The Final Division 1 League Table:

The 1^st XI started the season with a bang unlike my writing skills, with 3 victories to start off with – we scored nearly half the points we went on to gain through the whole season. After those wins we were looking and feeling confident of repeating what was an excellent previous year for the club in the Surrey Downs League.

We were batting well with some decent scores to start the season off and some excellent individual performances, most memorable being Lance Mayer’s 133 against Westcott in true South African agricultural betting fashion. We were also bowling well as a team with fielding performances to back up the bowling, again the most memorable performance being against Westcott who went on to win Division One, Mark O’Connell leading the attack with 5 wickets.

It was after these first three games where the struggle to get a consistent XI out for each game started and our performances therefore deteriorated. We went on for the rest of the season without winning a single game until the final game of the season when a win was extremely important to prevent possible relegation. We were struggling to take wickets and score runs even though on occasions the run chase should have been easily achieved. This is never a good combination for success. Performances were reaching an all-time low for many individuals.

There was only one memorable game during this rough bit of form for the club and this was the game against local rivals West End Esher. On a wet day the game had been reduced in overs and we lost the toss and were put in. We really picked up as a team in this game with everyone fired up and playing well. We put on a really decent total which asked the high quality opposition some questions and it was from here we really showed off our true capabilities. Nuwan Jayasena leading the bowling attack and collecting 5 wickets for his hard work. This was backed up with excellent fielding and banter from the team. West End Esher, only needing 20 more runs to win with two wickets in hand and lots of overs in hand, shut up shop and bottled going for glory due to our excellent pressure. We might not have won the game but this was by far our best performance of the season including the games we won.

The best thing to come from our poor season was giving a few youngsters in the club some invaluable experience of playing in the top division of the Surrey Downs League to help benefit their growing confidence and ability. Joel Watkins playing more than half the games at 18 and proving he is capable of competing at this level and Matt Holmes at 17 coming into the team late on in the season and showing off with some excellent innings opening the batting.

Thankfully we survived relegation so live to battle another season. Roll on next year!!!

Luke Webb

The Final Division 3 League Table:

As my first season as a Claygate skipper draws to a close it dawned on me that I would have to write this bloody report. As a budding teacher I should be good at writing reports… and with the knowledge that Luke would be writing one, I knew mine couldn't be the worst. Pressure off. Firstly I feel like I need to thank many people for their help and support. First to everyone who played, it was a struggle many weeks to get eleven so thanks for making yourselves available. However biggest thanks go to Rufus and Vera who have made my job somewhat easier with their relentless hard work in many areas.

I could not have managed without you two.

Onto the cricket, which has been mixed, at best, however greatly enjoyable. I could easily complain and blame the weather, bad luck and dropped catches for our poor league place, so I will. We had at least four games cancelled due to rain, which I am sure we would have won. Even at 11 for 3 after 4 overs at South Park Manor when rain stopped us. It has been one of those seasons where things did not quite go our way. Many opposition batsmen lofting rank shots just out of reach of our fielders. Even when they did reach we had a spectacular ability not to catch, of which we were all guilty. Steve Wells being the most unlucky bowler in the history of the game still managed to maintain good humour when we counted ten missed opportunities off his bowling in only two games.

At the start of the season hopes were high as many hoped for a possible league victory and division 2 cricket next season. The first game gave an indication of what was to come. Conceding 258 to Ockham and scoring only 115 for 6. This was disappointing but we were out played on the day. This was the story in many of our games and I don’t feel the need to relive the frustration of those games where we know the whole team could and should have done better, especially with the bat.

We managed only four victories this season, but they showed everyone the potential of the cricketers we have at this club. The first was at Newdigate, where we scored 197 on a tricky pitch. We then bowled and fielded excellently to get them out for 137 in 32 overs. Waggle (David Price) chipping in with a sensational spell of 5–15 to clear up the tail. We also won the return leg on a very wet day in Chessington, bowling them out for 141. Matt Holmes with his finest spell of the season, 4–35 in 14 overs. Chris Lewis (second best) and Steve Salmon knocked off most of the runs in fine style making the pitch look a lot easier to bat on than the oppo. Horsley And Send at home was the other early season win. Bowling them out for 185, the much missed Chris White getting 3 wickets and a typical Dillon Woods spell. 1 for 45 in 4 overs. That is why I don’t bowl you, so stop asking! Anyway contributions from Russ, Dick, Dillon and Chris Lewis saw us home comfortably.

