GOOGLIES & CHINAMEN
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 112
April 2012
Caption Competition
Chris Rogers: We wouldn’t bother in Oz…
Out and About with the Professor
The Professor found himself at Yorkshire’s AGM
The annual outing for Yorkshire's disgruntled geriatrics took place last week. There were 32 fewer of them than last year and so we all stood in remembrance for the traditional minute. But that more or less concluded the pleasantries since there was, as might be imagined, some "disappointment" at the team's performance last season. Yorkshire people have a rather forthright way of expressing their disappointment and there were calls for the resignation of the Director of Cricket who had been brought back from the pre-season tour of Barbados (where some of the lads were showing "good form" apparently) to face the music. The "Director", Martyn Moxon, also declared his disappointment. So we were all very… disappointed.
But what, you might ask, is to be done... and who bears the responsibility? Well that at least was clear. Moxon was clarity itself. He bore the responsibility for the poor performance of the team. So now what? Well, that was it. He bore the responsibility...which he took very seriously. And what is he going to do with this responsibility that he was bearing? Well, he was "going to learn the lessons going forward"; i.e., bugger all. (When, incidentally, did this vacuous puerile phrase "going forward" become a synonym for "the future"?)
Mind you, the members are in a bit of a quandary here. The universal view is that the loss of an overseas player was the principal reason for the relegation but, at the same time, they would all prefer that there were no foreign players of any sort playing for Yorkshire and "foreign" in this regard includes anyone from Nottingham, Derby or indeed anywhere else. So all we want is an entirely Yorkshire side which is good enough to win promotion and then win the Championship....easy.
It is handy for the Board that there was another target for the members’ ire which is even greater than that of the performance of the team ...and that is the new pavilion. Ever since the monstrosity was completed (and indeed well before that) there were complaints about the architecture (sort of School of B&Q with Everest glazing influence) but the biggest grumble has been the lack of access for members. Succinctly, as one of them said, it is the only pavilion in world cricket with access denied to the members.
In addition, there were the other usual grumbles about the county fixture list, selection policy (for which read: "Why wasn't my favourite player/nephew/son-in-law picked?"), coaching, etc.
The Chairman of Yorkshire is a chap called Colin Graves and he is a member of various ECB committees and he made a couple of interesting contributions. First that having nine test match grounds in England was obviously too many and he expected the situation to be "resolved" by 2019. Similarly, he expected
Ashes cricket to return to Headingley at the same time. He also revealed that the ECB had just signed a new contract with Sky and with an Indian broadcaster for "mega-bucks". We were also told that one reason for long gaps in the home fixture list was that there now has to be a two-week period without fixtures prior to any international match. This was an ICC regulation because of "security concerns". I haven't bothered to check this out but if true it must be recent(ish) since I recall being in Antigua when a match was switched from the sandy Sir Vivian Richards stadium to the old St John's ground in a very few days.
Graves also told us that Moxon had the confidence of the Board and that he personally supported him "200%". Why that particular percentage was chosen I couldn't say - I suppose it just up the stakes on the football managers 110% - an equal affront to arithmetic.
As for the Club we were told that an overseas bowler was being sought (to go with Phil Jacques who has already been signed as a, obviously, non-overseas player)
We then came to the election of the new President - one Geoffrey Boycott. The Chair read out the Club rules regarding the position of President who: "must not be a member of the Board, must stand above any faction, and must avoid controversy". It would be fair to say that there was some doubt in the room as to whether our choice would quite fit this job description and there was some interest in how the voting might go. There was only one candidate but it was possible to record a vote against. In the event there were about 1200 votes in favour and a disappointing (for seekers of discord) 100 or so against.
In his acceptance speech our new Pres told us that the only thing that mattered was first class cricket and the County Championship, (the wincing Treasurer had just told us that the receipts from the 20/20 match against Lancashire had been greater than the income from all other matches played at Headingley) and that England Lions matches that took two or three players out of a county side to play games that "nobody gives a toss about" should be abandoned. As you can see, the "no controversy" requirement should be no problem for our new man.
Peter Ray
Bob Peach attended Peter Ray’s funeral and he sent me the Order of Service which included the following tribute which he believes was written by Chris Goldie
Peter Ray was unique, a complete one off.
Despite attending Kingsbury Grammar School, he was largely self-educated:nobody could have amassed that amount of knowledge at school or even university. He could quote at length from the Bible, despite professing to be a non believer, and Shakespeare. As possibly the best public speaker-certainly after dinner speaker- of his generation, he would start every speech with a seemingly meaningless quotation from the great Roman and Greek historians and draw the threads together brilliantly to leave his audience in fits of laughter. Such was his talent that even the most hardened of dinner goers could barely remember the stories he had told.
Uniquely, he never told jokes and very rarely resorted to one liners. Ten years apart, he won the Lord’s Taverners Balloon Debate at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Why ten years? Because the trophy presented to the winner has the names of the previous nine winners engraved on it and, if he didn’t win it this time, somebody would, over the next decade, win the trophy without having Peter’s name on it- he really was that good!
As a player, he was the finest left-arm spin bowler of his generation-many felt he was better than most of the first class cricketers of his time. In the forty year history of the Middlesex County Cricket League, he remains the only player to have ever taken all ten wickets in an innings- 10 for 57 for Wembley against Winchmore Hill in 1976 and for good measure, 9 for 45 against Enfield the following year. His career as a player was split almost evenly between Wembley and Richmond Cricket Clubs, although the vast bulk of his league cricket was played at Richmond. In all he took in excess of 600 1stXI wickets which makes him the Middlesex County Cricket league’s all time wicket taker at the highest level. These wickets helped him to play a major part in Richmond’s first two league titles.
