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Martin Williamson

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
Personal Details

Full name Martin Scott Williamson
Born Hammersmith, April 22, 1962
Height 5ft 11ins
Nickname Mogodon, Jim Robinson
Batting right-hand middle-order
Bowling right-arm offspin
Clubs Merrow, Surrey Cryptics
OC Career 1980 to date
School 1st XI NA
Tours Antigua 1997, Sri Lanka 1999, Kenya 2001, Australia 2003, Florida 1999, 2000, 2001

Career Statistics

Batting
M I No HS Runs Av 50 100 C St
198 134 51 73 2017 24.30 6 0 50 0

Bowling
O M R W Av BB 5WI SR ER
369.0 45 1587 59 26.90 4-31 0 37.5 4.3

© OCCC 2002