As I am sure many of you know we were near the bottom of the table for much of the season. When West End decided to drop out of the league, good luck to those lovely chaps, it meant that only one team would be relegated, result. With four games to go we faced bottom of the league, Old Woking, and got a stuffing, chasing 249 we scored only 198, with a streaky 49 from Joel. This left us bottom and low in confidence and hope.

The following week against Horsley and Send we looked good but the game was abandoned in awful conditions. This left us two games to save ourselves, against two of the promotion candidates. First South Park Manor, we batted first and with a mammoth 118 not out, Chris Lewis led us to 225. However we could not get them out, only a winning draw. Not enough.

We went into the final game 7 points behind East Horsley. We had a strong side with Tom McKinley’s first league game of the season. Lost the toss and we were fielding, perfect for us. Tommy got 3 -31 and gave a 14 year old a nasty bouncer, very sporting. But it worked and we rattled them out for 123. James McPhail made it look easy with an effortless 60, and roly poly Dan Maskell finished with 27 not out. 38 points. We felt confident that we had survived the drop, however confirmation only came through at ten in the evening. The Griffin saw a good night and champagne did flow and apparently some tit made a speech standing on a stool. Imagine what will happen when we win the league!

Few other bits to mention: 122 not out Dillon Woods, a fine knock but we still lost. The season’s first fifty by Jake Dear, 58*. This was in the thirteenth game! These were the only scores of merit not mentioned. This says enough, we must improve.

Cheers

Henry Vincent

First of all, I would like to thank all the players that played for the shortest captain (5’4”) and vice-captain (5’5”) the club and the world have ever seen in adult cricket. Our fixture list consisted of five 20/20 games and four longer afternoon matches.

Due to the crap weather we didn’t play our first game until 7 June in which The Pilgrims travelled to Claygate for our first game of the season. Superstar Simmons smashed a superb 45 which was well backed up by his vice-skipper’s five-ball duck. As usual this was followed by a typical Claygate collapse until Henry – aka Woody – punished some weak bowling on his way to a marvellous 50 not out. Claygate finished on 163 for 8. Claygate’s bowlers started off brightly with Tommy Gun and Unit taking a wicket each, backed up by Waggle and Jakey Baby but the pick of the bowlers was Luke Webb with a brilliant 3 for 8. I would like to thank Maskell (Pukka Pies) for a great bowling spell that saw The Pilgrims hit 36 runs off his three overs. In the end Claygate won convincingly.

Our next game brought the Preistfield Wanderers to the hallowed turf of Dalmore Avenue. Tight bowling from Webb and Zulu put Claygate in a promising position and restricted the visitors to 137 for 6. This was comfortably knocked off with Simmons and Tiger hitting 45 off the first 3 overs. Simmons fell for another 45 leaving Jakey Baby to see us home.

Our next test was against Nasir where we decided to bat first – a great decision by the skipper, Simmons, who then got a well-played second-ball duck. This was not helped when slug-paced Asif was day dreaming of bowling well and was run out. Chezney, who ran out Asif, brought some stability back to the innings with a brisk 27 but we were all out for a crap 118. Nasir got home easily despite Waggle D’s great spell of 3 for 20.