When his playing career came to an end, he took up umpiring with the same gusto he showed as a player. He stopped playing for the first eleven when they won the title in 1998 when he was sixty five-“nobody should be playing 1st XI league cricket with their bus pass in their pocket”- and intended to carry on terrorizing batsmen, opponents and umpires in the 2ndXI for a few more years but unfortunately he seriously damaged his knee and had to give up.
In all he spent five years on the League Umpires’ Panel before the onset of emphysema meant he had to give up. Even then he found a new interest: certain goings on in the then Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers gave him cause for concern. To begin with he was just a part of a team of half a dozen who fought the good fight against the forces of darkness and Companies House(although Peter came to regard the two as one and indivisible).
Despite every obstacle that could be put in his way, he soldiered on doggedly through gathering ill health and was still fighting valiantly almost to the bitter end. Sadly, he did not live to see the final victory but he did at least die secure in the knowledge that the battle to ensure that those who destroyed ACU&S did not prevail had virtually been won. The England & Wales Cricket Board honoured him in November by appointing him an Honorary Member of the ECB Association of Cricket Officials.
Those of us who both enjoyed the pleasure of his company and endured his volcanic temper when he considered things had not gone the way he expectedwill miss him dreadfully; those of you who never saw him play, nor heard him speak, will never know what you missed.
Jon Matthews sent me this
James, just to say I always enjoy Googlies & Chinamen – regrettably it is now doubling as something of an obituary column; I learned of Len Stubbs’ and Roger Pearman’s passing through it - and now that character Peter Ray.
I remember going to a Hornsey CC Dinner where Peter was the speaker proposing the toast to the Club; one by one he had a comment for each of the Hornsey players - but the one that has stuck in my memory concerned Alan Day (perhaps because I went on to marry his girl-friend!). Peter quipped “...ah, now we come to Alan Day...he’s the only player I know who plays so much mid-week cricket he has to be carded for work!”. I bet you can hear him say it!
Bill Hart sent this
Very sad to hear the news about Peter Ray. A cantankerous old bugger, but a great character. Our world of cricketing memories has been diminished by the loss of Peter Ray. Of course he could be truculent and perhaps too outspoken, but what a character, and how he hated defensive cricket.
My first encounter with him took place in 1962, my first season at South Hampstead. I was a mature cricketer, 27 years of age with eight years of first team experience with Old Grammarians, one of the best Old Boys sides in London. When I went to the wicket, SHCC were batting first, seven wickets down and struggling, with only John Weale (about 60 not out at the time) having scored anything much. Peter Ray was bowling at one end and John Price at the other. By Christ, Pricey was quick, and I was worried. However, my first challenge was Peter. The first two balls were played uneventfully back to the bowler. As I played forward again to the third, and gently rolled it back I was greeted with a glare and the comment "are you ever going to play a fucking shot!" This was not what I was used to! I knew then that we were kindred spirits, and despite many disagreements over the years, he always held my respect. He will be sorely missed.
I have decided to include the following note from Steve Wright since it reflected the views of many of my correspondents
You will need a couple of dozen issues to even partly cover the career of Peter Ray. I remember I submitted one some time ago. The best way to get a decent write up is to die. I suspect that there will be tear stained reminiscences "pouring" into your email box. Not for me I'm afraid. However pleasant he may have been off the field, on it he was an unpleasant bully who tried to intimidate, in particular, young players, and who generally set a very bad example of how cricket should be played.
And finally my own thoughts
I played against Peter when he was at Wembley in the sixties and seventies. He was highly competitive, if not combative, and had a low boredom threshold. He always had plenty to say on the field whether batting, bowling or standing at slip. I don’t recall any particularly outstanding individual performances and I can’t say that I got to know him in the bar. So like hundreds of other opponents of that era he faded into the background of my memory. That was until he emerged as a correspondent to Googlies a few years ago. His writing was typical of his cricketing manner - uncompromising and he took no prisoners. But as usual he could go over the top and wrote one offensive piece when he took issue with Jack Morgan and with hindsight I should probably have not published it or at least edited it. That notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed his contributions and his comic creation, the Public Park Slogger.
I went to the South Hampstead Dinner a couple of years ago and not only got to speak with Peter, who was tickled pink with his Lord Ray styling, but I was privileged to hear one of his last after dinner speeches. It was a masterpiece of construction, learning and wit.
Revier Matters
Jim Revier sent me the following notes
A few comments on the last edition of Googlies.
Like all readers I go straight to the GJM's reports on 2nd XI games, but after this riveting stuff turned to the latest epistle from the Pres. His use of the phrases "I don't understand it " and "What is going on ?" bring to mind the very epitome of Yorkshireness, the one and only F.S.Trueman. Fred made an entire Test Match Special career and a decent livelihood out of such insightful comments, i.e "I just don't know what’s going on out there Henry". Does anyone know what's going on in Yorkshire?
In "Red Mist Matters" you highlight the feats of South Africa's Richard Levi. What a shame Richard did not follow some of his compatriots in trying to get into the England team. If he had he could have marched to the crease with the current England captain. This would have been the first instance of a pair of jeans opening the batting for England.
