Roy Hill dies aged 88

Roy Hill, who in 1950 took the best-ever figures by an OC bowler, has died at the age of 88.

Hill, a brisk right-arm opening bowler, was in the OC side which played one of a handful of matches that summer, against the village on the Common – he smiled when he said that “if you owned a car, you were in the XI”. It had rained heavily overnight and Hill, opening the bowling, recalled the ball “dug in and went all over the place”. He ripped through the Cranleigh batting, taking 9 for 10 as they were bowled out for 41. He admitted that he should have had all ten but Cyril Suter, fielding in the gully, dropped the one man he didn’t dismiss. Suter then added insult to injury by removing the same batsman himself. Hill went on to make an unbeaten 35.

Hill was born in Forest Hill on November 19, 1919 and was in West at Cranleigh between 1933 and 1936. He was in the 1st XI in 1935 and 1936. After leaving he joined Beckenham with several other Cranleighans, including EW Swanton. He recalled a few years ago that Swanton, who had a reputation for pomposity, was called up in 1937 to play for Middlesex against one of the universities. Rather than tell his captain that he was unavailable, Swanton sent telegrams to all his team-mates to say he was unable to play as he had been summoned by his county. Hill was called up into the army at the time of the Munich Crisis in 1938, and served throughout the war, admitting that he “got knocked about a bit in ‘45”. Either side of the war he worked for the London Brick Company.

Sarasota 2007 - Sharks, golf and some dreadful cricket

Rob Merry reports on the second tour of the year, a return to the USA
Click here for tour photos

We travelled to this popular six-a-side tournament in Sarasota, Florida with a mix of youth and the experience offered by captain Henry Watkinson and Mike Chetwode – both of whom had been several times before. A few of us got there a day early to ‘acclimatise’ on the beach. The first night gave us an indication of what was to follow – our thanks to the wonderful hospitality shown by the extended Perry family.
While we were rarely found wanting in the drinking department, it was unfortunately a different story on the cricket pitch. It took the four young guns time to come to grips with the nature of six-a-side (five overs, five different bowlers, limited run-ups, two runs + another ball for wides and no-balls, and an artificial wicket). We failed to get bat on ball often enough, lacked enough big hitting and always had one poor over bowling.

Our first two games were probably against the weakest of the sides in our group and by the time we had found our feet with some strong hitting from both Jonny Gates and Sam Langmead we were up against stronger opposition. In the past we had always reached the quarter-finals but this year it was not to be. Our nightly antics probably had something to do with it and there were some useful players knocking about – Shiv Chanderpaul kindly agreeing to don the OC touring blazer.

Off the pitch we were equally unsuccessful! We had to get more golf balls delivered on our golf outing on what was admittedly a difficult but very impressive and enjoyable course. We did have some success in on a deep-sea fishing trip but whilst we were catching relatively little fish two Americans on our boat caught a shark!
Our partying really came to a head at the gala dinner, where Mac was guest speaker - our failure to make the finals day meant that we had nothing to hold back for. Other highlights included a trip to our sponsors – a local entertainment arena our dubious repute, some great dinners, thanksgiving partying, and the weak dollar!

Everyone enjoyed the trip, despite our cricketing prowess, or lack of it. A big thank you to Sarasota Cricket Club, the other teams and the extended Parry family – who provided wonderful hospitality throughout.

I’m sure that all the youngsters will return and hopefully Henry and Mike will join us. Damien has also lost no time in addressing our cricketing performance. He is spearheading the effort to get a OCCC six a side tournament up and running at Cranleigh sometime next summer – watch this space!

2007 averages - Young batsmen, old bowlers

Alan Cope, who had such a good India tour, topped the batting averages (Seren Waters and Stuart Meaker had higher averages but did not play enough to qualify) with his 61 against Harrow the innings of the season. He also made his first OC hundred at home � all four centuries came from players under 25. Dane Groenveld, back for a sabbatical from Australia, was in awesome form and played some thrilling attacking innings. Rob Merry found good form, but Johnny Gates, after a good start, again struggled. He will come good and few players deserve success more than him. Damien Hill was unable to capture his form of 2006, and Matt Crump was surprisingly out of sorts other than in the Brewers Cup final.

While his body may show signs of ageing, Michael Chetwode continues to be our most parsimonious bowler and yet again he tops the averages. You have to go back more than two decades to find the last time he was not either the leading wicket-taker or topped the averages. Another not-quite-so-old oldie, Henry Watkinson, equaled Chetwode's 11 wickets, while only Matt Crump, two decades Chetwode's junior, had a double-wicket tally. Alex Craven was the pick of the cup bowlers, although Cope had his moments in the Brewers Cup, but we lacked a spinner. Graham Webb, two years off 50, came back for the cup and showed what a class act he remains . He is also still able to fit into the whites he wore at school ... and how many of us can say that, Tristan?

Click here for the full averages

Tour No. 6 ... South Africa

Having organised their final tour to India in February/March 2007, Rick Johnson and Martin Williamson have passed the reigns over to Ed Henderson, Rob Merry and Tristan Rosenfeldt, who are pleased to announce the destination for the next tour. Having debated many diverse and interesting options, ranging from the Caribbean to a Middle East/Western Australia tour, the unanimous decision and natural place to go next was Southern Africa.

So to formally announce it, the OCCC will be undertaking their 6th major overseas tour to….Zimbabwe! Only joking, we will be gracing Zambia and South Africa with our presence over New Year 2008-09.

Here are some details regarding the itinerary from which we hope to start getting commitment from players, families, WAG’s and legends (M. Payne) regarding attendance. With just over a year to organise the tour, support and help from anyone will be much appreciated and tour details will be continually provided and updated.

Provisional itinerary

Christmas Day/Boxing Day 2008 Players will no doubt be resisting the temptation to indulge in the festive spirit at home and a boot camp in the Welsh valleys has been discussed for those with intentions to hit the ground running in Africa, or have alterior motives to one day captain the club!
Saturday December 27, 2008 Afternoon flight to Lusaka, Zambia. Breakfast arrival (28th December). Day of leisure (golf, pool, sleep) at 5* hotel culminating in ‘Welcome to Africa’ dinner.
Sunday December 28, 2008 Game 1 v. Zambian Team (TBC but potentially a National side or a British High Commision side)
Monday December 29 – Tuesday December 30, 2008 Safari (Details of Safari TBC)
Wednesday December 31, 2008 AM flight to Cape Town, check into 5* Waterfront hotel and prepare to see in New Year 2009.
Wednesday December 31 – Friday January 9, 2009 OCCC in Cape Town. Based at 5* Waterfront hotel. The following is being arranged for the stay in Cape Town:

Three games plus the inaugural OCCC 20/20 game. The tour organisational team is working it’s upmost to get the team playing at Newlands and a first OCCC game under lights is very much a possibility.

Trip up Table Mountain for that perfect team photo.

Day at the Beach, however, Camps Bay (10 minutes from Cape Town city centre) is no West Whittering!

Adrenaline Junkie Day – Bungee Jumping followed by Shark diving! For those less inclined to this lifestyle, deep sea fishing will be an option.

Tour of Robben Island – tour led by former political prisoners.

Township Visit.

There will of course be the usual OCCC frolics:

Daily fines.

‘D*ck of the Day’.

Rosenfeldt Quiz Night/Hobbs and Watkinson cheating challenge.

Plus, we are pleased to announce, the Afrikaans food challenge – www.mishtancafewillbetamecomparedtothis.com

Friday January 9, 2009 PM flight to Lusaka, Zambia. Check in to another ridiculous 5* hotel.
Saturday January 10, 2009 Final game against local Zambian team.
Sunday January 11, 2009 – Monday January 12, 2009 Potentially a River Safari. Plus Victoria Falls visit, the end of tour Dinner to be held whilst the touring squad looks out over the falls (as promised by Mr. Ed Henderson)
Tuesday January 13, 2009 Flight back to London, another OCCC tour successfully completed.

Well I hope that has slightly whetted your appetite for this next adventure. This is still very much a rough itinerary and is of course subject to change (most notably the dates and times of the safaris) but the main structure of the tour (flying in and out of Zambia etc.) will remain.

The cost of the tour will be around the £2000 mark, and we will be looking for a real commitment from people with a non refundable deposit in late January 2008. We are working hard to make sure it really will be a trip not to be missed, plus, the kit is going to be brilliant!

All you students, unemployed or those put off by the price-tag, don’t worry, payment options spread over the year will be available, and we can come to agreements between us, don’t be afraid to ask. We just need that initial commitment.

The three of us are incredibly excited about this tour and all are welcome, whether you are a whole family, a cricketer, a partner or just an enthusiastic supporter, please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of us if you would like more information or have any advice or contacts for us out in Southern Africa, sponsorship of course always welcome!

Regular updates regarding the tour will be found on the Old Cranleighan Cricket Club Website.