After soothing the wounds of our first defeat, the star struck XI travelled to their first away game – just what we all needed – to Stoke. We started slowly with the first three batsmen throwing their wickets away. Then the game changed when a rabbit was thrown into the deep end and he showed his worth. Dan Maskell, known to most as Pukka Pie, started as normal with a big swing across the line, survived and went on to make a superb 52. Many believe that if he had laid off the pies it would have been a ton but he was puffed out from putting his whites on. But the bowlers were pony and got punished. Nigel was spanked for 46 in 4 overs but Tiger persuaded the reluctant captain to take the pace off the ball and bring Woody Woodpecker on to throw up some Dillon-like grenades only for Tiger to whip the bails off and stump their only batsman when the ball finally came down and Woody finished with a match-winning 3 for 14. In the return game, they got off to a flyer with monkey Simmons falling for another second-ball duck – the excuse was that he lost his wicket so that he could go and put the rice on for the chilli (yeah…that old chestnut) but Tiger and Woody scored 30s to get us to 139 for 5. Chezney (3 for 16) and Shury (2 for 5) demolished the Stoke top order reducing them to 21 for 5. Then the game turned when captain marvel brought on the only pro in the village for an over that went for 10 runs but Claygate quickly took him off again and pulled it back to win again in the end.

Next was the game against one of our sponsors, The Griffin. Duncan Murphy and Pukka batted well, Pukka hitting his cousin, Henry, for three huge sixes into Claygate Primary School swimming pool!!! We got 148 but we batted like it was a 20/20 but then remembered it was an all-day game. But we were soon in the wickets, The Griffin sliding to 17 for 3. Claygate didn’t bank on a Brian Laraesk 46 from a virgin cricketer Christian Thorogood who had to be shown how to hold a bat on his way out to the wicket by one of our players… traitor. Well batted Christian. Woody came out and played like it was a five-day test match, blocking everything… we fell asleep, The Griffin won, let’s just forget it.

Captain marvel passed on the captaincy honour/reigns to Chezney who led an all-star XI to Old Wimbledonians. In 40 overs they raced to 277, pick of the bowlers was “I’ve got a bad knee and can’t play” Hannaford with 3 for 47. With a huge target to chase at nearly 7 runs an over, captain Lego opened the batting with the contrasting pair of Dillon and Dick. They started brightly with the big saffa hitting a solid 44 but all the other batsmen all got out for under 25 and not even a stunning 43 from captain Lego could save Claygate.

Our next fixture took us to the beautiful secluded ground in Chertsey where we played a flamboyant colts team. Batting first, lbw king Dick fell for a duck when he left a straight full toss. The two H’s, Hendog (105 not out) and Hob Knob (96 – shame), then starred with an outstanding 199 run partnership for the third wicket against a team of nine-year olds helping Claygate to 245 for 3. Chertsey started well until captain Lego changed the game by bringing himself (5 for 32) and Vikram (3 for 26) on but Chertsey kept coming back, their captain spanking Marcus Wood for 39 in 4 overs but when Marcus removed their dangerman with a dreadful long-hop, Claygate pounced.

The final game saw us doing a tour of Surrey to try and find someone game enough to play against. Westfield did not turn up for the scheduled fixture but Dick phoned Westcott who invited us to go to them. Pukka got a duck but Waggle and Woody (56) pulled the innings back together, Burty Bassett, Unit and captain Lego contributing well to 262 for 8. Jakey and Hendog opened the bowling and were punished by a couple of five-year olds before Waggle and Bassett were brought on and were hit all over the park as well. It was left to spinners Tom and Hob Knob (7-0-17-0) on a turning pitch to bring back some control before captain fantastic Steve McKinley stole the show with 5 for 9.

Joel Watkins (in loco parentis for the skipper who went missing)

The season ended on a high with a win at East Horsley. In all we played 8 games: won 3, tied 1 and lost 4. This season saw a vast improvement in the team’s fielding and bowling and some individual performances with the bat but we never managed to put enough partnerships together to put up better totals. Overall the guys should be proud of their performances and look forward to playing adult cricket next season.

The twins, Matt and Ed Jones, again performed well with bat and ball along with Sebastian Huff and David Riding and should have a good future playing cricket – let’s hope this is at Claygate. This season saw the first 50 for this group with James Kendall passing the mark at East Horsley – well done James. Sam Tonks opened in every game and put together some good innings with some fine shots and we hope that football won’t interfere with his cricket career (but we must make sure we find a helmet that fits him).

