At that stage, he was nailed on for the 2006 Player of the Year but work, holidays and the Hammers then meant he didn't play again until September! Damian Muncaster enjoyed what, in my opinion, was his best year since joining the Club with the ball. The middle part of the season saw him bowling as well as I have ever seen, culminating in his match winning five-for at home to Hutton. By bowling so regularly, Damo settled into a rhythm that is his stock in trade, regularly picking up wickets and tying batsmen up thereby earning wickets for his bowling partner at the other end (more often than not, the captain). Stats wise, Damo has taken more wickets before and has ended with better averages, but I felt his bowling this year showed more variety and thought than had been the case in previous seasons. I don't think anyone present on the day will argue when I say that, without question, the best bowling performance of the year was Rob Coote's 6-40 away at Hainault & Clayhall on the penultimate week of the season. I've played cricket with Cootey now for about 16 years and I can honestly say that that performance was by far the best that I have ever seen him bowl. He was unplayable. The wicket was soft which suited Rob, but what he did with the ball that day was simply sensational. Every one of his wickets was a genuine bowler's wicket ... bowled, caught in the slips or caught behind. The fact that Rob bowled us to a twenty point victory that day was apt reward for such a great performance. As I said at the start of this review, the Fourth Team struggled for availability for most of the season and you will notice that the individuals mentioned so far have largely been the senior members of the side. That said, there were some outstanding performances by younger members of the team. Tom Patient showed that he has real potential as an opening bowler, not least of all with his 3-44 against Wanstead when he removed Karan Singh and Mahesh Velani, the league's two best batsmen, with cracking deliveries. With hard work over the winter to build up strength and consistency of line and length, Tom has every chance to progress through the sides in the next couple of years. Ed Allen also showed that he is a class all round cricketer over the course of the season. Testimony to this is that the 3rd XI skipper, not historically the greatest exponent of youth, stole him from us, never to return. Ed also earned county recognition in the form of selection for the Essex U15 team. His 3-5 from five overs at Wanstead was quick and hostile blowing away their middle order on our way to a twenty point win as we skittled the eventual champions for 98. Jack Anderson is also a quality batsman in the making ... he possesses a superb temperament and, most importantly, plays to his strengths. Likewise, Ed Nation has an excellent technique, making batting look particularly easy at times. His unbeaten 61 on the last day of the season implies good things to come from this gifted 15 year old in 2007. So, all in all, I suppose the end of term report would read "Adequate performance but could do better with greater application." Our victories batting first against Wanstead and Hainault are the days which stand out in my mind and proved what we as a side were capable of. Two annihilations of Hutton (by 10 wickets and 8 wickets respectively) also gave us great pleasure. But we lacked consistency, largely as a result of fluctuations in availability. I feel that the Fourth team needs a new direction in 2007 and therefore, after four years in charge, have stated that I intend standing down as Captain at the AGM. At the time of writing, I don't know who will be taking the reigns although there are obvious replacements waiting in the wings. Whoever takes charge, they will have my absolute commitment as a player and advisor whenever required. The Fourth team is a vital stepping stone for young players progressing from junior cricket into the adult game and I take great pride in looking at some of the 1st and 2nd XI teams and seeing young players whom I hope I have helped progress. With a largely new committee and 3 new captains at the helm of the top four teams, Brentwood CC is about to embark upon a new era. The old guard that have helped run the Club over the past seven or eight years are now stepping down to be replaced by what I hope will be a fresh injection of enthusiasm and a few new ideas. If the new committee and new captains achieve half of what the outgoing incumbents have, they will be doing well. I wish you all a happy Christmas and a successful new year. Neil Webb Batting (5 completed innings)
Also batted
Bowling (5 wickets)
