View from the Edge 2008

So with the kit removed from the cupboard under the stairs or garage(Remember Ant!!, dusted down with maybe a smidgen of Fabreeze or even a newly revealed shirt or sweater thrown into the ever expanding travelling box, we find ourselves on the threshold of yet another season of leather on willow. It is always an uplifting sight in viewing the springlike rise of flowers and greenery alike, the trees sprouting their leaves and the sight of Mal dancing up and down the old field on the only piece of motorised transport he has ever done so.
This year is no different other than that it has to be said how fantastic the ground is looking once again! Grateful thanks to all our groundstaff for this and providing such a wonderful platform to play out our recreational summer activity.
This year should see the trees over on the Goldsmith Avenue end expanding even more and creating an ever better vista as we look over the field. Rob Coleman has created a superb backdrop over the years and one which has crept up on most but now realising its potential. How would our old Stalwart George Pankhurst or Ken Simcox have loved to be around enjoying the fruits of such labour. Seated, routed to an old bench and remembering old friends and collegues who have served us so proudly is a great pastime throughout the summer months and doubtless, 'Critic's corner will once again be loaded with advice and anicdotes.
Throughout the closed season the trophies have been handed out and the positions of office taken. Through no real fault of his own, the elected Club Captain, Tim Marrion has unfortunately had to relinquish the position through having to move once again with his job and we thank him enormously for the runs, dedication and class he showed in the summer of 2007. However, we have a new man at the helm and evryone seems confident he will move the club forward. All the very best the Jamie, lets hope he has continued support and success.
We now run four sides; all within the league structure and it is an indictment to our continuing forward thinking and strength of our social nature that we can call on at least 44 players every Saturday.The youth section is flourishing and will gather momentum at great pace as we become more equipped with in house players and members who have taken the coaching courses on offer.There are a number of excellent prospects within the youth section and all should be encouraged to grow into the team ethic as they move up to Club cricket level.
One of the most promising aspects of recent weeks has been the commitment and involvement of our local neighbours, Racing Club and Warwick District Council in the shape of Jim Wright and Rose Winship who have put countless amounts of enthusiasm and backing into us being able to one day have our own 'second pitch' on The Racecourse. Discussions have proved to be very positive and with all parties working towards the final goal things are looking bright. More details will follow in due course but grateful thanks should be extended to both of the above for their unstinting help with the venture> how great will it be to be able to send out two home teams within touching distance of each other in the years ahead?
On the playing front we still have lots of talent in the ranks and so good to see Neil Turners name on this weeks teamsheet also. A superb servant over the last few years who deserves a chance to prove how good he really is. Also great to enlist the services of a new generation of 'Parish' in the form of Jack who has started so brightly. The name itself conjurs enough devilment and one can only guess as to what form it might take over the coming weeks. One thing is for sure, Jack is a fantastic aquisition and will be of great help to the team.
In closing, best wishes to everyone for the forthcoming weks and months. May you enjoy a better summer in every respect than last year and enjoy the game for what it is. Go out there and make yourself, your family and your club proud of you.

Beautiful May

Unlike last seasons wet start, May is proving to be a gorgeous month thus far and very much like the present weather, the club is looking healthy after the first couple of rounds of Saturday league action and the first Sunday league action.
It would be too easy to say we were fortunate to see out a meagre total of only 97' in the 1st team clash at Hampton Rd but in context it doesn't matter whether you are chasing 250 or 100 as long as you bring the bacon home. The experience of the middle order is where we struggled at times last season and this time around it is without doubt, the reason we have prevailed in the first two games. Great start and one which should take us on to much better things as the season progresses.
The 2nd X1 faired much better this weekend after the surprise reverse of the previous one and will without doubt form a considerable challenge again.
Excellent results too for the 3rds and 4ths in their friendly and league encounters and particular congratulations to Dave Mathews who has worked so hard to attain that first elusive Ton.
Praise indeed to Danny and Ross for their own Sunday efforts in matching each other. Three centurians in one weekend is a fantastic effort.