Rhys Dear and William Haines both kept wicket well but need to work on their batting. Our only left-hander, Max O’Farrell, shows great enthusiasm and made his adult debut this year. Kevin Harrington, the captain, had a good season with the ball and always tried to get all the guys involved in the game. Jono Glavin and William Airey both found it more difficult to get wickets this year but still played well and with their enthusiasm will keep getting better.

In all with the bad weather and wet wickets, the guys did well, always playing with great enthusiasm and can look forward to long cricket careers.

Graham Dear

Life for a colts cricket coach would be so much easier if kids didn’t have to go to school.

That was the biggest problem for Claygate’s under-13s side, who had swept all before them in the previous title-winning season. This time the call of exams and school matches meant that key players like skipper Charlie Brielgel and Southampton football trainee Max Kretzschmar were too often unavailable.

So another table-topping season was too much to ask in a hot competition which included Sunbury, Walton, Weybridge and Teddington. This was the big league. Nonetheless the side finished a creditable fourth, winning more than it lost.

The highlight was a thrilling run chase to beat Teddington in Bushey Park off the penultimate ball with debutant William Legg hitting the winning run. That result showed that when the side was at full strength they were a match for anyone as Teddington went on to be runners-up.

Top players: new leg-spinner William Stodhart would get wickets now at senior level, Briegel bowled with pace and control and Rob Carnegie-Brown, Harvey Taylor and Rob Darke supported well. The batting was patchy but big-hitting Rory Thomson and Kretzschmar were the pick while Taras Nalywajko and Michael Gostling made big improvements and worked hard.

This is a very good group. Let’s hope as they drift off to various schools we can bring a few of them into the senior teams in the next two or three years.

Ian Darke

Another tough season against predominantly Surrey Championship sides with the Team bedding in a number of new players. However the Team was competitive in nearly all their games sharing close finishes with Esher twice, Oxshott and Chessington; with only the game vs. Sunbury being comprehensively beaten.

Generally it was a lack of consistency which too often proved their downfall, often performing well with the bat or ball but rarely together.

Russ Guyatt

Recruitment of a couple of stronger players would make a huge difference for next season, along with the new bowling machine and the artificial track on which to practice.

A very enjoyable, albeit wet season with a talented group, half of whom are eligible for the U11's next season. More experienced opposition resulted in early season defeats, however the enthusiasm remained. Expertly led by classy opening batsman David Andrews, resulted in back to back victories towards the end of the season. Kieran McPhail's consistent bowling and Daniel Haines showed true all round potential in all three disciplines. However, the strength of the U11's was in the squad, every single member should be proud of their efforts. The future of Claygate is in safe hands!

James McPhail

Howard Dutton seamlessly took over the running of the Kwik cricket this year and he put in a fantastic effort ably supported by Damian Ross.

Numbers were very good through-out the season and we are now attracting players from as far away as Guildford as our reputation grows. Generally the age group is quite young however there are a number of very promising boys and girls to provide the feed into the under 11 Colts team in a few years time.

Thanks also to Howard’s wife Jane

Pam Jarvis

The star of Cricket Week was undoubtedly Joel Watkins whose 137 not out against Carnegie was the best innings by a Claygate player this season. Claygate were in trouble chasing a modest 204 (Watkins 3 for 54) but Joel played the innings of his life scoring a blistering century and a win by 4 wickets.

Dave Price scored an excellent 76 not out out of 176 all out against Sunbury chasing a ridiculous 320. Stoke also passed 300, only Henry Vincent (63) threatened as Claygate mustered 228 all out. The TBCs made their first Cricket Week appearance on the Friday. Claygate scored freely with Steve Salmon (50) in fine form to reach 290 for 8. The TBCs were bowled out for 217 with Vikram Prabhakar (5 for 33), Jake Dear (2 for 39) and Chris Lewis (2 for 30) in the wickets. But the magic moment came when Jake Dear took a stunning catch very close in at short leg to end a good opening partnership.