4th XI Player of the Year Morgy looking suspicious: when the skipper puts his hand on his shoulder it usually means there's a job to be done! The aim for the fifth team this season was, as it is every year with a team low down the pecking order such as ourselves, to improve on 2005's performance. Thus, before a ball had even been bowled I was convinced that we could not fail, having finished bottom the season before! How to improve was going to be the key issue. Being as heavily involved in the colts as I am I wanted to achieve a higher placing through using at least six under-16s in every single match of the season. Furthermore, whilst giving these boys a game in men's cricket is one thing, involving them is another, and this is what I set out to achieve. The team started off in fine form as myself, Ian Dawes and Alan Houston all found ourselves in the runs early on in the season. We had two wins on the bounce at Wickford and Stanford-le-Hope and things looked rosy for the season. However, our mid-season form dropped and the reason for this is still unknown. Largely the same side was picked as before but the luck just wasn't there. Many of our youngsters continued to impress despite the team's performance, and Toby Robertson behind the stumps, along with Sam Rounce bowling at least a dozen overs every match and Will Ashby and Chris Stockwell providing superb all-round performances, made sure the colts flag was flying high. Even the very youngest members of our team such as James Stock and Jamie Dawes impressed, and the former took an amazing five-wicket haul at home to Orsett. Despite all this promise, the fifths found themselves bottom of the league in mid-June. We bounced back with an excellent win at Old Southendians, inspired by a Dave Stockwell century. This was particularly pleasing for me as Dave had been instrumental in the season so far in helping the youngsters through matches and giving them tips on how to improve. However, on this occasion he decided to take the glory himself and clubbed the ball into the townhouses a couple of times! From July onwards the fifths never looked back and went from strength to strength. The youngsters were still performing but the discovery of two additional players, one hiding in the colts ranks and one a dad of the afore-mentioned James Stock, undoubtedly helped our performances. Ross Phillips had played at this level hitherto and not fulfilled his potential, but was not going to waste this chance. He opened the bowling with venom and added a league fifty to his name at home to Hornchurch. Graham Stock came into the side as a late call-up one Saturday morning and scored runs at a fantastic rate, averaging over 40 by the end of the season. The most amazing cricket match of the fifths' season was in the worst conditions of the summer. In wind and rain at Orsett, Brentwood toiled hard in the field but could only restrict the hosts to 289-5 from their 52 overs. Somehow (I'd say because of a rousing captain's talk at tea, but others may say amazing batting), we were successful in our chase. In fact, we weren't just successful, we were explosive. We lost just one wicket and reached the target in 35.1 overs, a run rate of over 8. Phil Rees (86) set up the innings at a canter but it was 15-year-old Ed Nation that really hit the mark, smashing his maiden century in stunning style. His 144 not out came from just 93 balls and he had single-handedly won the game. Rhys Furlong also improved as a batsman towards the end of the season, whilst 12-year-old Jack Hoy surprised everyone with a brace of wickets in each of the two matches he played. He is a real talent to look out for in the future. Furlong emerged as a likely captaincy candidate for 2007 with his maturity and willingness to help youngsters improve. With the same adult help that I had, Rhys will not fail, and I give him my full endorsement. Brentwood finished third in the table and I thought this was an astounding achievement. It is with great sadness that I am resigning the captaincy due to university commitments, although I will strive to play a part in such an enjoyable, intelligent and promising side when I return in June. My sincere thanks go to the adults of the team, David Stockwell, Graham Stock, Kevin Milne and Andy Fryd for their priceless support. My thanks are extended to everyone who represented the fifth team in 2006. Chris Stockwell deservedly picked-up the 5th XI Player of the Year award at the Dinner & Dance and at 15 he must be one of the youngest winners of the award. Chris beat off stiff competition notably from his father, Ross Phillips and particularly from Sam Rounce, who was pipped to the award. I enjoyed captaining the team this season, and hope that the 5th XI continues to develop colts in a fun way. I sincerely hope to be playing cricket for Brentwood 5th XI next season, and will be happy to step back into the role of captain if required when I complete my studies. Phil Crook Batting (4 completed innings)
Also batted
Bowling (5 wickets)
Dave Stockwell has clearly taken drastic steps to break Chris of the habit of giving two-fingered salutes to opponents Victorians End of Season Report
