Watkinson leads another Florida excursion

Henry Watkinson leads arguably the strongest OCCC squad to Florida on November 24 for the seventh time in the club’s history and the first since 2007 in an effort to lift a trophy that has just escaped the club’s grasp on more than one occasion in the past.

The Sarasota International Six-a-Side Thanksgiving tournament has attracted such names as Chiv Chanderpaul, Fayood Bacchus, Jonathan Trott, Mike “RJ” Gatting, Paul Maynard and Steve Watkin in the past and the cricket has been extremely competitive with strong OCCC sides falling at the semi final stages at three previous tournaments.

“We arrive this year with our tail between our legs since last time we took a side to the festival we failed to win a group game,” Watkinson admitted. “Admittedly we had a young side then but we had experience as well and it goes to show that we are playing people who play this format of cricket a lot more than we do and we need to learn quickly as good sides can come unstuck very quickly in Sarasota.”

Watkinson also brushed aside claims that his selections had choked in the later stages of this tournament in the past. “It wasn’t nerves that got the better of us it was the teams unwillingness to say no to large amounts of alcohol plied to it by the very friendly locals as well as the opposition on the Saturday night gala dinner before the semi finals on Saturday morning.”

Watkinson feels buoyed by the fact that Rick Johnson has assumed the John McDermott managerial role of building bridges at the festival. “Mac’s are very broad shoulders but if anyone can fill his shoes then Rick can. I was very sorry Mac has had to stay at home due to his wife Sylvia’s advice. In the past we have got into plenty of trouble here but Mac has always bailed us out.”

Watkinson’s team consists not only of Johnson but of Eds Copleston who will be eager to prove that there is life after captaincy, previous tourists Jonny Gates and Sam Langmead, who will have no doubt benefitted from the experience of their earlier chastening visit. Crowd favourite and talented Will Howard will be extremely useful behind the stumps in a pivotal role as will the OCCC’s most talented newcomers of the last three years Alan Cope and Matt Crump. Globetrotting Steve Bailey, recruited while drunk at the weekend’s OC Society Dinner, makes up the numbers.

Watkinson says he will set foot in Florida with a team that is cognisant of a gruelling three-day campaign in which everyone has to be at the top of their game to prevail but also with more than a little hope that this could be the year.

"This one is for Mac," Watkinson admitted.

Rick Johnson elected to Hall of Fame

Rick Johnson has been elected to the OCCC Hall of Fame in recognition of his huge contribution to the club. He becomes the 11th inductee.

“The Hall of Fame is a good idea and I am flattered to have been elected,” the stout Johnson said. “I hope I can continue to offer something back to OCCC as it has given me more pleasure than Melissa.”

“Rick has been instrumental in taking the club to a new level, starting with the first tour to Antigua in 1997,” said Martin Williamson. “His sheer energy and enthusiasm is infectious, if on occasion utterly misguided, and he is much of the reason the OCCC is regarded with envy by almost all old boys’ sides.”

After a chequered career at Cranleigh both on and off the pitch, Johnson made his OCCC debut in 1991 and in 89 matches has scored more than 2000 runs at 34, including two hundreds. Had he actually enjoyed playing cricket his record would have been far better. His batting style remains uncompromising, relying on a good eye and the absence of a third man, and on his day he can be entertaining to watch.

For a time he also kept wicket before physical difficulties (he couldn’t bend down) forced him to re-evaluate his role.

But his real contribution has been off the pitch – somewhere he much prefers to be rather than actually playing – where he has been the lynchpin behind many OC tours, was the driving force of the Jubilee pavilion refurbishment, and has orchestrated more loss-making BBQs than any man in history.

In more recent years he had a spell as a Cranleigh governor and is currently involved in a number of ambitious projects. In his free time he has taken over Cranleigh CC and still finds time to occasionally fly for BA.

Season opens in stalemate

Old Cranleighans 302 for 7 dec (Rosenfeldt 71, Hume 37, Crump 32, Copleston 32, Ross 30) drew with Kenya Kongonis 205 for 8

This was the inaugural home tie against Kenya Kongonis – the away fixture took place in Nairobi in 2001 when the OCCC toured Kenya. The “Long Rains” had begun early when the two sides met in Nairobi (only two boundaries were hit all day with the wet outfield) and while England offered similar weather, Jubilee looked an absolute picture.

Rick Johnson was meant to match manage this fixture but as usual decided he would prefer to watch (and eat) all day, and so drafted Eds Copleston in to skipper. We won the toss and elected to bat first. Tristan Rosenfeldt and Jonny Gates, both in “the form of their lives” took some time to get the pace of the track, but then unleashed some excellent drives before Gates fell for a promising 35. Tristan eventually got caught for 71, having been dropped three times by Cranleigh Prep School headmaster Mike Wilson – rumours of bribery were quickly denied.