Rob, Ed and Tristan

rmerry@deloitte.co.uk
edward.henderson@1thesanctuary.com
tristanrosenfeldt@hotmail.com

Hobbs ... is this the end?

Peter Hobbs, the most reluctant cricketer since Rick Johnson, admits that he “might have played for the last time” after another failed comeback in Australia. He sent the club’s match report, together with a physical update. “The toe is screwed now for about a month - whole foot was swollen and couldn't walk for two days!! Doc wanted to drill into my toenail....errhh no.”

“Scots won the toss and elected to bat. Hobbsy and I opened the bowling with Hobbs getting absolutely carted all over the ground. His big toenail came loose after ball one but he battled on to return figures of around 80 off 6 (I’m going on memory here it could’ve been a lot worse) .… plenty of dropped catches, the highlight being Hobbsy copping one direct on the left nut while out on the boundary (he let it bounce a foot in front of him and watched it connect directly… then the next ball almost repeated the dose and hit him on the chest, to the delight of both teams).

Meaker rewarded with Surrey contract

Three pieces of good news for Stuart Meaker. Not only was he named Surrey’s Academy Player of the Year at the county’s End-of-Season dinner but it was also announced that he had been offered a one-year contract with the club, the first OC to be contracted to a county since Nigel Paul at Warwickshire in 1955. A few days later Stuart was named in the England Under-19 side for this winter’s tour of Pakistan. On behalf of the whole club we congratulate him.

The tour that never was

In a recent issue of The Wisden Cricketer there was a special supplement on Sri Lanka and it contained an account of a tour made by the OCCC to the island. But the account of the tour might differ from the rain-soaked reality …

Day 3 After a day shopping we hit the nets. For a while we are pretty impressed with our efforts and then a local school turns up and starts practising alongside. It is quickly clear that their 11-year-olds are far better in every department than us. Our captain, who fancies himself as being quick, sidles over and offers to bowl at a kid barely higher than the stumps. The first half-volley fizzes back past the skipper at knee height. He feigns a back injury and sulks. We retreat from battle, the mocking laughter of the children ringing in our ears. Our one slow bowler develops the yips after three balls and refuses to play again.


Day 8 Almost all of us travel south to the beach resort of Bentota, the exception being our captain who is so ill that he has to remain behind, refusing to leave his hotel room despite the pleas of the staff that they need his room. He adds to his own misery by misreading the instructions on the packet of Imodium and taking 18 rather than the suggested two. We make the most of the beach, and later the captain’s absence to hold a late-night fines session.

Click here to download the PDFs of the article. Page One | Page Two

Season ends with a win at Elstead

OCs 256 for 9 (Johnson 63, Watkinson 38, Cope 29, Gates 24*, Henderson 22) beat Elstead 166 (Boxhall 30, Crump T 2-7, Williamson 2-16) by 90 runs

We finished our season with an emphatic 90-run win at Elstead, a new fixture and a pleasant way to complete a most successful summer. A record of 12 wins, two draws and the one defeat is probably the best in the club’s 118-year history.

Click here for the full report.

South Africa 2009 the next tour?

The new era of OC touring began last night at The Angel in Thames Ditton when Tristan Rosenfeldt, Rob Merry and Ed Henderson agreed to succed Rick Johnson and Martin Williamson as tour organisers.

A long discussion about destinations ensued and the happy trio went to away to examine the possibilities. The favourite is a two-week jaunt to South Africa, with a shorter trip to Dubai the alternative. Damian Hill suggested Devon.

Prices, availability and interest is being researched and a more concrete proposal will be circulated to all the club shortly.

In the meantime, contact Tristan, Rob or Ed for more information.

Meaker spills the beans

In August, Stuart Meaker played two Tests and three ODIs for England Under-19s against Pakistan. In the September issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly, Jenny Thompson spoke to him.

Why he’s special

Originally from Durban, he moved to England aged 12 with his mother and sisters and Cranleigh School immediately offered him a sports scholarship for cricket and rugby, both of which he played at junior provincial level. He is strong at hockey, water polo and athletics, too. But cricket is his major sport and he has come through Surrey and national age groups to be an England Under-19 fast bowler. He also plays for Surrey 2nds. Like another tall, blond Stuart (Broad) he has a good action and is quick (around 80mph) and aggressive. He can swing it both ways and his batting is improving.

England or South Africa?

“It’s a tricky question. My grandparents are sort-of Rhodesian but they’re relatively English. They had their roots there but we were never strongly South African. We were of Dutch origin. I still love my home country but England has become my home.”

Rugby or cricket?

“My main sport was rugby. I could have played for Surrey youth and I played provincial stuff but I wasn’t ever going to compete to be a professional, I’m too small. I stopped growing at 6ft. It’s unfair. But then again the speed comes from the chest and arm; I’m quite a skiddy bowler.”

He bowls like Brett Lee ...

“I wish I could bowl as fast as him. I’m not too far off him looks-wise, anyway.”

... but has also been compared to Allan Donald …

“Really? He’s my hero. Growing up I watched him on TV. I used to love how aggressive he was. I almost used to model my action on his.”

… and there’s similar aggression

“Certainly, if I’m fired up for a game, I’ll try to get stuck into the batsmen, have a few words and unsettle them. If it’s a close game, I’ll get more fired up. I used to have a housemaster who was in the military, Mick Haddock, and his favourite motto was ‘Never give up’. It’s been drummed into me. If people around you are giving their all, that’s
what you’ve have to do.”

What he says about himself

I need to work on my action – getting the pace and control together.

What they say about him

Stuart Welch - Cranleigh School coach

“He’s a fantastic prospect and has all the attributes to play first-class cricket. We’ve been working on trying to get him to stand up more and swing it away consistently. He’s raw. At times he just wants to run in and bowl as quick as he can. Batting, he has a talent, he just needs to play against better players. But he’s worked hard to become a No.6 or 7. He doesn’t get flustered, he’s a tough nut. The tactical side lets him down at times but he can learn that. What you can’t teach is bowling 80mph and striking the ball well. He’s as talented as Rikki Clarke, whom I’ve also coached: whether he goes on is down to how much he wants it.”

Mark Butcher - Surrey captain

“He came away on our pre-season tour to India and he impressed everyone with his athleticism and his attitude.”

Rory Hamilton-Brown - England U-19 and Surrey junior team-mate

“His season has gone up and up and up and the England call is richly
deserved.”

Meaker wins England call-up

In August, Stuart Meaker played two Tests and three ODIs for England Under-19s against Pakistan. In the September issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly, Jenny Thompson spoke to him.

Why he’s special
Originally from Durban, he moved to England aged 12 with his mother and sisters and Cranleigh School immediately offered him a sports scholarship for cricket and rugby, both of which he played at junior provincial level. He is strong at hockey, water polo and athletics, too. But cricket is his major sport and he has come through Surrey and national age groups to be an England Under-19 fast bowler. He also plays for Surrey 2nds. Like another tall, blond Stuart (Broad) he has a good action and is quick (around 80mph) and aggressive. He can swing it both ways and his batting is improving.

England or South Africa?
“It’s a tricky question. My grandparents are sort-of Rhodesian but they’re relatively English. They had their roots there but we were never strongly South African. We were of Dutch origin. I still love my home country but England has become my home.”

Rugby or cricket?
“My main sport was rugby. I could have played for Surrey youth and I played provincial stuff but I wasn’t ever going to compete to be a professional, I’m too small. I stopped growing at 6ft. It’s unfair. But then again the speed comes from the chest and arm; I’m quite a skiddy bowler.”

He bowls like Brett Lee ...
“I wish I could bowl as fast as him. I’m not too far off him looks-wise, anyway.”

... but has also been compared to Allan Donald …
“Really? He’s my hero. Growing up I watched him on TV. I used to love how aggressive he was. I almost used to model my action on his.”

… and there’s similar aggression
“Certainly, if I’m fired up for a game, I’ll try to get stuck into the batsmen, have a few words and unsettle them. If it’s a close game, I’ll get more fired up. I used to have a housemaster who was in the military, Mick Haddock, and his favourite motto was ‘Never give up’. It’s been drummed into me. If people around you are giving their all, that’s what you’ve have to do.”

What he says about himself
I need to work on my action – getting the pace and control together.

What they say about him
Stuart Welch - Cranleigh School coach
“He’s a fantastic prospect and has all the attributes to play first-class cricket. We’ve been working on trying to get him to stand up more and swing it away consistently. He’s raw. At times he just wants to run in and bowl as quick as he can. Batting, he has a talent, he just needs to play against better players. But he’s worked hard to become a No.6 or 7. He doesn’t get flustered, he’s a tough nut. The tactical side lets him down at times but he can learn that. What you can’t teach is bowling 80mph and striking the ball well. He’s as talented as Rikki Clarke, whom I’ve also coached: whether he goes on is down to how much he wants it.”

Mark Butcher - Surrey captain
“He came away on our pre-season tour to India and he impressed everyone with his athleticism and his attitude.”