The season started in typical mid-April weather: cold, overcast and damp. But the Vics were on fire from the start and demolished Navestock by 79 runs after posting 169-8 with Shane making a chanceless 50 after which he retired - something that was going to happen on more than one occasion during the year, presumably to protect his average (or possibly his stamina). The wickets were shared around, but the most pleasing feature of the game was the Vics' sharpness in the field with just about every edge being snaffled. After being rained off the following week our unbeaten run came to an abrupt end at the hands of Horndon-on-the-Hill, whose challenging score of 252-9 was just a bit too much for us despite Mark Donkin's brilliant 108, supported by 55 from Joff Fernhead. We had a strange game against Blackheath the following week. It was a Conference fixture arranged after Trevor Coote decided that the Club couldn't possibly put out a sufficiently strong side to give the Vics a decent game, and Trevor then announced that it would be a 35-overs match for some reason. Clearly that statement concentrated the batsmen's minds since after half of our overs we were 31-3 !! Nick Childs and Keith McIntyre pulled things round a bit with 39 and 31, and Ash Patel blazed 24 from 18 balls at the end, but nonetheless 144-7 looked a bit lightweight. However, some inspired captaincy by TC brought Bob O'Brien into the attack early and kept Dave Balroop back till late. Bob took 3-16 in his five overs; Dave 3-12 from four; Blackheath were confused and succumbed for just 97 and we won by 47. The wheels came off well and truly the following week when we took a seriously under-strength (and under-numbered) side to Herongate, and although we thought we had done pretty well to restrict them to 229-4 on their postage-stamp ground, we could only muster 103 in reply. Roger Mahadeo showed unusual application in making a commendable 59, but sad to say there were no fewer than five ducks in our innings. The next week was nearly as bad when despite Chris Jolly's four wickets Leigh-on-Sea managed 155 on a wet wicket, and at 22-8 in reply we didn't fancy our chances. Trevor Coote, who batted for most of the innings for 37, and Joff Fernhead who showed that his half-century a couple of weeks previously was no fluke by making 60 not out put an air of respectability on things and we ended up 120 all out. But it wasn't our greatest performance. We lost again the following week when a strong Welwyn Garden City side made 191-3 and restricted us to 160-9, which was a bit disappointing after we were 88-1 with Shane having made 63, but that proved to be the nadir of our season as we won seven and tied one of our next nine games. A good bowling performance saw Little Waltham dismissed for 188 with Rob Benton, Bob O'Brien and Mick Pinkney all taking three wickets, and we reached the target with only four down thanks to Joe Surtees' 70 and Roger Mahadeo's 45, the two putting on 102 for the second wicket in only twelve overs. Then we had a remarkable game at South Weald, when after 79 from Keith McIntyre had helped us to 214-6, our hosts were way behind the run rate until the inappropriately-named Single came to the crease and proceeded to blast 46 from five overs. Fortunately, debutant Richard Walford caught him at long-off before he could completely ruin the game, but the Weald still only needed five from the last over bowled by Joff Fernhead. The first ball was a wide and the next went for two byes. Not the greatest start, but Joff redeemed himself by bowling three dot balls and then restricting the batsmen to a single from the penultimate one, which levelled the scores, before taking a return catch off the last ball to tie the game. Woodham Mortimer were beaten rather more comprehensively after Richard Walford made 51 of our 190-9 and Bob O'Brien's 3-21 kept them to 138-8, and Southend Trinity didn't get close to our 239-7 which owed much to Shane's wonderful 100 (his description) in an opening partnership of 134 with Des Alford. Shane continued to demolish hapless attacks for the next couple of weeks as we slaughtered Great & Little Warley by six wickets chasing 130 (Shane 52 from 24 balls before retiring after his "brilliant performance" - his description again), and Herongate being despatched by seven wickets defending 142, Shane 58, sharing an opening partnership of 83 with Roger Mahadeo (39). Confidence was pretty high at this point, and we imagined that our 258-4 would be enough to see off Little Waltham. Roger made 52, Richard Walford 36, Dave Moisan 30 and - oh, yes - Shane an "aggressive" (really?) 