Roo Hume, who was returning from a sabbatical of mind-boggling lunacy (rowing the Atlantic and a plethora of other idiotic challenges) along with Matt Crump, Copleston and Nathan Ross contributed solid 30s in the middle order. Rick Johnson refused to let Eds declare when we had reached 260 off 44overs and instead batted on to 302 for 7 declared off 48overs.


The Kongonis started brightly with Duncan Allen and Abeed Janmohammed taking them to 55 without loss at tea. Roo Hume and Henry Watkinson, who skippered the game in 2001, opened the bowling. The highlight before tea was Abeed hooking a bouncer from Henry for 6. Henry isn’t as quick as he used to be when he was as old as his girlfriend is now (19).

Crump replaced Watkinson after tea and Peter Rollings came up the hill. Abeed ran Duncan Allen out straight after tea and was then adjudged LBW (given out box before wicket) and the asking rate began to rise sharply.

Davis(50) was the mainstay of the Kongonis innings but as soon as the openers went it appeared the win was out of reach. Wickets fell regularly with Henderson bowling Dave Wilson and Rollings trapping Prodger LBW. With the Kongonis needing 14 an over, Copleston brought himself on and had Rogan stumped trying to hit him into Guildford. David Waters then shut up shop and refused to go for the win – showing extreme patience in playing out flighted a maiden from Eds. Watkinson and Crump were brought back but couldn’t break the resistance as Kongonis hung on for a draw.

A fun day and with a better declaration the game could have been close, Johnson not having played much cricket since he was at school cannot be blamed for not understanding the game. Thank you to Hannah for scoring and Lydia’s first lunch for the OCCC was superb – lets hope we see them down on Jubilee for many years! So the season starts with a tame draw but a game played in excellent spirit and this is definitely one to make an annual fixture (Id be keen to play in Nairobi next year!). Eds Copleston

New awards unveiled at annual dinner

Around 50 Old Cranleighans and a few current Cranleighans attended the annual-when-the-committee-remembers dinner at The Alma in Wandsworth. For the first time three awards were made - Batsman of the Year, Bowler of the Year and Player of the Year. There was also an auction to raise money for the Friends of Tim Evans Trust and in all more than £1100 was collected.

After drinks and an excellent meal, Michael Chetwode gave a rare and very witty speech, honouring Martin Williamson for his contribution to the club over the last 30 years, both on and off the field. Suffice to say tales of losses on shares, Coppers Doggers and other embarrassing escapades were dusted off. Peter Shelley, who as captain in 1980 recruited both Chetwode and Williamson into the club, then read out a highly amusing, largely fictitious, and repeatedly libellous letter from Williamson to him asking to play in the 1980 cricket week. Williamson was then presented with a cricket bat signed by many club members and mounted in a wooden case. He gave a short speech of thanks.

Club president David Bugge, steadfastly wearing a traditional OC blazer, gave a brief speech highlighting the success of recent years and flagging Rick Johnson would be proposed for inclusion in the Hall of Fame at the next AGM.

Before the awards came the fines. With Eds Copleston sidelined with a painful disease, it fell to the far more aesthetic Sophie Cook to dish out the punishments to the usual suspects. Several people noted it was Copleston’s least badly-behaved evening in recent memory.

The Batsman of the Year was a product of our youth policy, Henry Watkinson; the Bowler of the Year went to Ed Henderson; while the Player of the Year, again looking to the future, was a rather staggered Chetwode.

The evening ended with a raffle and auction for the Friends of Tim Evans Trust. John McDermott acted as auctioneer, making a trademark speech and crossing a new boundary by describing the headmaster’s wife, who was in attendance, as a “a little bit of crumpet”.

Roper ensures we finish on a high

Old Cranleighans 252 for 9 dec (Crump T 51, Cowdrey 36, Cope 30, Hannah 24*, Roper M 23) beat Old Tonbridgians 180 (Hedley 40, Crump T 2-11, Crump M 2-16, Langmead 2-19) by 72 runs

A winless cricket week was avoided thanks to a last-day victory over Old Tonbridgians, a result which gave us an atom of revenge for the Cricketer Cup defeat at the end of June. After several captains had huffed and puffed without success, it was the calm head of Mike Roper who resisted the chairman’s moans, declared at the perfect time, and then rotated his bowlers in an almost Brearleyesque way.