I don't know your correspondent Chris Overson but was delighted to see he is a Wealdstone fan. I have taken an interest in the Stones' fortunes over the last few years as they now play at the old Ruislip Manor ground. After Tesco bought out their old ground in Harrow they have wandered around NW London playing at Edgware and Northwood before settling here in downtown Ruislip ( Jeff Coleman lives uptown).The stones have had an excellent season reaching the semi finals of the FA Trophy, knocking out Barrow and Cambridge from the Conference along the way. They finally succumbed 3-1 over two legs to Newport County. They are well placed for a run at the play offs in the Ryman league ( 2 levels below the Conference )
They play some quite good stuff unlike the hoof it brigade who are usually their opponents. The Indie on Sunday recently named the ground the "Grosvenor Vale Stadium". Umm well stadium is pushing it a bit but its a pleasant enough place to spend a Saturday afternoon. Benefits to me are a 15 minute walk to the ground, an admission fee about £40 cheaper than the Rangers and unlike the Rs you don’t leave the ground with depression.
As you probably know the GJM is currently on his hols in Tintagel. On his return he will only have two weeks to the start of the 1st class season. I understand his packing for his trip to Cornwall took a lot less time than his packing of the bag for the season ahead. By the end of May the County season will be half over. Good to read Peter Burke's article in the last edition too. More please Sam.
Ager Matters
Robin Ager concurred with my Doosra notes
I was interested that you grasped the nettle of the doosra in the latest Googlies. Coincidentally, there was an editorial in the Cricket Society Newsletter which also implied that all was not as it should be in the way the authorities have dealt with the issue. I find it all very confusing but my son, with all the conviction of comparative youth (he is 41!), has no doubts. He told me that he "won't be happy until the bowling entries for Murali and Ajmal in Wisden have an * next to them with a note at the end reading "cheat"." All sweetly reasonable, as you'd expect of an Ager.
Coleman Matters
Jeff Coleman enjoyed seeing his picture in the last edition and he sent me this
Many thanks for the unsolicited mention of the work done at Uxbridge last year in raising funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Vic Demain, the Uxbridge Head Groundsman, and his partner Lyn work extremely hard throughout the year in support of this excellent charity, culminating in a curry night with raffle and auction during the Uxbridge Festival. There was also in 2011, as seen in the picture, a cupcake stall selling Lyn's homemade cakes. It was an honour for me to help them raise £500 by the sale of the cakes alone. This being one of the few reasons that I would attend T20 matches (AKA The Devil's Game). Contrary to uninformed opinion I did sell more than I consumed.
In the two years that Vic and Lyn have organised the fundraising some £9000 has been passed on to Breakthrough. This year Middlesex has announced a new charity partner, The Shooting Star and Chase Children's Hospice. A very worthwhile cause. However, the club has very kindly agreed that Vic and Lyn can continue to raise funds for Breakthrough at this year's festival and another curry night is planned for August 2nd. This is the second day of the four day game against Warwickshire.
If any readers want to donate items for the auction or raffle, buy raffle tickets, attend on the night or assist in any other way they are welcome to contact me at [email protected]
Matthews Matters
Jon Matthews sent me this
I was in the UAE in January (bad timing!) as I have a daughter working there; I took another of my (4) daughters with me and the attached shows one of the trips I made them make. I went to the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi ‘on spec’ and the acting ground manager, Fahad ?, insisted on showing me round – the square, the outfield, the “Sydney Hill” replica, the England dressing room, England’s dining room, the umpire’s room (I am a fully qualified umpire these days), the commentary box and the scorers’ box. He was a star and my wildest cricket dreams fulfilled.
My daughter Niki (on the left, on my right) works for a Sports Event Management company in Abu Dhabi; her company weren’t involved in the cricket but she has been deeply involved in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the past two years and the Aviva Premiership Wasps v Harlequins match played in January last year – held in the grounds of the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, on turf imported from Panama for the occasion!!! 5,000 spectators attended and it was broadcast live by Sky. Only the Arabs, eh?
Winter Fillers
I am indebted to the Great Jack Morgan for the last of his winter fillers which get us back round to the start of the new season
Tom Scollay won the toss and chose to bat against the MCCYCs in the 3 dayer at Vine Lane. Tom himself got the team off to a good start with an excellent 72 off 108 balls with 11 fours, sharing a second wicket stand of 94 with Dan Housego (47 off 59 balls with 10 fours), before Adam London took on the leading role. Adam shared partnerships of 115 with Adam Rossington (53 off 47 balls with 8 fours) and 99 with Robbie Williams (49 off 49 balls with 8 fours) before Scollay declared at 410 for 7. Adam has been a little short of runs this season so it was extremely pleasing to see him hit a valuable and entertaining 110* off 163 balls with 15 fours. Paceman Chad Barrett (3 for 42) was the best of the YCs’ bowlers, but Middx man Tom Hampton (2 for 68) also did well, especially in his second spell. The YCs were soon in trouble against the Middx opening bowlers Williams and GurjitSandhu and it was nice to see Gareth Berg returning to action. Gareth has been out for more than three months and although he is still not fit enough to bat, he bowled with no apparent problems as the YCs closed day 1 on a troubled 68 for 4. They did no better on day 2 and collapsed to 97 all out with Berg taking 4 for 13, Sandhu 3 for 49 and Williams 2 for 23. Skipper Paul Muchall (brother of Gordon) defied the rampant Middx bowlers for over an hour for 22, while keeper Stuart Poynter claimed five catches off the Middxseamers. Middx did not enforce the follow on and Scollay (62 off 90 balls with 9 fours) and Housego (51 off 84 balls with 9 fours) enjoyed another fine second wicket stand (this time 124 in 100 minutes) and there was just time to enjoy a cameo 33* off 19 balls including 2 sixes from Rossington before Middx declared on 198 for 3, setting MCCYCs a tricky 512 to win in 146 overs. The YCs showed improved form in their second innings with 20 year old opener Tom Lewis (45 with 8 fours) holding firm for more than two hours, but at 144 for 6 (Williams 3 for 26), they were destined for defeat when rain finally put an end to the match at lunch on day 3. In recent years, MCCYCs teams have given county 2nd XIs some close matches, but this bunch did not look in that class.
