Captains Day 5 Sept 2004 Glaxo

Our Roll of Honour 2004 (Prizes presented by the lovely Fiona, better half of our ageing fastie Steve-O)

Andy Rayner Player of the Year 2004 8 wickets at 23 a wicket, high score this of 92 and 277 runs this year! Player of the year last year, can he make it 3 in row?	In 2005 we will have 3 VCs Clarkster, Rayner and Mike Ellis – so congrats to the Ginger Man
Matt Swindells Best Batting 2004 222 runs, averaging 37. He has the places 3,4,5,6 and 9 in the seasons top scores! His fielding leaves a little to be desired though as he dropped a dolly off Fletch at Oxford.	Dominic Spillane Players Award 2004 Dominic has been a loyal member of the team for 5 years, playing in 56 games scoring 850 runs at an average of nearly 17. This year, although not vintage he got 129 runs, averaging 14. Prone to being caught - Out method percentages:b:11.1% / c:66.7% / lbw:11.1% / ro:11.1% As Dominic would say if I was going to get any better I would have done by now
Christy Kulasingam Bowling Excellence 2004 Chris has only taken 4 wickets at an average of 4.4 an over but he has kept us in the game in many matches.	Mike Ellis Bowling Excellence 2004 Not such a good year with the bat, but has taken 18 wickets and has the teams best economy rate of just over 4 an over and has bowled the most maidens too – 9 this year.
	Jehan DeSilva Captains Award 2004 112 runs, averaging 22.4 although he started as Quicksilver he seems to have slowed a little, but anyhow his bowling has been great taking 7 wickets and catching more than he dropped!   Lurpak award With only 4 catches from 13 tries, Andy Rayner is a winner. Although Ollie 3 drops from 3, Matt 1 catch from 4 and Ginger 2 from 7 ran close. Best fielder no doubt, Fletch with 8 catches out of 11
Warrick Cumming Best New Player 2004 Average of 14 runs a game, but put in a special bowling performance – bowling 222 balls at less than a run a ball and including 6 maidens. It’s probably going to take some time to get used to the English conditions. A promising talent!

Report

Captains Day dawned hot and sunny. After the prize giving the Captains tossed and Ginger won, electing to bat. The scenario: 20 overs then 15. Teams must have the batting order reversed between innings and retire on 30 (although the head of the Hordes seemed not to hear that rule..) But I digress

Adopting differing tactics vis a vis batting order, the Barmy Army opened with two big hitters who rapidly took the score to 50 for none, thus paving the way for the typical middle order collapse. In fact if it hadn#t been for the surprise appearance of our expatriate member Andy #Supersize me# Bush who stopped his cab en route to Heathrow to hit a rapid 29 the Barmy Army would have been in a poor position.

The Hordes then took the field and had an early order collapse (or was this a strategy?) and twas only a manful innings by their Captain plus a little tail wagging that saw he scores level at tea.

And so back out and the Gingers middle order made up for the first innings and rocketed away. Thus it was that the Hordes needed 91 off 15. They started very slowly and although the Rhodesian Love Machine plodded steadily on (until he was carried off) it was only the reappearance of the Captain again that put them back into contention. And thus it all came the final over with the German boys needing 3 to draw and 4 to win. And Rog bowled a dot ball, they hit a 2, then rog rolled down 4 more dots. And on the last ball Stu needed to hit 1 to draw, 2 to win. And he swung mightily and connected and got it. 

The winners: the Hordes in a classic last ball thrilla, the like of which we have not seen for many years. As its Captains day the scores don#t count in the book, so we were all free to try a little something different (and I don't mean getting a duck). Cream of the bowling, New Dom with an inspired spell, cream of the batting, the German who basically won it on his own, cream of the fielding, well all of us for just turning up.

Gingers Barmy Army First Innings

The German Hordes First Innings

Gingers Barmy Army Second Innings

The German Hordes Second Innings