2007 also saw the sad farewell to a something of a varity, a nice Aussie!

Chris White was one of the most popular guys around the club with never a bad word to say about anybody. A talented all-rounder who often took those crucial wickets or scored those vital runs and a safe pair of hands in the field. We wish him and Jade well for their new life back in Oz.

Will life at Claygate Cricket Club ever be the same without Vera? We have not only lost the lovely lady who made the best teas in Surrey, but one of the club’s real personalities.

She is going home to Somerset “before I get too old and to be near my dear old Mum, who is 86 and suffering from Alzheimers. I think I am going to get a season ticket to watch a lot of Somerset county cricket and enjoy myself.” Could this mean Vera eloping with Marcus Trescothick?

It was in 1979 that she first ventured onto the recreation ground as the then girlfriend of Alan, watching the likes of Brian “The General” Jackson, David Milner, a rather younger “Specs”, and Tony Davis – the fast bowler who conducted post-match sing-songs in the pavilion.

Watching cricket was no hardship. Vera has always loved the game. She has five cricketing brothers, one of whom left her with a scar over the right eye after she was hit with a bat while wicket-keeping on the village green. By the age of 9, she was already scoring for her local club at West Bagborough, Somerset…and later filled the same role for Claygate’s Sunday 2^nd XI (even though Alan was playing for the firsts).

In the mid-1980’s, Vera became the first woman to win the Claygate “Clubman of the Year” award, after spending hours every week helping around the pavilion and putting out boundary markers and the like.

Her two boys, Stephen and Tom, were almost born with a cricket bat in their hands and virtually lived at the ground during summer weekends, as did sister Clare. Both boys went on to represent Surrey at schoolboy level. Says Vera: “I can remember taking Stephen to his first game when he was three weeks old, an all day game against East Horsley.”

Strangely Vera has never served on the committee - surely a massive oversight on the club’s part. But, of course, for the past three years she has been the Queen of the pavilion – preparing better teas than you get at The Ritz (they don’t do those great flapjacks and lemon meringues there) and taking charge of the bar.

“Things have changed. I can recall a time in the old days when some blokes – mentioning no names – got so drunk they slept in the pavilion ‘til 4 am. Perhaps people are busier and don’t stay so long now. But I have loved Claygate and all the players. It is a unique club. People from all walks of life and everyone gets on.”

Vera’s job at the club involved being around all weekend in summer and for many midweek evenings when they were 3^rd XI and colts games. Oh yes, on the day of this interview she was at the ground at 6.15, in the morning, to meet the draymen with the empty beer barrels. She will not miss the dawn patrols but says: “I am really sorry to be leaving and I got a bit emotional at saying goodbye…”

They do say that no one is indispensable. Well, this lady may be the exception that proves the rule. We will miss you, Vera…..see you for a tour match in Somerset soon, perhaps?

Ian Darke

What a year! Despite one of the wettest summers on record disrupting many of our games, we still managed to pull out 10 victories against some notable opposition. The rain may have come down in buckets but the on-off nature of the season didn't manage to dampen the team spirit and at times we left the opposition floundering. 

 
What was most pleasing was the contributions made by the whole team. At the top of the order Dick Murphy was often the experienced rock that many of our successful run chases were built on. From this many of the dashers of the team could do their 'thang' -smothering boundaries and peppering 6's. The self proclaimed 'Dawg', Jamie Henderson, Chris Howe and Tommy McKinley provided the volume of runs together with Steve Talboys purple patch of runs at the start of the year. As always Phil 'Luigi' Lewis was as sharp as ever behind the stumps and provided the Champagne moment of the season with a bottom edge to win in a low scoring game against the City Boys with one wicket remaining.

Bowling wise wickets were shared evenly across many players. Leading wicket taker this year was Joel Watkins with 17 wickets, whose has pace and control of the ball has improved considerably considering he was only playing Kwik Cricket last year. Elsewhere there were some top spells of bowling from Chris White (6-44 v Carnegie), Joel Watkins (5-19 v Old Ashfordians) and Tommy McKinley (5-20 v TBC's). Elsewhere throughout the season the like of  Luke Webb, Johann, Henry, Marcus Wood, K.P Burt, Vikram and the Skipper also made vital contributions with ball in hand. 