Rory Hamilton-Brown - England U-19 and Surrey junior team-mate
“His season has gone up and up and up and the England call is richly deserved.”

Home tie against Lancing in 2008 Cricket Cup

The draw for the 2008 Cricket Cup took place at the weekend and we have another home tie, against Lancing Rovers on Sunday, June 15. If we win this we will host the winners of the match between Winchester and Clifton.

We have a long history of matches against Lancing, first playing them in 1926. They were an integral part of the cricket week from the early 1960s though to the mid 1990s, and were traditionally one of our hardest opposition. Our win over them in 1984 on the final day of the week, which completed our nine-our-of-nine whitewash, was out first in more than a decade.

Rosenfeldt's night of shame

Tristan Rosenfeldt’s already precarious bid for the OCCC captaincy was all but ended in 48 hours last week. On Friday, he was forced to cancel a match against Cryptics when he only managed to get seven players … a good achievement when Henry Watkinson had given him eight four days earlier.

But Rosenfeldt’s antics on the Saturday were beyond description. Attending a fairly up-market marquee party, Rosenfeldt, in party mode while on gardening leave, proved when everyone who went to India already knew, that he cannot hold his drink. He started dressed, but before long was topless on the dance floor, inviting any unsuspecting passing female to “have a grab” and insisting “when you’ve had fat, you never go back”.

Things took a turn for the worse when, after an hour or more of this, he bumped into the same person for a third time. For some reason this partygoer took exception to Rosenfeldt’s incoherence and thumped him and the big man went down like Frank Bruno. He recovered, but by now things were heating up. He aimed a retaliatory swing, missed, and his attacker did likewise and also missed … but, unfortunately, connected with the jaw of a passing girl.

Suffice to say a melee ensued and the brawling heap, for by this stage Rosenfeldt’s friends had waded in, were all ejected, but not before Rosenfeldt completed his evening of shame by throwing up on the host’s lawn.

McGregor leads us to Cricket World Trophy victory

Five cup finals in six seasons is impressive, and our excellent record extended to four victories with a convincing nine-wicket win over Old Grovians, the holders, on Jubilee. To three Brewers Cup victories we can now add one in the Cricket World Trophy. Chasing 193 to win, Ed McGregor smashed an unbeaten 114, adding 160 for the second wicket with Matt Crump as we romped home with 13 overs to spare.

Click here for the full match report

Meaker named in England U-19 squad

Stuart Meaker, who left the school this summer after five seasons in the 1st XI, has been named in the England Under-19 side for the Test series against Pakistan.

Another undefeated season for the school

Cranleigh enjoyed a second successive undefeated season, with victories including Epsom, Winchester, St Paul’s, Wellington, St John’s Leatherhead and St Peter’s Adelaide. James Halton held the batting together and captain Seren Waters led by example with both bat and ball. Stuart Meaker’s pace was too much for many opposition batsmen, taking 28 wickets at 13.92.

Cricket week bodes well for the future

The 2007 week was one of the best in recent years with four wins, all by good margins, one defeat and a winning draw at Charterhouse. What was most heartening was the age of the sides. Most days we had the majority of the team under 23 and the youngsters provided signs of remarkable talent.

Seren Waters and Alan Cope, both under 20, scored memorable hundreds, Matt Crump bowled well and Stuart Meaker showed the class that has been apparent with both bat and ball. Several others, such as Jumbo Jupp, made useful contributions. Dane Groenveld, back from Australia for the holidays, batted with great success, while the old guard, in the form of Michael Chetwode, Graham Webb, Simon Copleston and Henry Watkinson, showed they still have plenty to offer.

Click here for the full week's match reports and photos

Cricketer Cup ends in a lost toss

Our Cricketer Cup campaign came to a soggy end in a London pub when after a second washout at Old Cholmelians, Henry Watkinson called heads in a toss-up with the opposition captain and the coin came down tails.

Vying for an excuse-of-the-year nomination, Watkinson said that he always calls tails but had been advised by Eds Copleston and others not to do so. The annual match against the school on Jubilee was also washed out. .

Washout and dropout

The second round tie in the Cricketer Cup against Old Cholmelians at Highgate was washed out without a ball being bowled. We arrived and it was evident that the rain had made the surface almost unplayable, and given the forecast, the decision was easy. The tie has been rearranged for next weekend (July 1) and should take place at Cranleigh. The Cricket World Trophy tie at home to Old Georgians would also have been rained off … but we go through to the semi-finals as they pulled out on Friday.

Old hands see us to victory at Headley

Old Cranleighans 214 for 7 (Morgan 46, Bugge 45, Vickers 27*, Chase 26*) beat Headley 213 (Pickering 48, Moss 45, Chase 3-61, Watkinson 2-27 Bugge 2-35) by three wickets

Click here for match photos

Our annual Golden Oldies match at Headley was not quite as oldie as in previous years because of some last-minute cry-offs, but we got the required number of players to the ground and pulled off a three-wicket victory with two overs to spare.

After Henry Watkinson opened the door, the bowling was dominated by two old timers. David Bugge, operating on one knee, and Mike Chase. Bugge, once fast enough to bowl for Oxford University, now sends down offspin with a fast-bowler’s temperament; Chase, once a good slow left-armer, sends down grenades. They proved effective.

Click here for a full report

One change for Cricketer Cup second round

We make one change to the side that beat Harrow for the second round of the Cricketer Cup against Old Cholmelians on Sunday, June 24, Ed McGregor coming in for Johnny Gates.

Squad Michael Chetwode, Alan Cope, Eds Copleston, Alex Craven, Matt Crump, Will Howard (wk), Abeed Janmohamed, Rick Johnson, Rob Jones, Henry Watkinson (capt), Graham Webb.

The match takes place at Highgate School (click here for directions) and starts at 11.30am. Although, like us, they have their own old boys' sports club, Cricketer Cup rules state matches must be played at the school. The OCs are Highgate School old boys - the name, for the inquisitive, comes from School’s founder Sir Roger Cholmeley.

For the statistically minded, we have played the Old Cholmelians six times before, between 1921 and 1927, winning one, drawing one and losing the other six.

Rosenfeldt leads youthful CWT side

For the first time in the club’s history, we will be playing two cup matches on the same day. While the senior side travel to Old Cholmelians in the Cricket Cup second round on Sunday, June 24, Tristan Rosenfeldt leads an A team against Old Georgians in the second round of the Cricket World Trophy.

The side for that game, which starts at 11.00am on Jubilee, is as follows:
Tristan Rosenfeldt (capt), Graeme Brown, Tom Crump, Jonny Gates, Damien Hill, Jumbo Jupp, Sam Langmead, Rob Merry, Mike Roper, Phil Roper, Seren Waters.

The great thing is that the XI is young, with Brown the veteran at 29 and Rosenfeldt the second oldest (and by far the baldest) at 24. “As you can see this is a very youthful looking side and also one packed with quality,” said Rosenburg. “Many of us have played together but it will also be good to play with some of you guys for the first time, and I think this so called ‘Development Side’ really emphasises the strength in depth of talent the club has. I am very much looking forward to captaining this side.

“I am sure you all know, the Cricketer Cup side is playing on the same day hence the selection of this side. This game gives the opportunity for us all to play competitive cup cricket for the OC’s but also gives a platform to many of you to prove your worth and to start knocking on the door of Cricketer Cup selection, let’s give Henry and the selection committee some real headaches for future cup team selection.”

Cope steers us to dramatic last-ball win

Old Cranleighans 200 for 8 (50 overs: Cope 61, Howard 59, Morrison 3-34) beat Harrow Wanderers 197 (50 overs: Engelen 67*, Harmsworth 32, Norris 28, Watkinson 3-35, Chetwode 2-20, Craven 2-30, Webb 2-37)
Click here for match photos

The OCs first foray in the Cricketer Cup ended with a thrilling last-ball, two-wicket win of Harrow Wanderers in a match which ebbed and flowed from the off. The closing overs in front of a large OC Day crowd on a sun-drenched Jubilee were about as dramatic as you can get.

Click here for the full match report ...

Watkinson leads us into Cricketer Cup

The following have been picked to play for the club in our first Cricketer Cup match, against Harrow Wanderers on Jubilee on Sunday, June 10. The game starts at 11.00am.
As it is also OC Day, so everyone is welcome. Bring a picnic!

Michael Chetwode, Alan Cope, Eds Copleston, Alex Craven, Matt Crump, Will Howard (wk), Abeed Janmohamed, Rick Johnson, Rob Jones, Henry Watkinson (capt), Graham Webb.

Graham Webb makes his first cup appearance since we lost to Reigate in the semi-final of the Cricket World Trophy back in July 1990. At 46, he is the oldest person to take part in a cup tie for the club, robbing Mike Chetwode, a youthful 44, of that honour. Rob Jones, Alex Craven, Matt Crump and Alan Cope were not born when they left Cranleigh. Cope and Crump are also younger than Chetwode’s daughter!