Man for all seasons.

What a wonderful start to the season PJ is enjoying. An altogether unsung hero over the years has been Paul and the rewards being taken at the moment are from no little hard work.
Always available and one of the few who held a club together who were going through some tough transitional times it is no more than he deserves.
Witnessing yesterdays game at Sheldon Marlborough the weather, as so often does, makes for a difficult day on a cricket field. Sheldon and Warwick are no shirkers though and both play the game in the spirit it is intended - tough on the field of play and sociable off it. Sheldon is one of the few grounds one can look forward to attending also. It is a proper cricket club with a young playing base who are capable on their day of hammering anyone. Impetuous youth will eventually give way to wisdom as they learn their trade but the roots of a very good side are in evidence.
That said,we have a youthful side ourselves save a few heads of infinite wisdom and the team ethic under the excellent leadership of Jamie Coleman is flourishing. There is no bickering; no damning and plenty of cheer in this team and plenty is possible this season.
The epitomy of it though is PJ who gives his heart and soul to the cause every week and is leading from the front and enjoying such a fantastic purple patch.
The balance of he side is good; there are good players in depth and the new players in Jack and Sam who we have gained this season seem to fit in very nicely.
It was also good to see Smithy and Simon playing such fine knocks.
The weather could easily have frustrated the two teams yesterday but the summer is short compared to our off season and they served up a fine contest.
We can look forward to some good cricket this season, particularly if the sun shines!

Unsung Hero

A hearty round of congratulations to all who contributed to a full house of Sat.triumphs last weekend 24th May.
There are some excellent stats to back up the victories, notably, Jim's five wickets in the 1st X1, PJ's continued form, the solid platform created by Tim and Steven and Ross's quickfire salvo with Adie in bringing the team home.
The 2nd X1back on track through Danny and Matt H's fantastic knocks and tremendous allround performances through the 3rds and 4ths. The 4ths, under Sir Tony are a revelation and testimony to our thriving membership but I would ask all to consider and even applaud the work done by Gareth Davies who is there pitching in every week when he's not wobbling between bars in the market place(it was funny Gareth!!)and puts so much of his time into carrying out one of the more thankless tasks in club cricket. His book keeping is excellent and next time you see him, buy him a beer or two.It is a valuable thing is having a good scorer!!!

Please accept my view from the edge so far this year.



Having taken over the reigns of the Sunday 2nd's from Adie i really didn't know how it was going to go this year. Thankfully 4 wins arbiet 2 friendlys have been a god send, but ultimately its the guys that i have had playing with me thats made the results a pleasure.



With so many promising youngsters and enthusiastic guys playing on a Sunday its been great to see these guys actually doing well. With the old heads of Blue who is actually having by anybody's standards a great start to the season and Sticky Dellow its helping me with guiding these youngsters.



Notable performers this year for me are obviously Ross, who hopefully will get what he deserves is a shot at county cricket, Jamie who is taking skippering the 1's like a duck to water, lets hope it continues and sucess is forthcoming. PJ back in the wickets and overtaking Hammer for a change in the wickets chase.



From my perspective in the 2's on a Saturday, its been a difficult start with adjusting to playing teams that do put a fight and have not rolled over like previous years. The 2's are starting to find their feet and will not doubt continue to grind out results as the season progesses.



Lets hope the season continues as it has started and all 4 teams do well for the remainder of the season and play some good cricket.



Cheers



Damon

As good as it gets??