 
Adding to the established stars of the team were some new thoroughbread recruits, most notably Marcus Wood, Gareth Davies and Paul (or is it Kevin?) Burt which has added fresh impetus to the team and have been instrumental in bringing some 24 carat banter to the changing room.
 

On a side note we have had to say some fond farewells this year.  Not only did we have to say a tearful farewell to Vera's flapjacks, but to make matters worse we will have to say good-bye to Chris 'Sharkey-snap-snap' White, who has made the long trip down under to ponder about the state of Australian Rugby, and Johann Wijesinghe, the Sunday1's Sri-Lankan overseas player, who is relocating due to work. Both players will be sorely missed.
 

Final thank-yous have to go to Vera, who has worked tirelessly on the teas and bar this year, hopefully the Cricket at Taunton will live up to the Cricket at the Rec! Plus  also Chris and Joel who have skippered in my absence. Finally one final big thank you has to go to everyone who has filled in this year (often at short notice) who I have failed to mention-every contribution on a Sunday is gratefully appreciated. So let's hope that we have an equally successful and enjoyable season next year.

El Capitan (Dave Price)
 
Sunday 1^st XI Oscars 2007...roll the red carpet down Dalmore Avenue!
 

Most Runs: Chris Howe 345

Highest Average: Steve Talboys 169

Best Innings: Chris Howe 76 vs Horsham, Paul Burt (73 off 42 balls vs Riverbank Ramblers)
Leading Wicket taker: Joel Watkins 17

Best Bowling: Chris White (6-44 V Carnegie)
Luigi Fielding Cup: Luke webb 4 catches behind the stumps (vs Riverbank Ramblers)
Leading Strike Bowler: James McPhail, wicket every 2 balls ?!???!

Morning team! We’ve come to the end of my second season and I feel that the season has gone well again. Nine wins, two draws and just 6 loses completed our season with five games being lost to the weather. Bear in mind that of those loses one was to a near World All Star X1, another we played with 9 players and one with a patched up team against a Sutton team that were a standard above us. So overall I think we can be very happy with our efforts.

I think the player of the season has to be Matt Holmes, after a shaky start with the ball and bat, Matt’s improvement has been nothing short of brilliant. With 315 runs and 24 wickets he’s been our only real consistent performer in which has mainly been a team effort with batting and bowling. Rory O’Malley who has more comebacks than Evander Hollyfield, enjoyed a good start to the season with four 40-odds in his first four innings before again disappearing into the unknown was the only other person to get near Matt’s season total. Our new recruit Rufus started well with a 43* and trailed off but hopefully next season will do a job adding runs and holding an end up.

Myself and Jake have been quite pathetic really and have barely scored enough runs for one person let alone two and will look on next season to improve the runs. As was last year only a few people clocked up half centuries, Mark O’Connell being one, who scored a match winning 73 not out against Park Hill, quickly moving on… And Matt Wells 74* at home to The TBC’s.

Innings of the season though with out a shadow of a doubt goes to the man mountain Dave (Tin Man) Williams who smashed 68 including 13 fours at new fixture Ottershaw & Hamm Moor, unfortunately we went on to lose. I’d just like to thank Dave who for the past two seasons has been a great help not just with captaining but his excellent keeping, batting and help with scoring and umpiring.

With our team I think we have an excellent spirit in which everyone gets involved and I don’t think I can name anybody who won’t help with scoring, umpiring or just general help home or away, the atmosphere on the pitch is always lively and I think everyone enjoys their Sundays. With one exception- BBC Mishits 376 for 3, Claygate 60 for 10. Yes you did read that right and I can’t tell you how angry that game made me as this team were in the conference as medium-weak and opened the batting with 2 players that would not look out of place in a Surrey XI. On the other hand all joking aside I was very proud at the way we fielded, bowled and kept our heads up. Everybody fielded and bowled excellently and if we played like that in all our games I don’t think many teams would beat us.