King's Canterbury seen off in CWT first round

OCs 121 for 4 (Janmohamed 58*, Gates 29) beat King's Canterbury Old Boys 120 (A Williams 39, Watkinson 3-7, Cope 3-34) by six wickets
Click here for the full report

OCs won their first-round match in the Cricket World Trophy with a six-wicket win at King’s Canterbury, bowling the home side out for 120 and then knocking off the runs with almost 16 overs in hand. Henry Watkinson led the bowling with 3 for 7 and Alan Cope weighed in with 3 for 34. We lost two early wickets before Johnny Gates (28) and Abeed Janmohamed (58*) got us to 91 for 2 and despite losing two more wickets, the result was long since decided.

Johnson recalled for cup tie

The following will represent the club at King’s Canterbury Old Boys in the first round of the Cricket World Trophy on Sunday, June 3. The main surprise is the recall of Rick Johnson for what will be his second cup game in ten years. "Rick wants a chance to prove himself for the Cricketer Cup and I think he deserves it,” Eds Copleston said. “He has been in the runs and got himself fit for the new season." Fit is a relative term.

Eds Copleston (capt), Graeme Brown, Alan Cope, Alex Craven, Matt Crump, Tom Crump, Johnny Gates, Abeed Janmohamed (wk), Rick Johnson, Rob Jones, Henry Watkinson.

Click here for directions.

Winchester washout

The game against Winchester was abandoned early on Sunday morning after heavy overnight rain.

Rosenfeldt puffs as we come up short at Esher

Esher 239 (50.5 overs - Tallent 73, Moores 49, Porter 4-40, Chetwode 2-47, Copleston 2-50) drew with Old Cranleighans 232 for 6 (44 overs – Gates 61, Merry 58, Copleston 53, Ahmed 2-45)

Fresh from back-to-back wins the previous weekend under Henry Watkinson, the captaincy was handed to Tristan Rosenfeldt. After listening to his self-promotion while we trekked across India, it was time for the big man to show everyone whether he was all hot air. Signs that it was came when he immediately announced it was “without doubt a prouder moment than my future wedding or first-born’s birth will be”.


On a pitch in wonderful condition, Esher won the toss and confidently decided to bat. With one short boundary and a lush outfield, it certainly looked a day for the batsmen. This was proved to be the case when after 27 overs of the new regime, with the skipper relying on Mike Chetwode and Alex Craven to get the early wicket, Esher were trundling along comfortably on 117 for 0. This score certainly did not reflect the quality of bowling, but emphasised the woeful fielding. The absence of Damien Hill (who stumbled out of a Clapham nightclub the night before and no doubt made a few 3 or 4am phone calls to certain female members of the OCCC India tour before eventually hitting the sack) from the field for the first hour didn’t help.


Johnny Gates, a man with a burgeoning reputation for not being able to catch a cold, shelled two in as many overs to take his season’s tally of drops to four, much to Chetwode’s amusement. Chetwode bowled his usual tight line, a perfect example to many of the youngsters playing and was unlucky not to have a better haul to his name.


The breakthrough came when Moores was caught behind by Rob Merry, via the back of the bat as he shaped to sweep Hill. It was at this point that Chris Porter came into the attack. Taking just a few balls to get into his stride, he took his first wicket of the day in his second over with a ball that jumped … cue wild celebrations and a Porter clenched fist.


It was a renewed buzz and atmosphere around the field that greeted Sohail Ahmed (one unnamed OC, finding out he was a Pakistani Academy player, chirping “well, you’re gonna be embarrassed when you get a duck”). It is his third season at Esher and he has no doubt adapted to Surrey life wonderfully, and promptly got off the mark with a well struck six. However, life at the Academy had in no way prepared him for Eds Copleston.


Having been found out on the turning wickets of the subcontinent as a man who offers no spin at all, Copleston and Porter become our very own Warne and MacGill. After being smacked for 10 in his first over, Copleston deceived Sohail with a cleverly flighted, slower, held-back delivery that dropped marginally short of the man at wide mid-on. He was clearly flustered, and Porter immediately picked him off, caught well at deep mid-on by Chetwode, exorcising the demons of the week before and his knuckle staying firmly within his skin.


This started a mini collapse. Copleston took a slip catch to remove Esher opener Tallent for a well made 73. Trusty, in only his 2nd game for us and a tennis player at school, showed his cricketing credentials with some solid ground fielding and topped off an outfielding performance with a well-judged catch in the covers … the same, however, couldn’t be said for Mark Shapland, who shelled an easy enough chance to deny Porter his first five-for for the club. The stares exchanged between them were reminiscent of the times Mark failed to deliver the bread and milk within three minutes of the break time bell going. A definite no-no.


Porter bowled well throughout and ended up with 4 for 40. Copleston picked up two wickets for his efforts, Rob Merry with some sharp glovework to get a stumping and Eds bowling the one that went “straight on” (the variation in action so very hard for the naked eye to pick up on). It was down to Craven and Chetwode to come back and polish off the tail with, backed up well with some good catching in the outfield, particularly from Jon Greeves, university housemate of Hill (the man who joined in the fielding banter with a scream of the name ‘Michael Jackson’, we still don’t know why). Between innings the teams trudged off for a wonderful BBQ and a couple of well-earned drinks.


Gates walked out purposefully - and full of chicken, steak and several sausages - to open the innings with Shapland, both being given a chance to make up for their dropped catches. Gates started well, looking solid in defence. This lasted all of four balls when Gates tentatively prodded one to mid-on and backing it up with a call of “Yes … no … wait ... no … yes … shit” which left Shapland run out without facing a ball. Shapland joined Sam Langmead as early-season victims of Gates’s calling.


Rob Merry, batting at No. 3, started his innings without the same fluidity he had the previous week, playing and missing at a few outside off stump, the run rate slowly rising. Gates on the other hand looked like a man with a point to prove, driving beautifully through the off and tucking away delicately off his legs. Merry found his touch, hitting two big sixes to overtake Gates and record his second consecutive fifty off 65 balls, including four fours in six balls. He was bowled, bringing Porter to the crease. He eased himself back into batting with a couple of solid fours before yorking himself with some poor foot movement.

At the start of the last 20 we were 116 for 3, 124 needed. Copleston kept us up with the run rate as Gates reached only his second OC fifty off 77 balls in a flurry of boundaries, before losing his head and being stumped for 61.

Copleston then took charge of the chase, running between the wickets like a man possessed and making a run-a-ball fifty, even though Esher were leaning heavily on Sohail who was tough to get away. Hill did a fine job in rotating the strike and proved to all that he can do a role at different times of the innings, particularly finding the straight boundary.


When Hill departed, sharply caught behind when trying to force one through the off, the game was evenly poised, but it turned when Sohail had Copleston caught superbly by Ahmed at deep mid-off for a well constructed 53.

Twenty off two overs was never going to be easy and the pedestrian Rosenfeldt and Greeves struggled to get the bowling away, not for lack of trying. Rosenfeldt, who perseveres with an over-tight shirt as if wearing it will defy the laws of calorific intake, showed his worth when he pulled a buttock muscle while swishing – in a John Inman manner – and missing. It rounded off a wretched day for the would-be skipper, but underlined he has the swollen ego and lack of fitness that the job demands.

We finished eight light but it was a great early-season game and at least Rosenfeldt avoided the humiliation of squandering our unbeaten record.

Buy tickets now for the OC Ball

It is with great pleasure that I am able to offer you an exclusive booking period for the first Old Cranleighan Charity Ball.

The OC Society kindly invited me to Chair this year's OC Society dinner at the East India Club. With the support of John McDermott, Nick Read and Martin Williamson we approached the Society with a view to changing the format of the event. The Society has agreed to sponsor a Ball with the specific aim of raising money for charity and so replaces this year’s usual Society dinner.

One of the deserved charities that will benefit is the OC War Memorial - or better known to you as the Cranleigh School cricket pavilion. It is in much need of restoration and development and combined with help from the school it is our intention to return it to its original state as a first class pavilion.
I would like your help at an evening to remember.

We have exclusively booked Madame Tussauds in London for a black tie dinner / dance and have secured some famous acts for the evening’s entertainment including Heather Small and Tony Hadley. The venue is extraordinary and unchallenged as a private party spectacle.

Tickets go on general release on May 4 and there are already a number of OC corporate sponsors who wish to make bulk bookings given the potential media coverage and so we have decided to provide the OCCC with the exclusive opportunity of purchasing tickets ahead of open sales to the OC Society. No other club is being afforded this opportunity, as I do not believe that the cause affects them so much or has given them so much pleasure over the years.

Tickets are priced at only £89 each but we would ask you to bring your partner, as it is a dance. John McDermott feels that occasions for the OCCC family to come together are all too rare and clearly the Ball will be such an event. The price includes a terrific meal with celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Tony Blair and Robbie Williams, all wines and entertainments. The Pope will also be making an appearance as will John Mac in the Chamber of Horrors. The places are genuinely limited and even though this will remain an exclusively OC + partners event, I don’t want to see OCCC members on a waiting list as happened for the last dinner.