As we head towards the half-way mark in the current season the top of table in Division One makes for some pleasant reading.
It was thought that the game against Stockton last weekend would provide as stern a test as we could have this year but the team came through with flying colours. Cricket, being the fickle, mental chess like game it is, can be the greatest of levellers. One week you are belting a team all over the park or knocking the wood out of the ground and the next cannot put a foot right. However, there seems to be a steely nerve centred through the spine of the club this season and it is coming all the way from the top tier. No doubt the 2nd team will turn around what has been a slightly dissapointing first half - other teams beware for this is a formidable outfit running into good form at the right time. The 3rd X1 and Sir Tony Sarsons wonderful 4ths are also in the hunt for pots in a tremendous season thus far.
However - we have not to take the foot off the pedal and keep the results turning over. There have been many distinguised performers also in PJ (what a season he is enjoying), James W-E who is revelling is having to lead the slow bowling front, Ross who has overcome last seasons problems with vengeance and proudly making his presence felt at County level in representing Warwick CC. Danny and the emergence of a sure fire future talent in Matt Puffett along with t'other Matt are all pressing for places and the players we have gained who not only look very good but have fitted into the fold like a fish in water.
It is great to see and long may it continue.
Another point that should be made is how well the ground is looking again and credit in abundance to all concerned.
Lets hope that summer kicks in, the pitches harden up and all of our teams carryon just as they are at present.

Athers.

Well with the half way point in the league season now reached things are looking pretty good. As a 1st Team under Jamie's captaincey we are sitting 66 points clear at the top of the league after another emphatic win at the weekend and likewise are top of the Sunday league. With the departure of key players over the winter many including myself, who was sat in New Zealand with news of players departures coming through would have been happy with a mid table finish. We did though gain two new good players in Jack, who we seem to have been waiting for an age to learn to drive then pass his test and Sam. I don't think in my time at Warwick i've been involved in a side where at this stage in the season there has been such a clear gap between top and 2nd in the league. As a team at the moment we seem to be functioning well as a unit with P.J, who is having an unbelievable season to date and Webby both bowling well. To add to this a slow bowling battery of Ad (sorry mate), James purple pants Wynn-Evans, and Jack who have all contributed with the ball as well. As they say though catches win matches and my god were taking some good ones, I personally take great pleasure in fielding within a very good slip cordon with Ross, Smithy, and Jamie. At this point I can count on one hand how many catches have gone down in that area. To back this up though we've fielded well in the outfield with some memorable run outs and catches coming from elder members of the team, who seem to have found a new lease of life under Jamie's Captaincey. The batting has been pretty good too with different people stepping up every week. James has found a new lease of life opening with two fine half centuries, Smithy has chipped in when it's rained with a couple of 50's, Dim played an absolute chanceless innings at Stockton and was denied a century, Ross has got over his problems of last year and looks a different class since his involvement with Douggie Browns Warwickshire Under 19's side, and Ad is living up to his red inker reputation with some fine knocks to get us over the line. Finally though I feel I have to single out our Skipper who has backed us guys to the hilt, and seems to be playing his cricket with a smile on his face after a difficult year last year. He's running the team in a profesional manner and ensuring the spirit is right on the pitch as well as off it. He also won the toss on Saturday something that hadn't happened since the 10th May. So Jamie well done on a good 1st half a season keep it going bro.

When dropped catches win matches!!

Well played lads on a commendable effort in holding out for a draw against tough opponents on Saturday.
It shows spirit and integrity in dragging oneself back in the face of adversity and the unbeaten record remains firmly in tact.
So many facets of the game to relay when Pickwick are opponents but one obviously sticks in the mind.
The 'R' word - dare one say it???

Anyway, here it goes........Cricket is a game to be played in a tough, fair manner. It is the indictment of everything sporting. We often weave our way through controversial circumstances and shake hands at the end of the day. Credit in abundance to our lads for offering the handshake of congratulations but NO, not for one moment when the game can fall around the feet in a disgraceful heap.
As for the 'R' word. That word; Respect! Respect for the opponents, respect for the umpires, respect for your team mates and above all, respect for the game was lacking yesterday.
Obviously there appear to be two opinions on the matter and one has to 'Respect' the other but what happened at Hampton Rd on Saturday was certainly one of the less savoury scenes witnessed on a cricket pitch.
What a sorry story to have to report.