On the bowling front our main source of ammunition came from Sir Nigel Abbott who took a 5 wicket haul in his second game and carried on his good line and length bowling throughout the season. We lacked a bowler who can tie an end up last season and Nigel added that this season, with Chris (Zulu, Black Mamba) Louw upping his pace but not line and length…and myself, Matt and Kev Harrington also bowling well for most of the season our attack looks in good shape. Hands off Pricey if you’re getting any ideas!

The fielding has been pleasing with a lot less extras and more concentration, we haven’t had to many bad days and if the seniors did a little bit of stretching in the morning we’d be unstoppable! So overall a good season with a good number of wins and maybe next season with a bit more luck and effort we can improve again. Id like to thank the anchors of the team for there effort Alun C-M, John Law, the amazing Andy Spector, Danny (I’m loose) Simmons. And everyone else who has played Henry, Marky, Marsh, James Kendall, me, Dad who looked brilliant with 3 runs after 4 innings, Max, and anybody else who has given time up and had an enjoyable afternoon!

Batsmen of the Season: Matt Holmes

Bowler: Nigel Abbott

Fielding: Dave Williams

Award for not doing much but most loved: Andy Specs

Plonker of the season: Danny Simmons one man circus at Old Paulines

Game of the Season: I thought the win over The Tigers was a very enjoyable game and a good win even with a slightly stronger side playing.

Also I suppose I should drop in a few words of thanks for the backroom staff, Mums departing lovely teas as ever, drinks, service and hard work and Rufus for all his help off the pitch otherwise I’d be in a right mess as would the rest of the club. Thank you. Well that’s it from me I’ll hopefully see everyone at the dinner and dance and if not next season, If I’m allowed to carry on.

Captain Fantastic (Steve McKinley), xx

There’s been quite a debate this year about who’s the best all-rounder in the club. There are no clear cut ways to measure who is the best but here are a few methods used by cricket journalists before when debating the merits of the likes of Botham, Hadlee, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan in the 1980s:

The best way is probably to look at the relative influences on the outcome of matches, how much did their contribution lead to victory but I don’t have the time to do that.

So on a simple combination of the three lists above, the order is:

good win even with a slightly stronger side playing.

1^st = Chris Howe & Tom McKinley, 3^rd = Mark O’Connell & Joel Watkins, 5^th = Matt Holmes & Dave Price, 7^th = Steve McKinley & Henry Vincent, 9^th Vikram Prabhakar, 10^th Chris Lewis.

Asked to comment on the results, the 2^nd XI captain only had two words – both for his star all-rounder Chris Lewis who comes 10^th above: “Chin up”.

Ello finally found an internet cafe - costs me 50p for an hour. Everything is goin fine at the moment havn’t actually done any charity work.

Don’t start my work ‘til tomorrow - jus been training. The bikes arn’t particularly safe they r like taxis you just hail one down and jump on with no idea who the driver is and they aren’t exactly good drivers - I had a near death incident yesterday when my another bike clipped my knee when i was on the back of one.

My host family is really nice and they want to do everytin 4 me including my washin after they saw my pathetic attempt of handwashin and took pity on me. The food is nice but i am basically on a carbohydrate diet with little or no fruit and veg. My guts seem to change everyday but I’m the only UK person not to have been ill yet which is gd. The weather is ridiculous along with it being humid neva sweated so much in my life. Made some friends already at the football club where my host mum works and one of the players bought me a photo that had me in it from one of the people that walk around and take pictures all day.

I have met the chief of all chiefs in his palace where we had to introduce ourselves to him and had two community welcomes where people dance and play the drums for us its all been like a holiday so far. Met so many of the main people around the state like the governors and all sorts.

The electricity hasn’t been on for three days at my house some havn’t had it for 5 days now but my house has a generator which is only turned on when it gets dark. We are approaching the cold season apparently which accordin to the Nigerians get to a stupidly cold 16 degrees!!

Hope everything is alrite and you arn’t missin me to much I’ll try and email again soon.

