Howard succeeds Henderson as club captain

A new face in charge - Will Howard

Will Howard was elected as the club captain for 2015 at the AGM following the retirement of Ed Henderson after four successful years at the helm.

Henderson tried the sell Howard to the audience at the Alma in Wandsworth. “Many people will not have known he actually played cricket and wasn't just a waterboy with a No. 13 on his back. He is a keeper batsman and everyone will know, because he has told them, that he has a first-class fifty against Stuart MacGill. He runs his own business so presumably is an organised individual. Ultimately his reign should be a lot of fun.”

Jack Scriven won the batting award after a remarkable season when he scored 564 runs at 56.40 including 176 in the first round of the Cricketer Cup. Alan Cope received an honourable mention for his 98 in the Cricketer Cup final, described by Henderson as “one of the most important knocks in the club’s history”.

Henderson appeared to take slightly too much pleasure in pointing out Michael Chetwode recorded a bowling average of over 50 before announcing that Will Rollings won the bowling cup for his 13 wickets at 18.23. Jack Scriven made it a double by winning the Players’ Player award, not only for his runs but also for the number of games he played and the way he bought into OC cricket so wholeheartedly.

Henderson signed off by noting that last year’s winners – Matt Crump and Seren Waters – had not bothered to get the trophies engraved and then fining Crump, Howard and Mike Roper “for being persistent thorns in my side for four years”.

There followed an auction which raised £2500 for the Friends of Tim. The most bizarre auction result of the evening saw Stuart Meaker bid £500 for a date with David Bugge.