We are offering hotel packages, including Spa treatments, at preferential rates for those of you who would like to make a weekend of it. Table sponsorship opportunities with added bonuses are also available and I encourage you to make this personalised contribution.
I hope that you will be able to support this one off event and once again prove to the OC Society at large the important role the OCCC plays in leading its community.

Rick Johnson


To reserve tickets @ £89 each for the OC Charity Ball email rickjohnson@terema.co.uk


For further information regarding table sponsorship or weekend packages please contact Rick Johnson on 07790 906654 or rickjohnson@terema.co.uk

Merry on song to sink Horsley

OCCC 268 for 6 (39.3 overs – Merry 88, Jupp 46, Gates 43, Shapland 28, Hammond 22, Seipp 3 for 45) beat East Horsley 156 (Brown 56, Drake 45, Hill 3 for 2, Langmead 3 for 34, Treadwell 2 for 50, Craven 1 for 25, Watkinson 1 for 34) by 112 runs

After a crushing victory the day before, a majority of the Follies Farm team carried on their tour up the A3 to Horsley met by another gloriously sunny day and a track that looked more mid-summery than late-April.

The captain won the toss and with three people at the ground on time, decided to bat on what looked a good track. Sam Langmead and Jonny Gates strode purposefully to the crease, safe in the knowledge that a pre-season in India would stand them in good stead. This certainly looked to be the case when Langmead slapped his first ball into the huge extra-cover boundary and the duo ran four, before he then flicked his next ball over square leg for six - the start we all wanted. This optimism was premature when Gates dropped one into the midwicket region and called Langmead through for a risky single which resulted in a direct hit and Langmead dragging himself back to the pavilion with a long, hard (fully deserved) stare at Gates.

Harry Jupp came in at No. 3, fresh from a duck the previous day, but he got this monkey off his back with some glorious driving, being particularly ruthless off his legs, hooking one which flew like a bullet right into the pavilion roof. This was all after Gates had spent the two balls after running out Langmead desperately trying to run out his old school 1st XI opening partner, his calling leaving a lot to be desired.

These two together started to look the part, though, picking up from where they left off at school in 2003. Graeme Brown, playing for Horsley, came in for some severe punishment, particularly from Jupp and finished with 0 for 50 from six painful overs. Gates was also looking a real class act, particularly through the off side - hopefully this is going to be the year he starts to convert his starts into really big scores. Both were keeping the score ticking over nicely before perishing in quick succession, Gates to a rising delivery caught behind and Jupp to a somewhat dubious LBW decision - whatever happened to favourable early season umpiring Curly Craven???

This brought Rob Merry and his lump of an Indian bat to the crease. £100 (petty cash to Rob!) invested in Mumbai looked to be a very poor purchase until he drew a silence from the crowd by getting off the mark for the season with a cover drive that was over the boundary before the bowler has even finished his follow through - it was a sign of things to come. Supporting Rob at the other end was Dom Hammond, wicket-keeper/batsman, who played some delicate and precise sweeps and paddles as well as some rasping square drives before gloving behind.

Mark Shapland, self proclaimed man of leisure (while waiting to bat Mark was asked “When you go abroad what do you put as your occupation Mark?” to which he responded “Hero…”) but never to score the runs his correct technique deserves, made a quickfire 28, putting every inch of effort he had into hitting the ball off the square but possessing an ability to time the ball beautifully and hitting the gap, a summer of runs beckons for Mr Shapland. He entered the closing overs still occupying the crease with Merry, before he was stumped running down the wicket in an attempt to increase the run rate. Watkinson, batting far too low at No. 7, came out and started to find the middle of the bat after facing only two balls in India, a couple of well hit boundaries are sure to add to his confidence and reaffirm his position as a genuine allrounder, particularly with high standard Cricketer Cup games this season.

While all this was going on, Merry was continuing to show no respect to any form of bowling, hitting the ball to all corners of the park, with a wagon wheel of excitement the World Cup has been crying out for. He reached his 50 in only 28 balls (Rikki Clarke making 82 in the same amount for Surrey that same day, come on Rob, pick it up!) and marching towards the elusive three figures. He looked well set, and the only chance he gave up was when he lofted one to deep mid wicket and the fielder was unable to pluck the ball out the air. If it was even possible, he upped the tempo and many watching were glad they were not having to field against a man in that form. The end of his innings however was far from glorious, trying a cross between Mal Loye’s sweep against the quicker stuff and KP’s ‘flamingo’, Merry got himself in all sorts of a tangle and ended up being clean bowled, much to his annoyance, and only 12 short of what would have been a well-deserved and highly-memorable maiden OC hundred.

It was at this moment that Watkinson decided enough was enough and declared the innings. We went for a fully deserved tea, and Merry pretended he didn’t care he had just had a complete moment of madness within touching distance of a hundred (Only the best make it through the nervous 80’s and 90’s at the first attempt Rob!). After a lunch spent with ham, cucumber and egg sandwiches whilst watching tennis (who could have guessed we were in Surrey!) the team went out on to the field charged up and ready to take the same aggressive bowling and fielding performance seen the previous day. The presence of the chairman proving an inspiration to the youngsters proudly wearing the OC shirt.

Brown came out and took guard opening the Horsley innings and was faced with a barrage of sledging, digs and aggressive bowling. He took his time to find his feet, surviving some close LBW shouts before upping the ante with a strut down the crease and a well timed punch over mid on for 6, a quality shot met with glares and a next ball bouncer from the skipper. Watkinson opened the bowling again, successfully, and in tandem with Alex Craven at the other end, they picked up two early wickets between them through consistent and accurate bowling with an old ball doing absolutely nothing off the pitch or through the air.

Brown kept the score ticking over with some gorgeous straight batted cricket shots and Horsley were up with the asking rate of only six or seven an over, highly gettable on that wicket with the quick outfield. It was the loss of Brown that hurt Horsley, padding up to a Langmead delivery one too many times and being given out leg-before, a fantastic knock of 56 showing that he certainly can bat when being sledged and abused, Opponents take note, Brown is the OC Mike Atherton, not worth sledging him, its not going to work!

Drake for Horsley, the current RGS 1st XI captain, carried on the fight, keeping the asking rate down to around a run a ball, but wickets started to fall around him. Langmead bowled a superb spell of consistent, probing bowling and fully deserved his figures of 3 for 34 and Tim Treadwell, our Old-Wellingtonian ringer for the day, sent down some well thought out off-spinners and took two crucial wickets, including that of Drake. Jupp helped finish off the innings with two well-taken and well-judged catches in the outfield having been banished from the slips, these catches putting a smile back on his face having skulked around the outfield like a stroppy teenager! Horsley had the wind taken out of their sails and the final thee wickets were taken by the main man himself, Damien Hill, including two in two balls which leaves him on a hat-trick for the Esher game this coming Sunday.

All in all, a top early season performance, punishing with the bat, probing with the ball and energetic in the field. Watkinson led the way with two direct hits, narrowly missing out on run-outs, although it wasn’t as good for his Headstart colleague Gates, who dropped a chance for the second day in a row. The team left the field in high spirits with all creating ways of dodging match fees, the worst of which being Langmead who tried to talk his way out of the payment despite having a graduate job and driving a Porsche … a definite fine!
Tristan Rosenfeldt

Spots prove no match

Old Spots 89 (Read 2-8, Chetwode 2-16 Houston I 2-19) lost to Old Cranleighans 92 for 2 (Hill 40*, Rosenfeldt 28*) by eight wickets

An excellent opening spell from Nick Read and Henry Watkinson set the tone in a game that we were always in control of. Read used the sloping pitch to his advantage to bowl two of the top order. Watkinson took objection at being dispatched to the boundary and bowled a good bouncer in response that the batsman fended to Rob Merry behind the stumps.

The fielding was mixed. The skipper led the way doing his best impression of David Seaman, by tipping a very takeable catch wide off an imaginary post. He made amends later in the game, but only after juggling twice.

Mike Chetwode was dependable as ever but his slower ball proved interesting. Richard Seeckts (playing for Old Spots) tucked into Steve Bailey but Kitbag had the last laugh. Unfortunately, this was at the expense of Chetwode who managed to send his index finger through the back of his knuckle taking a good catch in the deep – we wish him all the best for a speedy recovery.

Ian Houston also used the slope well and managed to get a considerable amount of genuine turn. His eight over spell brought two wickets, but on another day might have earned him many more. Bailey bagged his second wicket, a stumping, by bowling a flighted Coppleston-esque invitation which the batsmen just couldn’t resist. Johnny Gates, having already shelled a catch in the deep, ran away from the next one, claiming he was just trying to extend his bowling spell. He wrapped up the innings by bowling a bemused-looking teenager - the ball pitching outside off stump and jagging up the hill eventually hitting the top of leg.