And finally
I went to the Met Police Sports Club at Imber Court for the 2nd XI Trophy match between Surrey and Middlesex, but the match was rained off after 11 overs with Surrey on 53-0 (T Lancefield 31*, very impressive with 6 fours, A Harinath 20*). Middlesex had a strongish team out, but Surrey had a team (and this is the first time that I have ever seen this in second team cricket) in which every player had a first team squad number. This failed to help with identification however, as neither of the two Surrey players to take the field displayed their numbers, as Tom Lancefield wore a numberless shirt and ArunHarinath wore a sweater over his number!
Adam London won the toss and decided to bowl in the Second Eleven Championship match against Glamorgan at Radlett. This immediately appeared to have paid off as the visitors slumped to 16 for 3, but David Brown (brother of ex-Middlesex man, Michael) staged a solid fight back in a stand of 114 with 20 year old Dan Roberts. Brown went for 62 (off 92 balls with 9 fours and a 6) and when Roberts followed for 69 (10 fours), Glamorgan had descended to 157 for 7. However, another 20 year old, Aneurin Norman (56 off 79 balls with 11 fours), shared a stand of 74 for the eighth wicket with experienced campaigner Adam Shantry (32 off 41 balls), who was returning from injury problems, guided Glam to 258 all out, which good judges felt to be a decent effort on a helpful track for the seamers. The best of the home bowlers were Robbie Williams (3 for 48) and Gurjit Sandhu (3 for 60). Middlesex quickly fell to 13 for 2, but a good stand of 81 between Dan Housego (52) and skipper London (29) appeared to have evened things up, but nightwatchman Sandhu was the next highest scorer with 24 and Middlesex collapsed to a very poor 198 all out. Englishman Chris Ashling (4 for 58), who did well at the Oval recently, and Durham University man John Glover, 3 for 39 off 17 overs, did the damage.
Glamorgan had another bad start to their second innings as 2 wickets went down for 13, but skipper Stewart Walters (ex-Surrey) joined forces with South African keeper Chris Cooke to add 133 for the third wicket in quick time. However, when Walters (76 off 79 balls with 13 fours and a six) and Cooke (55 off 50 balls with 9 fours and a six), both left with the score on 146 and three more wickets fell with the score on 201, another recovery was needed and this came from 19 year old Imran Hassan (born in Newport) with 45* and Shantry again (45) as Glamorgan declared late on day 2 on 304 for 9 (Tony Ireland taking 4 for 60 and 6 for 130 in the match). There were 5 overs remaining, but Middlesex were 22 for 2 at the close and, needing 365 to win, the chances of a successful chase looked slim. However, on day 3, Dan Housego was right at the top of his form and his stand of 167 with London (76 with 13 fours) put Middlesex on the road to victory. Paul Stirling had been off the field with an injury in the Glamorgan second innings, but when he came out to bat at no 7, he quickly confirmed that Middlesex were going to win the match, as he and Housego put on 113* for the sixth wicket at a rapid rate. Paul hit a powerful 64* off 50 balls with 10 fours and 2 sixes, but the decisive innings of the match was played by Dan who finished with 158* with 16 fours and 2 sixes, as Middlesex strolled home by 5 wickets. Ashling took the bowling honours for the visitors with 4 for 84 and 8 for 142 in the match.
Watching Paint Dry Matters
The Great Jack Morgan is anything but thick skinned and some of my correspondents have upset him again
I always knew that not everyone would share my strong preference for county 2nd XI cricket over (say) T20 or club cricket. It was obvious that it would not be everyone's pint of bitter, but I was shocked that people would find it quite so tedious. I am therefore standing down from my position as Head of Filler with immediate effect. Of course, I will miss the wild parties at Googlies Towers, the booze, the drugs and the groupies, but it is only fair that ambitious young filler talent should get an opportunity. I will now report on the County Championship only.
Personally I like Jack’s reports from around the Home Counties and to ensure that he re-appoints himself I would welcome emails of support from others who enjoy his musings on 2nd XI and Minor County matches
Old Danes Gathering 2012
The 2012 Old Danes Gathering will be held on Friday 27 July. Once again Shepherds Bush CC have kindly agreed to host this event. The Gathering will take place between 2pm and 8pm and we hope to see as many Old Danes as can make it. Even if you can only pop in for an hour you will be warmly greeted and made to feel welcome. There will be a bar and food available throughout. Please let me know whether you plan to attend and I will circulate a list regularly between now and the event.
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
Tel & fax: 01298 70237
Email: [email protected]
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 112
April 2012
Caption Competition
- Angus Fraser: Another one for the trophy cabinet!