86 not out from 70 balls. We were even more confident when Chris Jolly took a wicket with the first ball of the visitors' reply and they were soon reduced to 12-4, but thereafter a partnership of 120 for the seventh wicket looked to be taking the game away from the Vics and ten were needed off four overs. Somewhat in desperation the skipper threw the ball to Richard Walford to purvey his own brand of off-spin. His first ball yorked danger-man Gurney for 138 (loads of spin there, then); later in the over he picked up another wicket, then another in his next, meaning that two runs (or one wicket) were required from the last over, and despite a huge mix up between the batsmen, the runs were duly scrambled, thus ending the six game unbeaten streak. Walford's figures of 2-1-3-3 suggests that he was introduced to the attack rather too late in the day. Normal service was resumed the following week. We bowled out Woodford Wells for 175, with Chris Jolly and Keith McIntyre both taking three wickets, then recovered from 25-3 after 13 overs to win by two wickets thanks to Alex Priddle's 52 and Mac's 38 not out. But the high spot of this game was undoubtedly Roger Mahadeo managing to take three excellent catches. This would be worthy of mention under any circumstances, but considering he was nursing a hangover of truly epic proportions, it was a positively monumental performance. It's not easy knowing which of the two balls you can see is the one to catch, even if you have tried puffing a bit of relaxant to settle things down. We also inflicted a rare defeat on Raphaels, where Richard Walford scored another half-century and Dave Balroop made 42 not out and took 3-38, but the game will be remembered most for the breakdown suffered by some geezer who did more to lose the match for his side than anything we could offer. Needing 11 from the last over, with said geezer on strike 40 not out and facing the gentle left-arm over offerings of Dave Moisan (3-5), he got it into his head that anything not pitching wicket to wicket was a wide, a view not shared by the umpire - nor indeed by any other observers when the fourth ball hit his off stump (his one-man crusade having involved the ostentatious shouldering of arms to each delivery). Not only did he lose the match for his team, he did his best to ruin it, which is something he will doubtless reflect upon over the long winter months from the warmth of his pram. Capital Wanderers (who?) were the next to be conned by the apparent fragility of our batting, when they had us 34-5 chasing their 200-9. But Balroop the Baker made 92 not out and yet again we came back like Lazarus to win by one wicket. We didn't really come to terms with a slow wicket at High Roding - even Shane's 46 took two hours - but our opponents did, and overtook our 221-4 with a couple of overs and six wickets to spare, and then it was back to normal as Theydon Bois reduced us to 30-4 after nine overs, and 76-6 at the halfway point in pursuit of their 245-9, in which Keith McIntyre took 5-47. That's when Dave joined Shane. They put on 112 with Shane making a "destructive" 71. Dave carried on to 104 not out and the game was won by three wickets. Shane later described it as "a walk in the park." A good all-round batting performance (now there's a novelty) saw us to 211-8 against Ardleigh Green - McIntyre 48; Walford 47; Balroop 35 and a cameo 32 from debutant Paul Degg - and victory by 13 runs, before the season ended rather limply with what was heralded as an "experimental" batting order being blown away for 141 by South Weald who got them for 4 without breaking sweat. So another hugely enjoyable season. We won 12, lost 7, had one tie and four abandonments. We were delighted to welcome fresh talent to the side to support the hoary old stagers this year. Hopefully even more Club members will be attracted to our way of cricket next season. You will be welcomed. It's a good family Sunday; with the Bar Chairman in the side, refreshments are always available, and we make good friends with (most of) the oppositions. Ann Onymous (with help from Shane) Batting (5 completed innings)
Bowling (5 wickets)
Detailed statistics for the Victorians. This season saw the real strength and emergence of Colts cricket at Brentwood Cricket Club with over 140 registered Colts members. We had tremendous success with our Under-15s side who won the CEDCB 'Division ' A' Championship, remaining unbeaten all season in the League, and were runners up in the CEDCB League Cup losing by just 1 run in the final to Chelmsford CC. Our Under-16s Matchplay team did suffer a little in the knock out stages due to age and lack of experience but I strongly believe that next year we will have a great chance of doing very well in this competition. In the Under-13s too we initially lacked a little cricketing experience but with top coaches like Terry Charrington and Phil Ayres at hand to focus the players' concentration and application it was not too long before we saw a turn around and our match results began to reflect this. The Under-11s