Our innings was very much like England’s at Cardiff two day’s before. Most batsmen got started, none went on to play a big innings. Tom Crump scored his second fifty in as many days, Rob Cowdrey, Alan Cope and Roper all looked assured until getting out, but only a tenth-wicket stand of 36 between Matt Crump (demoted to No. 11 after his misdemeanour of 24 hours earlier) and Elliott Hannah enabled us to post a decent score.

Tonbridge had a similar problem – lots of cameos, no substantial knock. They also engineered a comedy run-out and contrive red to play some woeful shots, none worse than the top edge of the rankest of long hops from Chris Porter which accounted for Makepeace just as he appeared set to take our part-time spinners to the cleaners.

Matt Crump, opening the attack, was heard to say as he marked out his run that at least he wouldn’t be treated with as much disrespect as he had been during the Cricketer Cup tie. There was loud tittering as his first delivery disappeared high into Clare’s Oak; the second ball of his next over almost cleared it.

A couple of chances went begging but generally we fielded well. Mike Chetwode bowled well but came in for some tap, Cope bowled some suspect offspin and didn’t. Sam Langmead, sporting sideburns not seen at Cranleigh since Queen Victoria was on the throne, picked up two good wickets with his bustling medium-pacers, and the game ended with the Crumps brothers whirling away with what can loosely be described as spin.

The day finished with the now-traditional Rick Johnson BBQ. While usually a gourmet delight, on this occasion he managed to buy some of sickest burgers and sausages ever produced but once he had charcoaled them, few noticed the difference. Until an unwelcome gurgling stomach woke them at 3am …

Sleepy enjoyment resumes at Headley

Old Cranleighans 242 for 6 dec (Chetwode 72, Russell 46, Wilkie 41*) drew with Headley 240 for 6
Click here for match photos


A lovely sleepy summer’s afternoon and a perfect antidote to the abomination resulting from poor captaincy 12 months earlier, the game going down to the last ball. Village cricket as it should be played.

The OC hierarchy banished the captain of 2008 to Singapore and picked a side who would offer some va-va-voom. Michael Chetwode, drafted in after his Frogs game was cancelled hours before, volunteered to open with returning legend Peter Russell, and the pair added 110 in 11 overs. Russell, slightly tubbier but still a magnificently tanned sight for the ladies, oozed class after a rusty start. Chetwode also oozed something, but enough of that. He sliced, heaved and smote to great effect, aided by four dropped catches, and produced the shot of the day, a delightful eight iron which left a large dent in Rick Johnson’s car door.

Sadly, no sooner had Chetwode’s thoughts started to flick back to his only career hundred, made on this same ground, than he played on for 72. Russell then started to open up with some beautiful drives and pulls before he suffered the same fate.

Johnson, in some tight-fitting trousers (but aren’t they all) made 12 exclusively between point and third man, something Headley stifled with five men behind square on the off, while Steve Bailey made a typically idiosyncratic 34.

Iain Wilkie, his remaining traces of hair now silver, started stiffly and got stiffer, but as the declaration loomed played some attacking shots which he would never have considered in his youth (or middle age) to finish on 41 not out.

Headley set off at a pace, aided by Johnny Gates, who proclaimed at tea he could hold hard catches but not easy ones, proving the point by missing a succession of sitters. Just to underline the point he also fluffed a stumping or two. In fairness to him, the chairman, a specialist keeper in his slimmer youth, refused to keep as it interfered with his consumption of the excellent tea.

It was tight all the way, Henry Watkinson using eight bowlers to spice up the chase. In the end Headley needed 13 off two overs with wickets in hand. Chetwode, ever reliant, was summoned and restricted the batsmen to three runs off the penultimate over. Watkinson then tossed the ball to Damion Hill, a spectator all day, for his first involvement, bowling the final over.

With four needed off the last ball, a shot was launched into the deep where Johnson dropped it, but his bulk ensured there was no way the ball would or could pass him to the boundary.

A draw and a thoroughly enjoyable game against a good hosts. Hopefully this ensures we will be invited back in 2010. As long as Tristan Rosenfeldt isn’t allowed to resume his captaincy.

Defeat under Table Mountain

Click here for the day's photos

The second match of the tour took place at Western Province CC, a stunning ground situated under Table Mountain. The weather was glorious, and our hosts even went as far as handing us the toss on a plate (quite possibly the only thing Eds Copleston will win all tour). We started decently, Damian Hill’s idiosyncratic strokeplay contrasting and outscoring the more classy Alan Cope. Cope fell leg before to a Tom Merry instant decision, and thereafter we limped along, with only a stand of 63 for the fourth wicket between the Crumps enabling us to reach a half-decent total. The gamble of pushing the veterans Chetwode and Watkinson into the middle order to boost the scoring rate failed dismally. Copleston and Matt Crump scurried and swept at the end to help us reach moderate respectability.