- Sam Robson: Will you be able to play a few games for us next year Straussy?
- John Simpson: Now Dan Housegoe’s gone who is going to be wearing Jeff Coleman’s kit?
Chris Rogers: We wouldn’t bother in Oz…
Out and About with the Professor
The Professor found himself at Yorkshire’s AGM
The annual outing for Yorkshire's disgruntled geriatrics took place last week. There were 32 fewer of them than last year and so we all stood in remembrance for the traditional minute. But that more or less concluded the pleasantries since there was, as might be imagined, some "disappointment" at the team's performance last season. Yorkshire people have a rather forthright way of expressing their disappointment and there were calls for the resignation of the Director of Cricket who had been brought back from the pre-season tour of Barbados (where some of the lads were showing "good form" apparently) to face the music. The "Director", Martyn Moxon, also declared his disappointment. So we were all very… disappointed.
But what, you might ask, is to be done... and who bears the responsibility? Well that at least was clear. Moxon was clarity itself. He bore the responsibility for the poor performance of the team. So now what? Well, that was it. He bore the responsibility...which he took very seriously. And what is he going to do with this responsibility that he was bearing? Well, he was "going to learn the lessons going forward"; i.e., bugger all. (When, incidentally, did this vacuous puerile phrase "going forward" become a synonym for "the future"?)
Mind you, the members are in a bit of a quandary here. The universal view is that the loss of an overseas player was the principal reason for the relegation but, at the same time, they would all prefer that there were no foreign players of any sort playing for Yorkshire and "foreign" in this regard includes anyone from Nottingham, Derby or indeed anywhere else. So all we want is an entirely Yorkshire side which is good enough to win promotion and then win the Championship....easy.
It is handy for the Board that there was another target for the members’ ire which is even greater than that of the performance of the team ...and that is the new pavilion. Ever since the monstrosity was completed (and indeed well before that) there were complaints about the architecture (sort of School of B&Q with Everest glazing influence) but the biggest grumble has been the lack of access for members. Succinctly, as one of them said, it is the only pavilion in world cricket with access denied to the members.
In addition, there were the other usual grumbles about the county fixture list, selection policy (for which read: "Why wasn't my favourite player/nephew/son-in-law picked?"), coaching, etc.
The Chairman of Yorkshire is a chap called Colin Graves and he is a member of various ECB committees and he made a couple of interesting contributions. First that having nine test match grounds in England was obviously too many and he expected the situation to be "resolved" by 2019. Similarly, he expected
Ashes cricket to return to Headingley at the same time. He also revealed that the ECB had just signed a new contract with Sky and with an Indian broadcaster for "mega-bucks". We were also told that one reason for long gaps in the home fixture list was that there now has to be a two-week period without fixtures prior to any international match. This was an ICC regulation because of "security concerns". I haven't bothered to check this out but if true it must be recent(ish) since I recall being in Antigua when a match was switched from the sandy Sir Vivian Richards stadium to the old St John's ground in a very few days.
Graves also told us that Moxon had the confidence of the Board and that he personally supported him "200%". Why that particular percentage was chosen I couldn't say - I suppose it just up the stakes on the football managers 110% - an equal affront to arithmetic.
As for the Club we were told that an overseas bowler was being sought (to go with Phil Jacques who has already been signed as a, obviously, non-overseas player)
We then came to the election of the new President - one Geoffrey Boycott. The Chair read out the Club rules regarding the position of President who: "must not be a member of the Board, must stand above any faction, and must avoid controversy". It would be fair to say that there was some doubt in the room as to whether our choice would quite fit this job description and there was some interest in how the voting might go. There was only one candidate but it was possible to record a vote against. In the event there were about 1200 votes in favour and a disappointing (for seekers of discord) 100 or so against.
In his acceptance speech our new Pres told us that the only thing that mattered was first class cricket and the County Championship, (the wincing Treasurer had just told us that the receipts from the 20/20 match against Lancashire had been greater than the income from all other matches played at Headingley) and that England Lions matches that took two or three players out of a county side to play games that "nobody gives a toss about" should be abandoned. As you can see, the "no controversy" requirement should be no problem for our new man.
Peter Ray
Bob Peach attended Peter Ray’s funeral and he sent me the Order of Service which included the following tribute which he believes was written by Chris Goldie
Peter Ray was unique, a complete one off.
Despite attending Kingsbury Grammar School, he was largely self-educated:nobody could have amassed that amount of knowledge at school or even university. He could quote at length from the Bible, despite professing to be a non believer, and Shakespeare. As possibly the best public speaker-certainly after dinner speaker- of his generation, he would start every speech with a seemingly meaningless quotation from the great Roman and Greek historians and draw the threads together brilliantly to leave his audience in fits of laughter. Such was his talent that even the most hardened of dinner goers could barely remember the stories he had told.
Uniquely, he never told jokes and very rarely resorted to one liners. Ten years apart, he won the Lord’s Taverners Balloon Debate at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Why ten years? Because the trophy presented to the winner has the names of the previous nine winners engraved on it and, if he didn’t win it this time, somebody would, over the next decade, win the trophy without having Peter’s name on it- he really was that good!