had another successful season with the team winning more games than they lost. The highlight of their year was to be invited to the National Indoor Tournament in Norwich where they represented Essex. Like last year many of our Colts went on to play for the men's teams and produced some very good batting and bowling performances. As Colts Chairman I take great pride at seeing these lads go on to represent this Club at senior level as this is where the nucleus of 1st XI players will evolve over the coming years. I have not mentioned any individual players in my review as the Team Managers have produced their own year-end reports giving detailed performances and statistics. Nevertheless I would like to congratulate every individual Colt for their efforts both in competitive matches and training sessions and I look forward to welcoming you all back next year at Brentwood Cricket Club. Last but not least I would like to take this opportunity to thank the three Team Managers Phil Crook (U11s), Ian Dawes (U13s) and Peter Lowman (U15s & U16s) for all of their hard work, effort and dedication to the Colts section, also the coaches, Phil Ayres, Terry Charrington, Ian Coleman, Keith Goodman, Mick Payne, Phil Reece, Paul Sutherland, Steve West and Dave Stockwell for turning out most Friday evenings to coach and train the lads And let's also not forget Jan West for being our Colts Secretary and the many parents that helped at matches, social events, Friday coaching and by offering transportation services . The Future As I said in my report last year I believe that we have the potential to be one of the strongest Colts cricket sides in Essex, and this year's success has confirmed my belief. We have now introduced a formal Colts Executive Committee to run alongside the main Executive Committee, and our intention is to enhance the social side of the club, and raise further funds through events, grants and donations so that the financial security of Colts' cricket at Brentwood is secure for many years to come. On this matter I would like to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer their services to manage a Colt's team, help with social events or who have any ideas regarding fundraising. Remember - the Club's motto is: 'A Community Club Offering Cricket to All'. Please come and be a part of our future success. David Barbone
Fortunately the cricketing ability of our award-winning colts far outweighs their dress sense Under-11's End of Season Report This year has been another successful one for our Under-11s. The team won more League games than they lost; reached the quarter-finals of the Cup; won the Ardleigh Green Cricket Festival, and were joint-winners in the Mini-Matchplay. More importantly, this success was combined with many friendlies, including a match against the District XI, which enabled me to bump up the number of players who have played in the team this year to 25. However, what did not happen last year was Under-9s matches, and that side's entry into a tournament at Chelmsford Cricket Club on the District Finals Day – and their 100% success record of winning three games out of three - proved that the future is bright. My most enjoyable day as Under-11 manager was at the beginning of the season when last year's successful Under-11s were invited to a National Indoor tournament in Norwich. We represented Essex as a result of our successes the year before, and did the county proud. Having thrashed Huntingdonshire in the first match, the second match was a complete one-man performance against Suffolk. The youngest player in the whole tournament, Harry Coombes, took all six wickets in the innings, before making the highest score with the bat in a comprehensive victory. In the final match Brentwood played the previous year's winners, Norfolk, and were chasing a huge score. Unfortunately a controversial umpiring decision against James Welham left us six runs short and we thus narrowly missed out on progression from the group stages. The eight players representing their county were James Welham; Ravi Rupal; Sam Dawes; Edward Hornby; Tim Hembrough; Matt Thorpe-Apps; Owen Mathias and Harry Coombes. Phil Crook Under-13's End of Season Report