Eighty-nine was never going to be enough, on what was essentially a good track, but in true OC style we tried to make it interesting. First Will Bond perished and then Harry Jupp went back to a good-length ball. Damien Hill batted well; the highlight being a hook that would surely have gone for six had Damien not swapped his tried-and-tested Newbury Uzi for a horrible sounding new plank. Tristan Rosenfeldt, sporting an OC blazer-style cap, picked up from his successes of last season putting away the bad balls with style.

The early finish enabled us to make the most of the sun and excellent Old Spots hospitality. Henry, who has resorted to bribing Millie with 7-Up for her attention, was caught in the act by a visibly shocked and disappointed Melissa Johnson. Rick Johnson, who spent most of the afternoon harassing people over the OC ball, was kind enough to invite the team back for a BBQ - a fitting end to a good start to the season.
Rob Merry

Belly dancers, champagne and a spurned godfather

Tristan Rosenfeldt, the self-proclaimed captain elect, reports on the first reunion of the India Tour. For full photo coverage, click here

Imodium-clad and blazer-wearing India tourists congregated at Tom and Osha’s house for the first reunion on Saturday. A large majority of the tour party came along and were greeted by a bright and beautiful English spring evening. Nibbles and drinks got the night off to a perfect start, Millie briefly joining us and promptly asking for ‘Eddie’ while Henry’s jaw dropped in the background.

The hosts then pulled a masterstroke by introducing miniature tomato soups for the group, memories of our friend on the Chandigarh train came flooding back. Fines duly followed and were fairly tame in all honesty, although Gatesy fully deserved his fine for calling Anna ‘Osha’ and Eds started to rack up a huge amount due to his lack of alcohol consumption the day prior to the marathon, ‘we want cramp’ being chanted by the many that witnessed Eds’ collapse in Mumbai (Tour ‘Legends’ – remember that? Oh no, of course not!) .

The real entertainment then began – Jole Johnson-lookalike bringing a bit of India to London, with a course in belly dancing. Particularly keen on learning the moves were Mark Cope, Waffer and of course in a female presence, man of the tour, Mike Payne. England’s thrilling climax to their game against the West Indies was watched, (Rumours that Nathan Ross was taking notes on how to finish a game properly are yet to be confirmed) while Tom went all Jamie Oliver on us and cooked some of the best steaks in South West London.

The tour party moved on to the Opal club, a 20 second walk or a £4 taxi journey if you take the skipper’s directions. The blazers were out in full force, as well as Gatesy’s credit card, it was like a night out with George Best 40 years ago, champagne was flowing (Anna in particular loving the ‘Bling Bling/Puff Daddy’ style of ‘why use a glass when you can drink out the bottle’), behaviour was suitably obnoxious and Henry eyeing up every female, regardless of age or beauty in the club. The party went on late into the night, most crawling out the club around the 4am mark, Rick Johnson stumbling around Gloucester Road hunting for kebab. In Damien’s case, the party went on until 8pm on the Sunday, plonking himself on Tom and Osha’s sofa like the India bug Martin’s stomach just can’t quite get rid of.

Oldies head to Taunton

In true 1950s team announcement style, John McDermott has written that the following 12 will represent the Old Cranleighan Cricket Club on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at the County Ground Taunton at the 10th Annual Reunion with the Old Blundellians.

Brian E M Cole, John W R Cooke, Allen T Dean, Robin W Elsdon-Dew, John Inglis, John L K Jessup, John M Longhurst, Anthony C Loveland, Derek J Lyons, John W McDermott, Colin D White, Andrew Wright.

School return from Kenya tour

In the first two weeks of the Easter holidays, 15 Cranleighans (Under-16 and Under-17s) accompanied by Peter Kemp, Stuart Welch and Graham Cooper set off for a cricket tour to Kenya.

Click here for a brief report on the Cranleigh School website.

Fixtures released for packed 2007 season

The fixtures for the 2007 season have been unveiled and it is one of our busiest summers on record. Even if we fail to progress beyond the first round of the two cup competitions, we face no fewer than 22 matches.

The highlight will be our Cricketer Cup debut against Harrow Wanderers on Jubilee on June 10. We are the first new side to admitted to the cup since it started in 1967 and that honour reflects not only on the club but on the high regard with which Cranleigh School cricket is now regarded. We have also re-entered the Cricket World Trophy. We first took part in 1990, in which year we reached the semi-finals, our best finish to date. With the demise of the Brewers Cup, several of our old foes have entered as well. How we long to renew our acquaintance with David Derbyshire’s lads from Denstone.

The cricket week, which runs from July 8 to 15, will be marked by some special events as it is the 50th since Nigel Paul grabbed the club by the scruff of the neck and relaunched it in 1958.

We welcome some new opposition. King’s Canterbury feature in our week for the first time, and coincidently we meet them in the first round of the Cricket World Trophy two months earlier. The other new fixture comes in September when we meet Elstead, who created a rather unwelcome record in 2006 when they lost their npower Village Knockout match against Blewbury and Upton by 376 runs after being bowled out for 21.

Shelley and Heard enter Hall of Fame

Peter Shelley and Dick Heard have been admitted to the OCCC Hall of Fame. They are the sixth and seventh OCs to be admitted.

Peter Shelley led the side between 1975 and 1981, and was responsible for rebuilding it into a vibrant club, recruiting many of the players who made it so successful under his successor, David Bugge. Always cheerful and extremely popular with both OCs and opponents, Peter always tried to ensure the game was played in the right spirit, leading by example with hardly ever a cross word.

He was also one of the finest wicketkeepers to be produced by the school, and was possibly the last in a long line of specialist keepers. He was probably at his best standing up to medium pacers – and art not seen often these days – and such was his anticipation and footwork that he rarely had cause to fling himself around to take balls. His batting was idiosyncratic – he was a genuine No. 11 even though he occasionally treated himself to a spot higher up the order – and his running between wickets a sight to behold.

Peter’s family's OCCC representation probably goes back further than any other. His grandfather played for the club at the turn of the century, and his father and uncle both turned out in the 1930s.


Dick Heard played in the same side as Peter’s father, and was one of the most natural sportsmen turned out by Cranleigh in the 1920s. He played rugby for the OCRFC in the opening match at TD, but it was at cricket he really excelled.

He was in the Cranleigh side which played at The Oval in 1928, and later that summer played for Surrey Young Cricketers. His leaving Cranleigh coincided with the Depression and in 1929 and 1930 he played cricket almost non-stop. In 1929 he scored 3000 runs in the season, including a hundred in 29 minutes for Wanderers at Leatherhead and 88 in 24 minutes at Gravesend. His bowling was also in demand – in 1931 he took eight wickets in an innings twice. He started playing for the OCCC in 1928, being the leading scorer between 1929 and 1935 and scoring 505 runs in 1931, a record which stood for over fifty years. He captained the side in 1935, but work commitments meant that he did not play after the war.

He continued to live in Thames Ditton until his death in 2002 at the age of 92.

Ten years since our tour debut

On April 10 it will be ten years since the club played our first match on tour. After a week of drinking and a couple of enforced and half-hearted fielding sessions, we arrived at the Antigua Recreation Ground, which two days earlier had been hosting the Test between West Indies and India, to face the island’s effective Under-19 side. Antigua’s not a big place, and word had got round the island about how unprepared we were. Even we began to believe the hype. Click here to find out what happened …

AGM set for April 23

The AGM of the club will take place on Monday, April 23 at the OC Club, Thames Ditton, starting at 7.30pm.

It's all in the movement

Tim Cook, a doyen of the hockey club, once told me that the one thing that is guaranteed when Old Cranleighans are gathered together is that the conversation will turn fairly soon to crap (actual crap as opposed to Henry’s chat-up technique).

Well, he’s right. We can report the Peter Hobbs is still suffering after his trip to India and, much to everyone else’s amusement, has had to succumb and visit the doctor to explain his Bristol Chart predicament. Several OCs with more time on their hands than is good for them, started pontificating about how exactly do you give a sample. Hobbsy fills us in.

The squeamish and well-mannered should stop right here. Over to Arfe

I put it off as long as possible but the cramps (not crabs) were so bad I had to take the bulls by the horns and explain my predicament to a female doc. She advised the following:

Step 1:
1 Shit into the smallest test tube type plastic devise known to man. The advise on the test tube stated - get a plastic ice cream container (empty) and cover it with Andrex
2 Shit
3 Scoop it up (top of test tube has a 'pooper scooper shovel' and place into test tube and seal and write name and date of deposit on side of said test tube and return to doctor feeling proud.