As a player, he was the finest left-arm spin bowler of his generation-many felt he was better than most of the first class cricketers of his time. In the forty year history of the Middlesex County Cricket League, he remains the only player to have ever taken all ten wickets in an innings- 10 for 57 for Wembley against Winchmore Hill in 1976 and for good measure, 9 for 45 against Enfield the following year. His career as a player was split almost evenly between Wembley and Richmond Cricket Clubs, although the vast bulk of his league cricket was played at Richmond. In all he took in excess of 600 1stXI wickets which makes him the Middlesex County Cricket league’s all time wicket taker at the highest level. These wickets helped him to play a major part in Richmond’s first two league titles.
When his playing career came to an end, he took up umpiring with the same gusto he showed as a player. He stopped playing for the first eleven when they won the title in 1998 when he was sixty five-“nobody should be playing 1st XI league cricket with their bus pass in their pocket”- and intended to carry on terrorizing batsmen, opponents and umpires in the 2ndXI for a few more years but unfortunately he seriously damaged his knee and had to give up.
In all he spent five years on the League Umpires’ Panel before the onset of emphysema meant he had to give up. Even then he found a new interest: certain goings on in the then Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers gave him cause for concern. To begin with he was just a part of a team of half a dozen who fought the good fight against the forces of darkness and Companies House(although Peter came to regard the two as one and indivisible).
Despite every obstacle that could be put in his way, he soldiered on doggedly through gathering ill health and was still fighting valiantly almost to the bitter end. Sadly, he did not live to see the final victory but he did at least die secure in the knowledge that the battle to ensure that those who destroyed ACU&S did not prevail had virtually been won. The England & Wales Cricket Board honoured him in November by appointing him an Honorary Member of the ECB Association of Cricket Officials.
Those of us who both enjoyed the pleasure of his company and endured his volcanic temper when he considered things had not gone the way he expectedwill miss him dreadfully; those of you who never saw him play, nor heard him speak, will never know what you missed.
Jon Matthews sent me this
James, just to say I always enjoy Googlies & Chinamen – regrettably it is now doubling as something of an obituary column; I learned of Len Stubbs’ and Roger Pearman’s passing through it - and now that character Peter Ray.
I remember going to a Hornsey CC Dinner where Peter was the speaker proposing the toast to the Club; one by one he had a comment for each of the Hornsey players - but the one that has stuck in my memory concerned Alan Day (perhaps because I went on to marry his girl-friend!). Peter quipped “...ah, now we come to Alan Day...he’s the only player I know who plays so much mid-week cricket he has to be carded for work!”. I bet you can hear him say it!
Bill Hart sent this
Very sad to hear the news about Peter Ray. A cantankerous old bugger, but a great character. Our world of cricketing memories has been diminished by the loss of Peter Ray. Of course he could be truculent and perhaps too outspoken, but what a character, and how he hated defensive cricket.
My first encounter with him took place in 1962, my first season at South Hampstead. I was a mature cricketer, 27 years of age with eight years of first team experience with Old Grammarians, one of the best Old Boys sides in London. When I went to the wicket, SHCC were batting first, seven wickets down and struggling, with only John Weale (about 60 not out at the time) having scored anything much. Peter Ray was bowling at one end and John Price at the other. By Christ, Pricey was quick, and I was worried. However, my first challenge was Peter. The first two balls were played uneventfully back to the bowler. As I played forward again to the third, and gently rolled it back I was greeted with a glare and the comment "are you ever going to play a fucking shot!" This was not what I was used to! I knew then that we were kindred spirits, and despite many disagreements over the years, he always held my respect. He will be sorely missed.
I have decided to include the following note from Steve Wright since it reflected the views of many of my correspondents
You will need a couple of dozen issues to even partly cover the career of Peter Ray. I remember I submitted one some time ago. The best way to get a decent write up is to die. I suspect that there will be tear stained reminiscences "pouring" into your email box. Not for me I'm afraid. However pleasant he may have been off the field, on it he was an unpleasant bully who tried to intimidate, in particular, young players, and who generally set a very bad example of how cricket should be played.
And finally my own thoughts
I played against Peter when he was at Wembley in the sixties and seventies. He was highly competitive, if not combative, and had a low boredom threshold. He always had plenty to say on the field whether batting, bowling or standing at slip. I don’t recall any particularly outstanding individual performances and I can’t say that I got to know him in the bar. So like hundreds of other opponents of that era he faded into the background of my memory. That was until he emerged as a correspondent to Googlies a few years ago. His writing was typical of his cricketing manner - uncompromising and he took no prisoners. But as usual he could go over the top and wrote one offensive piece when he took issue with Jack Morgan and with hindsight I should probably have not published it or at least edited it. That notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed his contributions and his comic creation, the Public Park Slogger.
I went to the South Hampstead Dinner a couple of years ago and not only got to speak with Peter, who was tickled pink with his Lord Ray styling, but I was privileged to hear one of his last after dinner speeches. It was a masterpiece of construction, learning and wit.
Revier Matters
Jim Revier sent me the following notes
A few comments on the last edition of Googlies.
Like all readers I go straight to the GJM's reports on 2nd XI games, but after this riveting stuff turned to the latest epistle from the Pres. His use of the phrases "I don't understand it " and "What is going on ?" bring to mind the very epitome of Yorkshireness, the one and only F.S.Trueman. Fred made an entire Test Match Special career and a decent livelihood out of such insightful comments, i.e "I just don't know what’s going on out there Henry". Does anyone know what's going on in Yorkshire?
In "Red Mist Matters" you highlight the feats of South Africa's Richard Levi. What a shame Richard did not follow some of his compatriots in trying to get into the England team. If he had he could have marched to the crease with the current England captain. This would have been the first instance of a pair of jeans opening the batting for England.
