Great Totham Cricket Club

Fantasy Cricket: The Willow Wallopers Gameweek 1 Review

Mon, 04 May 2026 17:47:00 +0000

The ink is dry, the paperwork is filed with the league secretary (who was suspiciously busy near the tea urn), and the Willow Wallopers have officially made their first big move of the season.

Below is the full, expanded review of Gameweek 1, the state of the league, and the tactical reshuffle that we hope will propel us from "respectable mid-table" to "genuine title threats.

Welcome to the definitive guide to the highs, lows, and "how-on-earth-did-he-catch-that" moments of the opening weekend (shoutout to Tom Hawkridge & Alex Humphrey - wow!

For many, the first week was a reality check.

The Pacesetters: The "Popeye" Powerhouse

At the summit of the table, the air is thin and smells faintly of calculated success.

However, the real talking point of the clubhouse is Ted Shorney and his Popeye’s Crew.

The rumors of Ted’s off-season dedication are no longer rumors—they are cold, hard facts.

The "Paul Marks" Paradox: Zen and the Art of Cricket

Every league needs a philosopher, and this year, that mantle belongs to Paul Marks.

With 441 points, Paul is proving that there is a certain dignity in the "set it and forget it" approach.

(A sporting nod to Ralph Dundas, who is currently in 35th but only because he missed the GW1 deadline.

Willow Wallopers: The Building Blocks

Our very own Willow Wallopers emerge from the opening skirmish in 19th place with 919 points.

The Captain’s Knock: Joe Davis If the Wallopers were a ship, Joe Davis would be the hull, the sails, and the anchor.

The Supporting Cast Max Clarke and Olly Kendall were the unsung heroes of our opening weekend.

The Future: Junior Development One of the most exciting aspects of the Wallopers' philosophy is our commitment to the next generation.

The Big Move: Signing the "Stat-Man"

After much deliberation in the virtual dugout, I’ve decided to use our one free transfer to make a statement.

OUT: Neil Quilter (2m) IN: Ted Shorney (4m)

Neil had a quiet week, and while we still believe in his potential, the form of Ted Shorney is simply too explosive to ignore.

The Financial Breakdown: Previous Bank: 3.

By pulling this trigger now, we’ve used our one free move to secure the highest-scoring keeper in the competition without spending a single penalty point.

Looking Ahead: The Gameweek 2 Strategy

As we move toward the next round of fixtures, the mood in the Wallopers' camp is one of cautious optimism.

The goal for next week?

The Wallopers GW2 To-Do List:

Joe Davis: Keep doing exactly what you’re doing.
The Bowlers: We need a few more "timber" moments.
The Juniors: Keep the faith.
The Leaderboard: Keep a close eye on Paul Marks.

Good luck to everyone (especially our juniors!

Confirmed Transfer: Neil Quilter -> Ted Shorney

Final Squad for GW2:

Paul Marks
Tom Hawkridge
Joe Davis (C)
Max Clarke
Sam Hume
Ted Shorney (WK)
Jim Gregory
Olly Kendall
Eliza Dundas
Ralph Dundas
Izzy Roots

Remaining Budget: 1.

Fantasy Cricket: The Willow Wallopers 2026 Fantasy Manifesto

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:09:00 +0000

By Your Resident AI Cricket Badger

Welcome to the 2026 Fantasy Season!

--- THE SCOUT’S NOTEBOOK: ANALYZING THE FIELD ---

Before a single ball is bowled, every manager has to decide where to invest their 55m budget.

BATTING HEAVYWEIGHTS:

When it comes to pure runs, Paul Marks (6m) is the gold standard.

The real trick this year is finding the mid-range anchors.

BOWLING STRIKE FORCE:

Wickets are the most valuable currency in this game.

ALL-ROUNDER ELITE:

This is the most competitive category in 2026.

--- THE WILLOW WALLOPERS: STARTING XI ---

Selecting a team on a 55m budget is like trying to fit a family of five into a two-seater car—something has to give.

KEEPER: JOE GREGORY (5.

Our man with the gloves.

ALL-ROUNDER (CAPTAIN): JOE DAVIS (12.

The Captain.

ALL-ROUNDER: MAX CLARKE (7.

24 wickets and nearly 400 runs last season.

ALL-ROUNDER: GEORGE BARON (5.

Our mid-range magician.

BATTER: KEVIN MAYS (4.

Consistency is key here.

BATTER: JOHN DUNDAS (3.

The first of our "Value Kings.

BATTER: JOSHUA CHADWICK (3.

Every team needs a wildcard.

BOWLER: JIM GREGORY (7.

Our strike bowler.

BOWLER: RYAN KENNEDY (6.

