Full name Martin Scott Williamson Born Stamford Brook, April 22, 1962 Nickname Mogodon, Willers Batting style Right-hand middle-order Bowling style Right-arm nospin Height 5 ft 11 in Clubs Merrow, Surrey Cryptics School XI NA OC Career 1980 to date
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
HS
Runs
Ave
50
100
Ct
St
206
137
53
73
2038
24.62
6
0
50
0
Bowling averages
Overs
Mdns
Runs
Wkts
Ave
Best
5WI
SR
Econ
396.2
45
1745
62
28.15
4-31
0
38.4
4.8
Notes
Hall of Fame 2005
Major Tours: Antigua 1997, Sri Lanka 1999, Kenya 2001, Australia 2003, India 2007, South Africa 2009
Minor Tours: Florida 1999, 2000, 2001
Hon Secretary 1983 to 2007
Hon Treasurer 1983 to 2007
Profile
It is doubtful whether, in 1980, the ideal recruit for a club trying to take its cricket more seriously was a podgy schoolboy 2nd XI player blessed with a genuine love of cricket but lacking the aptitude to match. When Peter Shelley passed the captaincy of OCCC to David Bugge and there was little space in the sides for mediocre performers, Martin Williamson's career may have foundered, and the club would be poorer for that now as a result.
A successful club needs more than players so the young Williamson became Secretary and Treasurer at the age of 21 and appointed himself club photographer and archivist. The club records today are a Herculean achievement resulting from many hours of research throughout the 1980s and a determination to make a contribution many felt was unlikely to be seen on the field. Ever present with camera and kit in the back of his car, many of Williamson's early appearances were down to a late cry-off from a fancier Dan.
He worked on his game at Merrow CC and in 1986 scored his first OC fifty in his 56th game, only to score his second fifty in his 57th game. A star was not born, but the now slimmer, more confident Williamson grew as a player to be an integral part of the Wilkie era when there was less star quality about the teams. Approaching his 30th birthday he took up bowling gentle dobbers and is now a regular change bowler when the match situation suits. Wicketkeeping has not passed him by either, though a reluctance to take 'bad' deliveries or throws hardly endeared him to bowlers and fielders.
Now past 40, we have seen the best but not the last of Williamson. He regularly cedes his position in the batting order, if not the team, to a promising youngster but he remains the backbone of the OCCC. Martin's organisation of tours since 1997 and Cricket Weeks since the early 1980s has been superb. As Treasurer he has worked the miracle of keeping the Club solvent inspite of investments in Railtrack and British Energy.
It is also worth recording that he quietly played almost 200 matches, scored over 2000 runs and taken 50+ wickets while he was running the club. A tough act to follow. Richard Seeckts