Between innings we were treated to a sight never before seen at an OC match as Chetwode warmed up with some painful and horribly stiff contortions. No matter that he needed help to get up afterwards, it showed excellent intent.

Left to defend 160, we did make an early breakthrough when Watkinson won over the umpire with an obscenely long three-part screeching appeal. The ball was going down leg but no matter. It turned out to be our only success of the afternoon and our bowling was cut to ribbons and our fielding, increasing affected by sambuca Belgrano calls the previous night, became increasingly listless. WP Chairman’s XI romped home by nine wickets with almost eight overs to spare.

A marvellous barbeque followed, showing up Rick’s efforts in terms of quantity and also timeliness, and fines then took place against the backdrop of sun setting next to Table Mountain. Rick, to widespread acclaim, took the Dick of the Day tie. The journey home, past houses with ubiquitous razor-wired walls and promises that they were protected by armed response units, was enlivened by a karaoke session, the highlight in quality being Mike Roper, in entertainment Hill’s Suggerhill Gang rap.

The evening started full of promise but ended with the usual number of casualties. Despite warnings not to venture out after dark, Rick led the 4am walk home through the deserted streets to the hotel. Even the local thugs knew not to mess with a 5’4” puffball dressed in a hideous blazer.

The one unanswered question was the whereabouts of the nominated 12th man during the game. Rosenfeldt was missing at the start on an almost inevitable burger hunt, but then spent the remainder of the day telling everyone within earshot about his regular bowel movements. Any sympathy from neutrals soon evaporated when it transpired that his problems started in Lusaka when his desire for meat took him on a 45-minute cab ride which finished in two chicken burgers from a street vendor.

McDermott bows out in style

The Annual General Meeting of the OCCC attracted a record turnout, lured by the generous provision of wine by the Headmaster, the excellent surroundings of the School and a superb dinner to honour the retiring president, John McDermott.

The AGM in the reading room was a lively affair in which the following was agreed (the full minutes will be available as a download soon).

Eds Copleston replaces Henry Watkinson as captain and David Bugge replaces McDermott as president. The rest of the committee remains unaltered.

The club will withdraw from the Cricket World Trophy as it was almost unanimously agreed that participating in two cup competitions was commiting us to too many matches which clash with the club games which have to remain the essence of the OCCC. As part of a much longer debate, it was generally agreed that while 2008 had been a great success in terms of the Cricketer Cup, the other games had fallen by the wayside and in 2009 a priority was to make sure that the balance was restored.

The only change to the 209 fixtures was that Kings Canterbury Old Boys, who failed to honour their cricket week fixture, would be replaced. The match against the School on Speech Day would be a Twenty20 game with the more traditional all-day fixture starting the cricket week on the first Friday after the end of term.

As thoughts turn to the 2009 season, our chairman addressed the AGM on the subject of teas. "We've had some OC girls in the past who've been prepared to do it for cash during the summer," he warbled.


A super dinner in Hall then followed during which Watkinson made presentations to Rick Johnson, Martin Williamson, Heather Dean and McDermott; McDermott then followed with a typically acerbic and amusing speech, and, realising that as outgoing president this was his last chance to settle scores, then made a second speech after the main course.

And now to the final

OCs 219 for 7 (Waters 57, M Crump 51) beat Old Alleynians 218 for 9 (Roy 57) by three wickets
Click here for match photos

After three convincing and yet relatively straightforward wins, the semi-final against Old Alleynians was a far tougher affair, although the margin of our victory – three wickets – rather distorted our fairly calm progress until a late flurry of wickets within sight of the finish. The result was a place in the final at only the second time of asking, vindication for the organisers in allowing a new side into the competition for the first time in 40 years last summer, and also for the strength of Cranleigh cricket.

We had lost Stuart Meaker days before the game, called into the England Under-19 side for the Test series against New Zealand, and 19-year-old James Halton, a batsman highly rated by Stuart Welsh, came into the side. The weather was a rare scorcer in this otherwise wretched summer, and Alleynians had little hesitation on batting when again Henry Watkinson lost the toss.

Alan Cope opened with a brace of wides, but Watkinson, as he has so often done, broke through with the new ball, although on a good batting pitch, runs came quickly, especially when width was offered. But the innings turned on two run-outs. The first was a brilliant example of team-work, a seemingly fruitless chase to deep midwicket, a diving flick back on the rope to Seren Waters who had chased all the way as well, a bullet-like throw and a smart flick from Will Howard to leave the batsman inches short seeking a seemingly comfortable second.

