Golden oldies shine in 2002

Statistics can be a cruel thing. Last year, when Eds Copelston made runs with the ease of Reado on the pull, the averages weren't published until the spring of the following year. Eds repeatedly pressed for them to be released, but the secretary couldn't get his act together. This season Eds has been in the kind of form previously reserved for the Bangladesh middle order. Rather like one of President Blair's spinners, he pleaded that the figures should be buried on a 'bad news day'. All to no avail.

Eds' season wasn't too bad by the standard of others, but he only passed fifty twice - his best was against the School on Speech Day. In terms of commitment he was surpassed by his brother who, stung by suggestions that he was on the way out, played more games than any other person and passed 300 runs. The top of the averages was the veteran flat-track bully Mike Chase, who passed fifty five times in seven innings including a brutal unbeaten 94 at Headley. Our honorary Antipodean OC Nathan Ross also chipped in with some telling contributions and Richard Hume, who averaged 6.17 with the bat in 2001, hit good form and showed his promise.


Abeed Janmoahmed at last looked the real deal with both bat and ball. He still has been unable to go on and make the big score he is more than capable of - he did score a big hundred for MCC and accumulated 997 runs during the season - but it will come when he bats higher up the order. His bowling earned him 13 wickets - second only to old warhorse Chetwode - and when he finally realizes that his future is as a spinner and not a rubbish seamer he will do even better.

Inevitably, Chetwode dominated the bowling, sending down almost three times as many overs as anyone else and taking almost twice as many wickets as his nearest rival. The legs may be tiring, the run-up almost non existent and the stamina for sleeping on School beds exhausted, but he remains far and away the best bowler in the club.

Of his rivals, Tim Evans and Ed Henderson both had their moments - in both cases they shone in the Brewers Cup final - while Nick Read only came out when it was a cup match or there was enough sun to top-up his permatan. Chase's wickets came courtesy of bad batting when we were throwing the ball up to be hit - despite his claims that it signalled his return as a genuine allrounder.