The Under-13s season started out with slightly bleak prospects. Our first match was a preliminary round of the Cup and we had to rely on the services of three Under-11 players and we went down by 30 runs despite some good efforts from our younger players. It looked then as if we would have to survive with a very small squad, but we managed to pick up a few valuable assets as the season got under way, greatly increasing our strength in depth. The squad had the benefit of top coaching provided by Terry Charrington and Phil Ayres throughout the season. Early lapses in concentration and application were soon remedied, and before long the boys really started to benefit from the coaching. With the relative lack of cricketing experience amongst the 13-year-olds, James Welham was appointed captain and he proved to be an excellent choice. We had several good games over the season, but our Peter Coe Cup efforts against Old Parkonians and Benfleet were my personal highlights. In both games batting second and with a number of Under-11s filling in for absent 13-year-olds we chased down 176 and 223 respectively, the Benfleet game being won on the last ball. There were a number of good performances throughout the season. Jack Greenwood, especially in the first half of the season, never looked like getting out. Matt Thorpe-Apps steered us to victory against Old Parkonians with a faultless 68, and Jamie Dawes took on the giants of Benfleet and scored a courageous 62 to help us win the 'game of the season'. On the bowling front, James Welham was consistently our most successful bowler with best figures of 4-3 (in four overs). Jack Hoy, Carl Dutton and Matt Thorpe-Apps also turned in good bowling performances over the year. The best fielder was Tom Harrington, with other good performances from Jack Hoy and Jack Coombes, and I must mention also Jack Farge who showed a lot of bravery both with the bat and in the field on numerous occasions. There were several other causes for optimism, too, as well as those already mentioned; Tim Hembrough's ability to turn the ball extravagantly; Tom Harries' focus and determination with the bat, and the all-round capabilities of Joe McGovern. My thanks to all the boys in the squad, and also to their parents for supporting them at their matches and on Friday evenings at the Club. But a special thank you to Sam Dawes, Prem Pithia and Edward Hornby - the three Under-11s who did more than just make up the numbers. Ian Dawes Under-15's End of Season Report When the Under-15s assembled for their first CEDCB Division 'A' League match early on a damp Sunday morning in May at Shenfield, little did we know what a successful and fantastic season we were about to embark on. In that first game, Aaron West made his debut for the Club, and in what we soon realised was a typical display of style from him, made a century before retiring. Ed Allen made a cameo 21 and we rattled up 159-4 in our 20 overs. With Sam Rounce taking a hat-trick in figures of 2-1-2-4 we predictably won the game with a bit to spare. We then turned our attention to the CEDCB Cup, and having restricted High Roding to 64-7 in their 20 overs (James Welham 3-4), we made rather heavy weather of the chase, losing seven wickets before reaching the target. Back to the League, and Little Waltham also found run-scoring difficult against our attack, lurching to 93-6 (Matt Lowman 2-12). We had few problems overtaking that score for the loss of three wickets, with James Boon contributing 32. Springfield were the next lambs to the slaughter. We amassed 179-3, with opening bat Ed Nation making 66 and Ed Allen 50, and contained them without much difficulty to 130-8, young Gautam Datta taking 2-8. So, three wins out of three in the League, and it was on to the quarter-final of the Cup where we entertained Little Baddow. "Entertained" is probably not the way they would have described it, since we skittled them for 65 (James Welham 3-0 !!) and knocked off the runs for the loss of just two wickets. It was about this time that the side really started to click and clearly put the fear of God into our opponents. Bentley decided to put us into bat in the next League match. BIG MISTAKE!! Aaron West and Jack Turner set about the bowlers and boundary followed boundary as the scoreboard replicated a Las Vegas fruit machine. When Aaron reached 103 (out of 177) we retired him and let Ed Allen have a smack for the last couple of overs, and the innings closed on 198-0 with Jack 61 not out. Understandably Bentley looked a bit disillusioned and dejected, and we decided to give most of the team an opportunity to bowl, which did at least allow the opposition to reach the relative respectability of 113-9 in their 20 overs. Aaron continued in his rich vein of form in the next match, the semi-final of the Cup at Billericay. He made 94 not out in our 145-3, a target that initially looked within Billericay's reach. But then Sam Rounce came on to bowl, and took his second hat-trick of the season with his first three balls! Ross Phillips got in on the act, also with three wickets, and Billericay eventually fell away to 114-6. Our next League victims were Hutton who we restricted to 134-5 (Jack Turner 2-16). Aaron and Ed Nation put on 70 for the first wicket, and Aaron made 85 not out as we won by nine wickets to make it five out of five in the League. That became six out of six when Cloghams succumbed for just 123 (Harri Jones 3-16 and Ed Nation 3-18), and Ed followed it up with 54 not out to go with Ed Allen's 36 and victory by eight wickets. The