Chris Jordan of Surrey, allowed to play on the condition he didn’t bowl fast, nonchalantly flicked Michael Chetwode off his legs to get off the mark and it appeared we were in for a long day in the field. But in the next over Roy pushed to point, Jordan called for a risky single only to be turned back and was never in the frame as Eds Coipleston’s throw scored a direct hit at the bowler’s end. Not needed as a batsman in the three previous rounds, it was his first real contribution to the cup run, but possibly it was a match-winning one. Jordan trooped off as the disbelieving Cranleighans mobbed the man with the plastacine arm.

Rattled, the Alleynians then found themselves pegged down by the teenage spinning duo of Waters and Phil Roper. Waters’ nagging legspin from the top end was hard to get away, while Roper, brought into the side in the previous round for the crocked Graham Webb, showed real potential.


Lunsh was entertaining, a barbeque on the run as Rick Johnson slightly miscalculated the time needed to cook chicken, but our young batsmen again came up with the goods when we started our chase. Howard and Waters made another good start, but hopes of another Howard onslaught were ended when he was caught behind for 20.

Matt Crump joined Waters and the scoring rate picked up as they took the score to 101 before Waters was caught behind off the bowling of Sivakumaran for 57. Cope arrived at the crease and looked at ease until falling LBW following an injudicious reverse sweep to a straight ball from Jordan, bowling off spin. It was not the first time the stroke had caused his downfall and won’t be the last.

The scoring rate had been good all the way through - however, with the arrival of Abeed Janmohamed, it picked up markedly. Hooking, pulling and driving the Dulwich opening bowler to distraction, Janmohamed made 35 in quick time before being caught on the boundary at long-leg going for another six. At 182 for 3, with Matt Crump again making batting look easy, we had one foot in the final. But Dulwich never gave up and, with the fall of the fourth wicket our lower middle order was exposed for the first time in the competition. A mini-collapse followed as we lost three further wickets in short order, including that of Crump to a top-edged swipe to leg for 51. Luckily, time was irrelevant and Tom Crump, aided first by Copleston and then by Roper, finally saw us home with Watkinson and Chetwode nervously padded up on the boundary.

“We have made it to the final at our first real attempt which is a testament to the strength of the school's cricket at the moment,” noted former captain and super veteran Michael Chetwode. “We mustn't forget that more than half this side are under 21 and, of the others, only two are over 30 (no names!). Dulwich came with what appeared to be a strong and well organised side but they should have been blown away. It's a credit to their tenacity and fighting spirit that they were in with a chance (however small) at the end despite looking down and out for long periods. It also shows that we can't be complacent in any facet of our game. We meet Old Malvernians on August 17 at Richmond and they will prove to be an altogether tougher assignment.”

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.

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!

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.

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

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

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.

Hong Kong Phooey

We accepted the invitation to be one of the 32 teams to participate in the fourth Hong Kong International Six-a-Side Festival. A truly international tournament with only two sides from the UK being invited. Sponsored by Ichor International Investments and Chesterton Petty, this festival was the first club sixes tournament to have world-wide television coverage and attracted international cricket stars Doug Walters (Australia), Heath Streak and Adam Huckle (Zimbabwe).

Faced with a 12-hour flight, eight-hour time difference, temperatures in the eighties with high energy sapping humidity and air pollution, a three-day cricket programme starting at 8.30 am and a city with the 24-hour-a-day carnal attractions of Hong Kong, this four-night trip was indeed testing. Undaunted, We went native immediately on arrival on the first night with a Chinese supper in Rat Alley followed by a bar crawl until dawn in the lively Wanchai district. This first excursion set the tone and style of the trip. As in nature, the weak members of the herd are picked off first. Peter Hobbs, Mike Chase and Rick Johnson, all hardened OCCC tourists, were soon off the demanding pace of the trip. Our skipper, Henry Watkinson, then went in the back and our Press Officer, Barry Ross, went in the head. Excellent wins against the strong Malaysia CC, Tokyo CC and Hong Kong Wanderers CC saw us progress to the quarter finals on the final Sunday morning. The strategy of fielding first, bowling a tight line with good fielding, allowing Nathan Ross, Abeed Janmohamed and Phil Goulstone to hit off the necessary runs appeared to be working.

On arrival for the quarter final, while we again kept the excellent first-aid marquee busy, our opponents, the Pakistan Association CC, were jogging around the ground. They won the toss, we batted first to post a sub-standard target, Hobbs was carried off the field in his first over when his pain-racked body finally gave in, and we lost off the penultimate ball of the match. The festival was won by the SubCont CC. However, our ambassadorial social skills and cricket blazers off the field continued to attract photographic and media attention and we have accepted an invitation to the prestigious cricket festival next September in Shanghai.

