1st XI
It was always going to be an interesting year for the 1s. After promotion into division 1, a change of guard with Joe Davis replacing Jonny Hewer as captain. News of regular players such as Rob Hewer, Sam Bowen and Liam Jones significantly reducing the amount they would be playing in the coming season. Saying this, the 3 signings of Owen Dawson, Josh McFaull and Cam Blackboro (thanks maldon) were excellent additions for the side. Along with Tommy Wheeler, George Davis and Jacob Slater all being picked and backed… The side was coming together nicely.
This year I knew I would be fielding the youngest 1st team in the clubs history (probably) with Tommy Hawkridge (43) consistently being the oldest player followed by James Pook (29). The rest of the squad being made up of 18-28 year olds and pretty much all coming through the Colin Davis school of cricket. Meant we were filled with talent and ready to embark on a big season ahead.
I will not be reviewing each game, as that is boring, not a good read. Instead I will be going through my top performers of the season.
Jamie Gregory:
An important player since he joined from Maldon (thanks again) last season. He leads the attack well taking crucial wickets with his pace. He also has shown he is able to bat well particularly when used as a “finisher”. However for Jamie almost 200 wides and he knows this is the burden of his season, he will chumbawumba next year for sure.
- 17 games played
- Bowling: 27 wickets at an average of 22.26. An Economy of 4.89. Best figures of 4/37
- Batting: 13 innings, 176 runs at an average of 19.56. With a high score of 45*
- Fielding: 6 catches
James Pook:
The 2nd oldest player would say he had a below-par season for his standards. Despite showing his class on 2 occasions scoring 2 quality hundreds. He struggled in the back 9 averaging 7 with the bat, very unlike James. However, his experience, character and passion for our club is crucial for the team.
- 16 games played
- Batting: 386 runs averaging 27.57. A High score of 105*. 2 hundreds
- Bowling: 10 wickets at an average of 27.80. Economy of 5.38. Best figures of 4.38
- Fielding: 8 catches
Tommy Wheeler:
TW was deservedly promoted from the 2s this season to lead our spin attack. He has bowled excellently all year often being given the ball in challenging situations when batters have been set. He has also worked hard on his fielding which has been a serious improvement from previous seasons. Tommys come on loads this year and I am pleased with the way he has handled the step up to 1s cricket, a bright future ahead…
- 16 games played
- Bowling: 18 wickets taken at an average of 30.83. Economy of 4.30. Best figures of 6/26 (on his 18th birthday!)
- Fielding: 2 catches
Joe Davis:
- 17 games played
- Batting: 735 runs at an average of 56.54. A high score of 116. 7 50s and 1 hundred.
- Bowling: 25 wickets at an average of 19.84. Economy of 4.28. Best Figures of 6/22.
- Fielding: 7 catches and 1 run out
We finished the season in 7th place. A Very respectable finish and a great building block for us next season. Our group have learned lots this year with us competing in every game we played but often not getting those tight games over the line. I believe our finishing position is not a true reflection of the talent within this group. Next season I hope for us to be pushing the top teams in the division as I believe we are more than capable of doing that. With the long term aim to return back to the prem.
I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all those who played for me this season. It was a hard fought season but one a pleasure to captain.
Looking forward to the next one.
Henge, U-Turn, Skip x
2nd XI
The Mighty 2s embarked on a mission to stay in division 4 this season, have loads of fun and enjoy our saturdays playing this cruel sport.
I'll deal with the latter first before we get onto the actual cricket. A big thank you to every single person who turned up and gave their time to the cause; ive thoroughly enjoyed my season despite the lack of a 50 and the mid season fear of going down (more on that later).
The selection policy might not be most popular thing amongst people in the club, but its meant that we were able to have a core group of players for near enough the whole season. A massive thanks to those players who made themselves available and were ever present throughout the 4 months of the summer.
Onto the cricket.
Trying to avoid this turning into war and peace i wont review every game. So heres a list of absolutely class things that happened on the field. (Chronological Order)
- Phipps opening the season with a lovely 68 away to Boreham and Roxwell, our first 50 of the season
- Issey Croft 69* in a remarkable heist chasing down 238 with 1 wicket left to get our first win of the season. (Despite abandoning us for the greener pastures of 1st team cricket)
- Vinay Vijay making his league cricket debut at 13 years old and taking a wicket.
- Beth Harvey batting 3 (nosebleed) getting 12(65) steadying the ship in a game that would prove key to us staying up
- PQ getting a 4fer in the very same game.
- Jamie Potter's first totham 50 away to boreham royals.
- George Baron taking his first 5fer since 2017.
- Sam Hume getting POTM for doing a tea in a game he didnt even play in.