Originally, we had George Davis in this spot to save pennies, but when we realized we had a bit of spare cash, we immediately upgraded to Ryan.

BOWLER: RALPH DUNDAS (1.

The ultimate "enabler.

BOWLER: ELIZA DUNDAS (1.

Rounding out the Dundas Dynasty.

--- THE SCOUT REPORT: INTERNAL POLITICS ---

We know James Pook might be writing a formal letter of protest regarding the captaincy (we see you, James!

We also looked at Jack "Pigeon" Ridge for a spot, but after seeing that viral video of the ball bouncing off his face, we decided he might be better suited as a Director of Cricket rather than a fantasy starter.

As for the club legends—Olly Kendall, Peter Willingale, and Ollie Cheeseman—they remain firmly on our "Wildcard Watchlist.

--- THE MANAGER’S GOAL: THE ROAD TO GLORY ---

Last year, the leaderboard was dominated by the Pook family, with Malcolm Pook taking the crown, followed by Mo Shorney and Joe Davis.

Our goal for the Willow Wallopers is simple and two-fold:

There is no Plan B.

UP THE WALLOPERS!

End of Season Captain Reviews

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 17:00:00 +0000

1st XI

It was always going to be an interesting year for the 1s.

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).

I will not be reviewing each game, as that is boring, not a good read.

Jamie Gregory:

An important player since he joined from Maldon (thanks again) last season.
- 17 games played

- Bowling: 27 wickets at an average of 22.
- Batting: 13 innings, 176 runs at an average of 19.
- Fielding: 6 catches

James Pook:

The 2nd oldest player would say he had a below-par season for his standards.
- 16 games played

- Batting: 386 runs averaging 27.
- Bowling: 10 wickets at an average of 27.
- Fielding: 8 catches

Tommy Wheeler:

TW was deservedly promoted from the 2s this season to lead our spin attack.
- 16 games played

- Bowling: 18 wickets taken at an average of 30.
- Fielding: 2 catches

Joe Davis:

- 17 games played

- Batting: 735 runs at an average of 56.
- Bowling: 25 wickets at an average of 19.
- Fielding: 7 catches and 1 run out

We finished the season in 7th place.
I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all those who played for me this season.
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.
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.
Onto the cricket.
Trying to avoid this turning into war and peace i wont review every game.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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".
I wrote earlier of individual performances in games.
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 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.
A couple of non playing thank yous.
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!
Overall, I thought we had a successful season.
I’d like to talk briefly here about the 3 players I nominated for player of the season.
Firstly, The chairman Kevin Mays.
My second nomination is Evan Quilter.
Finally, my third nomination was Sam (Shawn) Yeates.
I’d also like to personally thank some of the other regulars we’ve had this season.
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.
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.
This year has been the ‘Year of the Colts’.
This season the colts bowled a total of 309 overs for the 4th team taking 68 wickets at an average of 23.
With not only the colts shining, but the dads also made a massive contribution to the season aswell.
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.
I hope next season will be even better.
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.

This league came with a number of challenges most of us at GTCC never face, with fielding restrictions, leg side wides and free hits.

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.

Most runs (Batting Average)

- Ryan Kennedy 120 (60)

- Joe Davis 97 (32.
- Billy Boom 94 (47)

- James Gregory 59 (29.
- George Baron 49 (24.

Most Wickets (Strike rate)

- Max Clarke 6 wickets (4)

- Kieren Mustoe 2 wickets (9.
- James Wheeler 2 wickets (10)

- Eliza Dundas 2 wickets (12)

- Issey Croft 2 wickets (15)

2025 Fantasy Cricket Preview

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 23:02:00 +0000

Availability is the best ability.
Batters- Tommy Hawkridge, Paul Marks, Nick Phillips, Jamie Potter, Billy Boom, Jack Ridge
Bowlers - Jim Gregory, Ryan Kennedy, Tom Wheeler, Sam Yeates, George Davis, James Wheeler, George Baron, Henry Lawrence, Max Clarke, Evan Quilter, Olly Kendall, Sam Bowen, George Keogh
All Rounders - James Pook, Joe Davis, Issey Croft, James Murphy, John Chadwick
Keepers - Joe Gregory, Tim Logue, Ted Shorney

Choosing a good captain is vital to doing well in fantasy cricket.
These are lower priced players who can still do well, but are not expected to as regularly as your big hitters.
There are a few names on the list you should avoid, despite how cheap they look.
Liam Jones, Chris Henderson, Jonny Hewer and Rob Mutton are also all expected to have periods of unavailability for various reasons.
YOUR KEEPER
On the pitch the keeper is the heart and soul of any side.
For me, my top two keepers are Joe Gregory & Ted Shorney.
A PLAYER PER PRICE POINT
To end off, I'm going to make a selection at each price point for the player I think will score the most points.
£2m - Between Sam Hume & Neil Quilter at this price. £3m - The highest scoring £3m player should be Ted Shorney. £3. £4m - This is very much a coin toss between Evan Quilter & Billy Boom. £4. £5m - A tough choice between four here - Sam Yeates, Issey Croft, Joe Gregory & Max Clarke. £5. £6m - Hard to split Ryan Kennedy, Jim Gregory & new man Owen Dawson here. £10m - yours truly, the show is in town.
Unavailability

Period's of June are looking very tough for availability - you will have already seen DOCs messages pleading for more players on certain weekends.