Sod that - am not throwing out good ice cream so I did the following:

1 When needing a shit - go for a piss first to make sure poo wont be contaminated. Cover bottom of shitter with a couple of roles of Andrex so shit can't get into the water.
2 Gently crouch
3 Pick up newspaper
4 Relax
5 Listen to farts as Bristol No. 7 comes out
6 Giggle at incredible noise and be proud
7 Look down and pray that Bristol has not touched water
8Gently reach across and grab pooper scooper
9 With pained expression on face, slowly reach into bowl and scoop nearest piece of solid/water available
10 Deposit into test tube and hope you don't spill
11 Suddenly think - how much should I put in there - do I fill it to the brim?
12 Realise that you simply can't reach down into bowl to collect any more as smell is starting to make you feel sick
13 Put lid on test tube and start wiping.
14 Realise toilet is blocked due to too much Andrex - call out plumber....$200 later...

Step 2:
If step 1 results are inconclusive - they want to shove a camera up my arfe......NO CHANCE

Hope this assists in any decision making....

Taking it sitting down

As everyone settles back to life at home, there continue to be distressing reports that all is not well in the stool department.

Steve Bailey, who is an expert on such matters, regaled us all in Mumbai with tales of The Bristol Chart and, judging by the industrial quantities of Imodium being gulped down by all and sundry, the chart was the No. 1 reference tool by the end of the trip.

Bailey has now sent us a link to the chart – reproduced here for your benefit. At the last count Henry Watkinson was down to twice and hour, although Pete Hobbs sent a brief message from Australia in which it was clear all is not well down south.

A bright future

And so the end of the tour, and most would probably say about time. We have had a ball for sure, but after a time the constant battery of stomach upsets – many self-imposed – heat, noise and, to be blunt, inefficiency wears you down. Even those who had been mocking Tristian Rosenfeldt for his endless quest to find western fast food were beginning to hanker for something with beef and without a sauce to blow your brains out.

The cricket was excellent, although we rather let ourselves down with some poor fielding in the second and third matches and a remarkable collapse in the last game. We were unlucky that the Chandigarh game was washed/snowed out as it meant we endured some gruelling travelling for no reward, and it would be worth considering the size of the county and the state of the roads were any future OC to consider a return trip.

The hospitality was equally appreciated and lavish, and while India was an eye-opener to those who had not been here before, we were rather protected from the grim reality by our five-star hotels. One could leave Mumbai without really seeing the extremes in the people’s fortunes which mean that almost one million people live in a single shanty town without a toilet between them. It’s worth thinking about when someone in the UK complains they are poor because they can’t afford a Sky Sports subscription.

The conclusion of the tour also marks the end of tour organisation by Rick Johnson and Martin Williamson. Five trips, with recent ones increasingly luxurious and audacious, have been undertaken in a decade, and so good is Rick at meeting the right people and saying the right thing that there is a danger that people think it’s not all that hard after all. Trust me, it is. The hours that Rick puts into preparing and then double and treble checking itineraries, hotels and fixtures would floor almost anyone else.

It’s time to pass on the baton and this trip has shown that there is a really excellent crop of young players coming through the ranks, and the remarkable success of the school should ensure that the club goes from strength to strength.

The end is nigh

The final day was spent sightseeing and shopping by most, although a few preferred to lounge by the pool. The shopping was an endurance test with the weakest-willed being singled out for attention and flattery by street vendors with worse chat that Henry Watkinson but a marginally better strike rate. Rather like a pride of lions circling a wounded Wildebeest, it became a question of when the most frail victim would succumb rather than if.

Steve Bailey – who due to an error with form filling the CCI reception referred to throughout as Mr Kitty Bag, despite his protestations that they could at least call him Kitbag – was our tour Wildebeest. He bought his 11-month daughter a “genuine” unique eighteenth-century sextant for RS2000 only to see an identical one 20 yards down the road for Rs1800. He purchased ten giant balloons only to find that the bag contained nine tiny ones. The end came when he bought a fan for Rs20 when the vendor was poised to sell him ten for the same price. Word got around and hawkers flocked to the city centre to try to fleece Kitty Bag.

The sightseeing was undertaken with mixed enthusiasm. Mike Payne led the hard-core travellers who lapped up the sights, although the squeemish baulked at his gleeful enthusiasm to go and watch vultures pecking at corpses. At the other extreme Pete Hobbs, a philistine to the end, survived three minutes at the Gateway to India before making an unfavorable comparison to obelisk at the end of Cranleigh High Street and making his excuses.

In the evening we held the end-of-tour fines which doubled as an excuse to punish Tristian Rosenfeldt for his attempt to sink the self-styled legends 24 hours earlier. Donned in a fake Manchester United shirt with the badge cut off to reveal a glimpse of nipple, he downed eight glasses of cheap Indian champagne as well as two unidentifiable savoury delights specially purchased from a street vendor with more sores and scabs than a smallpox colony. Rosenfeldt was a broken man.

The batsman of the tour was Alan Cope, the bowler Tom Hufton and the fielder Nathan Ross. The man of the tour, to great acclaim, was Mike Payne who was also celebrating his 71st birthday. Quite how much of it he will remember remains to be seen, although the taxi driver he attempted to kiss several times on the way home might take longer to recover.

David Banford, an OC from the sixties who now runs a wine business in Mumbai, kindly and convivially hosted a reception and dinner at one of the city’s most exclusive restaurants. The bill was £90 a head, an astounding feat even in London let alone India. The hardliners went on to a nightclub described by a regular frequenter of such establishments as being “too loud, too crowded and too expensive but otherwise fine” where the remains of their cash was soon separated from them. Perhaps the fact they were made to enter through the kitchen was an indication that it might not be the best of places.

So near and yet ...

The tour ended in a seven-run defeat, and so we finished with a 2-3 record, but it could – and should – have been a different story. For almost all the 70 overs of the game against Payyodes we were in a strong position only to throw it all away with a batting collapse that must rank among our most dismal. With five overs remaining we needed 25 to win with seven wickets in hand and Nathan Ross hitting the ball to all parts with ease. Then he tried to pull a bouncer only to spoon a catch to midwicket. Henry Watkinson fell next ball, feathering a catch to the keeper as he tried to run the ball to third man, and off the final delivery of the over Rick Johnson drove a catch to the one man on the cover boundary. The experience had almost all gone in one breath.

Mike Chase, who had endured a wretched tour, was finally finding some form but his ideal role was as foil to a more aggressive partner and now he had to get a move on. When he departed to his third leg-before of the trip for 22, the pressure was really on.

Still we held the advantage on paper, but we lacked an old head to calm the ship. We started the last over needing 13 and we never got close, with three more run-outs ensuring that there was to be no dramatic finale.

The innings began so well, with Tom Hufton and Eds Copleston making a breezy start before Hufton was run-out by a direct hit for 23. Copleston and Cope then added 83 for the second wicket with ease and aplomb, and there seemed to be only one winner. Cope holed out to long-on shortly after reaching his fifty, and then Copleston fell to an excellent low return catch. At the time it seemed little more than a small aberration as Chase and Ross put on 79 for the fourth wicket.

We had bowled well, although we did look slightly weary and Peter Hobbs seemed to be paying the price for late nights, strong painkillers and an upset stomach. Ed Henderson was also below his best, but Watkinson rose to the challenge with another tidy spell. Unlike the game the day before, the Payyodes batsmen took the attack to the bowlers but despite the heat we did not wilt.

As the game reached its conclusion Copleston was struck down by remarkable cramp, starting in his toes and rapidly spreading to all parts. For more than two hours he had team-mates working on his arms and legs as his muscles convulsed. So bad was he that he missed fines!

Payyodes 241 for 4 (Bhosle 94) beat Old Cranleighans 234 (Ross 54, Cope 52, Copleston 36)

Fines were particularly savage as Rosenfeldt looked to unleash revenge on senior players, fining Messrs Watkinson, Johnson, Williamson and Bailey what amounted to 20 shots of spirits between them. The quartet were shaken but not bowed and vowed revenge the next night. The remainder of the evening was spent at the city's most prestigious fish restaurant where we behaved admirably well. It was probably the fatigue of the previous three days more than any growing maturity.

An Indian oasis

The pitch for our final two matches – the Vengsarkar Academy ground – was at the end of a large open field on which there were six end-to-end pitches of variable quality. The land was in the middle of Mumbai and was home to a mass of matches, both formal and impromptu. At weekends the games are structured, but during the week the games take place on any free space, and towards the end of the day there can be as many of 30 or 40 matches taking place at any time.


Although the pitch we used looked basic and had no more than awnings for a pavilion, the wicket itself was good and the game was played in front of hundreds of locals. Some sat inside the metal railings on tree stumps and the grass, others stood peering through the railings, often for hours at a time.

The field was in effect a massive traffic island, so the incessant humming and honking of the city’s traffic was always present. The backdrop of imposing nineteenth century buildings completed a truly Indian setting. The Brabourne was magnificant, but the consensus was that this was what a tour to India was all about.

Back from the brink

Changes were made for the second match in Mumbai and all the senior pros were rested as Alan Cope led a development XI against a World Cricket Academy side at the Vengsarkar Academy ground.