- Collapsing from 46/1 to 68 All out (one to forget but you have to laugh)
- FGAs remarkable 109(97)
- Josh Chadwicks quite frankly silly, record breaking 190*(85)
- RKs first league 5fer
- Jonos 61 vs Ilford without which we wouldve been in trouble and might not have stayed up
- Jacob Day on debut in the 2s batting incredibly well to make sure we got the win over the line against ilford.
- Jacob Day also taking his first league wicket the following week (another 13 year old superstar)
- Joe Coles spell of quality fast bowling in the same game
- Jonny Hewers first EVER 50
- In the final game of the season George Barons first ever 100, a knock i dont think anyone had on their bingo card.
A lot of people came into the 2s this year with very little experience in a division as high as div 4. I just want to say a massive thank you to the following boys for carrying themselves maturely and getting involved
- Billy Boom (we will get that massive partnership one day)
- Vinay Vijay (class on debut with the ball)
- Pete Quartermaine (a hero i had to call on a few times, stepped up and exceeded expectations with the ball)
- Jacob Day (mustard with the bat, great in the field and very tidy with the ball)
The last 6 games of the season i dubbed "the great escape". We managed to get ourselves into a bit of trouble needing a few wins to keep ourselves up. Melmans 190 was the catalyst to it happening for us, beating galleywood was very much the start of digging the tunnel. Ilford away was special for me as it was my birthday, to get the win and put ourselves within touching distance of staying up was incredible and the only way it wouldve been better was if i didnt get out on 49.
I wrote earlier of individual performances in games. I'd like to take a moment to recognise some season long achievements.
FGA - 430 runs, 3 50s, 1 100, avg 35
James Murphy - 17 wickets @ 23
George Baron - 17 wickets @ 25
Ryan Kennedy - 15 wickets @ 24 ( only 2/3rds of the season in the side)
James Wheeler 14 wickets @ 30
Thats pretty much everything from me. A massive thank you again to everyone who helped out throughout the season; playing, doing teas, getting jobs sorted and being positive despite me persisting with the idea that one day we'll get a catch at leg slip.
A few people id like to thank personally for supporting me this season: My vice-captain FGA for being so helpful, supportive and basically scoring all our runs. RK for stepping in to captain the side when i was away, not easy to be positive when you drop down a side but he was a hero all season, thank you brother. Same goes for JFH, a great person to have on the field and it meant a lot to be there for his 50. Tabby as always was fantastic with the bat, a cat at gully and what a handsome man. George Baron, James Murphy and James Wheeler for being my core bowling attack and absolute heros.
A couple of non playing thank yous. Thanks to the DOC (insert parched chat here) and the Chair for their support throughout the season and backing me with selections. The partners, mums and dads for their support during games. But finally Sean Marks for being a phenomenal 12th man.
More of the same next year (providing i get voted in again): loads of fun, loads of positivity and even more success.
Forza the Tricky, Vibey Desmonds
Peace and love.
Timbo
3rd XI
This year was another rollercoaster to say the least! We had plenty of ups and downs for sure, but it was another season that will be remembered. I’d like to personally thank every single person who played a game for the 3s this year and made my Saturdays so enjoyable throughout the season. I will miss them over the winter! I will not miss the constant headaches during the week with selection, who can do tea, who can umpire, and most importantly who needs a lift!
Overall, I thought we had a successful season. The league was so closely fought and this meant there was no easy games. Securing our place in the division for next year, was in my opinion, the least we deserved. We were competitive every week and I felt that luck was often not on our side, as we lost multiple close games by fine margins.
I’d like to talk briefly here about the 3 players I nominated for player of the season.
Firstly, The chairman Kevin Mays. Although Kev only played 6 games his impact was massive. Kev finished with 299 runs with 3 50s and an average of 74.75. For me those numbers were hard to avoid. Kev was not only a run machine for us this year, but a constant positive influence on the team and I wish we saw more of him!
My second nomination is Evan Quilter. The improvement of Ev this year was huge. Consistently opening the bowler was a sign of how far he had come from last season. His pace and swing was sometimes unplayable for batters. Evan finished with 11 wickets, an economy of 5, and 8 maidens. Which in my opinion dosent tell the full story of just how well he bowled this year. He was always exciting to watch and is going to grow into a brilliant cricketer and I look forward to seeing him develop even further.
Finally, my third nomination was Sam (Shawn) Yeates. Sam was mr consistent for us this year, playing 17 out of 18 games. Sam was vital for us with both the bat and the ball. He finished with an impressive 27 wickets @ 18.7 which included best figures of 6/41. He also provided 228 runs which included a match winning 49* where he scored just under 50% of the teams runs that day! A great season for Sam.
I’d also like to personally thank some of the other regulars we’ve had this season. Ted for some important runs and regularly keeping wicket. Olly for still providing 8 brilliant overs a week and some important runs. Neil for deputising when Ted was away and producing some huge hits at the end of an innings. The pigeon for regular stability at the top of the order and taking some important catches in the field. JC for some vital early season runs and wickets, Kieren Mustoe for some of the best fielding displays I’ve ever seen, and finally Mo Shorney for brighting everyone’s day with his outlook on life.