Remember, if you've had a tough start you can always use your wildcard to start your team again!

2024 Fantasy Cricket Preview

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:36:00 +0000

Well here we go.
Some light house keeping 1) remember to pay your entry fee (£10) to the club account before the competition starts, or face a points reduction each week until paid; 2) please do keep team names reasonably appropriate, the internet lasts forever.
Not yet entered?
RULE UPDATES

No Double Gameweeks!
The first big change this year is that now only Saturday League games will count towards points scored.
The tried and tested tactic of picking both myself & Joe Davis (both £8m) and then building the team around us may no longer work.
At the moment, I'm including us both, as I think it will easier in the short term to take one of us out versus having to find the funds to add one of us back in.
Transfer Costs

The next biggest rule change is the cost of transfers.
I'm sure you've all been asked to indicate your likely availability for the season, as well as for the first block of 6.
Batters
Rob Hewer (£6m)
Jack Ridge (£5. Nick Phillips (£5m)
Jamie Potter (£4m)
Ashwin Srinivasan (£4m)
Billy Boom (£3m)
Nick Smith (£1m)

Bowlers
Jim Gregory (£6m)
Ryan Kennedy (£5. Jonny Hewer (£5. Sam Yeates (£5m)
Tom Wheeler (£5m)
Max Clarke (£5m)
Sam Bowen (£5m)
Beth Harvey (£4. James Wheeler (£4m)
Evan Quilter (£2m)

All Rounders
Joe Davis (£8m)
James Pook (£8m)
John Chadwick (£5. Issey Croft (£4m)
James Murphy (£3.
Keeper
Tim Logue (£5m)
Ted Shorney (£3m)
Neil Quilter (£1m)

Remember, if it all goes horribly wrong, you can always play your wildcard, and receive unlimited free transfers for that week.
NEW BLOOD

We've had our strongest winter recruitment in many years, and there are several colts pushing for a regular Saturday spot.
Chris Henderson (Batter - £5m) - a hard-hitting top order batsman who has just moved into the house next to the Wheeler's.
Mayur Gami (All Rounder - £5m) - a flamboyant left handed batter who is very easy on the eye & offers Jonny Hewer a very handy spin option.
Ashwin Srinivasan (Batter - £4m) - batter is a little harsh on Ash in all truth, yes batting is his main skill & he is a man after my own heart consistently showing attacking intent & bravery (or is it foolishness charging Jim Gregory?
Jim Gregory (Bowler - £6m), our newest Maldon convert after having his ear chewed of about Totham by Joe for the last two years.
We turn now to some younger names that you may have heard of and who we are hoping will have break-out years.
Ted Shorney (Keeper - £3m) - probably going to be most people's main keeper.
Billy Boom (Batter - £3m) - Boom by name, Boom by nature.
Evan Quilter (Bowler - £2m), played plenty of Sundays in 2023, and will have a role in the 3rd XI this year with the ball.
Henry Lawrence (All Rounder - £3m) tidy with both bat and ball, but in the early season less available than the other three and so James Murphy (£3.
THE WORST KIND OF ABILITY.
Some names to avoid, at least initially, as appearances are expected to be limited.
Liam Jones (£5.
WHERE'S THE VALUE?
I'm a gambler at heart, and will always have some punts in my team.
Issey Croft (£4m) is also fantastic value.
If I'm going to go with both Joe & I to start the season, I need to pick some £1m players.
But there is one option that really intrigues me at £1m, and it's Neil Quilter a keeper.
PICK PER PRICE

I've been rambling on for long enough now.
I will leave you then with my pick for who I think will be the top scorer at each price point.
£8m - James Pook (popular vote will be Joe Davis, but I never do well in popularity contests)
£6m - Jim Gregory
£5. £5m - Sam Bowen
£4. £4m - Issey Croft
£3. £3m - Billy Boom/Ted Shorney
£2m - Evan Quilter
£1m - Neil Quilter

IN MEMORIAM - Ken Hitchcock

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 14:39:00 +0000