C u all at Christmas

Tom would like to thank the Club for helping raise over £600 during Cricket Week.

We went to a country where absolutely everyone spends one Saturday morning each month cleaning up their neighbourhood and helping those in the community who are in need; where plastic bags are banned; where you have to take empty glass bottles back to get new full ones: where there’s little litter and no graffiti; where children love learning; where transparency in governance is practised at all levels. Who wouldn’t want to live there?

But this is Rwanda: a small, densely populated, country the size of Wales, land-locked in the very middle of Africa. It lacks any significant natural resources. Malaria is a huge problem; as is HIV Aids. The average per capita income is around £2 a week. And 13 years ago over a million of its 8 million inhabitants were brutally massacred in a genocide: an atrocity which was ignored by the rest of the world. No one in the country was immune from the effects of the genocide. It will never be forgotten …

However, Rwanda represents both the best as well as the worst of Africa: and the rebuilding of Rwanda should be an inspiration to us all.

Four of the Wells family, son Matthew, daughter Maddy, wife Linda and myself, together with Matt’s girlfriend Hettie, spent a good part of July and August escaping the British summer monsoon, missing as it happens hardly any cricket, to undertake volunteer work in Rwanda. Penultimate year medical student Matt worked as an intern at Kigali Hospital; Linda, Maddy and Hettie taught English, and other subjects, including dance(!), to teenagers at a day centre linked to an orphanage.

I ran communications workshops with Government and private sector organisations. For all of us it was the most memorable and inspiring time of our lives. We drew this inspiration from the remarkable Rwandan people; from whom we learnt so much, in particular, about how to make the most of what we’ve got. Especially people’s talents, and their ability to empathise with, and actively support, their fellow man, in the context of their innate desire constantly to learn more about how to do this better. There is an immense hunger for learning and knowledge in Rwanda.

In a country with few natural resources, the people of Rwanda are its greatest resource. Accordingly, the Government is committed to establishing a ‘knowledge-based economy’ in Rwanda as a leader in Africa. An economy, and society, to which all will contribute, enabling all to share its benefits. Tellingly, Rwandans are aware of the fragile nature both of their economy and of the beautiful physical environment of forests, mountains and deep valleys which has led to Rwanda being called ‘the Switzerland of Africa’.

Rwandans are working with great passion and commitment to protect both. An example of this is the way they have acted to protect and conserve the world famous Rwandan Mountain Gorillas as a key element in an ecologically sustainable tourist industry. Our trek to achieve a particularly close encounter with a family of eight mountain gorillas was an obvious highlight of our trip, as were weekend visits to game reserves and huge lakes.

But it was our everyday working alongside Rwandans, the warmth of the welcome we always received and the deep friendships that we made, that will have a lasting effect on the way we live our lives. It has made us recognise that empathy with the needs of others is what really makes life worth living. Respecting, and supporting, your fellow man, in the knowledge that everyone has something to offer. And that human happiness is best  shared.

It is inevitable that we will go back to Rwanda: to share what we can and to learn more. In the meantime, we’ll be working with a UK-based charity called RUGO (Rwanda United Kingdom Goodwill Organisation) to raise money for seed-corn, primarily educationally based, projects in Rwanda.

We know that despite all its inherent disadvantages Rwanda is providing an exciting model for economic, political and environmental sustainability. It lies at the very heart of Africa, and although surrounded by unstable countries, it hast he potential to become the tiny beating heart of the continent, giving it new life.

If you’d like to hear more about Rwanda, and maybe what you can do about getting involved in supporting its exciting development, please do get in touch.

Steve Wells

P.S. There is cricket in Rwanda. Five clubs, apparently dominated by talented Sri Lankans, play in a small league. The bumpy looking matting wickets on which wiry-looking Chaminda Vaas’s wreak havoc rapidly doused any initial enthusiasm Matt and I had to play … oh and there was also the matter of the ankle twisted down a Salford’s rabbit hole the day before I left! Funny what one can be forced to do when unable to play cricket!

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