A stunning memorial

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Although the official opening of the renovated Jubilee pavilion is not until OC Day on June 14, it is already in use, and on May 22 a small dinner was given by the school to those who were involved in the rebuilding.

Suffice to say that the interior is stunning, and for the first time we have a genuine cricket pavilion, right down to honours boards listing all school and OC cricket achievements back to 1866. The most stunning feature is the glass-fronted balcony.

Guy Waller gave a short speech on behalf of the school, to which David Bugge, as OCCC president, replied. John McDermott then gave a more lengthy but , as ever, entertaining speech which covered subjects ranging from the driving skills of the headmaster's wife to smoking in the pavilion during the 1950s.

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.

Sarasota 2007 - Sharks, golf and some dreadful cricket

Rob Merry reports on the second tour of the year, a return to the USA
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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!

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.

Mac on the mend

We are pleased to report that John McDermott is making good progress after hip replacement surgery on January 8. The operation went well and Mac is recuperating at home and doesn't expect to be out and about for several weeks.

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).

Australia tour gets the green light

After several weeks of uncertainty, Johnson Williamson Package Holidays are pleased to confirm that their fourth bi-annual jaunt, the tour to Australia in January 2003, is on.

A number of high-profile cry-offs had left the trip in doubt, but an equal number of cry-ons has redressed the balance and the planning is now going ahead. The flights and hotels have been booked and all the match/restaurant/transport arrangements have been made.

The trip will leave late on Thursday, January 16 (those who have jobs will be able to put in a full day at the office) and will return in the early hours of Monday, February 3 (those with jobs and the metabolism of an ox will be able to go straight to work), so you will need to take no more than 11 days our of your annual holiday. This leaves even the most unfortunate of you with nine days remaining (of which five will be the cricket week, obviously).

We are playing five matches, the highlight being a match at the Don Bradman memorial ground at Bowral (also the home of the Bradman Museum). The cost includes a three-day trip to the Hunter Valley (quite whether they are prepared for Wongy is another matter), six days at the beach (including flights to and from) and all accomodation, and transport to matches.

The cost of the trip is £1800 (given that flights have already been booked this might be slightly more for latecomers depending on flight availability, but ask and we'll see what we can do). Further good news is that Rick has agreed (extremely reluctantly) that he will not go overboard on clothing and he has ditched his plans for Armani blazers.

We need at least £600 now (to cover deposits) and the balance in the coming months but by late November at the latest. Last one to pay sits next to McDermott on the plane ... and it's a 21-hour flight remember.


Draft Itinerary

Thursday January 16
Leave UK on BA 015 at 22:30

Friday January 17
Indoor Match vs. Singapore baggage handlers at Changi Terminal 1

Saturday January 18
06:30 Arrive Sydney, Australia “The Land of Milk and Honey”

Sunday January 19
Game 1 v Newington College (similar school to Cranleigh). Official dinner for OC expats. Hosted by Bob Dwyer.

Monday January 20
Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb / Free day

Tuesday January 21
Game 2 v TBA .

Wednesday January 22
Game 3 v Bradman Memorial Ground, Bowral.

Thursday January 23
Free Day / One day final Eng v Aust at SCG Day/Night

Friday January 24
Hunter Valley, home of Australian wine – Afternoon private wine tasting sessions at various vineyards– possible end of tour! Stay Hunter Valley.

Saturday January 25
Match 4 vs. Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Vineyard XI

Sunday January 26
Golf morning + more wine tasting. Afternoon return to Sydney for flight to Whitsunday Islands (Tropical paradise on the Barrier Reef)

Monday January 27
Beach

Tuesday January 28
Beach

Wednesday January 29
Game 5 v TBC / Beach

Thursday January 30
Beach

Friday January 31
Beach

Saturday February 1
Game 6 v TBC. Return to Syndey for end of tour dinner. Stay at Park Hyatt with views over the Harbour

Sunday February 2
Depart Sydney 16:00

Monday February 3
Arrive UK 0600

Who's going (so far) Steve Bailey, Mike Chase, Michael Chetwode, Eds Copleston, Tim Evans, Pete Hobbs, Freddie Hood, Tom Hufton, Rick Johnson and the long-suffering Melissa, John McDermott, Nick Read, Nathan Ross, Henry Watkinson (TBC), Martin Williamson, Andy/Liz Wright.

Bailey gets a second chance

Steve Bailey was unanimously re-elected as captain at the AGM of the club on January 28.

Bailey, whose first year at the helm was dogged by unavailability and bad weather, said that he was honoured to be given a chance to sort out the mess he had created. "I appreciate that one or two things went slightly wrong," he told the packed audience at the Cross Keys in Chelsea, "but it wasn't that bad … was it?" You could have heard a pin drop. Bailey promised to try and get at least seven players for all games.

Rick Johnson put forward a determined presentation about his plans for the tour to Australia in January 2003 and, despite some reservations from the members, was given until the end of February to come up with a detailed itinerary and list of potential tourists. The need to involve the youngster was stressed.

Herculean efforts by the Fixtures Secretary, Simon Copleston, meant that again we would have an eight-day cricket week to commemorate the return of the Jubilee pavilion as a home for OC cricket. Rick agreed to co-ordinate the organisation and the inevitable hog roast. Simon added that we had no new fixtures (aside from a game against a Sam Watkinson XI) but that we had agreed with the Old Georgians and Old Tonbridgians that we would play them on a home and away basis in alternate years, thus ensuring that we always had seven home matches during the week. He concluded by announcing that we had a home match against Old Johnians in the first round of the Brewers Cup.