MY VIEW ON SATURDAYS HAPPENINGS.

Saturday saw us entertain pickwick at Hampton Road and as I am sure many of you already know the game was some what over shadowed by the goings on of one of the Pickwick fielders. The man in question appeared to drop the ball and when questioned by the umpire he claimed he had caught the ball. This was not the case and some of his own team mates believed he had not caught the ball, this is a disappointing occurance and one which we hope we will never see. however this leads me onto my next point.

The decision left a sour taste as did the result of the game, in which pickwick gained a winning draw. I think credit should be given to pickwick for the way they batted on what was a good batting deck, our performance with the bat on the other hand was one which wreaked of complacency. The start we have made has been unbelievable, I think you all will agree and it is a result of everyone focusing on the job in hand. Now this negative result will hopefully spur us all on, re-focus everybody and help us all realise we are not going to be handed this league on a plate, we have worked so very hard to get to the top and now we must work even harder to remain there. The cricket we have played has been very good, tough and fun and as long as we keep that balance I am sure we can be successful. This is not a critical view but I think, one in which should be viewed as an eye opener.
So come on chaps lets really knuckle down and enjoy some good times.

Cheers, J

Child Catcher & the Chicken get the Golden Ticket after baginn Umpa Lumpa's

There are games that we all play in during our cricket career that we will always remember for one reason or another, and yesterdays game at Bounville will stick in my mind for quite a few. I'm sure when people heard we'd finished 150-9 having been stuck in, a few people could well of thought that we were going to be on the wrong end of one for the first time this year. To be honest 150 was a par score on the wicket provided by there groundsman. Jason Green bowled exceptionally for them in picking up 5 wickets and fair credit to him to, for every time he beat the bat he just stood there smiling at our guys. Gritty contributions from Tim and James got us on our way with the bat before our skipper hit a rapid 30 and Craig 18 not out to get us to our final total. Bournville as we know have some good players but from seeing some of there results are more than capable of collapsing, and what a collapse.
With Webby misssing the skipper took the decision to open with James and he obliged by bowling one of there openers with his 1st ball, cue wild celebrations from us boys. It wasn't long before the other opener was following him back again bowled by James with the score on 6 for 2 after 10 overs. At this point the legend (Jason Green) walked to the crease, well I'm pretty sure that's what Ad said as he took his gaurd. It was the first churp from our elder stateman this season and wasn't his last before his holiday. Mind you I prefered J's chirp of pink & green don't go, I think this was with reference to his pink grip something Bournville appear to have got a bulk deal on. P.J then gave us more to go wild about by bowling him. Cue even more celebrations as the scoreboard quickly moved on to 25 for 5 after as many overs with James cleaning up there number three and then some guy who must of played for Notts, well if he did I can see why he was released. As we know drinks always brings a wicket well we reminded the Bournville batsmen of this and one obliged by nicking of to slip two balls after. This gave James 5 wickets and 10 against this side this year. Now as we all know this is league cricket and 30 odd for 6 with 20 overs left is bog it country and for the next 18 overs thats what happened although we picked up two more wickets thanks to a Passey full toss and P.J bowling another guy. So two overs remain 2 wickets required and the introduction of Sick Note produces an edge to our skipper with the final ball of his over. Leaving 6 balls for them to bat and P.J. reintroduced to bowl them. Now what happened next could be thought of as intentional or a mistake and in P.J i'd go with mistake, as he almost takes the batsmens head off with a beamer. Now still 6 balls and a batsmen who's clearly shook up, P.J runs in again digs one in and he ballons the ball to James at short square leg who takes the catch, then does the quickest 50 metre's of his life before being rugby tackled by our skipper and pilled on by half the team. As I said something that will stick in my mind, so Warwick 24 points and one step closer to the title.
On another note I'd like to congatulate Danny on his 1st league hundred at Hampton Road and I believe he's now over a 1000 runs for the season so well done mate keep going.

Athers