Cope’s OC captaincy career got off to a blinder when he lost the toss and the Academy chose to bat in sweltering conditions. Peter Hobbs again defied the pain barrier, aided by increasing doses of mind-numbing drugs, to open the bowling and the all-seam attack was supported by enthusiastic groundfielding and outstanding catches from Nathan Ross and Johnny Gates. The surprise package was Damian Hill, decorated with the kind of red facepaint last seen in a John Wayne western, who bowled an excellent spell at the death. The opposition were young and that showed as they nurdled and nudged singles with skill but only really looked to open up in the last three or four overs.

At lunch – we walked back to the CCI – the side was confident, perhaps too much so. Within eight overs we were tottering on 33 for 5 with most of our big guns accounted for. Hill tried to hook the first ball of the innings only to top-edge to the keeper, Sam Langmead lost his off stump via an outside edge, Eds Copleston got a poor leg-before decision and Cope was bowled round his legs. Steve Bailey, who arrived earlier in the day from London and who was enjoying a\ leisurely lunch at the CCI, was summoned, and the he was called straight into action when Michael Chase swung at and missed a full toss, departing reluctantly after remonstrating with the umpire over the legality of the delivery.


Bailey kept his end up but it was Ross, driving and pulling with real class and scampering between the wickets, who stemmed the slide and started to counter attack. Bailey, after almost half an hour, got off the mark with a straight six, but soon after failed to beat a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Johnny Gates then joined Ross and immediately unleashed two textbook off drives. He was, however, struggling with illness and it quickly became clear he was in difficulties and he retired and immediately threw up.

Ross’s dismissal caused a few jitters, but that of Rosenfeldt, who had kept the run-rate ticking along, two overs later put us in trouble. Gates, looking pasty but determined, returned to the fray and was joined by Hufton with 12 needed off two overs, and we started the last with six required. The game was settled when Hufton clipped a four over midwicket to secure a win in game which we had seemed for all the world to have thrown away.

Old Cranleighans 184 for 8 (Ross 63, Gates 31*) beat World Cricket Academy XI 183 (Henderson 3-39) by two wickets

Imodium or bust

The whole tone of the tour has changed in recent days, with few escaping the ravages of upset stomachs and the location of toilet paper and stashes of Imodium (12 in ten hours being the record) taking on almost obsessive Holy Grail-like importance. Rick, who verges between mocking people for being ill and demanding maximum sympathy and antibiotics when he himself is struck down, has taken to using other people’s loos and often breaking them, adding to the allround distress.

There is genuine concern for Mez who has been by far the worst affected and who has been diagnosed with amoebic dysentery. Things are so serious he was given a non-alcoholic fine. Hobbs is not much better – he has, as the saying goes, gone in the arff – and also has muscle strains, a coldsore and an ear infection to go with his broken knuckle.

Tristan, meanwhile, keeps well by refusing to eat or drink anything not manufactured within 25 miles of central London and his frequent requests for Big Macs meet with bewilderment. We have tried telling him that beef is not really to available here what with cows being sacred and all that, but the poor chap is rather bewildered. It is not hard to see why his last performance review at work contained a request that he stay off fast food for a month.

The girls have all stayed remarkably well – Osha’s cocktail assault aside – even though their fines have started becoming more challenging. Alice deserves special mention for often drinking the fines dished out to the rather delicate Gatesy without complaint or side effect.

Back to reality

Everything went swimmingly for at least half an hour until it we discovered that Cope and Rosenfeldt made the basic error of believing that a booked alarm call would work and so were late for the photocall. So was Johnson, who announced that he could not possible have a picture taken without a breakfast first..

The game against the CCI was on the same track that they used for the Champions Trophy final and looked a belter. Henry won the toss and stuck the home side in, gambling on early moisture helping the bowlers and hoping that our display in the field could not be as bad as four days earlier. He really should have known better.

Pete Hobbs, who arrived with a broken knuckle and no hope of playing, declared himself fit and aided with some painkillers that would floor a mule and would certainly ensure he had more chance of failing a random drugs test than even Shoaib Akhtar, he steamed in from the far end and grabbed an early wicket. Ed Henderson moved the ball around – mainly down the leg side – but the catching was awesomely bad. Alan Cope led the way with three drops, and in all at least eight chances were spilled, so many that Henry (who put one down himself) gave up his customary teapot pose.

He did, however, reached a landmark in taking his 200th wicket for the club in the final overs, and in fairness we did well to peg CCI back after they took only 12 overs to bring up their first hundred.

Our reply came off the rails straight away when two of our key men – Nathan Ross and Cope- fell within two overs. Ross was bowled while Cope fell victim to some idiosyncratic umpiring when a loud shout for caught behind was turned down, only for a second appeal a few second later to be upheld. Mike Chase got a poor leg-before decision from the same official (although Henry persuaded Anna to tell a far from amused Chase that it looked out to her), frustration got the better of Eds Copleston who struggled before missing an attempted heave, while Johnny Gates again looked good before perishing to a poor shot.

By then we were almost down and out, but Damian Hill and Rosenfeldt led a spirited counterattack – always in vain but nevertheless face saving. Hill struck the first boundary in the 16th over and then cracked two more off subsequent ball for good measure, bring up our fourth fifty of the tour. Rosenfeldt drove well, exchanged blunt opinions with a particularly vocal wicketkeeper, went increasing red and was bowled, while Tom Hufton, Sam Langmead and Tom Merry all hit out well to ensure respectability.

Cricket Club of India 251 for 6 (Repani 79, Wanebanear 64*, Watkinson 2-49) beat Old Cranleighans 194 for 9 (Hill 51, Rosenfeldt 38, Langmead 25) by 57 runs

Onto Mumbai

The last big day of travel with a few worried faces as the upset stomachs were beginning to take their toll. We made it to the airport with minutes to spare, completely disrupted the check-in and somehow in a land where even the simplest task usually takes four times as long to achieve we made the flight.

Mumbai was hotter, nosier and a mass of people, although not quite the bedlam that many expected. The journey to the Cricket Club of India’s Braebourne Stadium was entertaining, but the ground itself, built in 1936-37 with the intention of being the Lord’s of India, was simply stunning.

While it is a functioning venue - it hosted the ICC Champions Trophy final in November – it is also very much a social hub for the great and the good of the city. It is also a throwback to a quite different era. The main pavilion is spacious and very art deco, but the sight as you emerge at the front onto the playing area is stunning. Whereas in England you would be greeted by acres of empty spaces and warning that anyone setting so much as a foot on the perfectly-manicured sods risked ritual disembowelment, at the Braebourne the outfield was alive. In front of the pavilion dozens of wicker chairs and tables are set out on the grass and waiters scuttle between tables serving tea and sandwiches. At the far end hoardes of children, immaculately attired and classically trained, play cricket, while families and powerwalkers circuit the perimeter with varying enthusiasm. A short journey on any Mumbai street makes it clear why those who value their lives and their lungs choose to walk at the Braebourne rather than anywhere else.

The check-in, however, was very Indian. To sort out ten rooms took us four hours and more paperwork than is needed to buy the average five-bedroom house. Martin managed to electrocute himself after giving Henry a lecture on using plugs, while everyone else had a quiet one with many relieved that there seemed to be an unlimited supply of loo rolls on tap. Rick Johnson, who spent weeks convincing everyone this was the place to stay, snuck off to his luxury apartment at the Oberoi.

Goan hospitality

A much quieter day spent around the pool and the bars, with the young and enthusiastic engaging in sporting challenges and the not so young marooned at the bars. In the evening we went to Mirabai, a Goan restaurant owned by a friend of a friend of Mike Chase. He asked for best behaviour, always a high-risk strategy. The food was a tad slow to arrive and so by the time it did the silly drinking contests were underway. Osha took on the cocktail menu single handed and won- while Belgrano calls with Pina Coladas and Viagras swapped with fatal consequences, especially to Ed Henderson and a local taxi driver.

Busy doing nothing

A relaxing day after the exertions of the match, with little signs of life much before midday. A few ventured to try the watersports and Henry did his best to kill Anna when showing off on the jetski … both ended up in the sea and Anna had to rescue him.

We all ambled up to Sunset point for .. er … sunset where the sun did not so much set and sink gracefully into the pollution, haze and rusting oiltanker which constituted the horizon. Fines then took on a particularly vicious edge with Hobbs yet again singled out for punishment and then winning a three-place showdown – against Damian Hill and Henry – for the Dick of the Day. The secondary contest was a damp squib, Mike Payne managing 102 kisses of the four girls on tour against Henry’s 14 … even so, that was a personal best for the captain.

From there we went to the beach for a meal and some unnecessarily heavy drinking, and from there onto the salubrious Club Cabana, the haunt of more Ukranians and Russians than are good for you. Suffice to say one of our number was felled by what he claimed was a heatbut but onlookers described as an enthusiastic nod. As was the case with the same individual in Sydney four years ago, he went down as if shot, although at least he was bleeding for his pains. Ed Henderson, ever the supportive colleague, immediately offered his business card to the assailant along with a promise to give evidence against his team-mate should it be necessary.