Martin Williamson announced the club had made a substantial loss in 2001, caused largely by the lack of players in matches (it was hard to charge people picked up at a Guildford bus stop half-an-hour before the start of a game a match fee), bad weather and poor collection techniques (Bailey blamed Johnson, Johnson blamed Bailey etc). A number of remedies would be implemented in 2002.

John McDermott announced that he had agreed to stay on another two seasons as club president in order to ensure that 'Bailey didn't destroy the whole ****ing shooting match'.

Style gurus lose their way Stateside

The fourth trip to Florida was our least successful on the pitch but probably the most enjoyable off it.

After the human cost of last year's eight-day tour, this year's strategy was to arrive late - so late that our first match took place 13 hours after our arrival in Florida (and about eight hours after we finally extracted ourselves from the Alamo Car Rental office in Tampa). It was little surprise that we lost to a Sarasota side we should have comfortably beaten. We had woken (sobered) up by the time of our second match in the afternoon and comfortably beat. The salubrious Denny's Restaurant hosted a 'Schooldays' dinner at which we enhanced our reputation as a side who cared more about enjoyment that winning.

The squad against the picturesque backdrop of the Holiday Inn
On Friday we faced the eventual winners Ashurst Crusaders, a side which contained Mike Gatting and Ashley Cowan among others. Gatt found the OC attack of Johnson and Trevett to his liking (in a throwback to his days as captain, Chetwode hid until Gatt was well out of sight) and chasing 69 we were well beaten.

Our final match was a formality in that we were already eliminated, but it still had spice as it was against our old rivals Houston Memorial, previous winners and a side who had never beaten us. Houston batted first and set a target of 69, a tough score in the five-over format. Although we lost pinch-hitter Chetwode for 0, Nathan Ross, Rick Johnson and Pete Hobbs, aided by a plethora of wides, saw us home with eight balls to spare.

So we ended with a 2-2 record. In fairness we were probably one of the best four sides in the tournament but suffered from late nights and being in a tough group.

Nathan 'Random' Ross was the pick of the batsmen, and one of the best in the whole competition - at last a ringer who can ring - and he retired in each of his four innings.

Off the field Random also displayed an un-OC habit of talking to girls and not have them walk away within seconds. Hobbs arrived with a massive reputation as a stud, was blown away by some silly drinking on the first night and only recovered as the tour ended. Tom Trevett, king puller in Kenya, enhanced his reputation further with some smooth action in Sarasota.

But the undoubted success of the tour was not one of these, but the striped blazer. Ridiculed at Gatwick, it was idolised by Americans and attracted comment (and women) wherever it went. It proved the best ice-breaker known to man, and was only undermined by the inability of most of the wearers to follow-up these openings. Safe to say it looked far better on the ladies at Cheetah's and various waitresses than it did on any of the OCs.

Tour party Steve Bailey (capt), Michael Chetwode, Rick Johnson, Tom Trevett, Pete Hobbs, Martin Williamson, Nathan Ross, Will Bond, John McDermott, Sylvia McDermott, Andy Wright, Liz Wright.

Controversy mars Griffin Cup win

The Old Cranleighans retained the Griffin Cup at Esher on Sunday amongst scenes of controversy during the final at New Road. The returning champions had coasted into the decider with two comfortable victories over Sarasota and Esher II thanks to good all-round team performances.

The OCs were then asked to bat first in the final by the home team. Some clean hitting by James "Slim" Willoughby, some cultured strokeplay by Steve Bailey and useful contributions from Chetwode, Pile and Bond saw the OCs set Esher a daunting target of 77 to win off their five overs. That target didn't look quite so clever by the time the Esher no.3 had reached his mandatory retirement (20) off six balls. A steady stream of falling wickets meant that he could return mid-way through the fourth over, all other players having batted, with the target now 23 off 14 balls.

With 10 balls remaining, and the target now 13, Bailey, the sophisticated OC skipper, took a sharp caught and bowled after having deceived the batsman with his well flighted mystery ball (so called because it is a mystery where, or indeed if, it will land). The victorious OC team were leaving the field to celebrate when, for the second time in as many years, the Laws of game (note they are called Laws rather than guidelines or rules) were subject to reinterpretation by some of the members of Esher CC. In 2000, an attempt was made to introduce a new law whereby the team scoring fewer runs could be declared the winner. This time around, the patently silly "not out batsman bats on" idea was borrowed from under 9 cricket in a wacky races type attempt to alter the outcome of the contest. Common sense eventually prevailed with the Esher not out bat honourably tying the game.

"It's one more piece of silverware for the club," the victorious captain replied when asked for comments after lifting the cup for the third time in as many years of asking, an achievement even beyond the reach of the Brazilian football team. When asked if the third victory meant the Old Cranleighan Club got to keep the trophy, the eloquent Esher Chaiman, John McDermott, was heard to reply, "b*****ks."

Bailey refused to be drawn on rumours that he was struggling to fill sides for the cricket week which starts on Sunday, July 15th. "We have full sides on all days bar eight," he said, adding that he was sure several others, who he refused to identify, would 'cry on' in the coming few days. When asked whether the fact he managed to get on five OCs to the Esher Sixes he claimed that he "thought it was a five-a-side".

"How the hell was I supposed to know I needed six players?"