Tour party Henry Watkinson (Captain), Mike Chase, Phil Goulstone, Peter Hobbs, Abeed Janmohamed, Rick Johnson, John McDermott (Tour Manager), Nathan Ross, Barry Ross (Press/Media Officer).

Watkinson scoops cricket week awards

Batsman of the week Close run thing with no hundred but four nineties. Simon Copleston edged the award courtesy of the pleasure he gave on the first Saturday when he ran himself out on 99. He also hit a six on the Wednesday in a rare attacking innings and made another ninety on the Friday.

Bowler of the week The evergreen Michael Chetwode took wickets at vital times and even unleashed his full run-up for the first time since McDermott was handsome. His workload was eased by good spells from several bowlers young enough to be his sons – Lewis Clarke, Dom Lewis, Alex Craven and Tim Payne to name four. Jock Vickers late burst with genuine turn - bowling Chinamen - wasn’t witnessed by enough people to be eligible.

Innings of the week Chetwode again for his eight-ball 17* at Charterhouse. Came in with 17 needed and the last pair at the wicket and hit 4,6,6 off their hapless left-armer. “I'd have gone on to 100 if I had the time,” the modest one later said.

Shot of the week Peter Hobbs’s hook against Tonbridge in a run chase – he top-edged into the back of his head, was knocked out, and when he finally got to his feet was told that he had been caught via cranium at gulley. Peter Rollings’s remarkable forehand smash for four warrants a mention.

Bowling performance of the week Henry Watkinson’s three-wicket burst to effectively end the match against Suttonians wins this, but his brother Sam’s two balls which “pinned” Richard Seeckts up there for amusement value.

Catch of the week: Alex Craven’s slip catch against Suttonians and Lewis Clark’s running overbalanced effort at Charterhouse up there. But joint winners are Graeme Brown’s excellent diving catch against Suttonians and Steve Bailey’s one-handed snatch at first slip against Celeriacs – the latter resulted in the batsman taking a full minute to leave the pitch as he couldn’t believe “that little round bloke” had caught it.

Drop of the week And there were plenty to chose from. But for crowd-pleasing amusement, Henry’s spill against Grasshoppers wins. The ball before he had lambasted Michael Chase for dropping a skyer. The batsman repeated the shot, the ball went high towards Watkinson standing in the deep 20 yards from Chase … and there was a glorious inevitability as Watkinson and ball hit turf at the same time. Bailey wins the most-drops prize.

Angry Man of the Week Again, as always with the OCCC, plenty of candidates. Chetwode demanded that an umpire be removed after he had the temerity to turn down an lbw shout (the same umpire had ask Chetters how to signal a leg bye the over before); Chase snarled at Watkinson, Watkinson back at Chase with increasing feeling on the Monday; but the award goes to a newcomer, Harry Jupp, who showed he has what it takes with a prolonged rant (lasting a few days) after (incorrectly) being given lbw by Chetwode on the Monday.

Spectator of the Week Close contest between Philip Angel, Viv Cox and Rick Johnson. Whereas Cox was a good cricketer for the OC’s before the war, and Angel supplies beer, and a moving target for big-hitting batsman, Johnson was just useless, even by his standards. He took seven days off work and he never actually made it onto the field. Slept through two games. When he was awake he phutted round on his motorbike, knocked it over, and it sustained £500 worth of damage with 15 miles on the clock.

Vodafone Technology Award Watkinson again. On the first Saturday he rang the umpire’s mobile from the pavilion balcony and instructed the official to tell opening batsman Simon Copleston to get a move on or get out.

Rick Johnson: can anyone explain the point?
Mid-Life Crisis Award Tough competition. Simon Copleston for his purchase of the kind of car your father would drive and think cool – a “babe magnet” according to SCGC? Johnson for his Ducatti nightmare, not only buying it, but breaking it, and being too scared to go over 50mph even when it was working? Copleston by a short nose.

Wreck of the week Hobbs. Lifetime holder. Was a shambling has-been after one match, his KO against Tonbridge provoked widespread mirth, and his inability to drive his mid-life crisis sportscar in a straight line caused certain embarrassment.

Honorable Mentions Eds Copleston for parading a pet rabbit called Playboy during the Brewers Cup match (“It’s named after me”). Henry Watkinson for upsetting the first scorer the club has had in 20 years by sending her off to score on the Lowers. Gareth Starling for dumping a girl on the Thursday night only to re-pull her 24 hours later.