Even if you played just 1 or 2 games for the 3s this year I thank you for your part in the season!
It has been a true pleasure to captain the side once again. The 3s really are a brilliant group of people to play with.
Enjoy your night everyone.
Clarkey/ Skip
4th XI
Firstly, I wanted to start by saying a massive thank you to everyone who has had anything to do with 4th team. Whether that’s playing, stepping in to play, collecting match balls, scoring, umpiring or even taking 4 overs to make drinks. Everybody’s help is greatly apricated. When Rob presented the idea of becoming 4th team captain to me at the start of the season, I was straight on board. The chance to play cricket while educating the youth giving them a chance to participate in adult cricket. What could go wrong?
This year has been the ‘Year of the Colts’. In total we had 12 colts play for the 4s with 10 playing their first ever adult games. The debuts of Jacob Day, James Cook, Ralph Dundas, Eliza Dundas, Izzy Roots, Leon Meadowcroft, Riley Simmance, Eli Hawes, Vinay Vijay and Luke Farrell all showing glimpses throughout the season of a really talented age groups.
This season the colts bowled a total of 309 overs for the 4th team taking 68 wickets at an average of 23.8 with a strike rate of 27. And contributing 293 runs, which I’m sure will only be going up. More importantly we averaged 5+ colts playing every game which will make a massive difference to their progression.
With not only the colts shining, but the dads also made a massive contribution to the season aswell. Paul Keogh, Karl Roots, Matt Simmance all playing games throughout the season but with 2 stand outs of John Dundas who top scored with 254 runs with 3 fifties and a top score of 83*(77). As well as John, Ben Hawes massively stood out. Having never played cricket before Ben scored 66 runs in 4 innings with a top score of 36 on debut. I want to thank to all of the parents for their hard work this season.
I want to thank all the hard work of those that contributed to the 4s including Harry Gilbert and Pete Quartermaine for captaining the team in my absence, and especially Rob Hewer, who assisted me in organising teams and fixtures across the season (when not running out children).
This year we won 6 games this year out of 12, leaving us as the most successful team on win percentage. These games included tough wins against some good opposition like Old Chelmsfordian, St Johns Billarcy, and Old Southendians. While showing our skills even during games we went on to lose.
I hope next season will be even better. With more colts coming through and the 4s in a league (fingers crossed). I hope you will all continue to support this massive step in the right direction for the club.
Up the Good Times
Humey
T20 XI
This season saw the Midweek T20 team enter the Two Counties Tuesday T20 League, coming up against stronger opposition than in previous years. With Maldon fielding their overseas and a number of first team players, Hatfield Peverel playing their full 1st team, Colchester and East Essex needing some questionable umpiring so their best player could win them the game, and Great Waltham only winning by 1 wicket. We finished the season having played 6, losing 4, winning 1, and conceding 1, finishing the season in 6th place out of 7, which I think is a better finish than it might appear to be.
This league came with a number of challenges most of us at GTCC never face, with fielding restrictions, leg side wides and free hits. Learning to play with these rules is good experience for those who hope to play first team cricket in the future. Shout out to Jim Greg, only bowled 3 wides on a Tuesday night.
We had a large number of under 18s play for the midweek team this year, all of whom played a part, notably:
- Billy Boom, averaged 47 with the bat, and scored a match winning 67* against Abberton
- George Keogh, played every game and would probably be the leading wicket taker if we could catch!
- Eliza Dundas, 4 overs 2-19 against Abberton
- Ralph Dundas, 1-29 against Abberton
- Evan Quilter, opened the bowling and troubled experience players who usual play at a high level.
I think I’d upset him if I didn’t mention this, but just in case you’re the only person Max Clarke hasn’t told, Clarkey took 6-35 including a hat-trick against Great Waltham to set up a nail biter of a finish, an incredible individual performance.
At the start of the season my aims were to not come bottom of the league (done), win my first ever game as captain (still waiting), win the toss and bat every week (75% win record),
I want to finish this write up by saying thank you to everyone who played this season and managed to not moan about my lack of ability to captain a side. I hope that you all enjoyed the season and are looking forward to some more T20s next year.
Most runs (Batting Average)
- Ryan Kennedy 120 (60)
- Joe Davis 97 (32.33)
- Billy Boom 94 (47)
- James Gregory 59 (29.5)
- George Baron 49 (24.5)
Most Wickets (Strike rate)
- Max Clarke 6 wickets (4)
- Kieren Mustoe 2 wickets (9.5)
- James Wheeler 2 wickets (10)
- Eliza Dundas 2 wickets (12)
- Issey Croft 2 wickets (15)