last League match was against Chelmsford, who we were also to play in the final of the Cup. We made 148-8, with Ed Allen maintaining his good form with the bat with 69 plus 32 from Jack Turner, and then secured a massive psychological advantage for the Cup final (or so we thought) by rolling them over for a mere 70, with Turner, Boon, Rounce and Jones sharing the spoils. The first half of the final saw most things going to plan. Once again we bowled Chelmsford out well inside their allocated overs - this time for 99, with Chris Stockwell taking 5-14 in his four overs; an excellent display of spin bowling. But then, after a cautious start, it all started to go very wrong, and although Chris - an obvious choice for "Man of the Match" tried to turn things round with an innings of 34, a mix up saw him run out and our remaining wickets quickly fall to leave us all out for 98 - just two runs short of victory. So we failed by the narrowest possible margin to achieve the League and Cup double, but by any standards it was a magnificent effort by the whole squad of players and the coaching team alike. In terms of individual achievements, Aaron was obviously a class apart, and he and Ed Nation gave further depth to our already strong batting line-up, as well as adding two more bowlers to our list when the need arose. The bowling attack of Turner, Boon, Allen, Lowman, Jones, Rounce, Stockwell and Welham all performed brilliantly, and Sam Rounce's feat of two hat-tricks in the same season is surely a record. And we should also remember that no less than three of the squad - West, Allen and Jones - all played for Essex CCC Under-15s during the season. We decided at the beginning of the season to alternate the captaincy role from time to time. Chris Stockwell, James Boon and Aaron West all skippered on more than one occasion and they all did an excellent job. Finally I would like to thank the coaching staff of Steve West, Dave Stockwell and Tony Jones for training the squad on Friday nights, warming the team up at matches and offering their experience and advice to not only the individual players but also to me as Team Manager. Thanks also to Jan West for scoring, umpiring and generally helping me with each match; to ALL of the squad players for turning out each week, sometimes having to play for both school and club with very little respite, and last but not least to the parents who, week in week out transported the lads to their games and frequently stayed to support them. Peter Lowman Batting (4 innings)
Bowling (4 wickets)
Under-16's End of Season Report The Under-16s come together as a side of course for the specific purpose of the Matchplay competition. We were due to play nine games in our group stage this year: however we only managed to complete six. Of those, we won one and lost five. Of the other three, two were abandoned because of rain and the other was cancelled due to England's participation in the soccer World Cup and we were unable to field a team that day, so the tournament organisers awarded the game to our opponents. All of our squad players with the exception of Barbone, Kearns, Gulrajani and Woodward were Under-15s or younger, and the latter two of those were unable to play early in the season. This was a big disadvantage to us as most of the teams we played did field a higher percentage of Under-16 players with county or district experience. Other factors we faced on Sundays were the regular loss of three of our best players due to their selection for Essex Under-15s matches, and a number of other potential players being selected for the men's matches on Saturdays - having already played for school and/or club mid-week - who understandably felt unable to deal with the physical aspects of 'back-to-back' matches at weekends after such a gruelling week. Inevitably therefore we were never able to select our best team, and being drawn in such a strong group meant it was always going to be difficult for us to qualify for the latter stages of the competition. However, on a more positive note, this did allow more of our colts players the opportunity to take part in this competition and hopefully gain some invaluable experience for future seasons. In terms of individual performances I think it is fair to say that this season we did underachieve with the bat and too many of our players were out cheaply. James Boon, Aaron West and Ed Nation were probably our best and most consistent batsmen over the games they played. Unfortunately for many players like Harri Jones, Jack Turner and William Ashby, their batting statistics are based purely on the one or two games that they played. Overall I think James Boon deserves a mention for his truly gutsy batting performances and reluctance to capitulate in a number of the games, particularly at Upminster, where he registered his highest score of 41. Aaron and Ed - both of