Rick pops the question

It was considered by many as unlikely as news that the Queen Mother had done a Lazarus and then ridden Shergar to victory in the 3.30 at Kempton Park. But the doubters were proved wrong when Rick Johnson finally ended the world's longest courtship by asking the long-suffering Melissa to marry him. The announcement was greeted with universal acclaim (although Melissa's parents were unavailable for comment) by all except Steve Bailey, who now becomes the holder of the title of OC under most pressure to propose.

If the circumstances of the proposal were unusually romantic - dimmed lights etc - then Johnson's behaviour immediately after popping the question was not. Within hours he had flown to Madras, and then returned to the UK for a few hours (venturing nowhere near his fiancé) before jetting off to the World Cup final. Rick denied that the move would change his lifestyle (the engagement ring is rumoured to have been bought via The Shopping Channel and Rick has urged Melissa not to have it valued).

The date of the announcement was Rick's birthday and the tenth anniversary of the couples first date (one of the few occasions that Rick has taken Melissa out without several OCs being in attendance).

Cricket week 2003 ... the awards

Batsman of the Week: Henry Watkinson
Henry was at his belligerent best throughout, leading the charge against Grasshoppers with a quickfire fifty and regularly upping the tempo of an innings in his own style.

Bowler of the Week: Graeme Brown
A long-service reward for Shorts, who was used to keep one end ticking over while the big guns rested (or hid from the first-class batsmen). Brown took the scalps of Trevor Gripper, Hamish Marshall and Matt Church to name three.

Innings of the Week: Rick Johnson
Rick showed that he can play real cricket when the occasion demands with a thoroughly entertaining 60 against Grasshoppers. He also came second in the voting for giving a large assembly huge delight by being bowled for 0 to the second ball of the week.

Shot of the Week: Pete Hobbs/Richard Seeckts/Graeme Brown
Close call, this. All three shots came as we tried to draw the tedious game against Wanderers. Hobbs aimed a massive heave at a straight one ("I was bored"), then Seeckts tried to smack Gripper out of the ground ("I bet him I could hit him for six"), and as captain Watkinson grew increasingly angry, Brown capped it all by charging down the wicket to Gripper and being stumped by such a margin that it could have been classifed as a run out ("He hit me for six, I wanted a go back at him"). Brown's was filth, but Hobbs returned to find his team-mates had formed a 'corrdior of shame' for him to walk through.

Bowling Performance of the Week: Ed Henderson
OK, Michael Chetwode might have got more wickets, but Hendo's amazing return of 8-7-1-2 against Old Aldenhamians is about as good as it can get for an opening bowler in a cup competition. The one run he conceded was a wide off his fourth ball - his next 42 balls were runless.

Fielder of the Week: Sam Langmead
Chased everything, perfected the sliding stop-and-throw, has a good, accurate arm, and most importantly responded to a yell of "hard in" from Chetwode at the bowler's end with a exocet from about 15 yards which left the great man spreadeagled on the ground clutching his midriff.

Catch of the Week: Simon Copleston
A remarkable catch from Simon at short midwicket off Martin Williamson to end an opening stand of 52 by the Celeriacs. A held-back ball (long hop) was middled by the unlucky opener hard to Simon's right and no more than two inches off the ground. Simon flung himself, held the ball, and leapt to his feet with a hard-man's stare and no emotion, as if to indicate to the batsman that this was routine for him. If only he knew …

Over of the Week: Henry Watkinson v Surrey Cryptics
Another award for the captain. Chasing runs as the declaration loomed, Henry announced that he would prove he was a big hitter. The first ball went high but straight to mid-on who dropped a rotuine catch - 2 runs. The second ball was lofted towards long off who should have been on the fence but being an OC (Paul Goss) he had drifted and the ball looped over his head for four. The third ball was blocked. The fourth ball was skyed to square leg for another routine chance but again it was dropped - 2 runs. The fifth ball was again smacked to Goss at long off; Goss, lambasted by his captain for "not being on the rope, you twat" had learned his lesson. Again the ball sailed over his head as he charged in, another four. The last ball was an edged single. Four dropped catches in five balls. Good hitting, Waffer.

Drop of the Week: Henry Watkinson/Anonymous
The identity of the gentleman who dropped the Old Georgians' opener (who went on to get 116) off the first ball of the match - and a sitter at that - will remain a secret as it was his first appearance for the club. So instead Watkinson wins the award for a plethora of missed chances (he did take some good ones in his defence) the best being his drop off the same OG batsmen the very ball after he had loudly reminded his fielders that they "have to hold on to any chances".

Chat-up Line the Week: Henry Watkinson
No contest as the captain crashed and burned in a Guildford nightclub. The recipient of Henry's "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Barbara Streisand?" line was so unimpressed that she hit him several times, cutting his lip in the process. "She had a big nose," explained Watkinson.