I don't know your correspondent Chris Overson but was delighted to see he is a Wealdstone fan. I have taken an interest in the Stones' fortunes over the last few years as they now play at the old Ruislip Manor ground. After Tesco bought out their old ground in Harrow they have wandered around NW London playing at Edgware and Northwood before settling here in downtown Ruislip ( Jeff Coleman lives uptown).The stones have had an excellent season reaching the semi finals of the FA Trophy, knocking out Barrow and Cambridge from the Conference along the way. They finally succumbed 3-1 over two legs to Newport County. They are well placed for a run at the play offs in the Ryman league ( 2 levels below the Conference )
They play some quite good stuff unlike the hoof it brigade who are usually their opponents. The Indie on Sunday recently named the ground the "Grosvenor Vale Stadium". Umm well stadium is pushing it a bit but its a pleasant enough place to spend a Saturday afternoon. Benefits to me are a 15 minute walk to the ground, an admission fee about £40 cheaper than the Rangers and unlike the Rs you don’t leave the ground with depression.
As you probably know the GJM is currently on his hols in Tintagel. On his return he will only have two weeks to the start of the 1st class season. I understand his packing for his trip to Cornwall took a lot less time than his packing of the bag for the season ahead. By the end of May the County season will be half over. Good to read Peter Burke's article in the last edition too. More please Sam.
Ager Matters
Robin Ager concurred with my Doosra notes
I was interested that you grasped the nettle of the doosra in the latest Googlies. Coincidentally, there was an editorial in the Cricket Society Newsletter which also implied that all was not as it should be in the way the authorities have dealt with the issue. I find it all very confusing but my son, with all the conviction of comparative youth (he is 41!), has no doubts. He told me that he "won't be happy until the bowling entries for Murali and Ajmal in Wisden have an * next to them with a note at the end reading "cheat"." All sweetly reasonable, as you'd expect of an Ager.
Coleman Matters
Jeff Coleman enjoyed seeing his picture in the last edition and he sent me this
Many thanks for the unsolicited mention of the work done at Uxbridge last year in raising funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Vic Demain, the Uxbridge Head Groundsman, and his partner Lyn work extremely hard throughout the year in support of this excellent charity, culminating in a curry night with raffle and auction during the Uxbridge Festival. There was also in 2011, as seen in the picture, a cupcake stall selling Lyn's homemade cakes. It was an honour for me to help them raise £500 by the sale of the cakes alone. This being one of the few reasons that I would attend T20 matches (AKA The Devil's Game). Contrary to uninformed opinion I did sell more than I consumed.
In the two years that Vic and Lyn have organised the fundraising some £9000 has been passed on to Breakthrough. This year Middlesex has announced a new charity partner, The Shooting Star and Chase Children's Hospice. A very worthwhile cause. However, the club has very kindly agreed that Vic and Lyn can continue to raise funds for Breakthrough at this year's festival and another curry night is planned for August 2nd. This is the second day of the four day game against Warwickshire.
If any readers want to donate items for the auction or raffle, buy raffle tickets, attend on the night or assist in any other way they are welcome to contact me at [email protected]
Matthews Matters
Jon Matthews sent me this
I was in the UAE in January (bad timing!) as I have a daughter working there; I took another of my (4) daughters with me and the attached shows one of the trips I made them make. I went to the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi ‘on spec’ and the acting ground manager, Fahad ?, insisted on showing me round – the square, the outfield, the “Sydney Hill” replica, the England dressing room, England’s dining room, the umpire’s room (I am a fully qualified umpire these days), the commentary box and the scorers’ box. He was a star and my wildest cricket dreams fulfilled.
My daughter Niki (on the left, on my right) works for a Sports Event Management company in Abu Dhabi; her company weren’t involved in the cricket but she has been deeply involved in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the past two years and the Aviva Premiership Wasps v Harlequins match played in January last year – held in the grounds of the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, on turf imported from Panama for the occasion!!! 5,000 spectators attended and it was broadcast live by Sky. Only the Arabs, eh?
Winter Fillers
I am indebted to the Great Jack Morgan for the last of his winter fillers which get us back round to the start of the new season
Tom Scollay won the toss and chose to bat against the MCCYCs in the 3 dayer at Vine Lane. Tom himself got the team off to a good start with an excellent 72 off 108 balls with 11 fours, sharing a second wicket stand of 94 with Dan Housego (47 off 59 balls with 10 fours), before Adam London took on the leading role. Adam shared partnerships of 115 with Adam Rossington (53 off 47 balls with 8 fours) and 99 with Robbie Williams (49 off 49 balls with 8 fours) before Scollay declared at 410 for 7. Adam has been a little short of runs this season so it was extremely pleasing to see him hit a valuable and entertaining 110* off 163 balls with 15 fours. Paceman Chad Barrett (3 for 42) was the best of the YCs’ bowlers, but Middx man Tom Hampton (2 for 68) also did well, especially in his second spell. The YCs were soon in trouble against the Middx opening bowlers Williams and GurjitSandhu and it was nice to see Gareth Berg returning to action. Gareth has been out for more than three months and although he is still not fit enough to bat, he bowled with no apparent problems as the YCs closed day 1 on a troubled 68 for 4. They did no better on day 2 and collapsed to 97 all out with Berg taking 4 for 13, Sandhu 3 for 49 and Williams 2 for 23. Skipper Paul Muchall (brother of Gordon) defied the rampant Middx bowlers for over an hour for 22, while keeper Stuart Poynter claimed five catches off the Middxseamers. Middx did not enforce the follow on and Scollay (62 off 90 balls with 9 fours) and Housego (51 off 84 balls with 9 fours) enjoyed another fine second wicket stand (this time 124 in 100 minutes) and there was just time to enjoy a cameo 33* off 19 balls including 2 sixes from Rossington before Middx declared on 198 for 3, setting MCCYCs a tricky 512 to win in 146 overs. The YCs showed improved form in their second innings with 20 year old opener Tom Lewis (45 with 8 fours) holding firm for more than two hours, but at 144 for 6 (Williams 3 for 26), they were destined for defeat when rain finally put an end to the match at lunch on day 3. In recent years, MCCYCs teams have given county 2nd XIs some close matches, but this bunch did not look in that class.