whom only joined Brentwood CC this season - have been excellent acquisitions for us and both showed their technically correct batting qualities on more than one occasion, with Aaron scoring 54 against Ardleigh Green and Ed 41 against Hainault. Harri Jones too scored a very good 42 against Upminster. Other players worth a mention who produced enjoyable and fun-to-watch cameo innings were Jack Denham were Jack Denman with 26 in our last match against Chelmsford, and Sam Rounce with 16 not out against Benfleet. On the bowling front, fast bowler Matt Lowman took most wickets for us at a very respectable average and economy rate. His technique at swinging the ball around gave many opposition batsmen a few headaches. Tim Barbone was by far our best spin bowler. His overall technique continually worried batsmen and they found it difficult to score runs off him - hence his unbelievable economy rate of just 1.48 runs conceded per over. Unfortunately Tim was another who one of those unable to play in many of our games. Other players who performed well with the ball were James Boon, Jack Turner, Harri Jones and Sam Rounce. Finally, on the field of play, our skipper Ed Allen always kept the team motivated throughout our games, assisted by Josh Brown whose continued vocal support for his team mates and heckles for the opponents kept us all amused. Overall it has been a pleasure to be the Brentwood Under-16s Team Manager this season and I would like to thank Steve West and Dave Stockwell for coaching the lads, Jan West for organising and scoring most of the matches, Pat Blyth for supplying the teas for home games, Cyril Marshall our resident umpire, and finally a particularly big 'thank you' to David Barbone for all the work he does throughout the season for all age groups of the colts. During the course of the season, this demon bowler, playing for the Gentlemen of Essex against Brentwood School, dismissed Essex protégés West and Prowting in a five-wicket haul and is now awaiting a call up for Essex Over-50s! 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In this report last year I wrote of how the 2006 season would be an even bigger challenge than the previous year had been from a fund-raising perspective. With it being the 125th Anniversary I felt that we should celebrate in appropriate style and with that in mind extra events were added to the social calendar, the highlight of course being the game against the Old England XI. We couldn't afford to take our foot off the pedal when it came to the events over the rest of the season though and as such the usual events still needed to be arranged, and, equally importantly, supported.
Following the success of Season 2005 the objectives for 2006 were always going to be difficult to identify. On one hand the experience of sides who had been promoted to the Premier League suggested that maintaining that position would be an accomplishment on its own, however any team whose target is merely the status quo risks stagnation. Therefore we consistently suggested that a top half finish was where we wanted to be, but it was left unsaid that were we to avoid relegation we would be happy. Looking back now those fears seem unduly pessimistic, as from the first league game the team showed it had the talent and spirit to challenge any team in the division.
I finished last season signing off as captain and wishing my successor good luck. However, no sooner had the print dried on last year's Yearbook than the new 'captain' changed his mind and I was back in for another term - a decision that was to prove erroneous with the benefit of hindsight.
Upon reflection, I suppose 2006 will be remembered as the 4th team's least successful year during my four year reign as captain and it certainly felt like the hardest work. 2005 had seen us crowned champions by the skin of our teeth on the last day of the season, although the cracks were already beginning to show, even then. The most worrying trend I had noticed the previous season was the increasingly impoverished availability, particularly from our under 18 contingent. The fact that we'd won the league was entirely down to the reliability of 7 or 8 senior players who had formed the backbone of the side week in week out.
2006 will be remembered as probably one of the better seasons in the Vics' sixteen year history in terms of results. We won appreciably more games than we lost, and, equally important, most of the games were played in traditional "Sunday Friendly" fashion, fully embracing the Spirit of Cricket.
It says something about the resilience and fitness of the side that the bulk of the team each week is still made up of 'original' Victorians from 1990, but it is good to see that 'newer' (and in some cases - but not all - younger) players are now playing on a regular basis, which should help ensure the future of the Vics for years to come.