Woman's Arm of the Week: Graeme Brown
Not a good week for Brownie's machismo reputation. Having mocked Simon Copleston's throw, Brown, previously thought to have a good arm, failed to get within 10 yards of Simon's worst effort (and within 20 yards of anyone else's) during the Sunday night challenge. By Thursday he was being asked to show just how feeble his arm was to opposing players. His humiliation was completed when he was out-thrown by a woman on the final day of the week.

Conman of the Week: Rick Johnson
Rick's determination to disprove rumours that he has the drinking capacity of a fourth-former ended in a 60 in 60 challenge (60 shots glasses of beer in 60 minutes). Rick triumphed, seeing off Watkinson whose challenge ended on his 57th glass. But a subsequent weights-and-measures examination revealed that Rick's glass was two-third's of the size of the others used in the competition. Rick denied the accusation but the question marks over his capacity to drink remain.

Wreck of the Week
No contest. Hobbsy, despite being just 29, behaved like a 50-year-old on the pitch and a 15-year-old off it. No woman was safe while Hobbsy prowled or lounged in the swimming pool, but once he donned the whites he hobbled his way round the outfield, bowled a few overs and grimaced.

Another memorable week

Click here for the 2003 Cricket Week Awards

A pluperfect Jubilee track made the 2003 week a hard slog for the bowlers, a slow outfield made it hard for the fielders, and some silly drinking games made it hard for the batsmen. The docile nature of the wicket was highlighted by the fact that only one side was bowled out all week - a below-strength Aldenham side in the Brewers Cup quarter-final on the second Sunday.

We kicked off with the second annual match against the Sam Watkinson XI and for a time it looked as if we might be in with a chance of victory chasing 230, but then Sam took four wickets in three overs, including a hat-trick, and we had to shut up shop, ending on 185 for 8. On the Sunday we beat Celeriacs, the last-minute replacements for the cup-tied Etonians, by seven wickets.

On Monday we had the best game of the week against the Grasshoppers. They declared on 260 for 6, built around 90 from Kiwi international Hamish Marshall, and our chase was led by a entertaining 60 from Rick Johnson and a solid farewell 40 from Clem Williams. We slipped well behind the clock until Henry Watkinson blasted a quickfire 50, but we called off the chase at 250 for 9 with four balls remaining.

We travelled to Georgians on Tuesday and were kept in the field in 90 degree heat by a declaration which was delayed as the Georgians weren't ready to take the field! The offer of extending the match by 15 minutes to make up for the delay was declined - wisely as it turned out as our last pair held firm as we scraped a draw.

On Wednesday the weather turned and the match against Tonbridge was washed out at lunchtime after less than 70 minutes play. Out inaugural fixture against Charterhouse on Thursday never got going after overnight drizzle left the square too wet to play.

The sunshine returned on the Friday but, sadly, the game against Wanderers was one best forgotten. Zimbabwe Test opener Trevor Gripper made a hundred - aided by some glaring drops - as Wanderers batted on, and then any chance of a positive result was snuffed out when they kept their opening bowlers on for far too long. We needed eight an over at tea, and started the last 20 overs requiring 208 to win. Opening the game up consisted of getting Gripper to seal up one end with his offbreaks. In the end we almost capitulated as two batsmen committed suicide through boredom (Hobbs and Seeckts) and one through insanity (Brown), as we ended on 109 for 8.

On Saturday we went down by six wickets to Surrey Cryptics, despite half-centuries from David Westcott and Sam Watkinson, and an entertaining cameo from Henry Watkinson during which he managed to be dropped four times in five balls. We failed to hold our chances and the Cryptics batted well.

The final match was the Brewers Cup tie against 2001 winners Old Aldenhamians. They were weakened by absences at a wedding and were rolled over inside three hour, bowled out for 52 with Michael Chetwode taking 5 for 3 and Ed Henderson returning the remarkable figures of 8-7-1-2 (and the one was a wide).

As ever the behaviour of those taking part was exemplary. Rick Johnson won the "drink 60 shots of beer in 60 minutes" competition, but a subsequent examination revealed that his glass was two-third's the size of runner-up Henry Watkinson who managed 57 shots. Brown lost the Rawalpindi Roulette in the Curry Inn and suffered the rest of the week, while also showing that he has by far the worst arm in the club. His humiliation was completed on Sunday when he was out-thrown by a lady. Eds Copleston won the Lord Lucan award, strangely preferring the company of his new blonde girlfriend to that of a bunch of unwashed, smelly OCs. Pete Hobbs hobbled around all week as living proof that there is such a thing as a crippled twenty-something, only perking up when under-20 females were in the vicinity. All in all, a fairly typical cricket week.