And finally
I went to the Met Police Sports Club at Imber Court for the 2nd XI Trophy match between Surrey and Middlesex, but the match was rained off after 11 overs with Surrey on 53-0 (T Lancefield 31*, very impressive with 6 fours, A Harinath 20*). Middlesex had a strongish team out, but Surrey had a team (and this is the first time that I have ever seen this in second team cricket) in which every player had a first team squad number. This failed to help with identification however, as neither of the two Surrey players to take the field displayed their numbers, as Tom Lancefield wore a numberless shirt and ArunHarinath wore a sweater over his number!
Adam London won the toss and decided to bowl in the Second Eleven Championship match against Glamorgan at Radlett. This immediately appeared to have paid off as the visitors slumped to 16 for 3, but David Brown (brother of ex-Middlesex man, Michael) staged a solid fight back in a stand of 114 with 20 year old Dan Roberts. Brown went for 62 (off 92 balls with 9 fours and a 6) and when Roberts followed for 69 (10 fours), Glamorgan had descended to 157 for 7. However, another 20 year old, Aneurin Norman (56 off 79 balls with 11 fours), shared a stand of 74 for the eighth wicket with experienced campaigner Adam Shantry (32 off 41 balls), who was returning from injury problems, guided Glam to 258 all out, which good judges felt to be a decent effort on a helpful track for the seamers. The best of the home bowlers were Robbie Williams (3 for 48) and Gurjit Sandhu (3 for 60). Middlesex quickly fell to 13 for 2, but a good stand of 81 between Dan Housego (52) and skipper London (29) appeared to have evened things up, but nightwatchman Sandhu was the next highest scorer with 24 and Middlesex collapsed to a very poor 198 all out. Englishman Chris Ashling (4 for 58), who did well at the Oval recently, and Durham University man John Glover, 3 for 39 off 17 overs, did the damage.
Glamorgan had another bad start to their second innings as 2 wickets went down for 13, but skipper Stewart Walters (ex-Surrey) joined forces with South African keeper Chris Cooke to add 133 for the third wicket in quick time. However, when Walters (76 off 79 balls with 13 fours and a six) and Cooke (55 off 50 balls with 9 fours and a six), both left with the score on 146 and three more wickets fell with the score on 201, another recovery was needed and this came from 19 year old Imran Hassan (born in Newport) with 45* and Shantry again (45) as Glamorgan declared late on day 2 on 304 for 9 (Tony Ireland taking 4 for 60 and 6 for 130 in the match). There were 5 overs remaining, but Middlesex were 22 for 2 at the close and, needing 365 to win, the chances of a successful chase looked slim. However, on day 3, Dan Housego was right at the top of his form and his stand of 167 with London (76 with 13 fours) put Middlesex on the road to victory. Paul Stirling had been off the field with an injury in the Glamorgan second innings, but when he came out to bat at no 7, he quickly confirmed that Middlesex were going to win the match, as he and Housego put on 113* for the sixth wicket at a rapid rate. Paul hit a powerful 64* off 50 balls with 10 fours and 2 sixes, but the decisive innings of the match was played by Dan who finished with 158* with 16 fours and 2 sixes, as Middlesex strolled home by 5 wickets. Ashling took the bowling honours for the visitors with 4 for 84 and 8 for 142 in the match.
Watching Paint Dry Matters
The Great Jack Morgan is anything but thick skinned and some of my correspondents have upset him again
I always knew that not everyone would share my strong preference for county 2nd XI cricket over (say) T20 or club cricket. It was obvious that it would not be everyone's pint of bitter, but I was shocked that people would find it quite so tedious. I am therefore standing down from my position as Head of Filler with immediate effect. Of course, I will miss the wild parties at Googlies Towers, the booze, the drugs and the groupies, but it is only fair that ambitious young filler talent should get an opportunity. I will now report on the County Championship only.
Personally I like Jack’s reports from around the Home Counties and to ensure that he re-appoints himself I would welcome emails of support from others who enjoy his musings on 2nd XI and Minor County matches
Old Danes Gathering 2012
The 2012 Old Danes Gathering will be held on Friday 27 July. Once again Shepherds Bush CC have kindly agreed to host this event. The Gathering will take place between 2pm and 8pm and we hope to see as many Old Danes as can make it. Even if you can only pop in for an hour you will be warmly greeted and made to feel welcome. There will be a bar and food available throughout. Please let me know whether you plan to attend and I will circulate a list regularly between now and the event.
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
Tel & fax: 01298 70237
Email: [email protected]