|
Year
|
Month
|
Day
|
Speaker
|
|
Topic
|
|
2014
|
Oct |
2nd
|
Tony Lewis
|
|
Dr Tony Lewis is half of the famous Duckworth/Lewis partnership. Their
method is used throughout the world to solve the problem of rain-affected cricket
matches - in fact there are many other reasons why games are curtailed from riots
to too much sun! After it was perceived that average run rates were an unfair method
to decide target scores ( the side batting 1st can be seriously disadvantaged) a
number of other methods were tried, including one where certain overs were removed
from the equation. This led to the farcical situation in the World Cup in South Africa
where the hosts went from needing 22 off 13 balls to 22 off 1 ball when a short rain
break occurred Frank Duckworth devised a possible solution by allocating overs and
wickets as resources which would get used up in an innings. Tony's contribution was
on the mathematical side to devise a method which took account of the period in the
game when overs were lost. Over the years the figures have been tweaked a little
as there are often higher scores today and this is kept under regular review. In
all it was a very interesting afternoon, without too much mathematics to tax the
brain. |
|
|
|
9th
|
Andy Kent
|
|
Andy, a local schoolteacher, has also been a coach and team-manager
for many representative youth teams. His first tour consisted of him and his father,
both umpires, visiting Denmark and officiating in matches over there in the 1980's.
This led on to him taking a team across to Denmark, to give them experience of different
playing conditions. Andy also pointed out that there were more teams in Yorkshire
than in the entire seven southwest counties. This meant that local lads were not
exposed to as much competition and the tour was intended to raise the standard of
their play. He has also taken tours to The Netherlands, Jersey and France, while
further afield he has toured Canada and the Caribbean His first tour to the West
Indies, some 20 years ago, included Trinidad, where he was alarmed to arrive at night
and discover that the team transport was an open-backed army truck! Next day he visited
the venue for the 1st match and found that the outfield had knee-high grass and there
didn't appear to be a wicket! However 24 hours later the outfield had been cut by
the villagers and the wicket was all prepared! Andy revealed that one squad member
who they chose not to take to the Caribbean was Marcus Trescothick. The adults felt
that they could not be in-loco parentis for him for two weeks, so far from home.
As a retired teacher, I have great respect for these staff who take on such responsibilities. |
|
|
|
16th
|
Graham Jones
|
|
In this afternoon's entertainment Graham took examples of sporting
humour from the 1960's through to the modern times. In a presentation of audio and
video clips, we heard a variety of interviews and revisited some nostalgic sporting
occasions ranging from rugby, the All Blacks v Barbarians, through cricketers sledging,
to examples of the Ali Shuffle. At the end, there were several members with tears
of laughter in their tea or coffee! |
|
|
|
23rd
|
Mark Rushworth
|
|
Mark related to us his family's sporting legacy. His father, Peter,
was a professional footballer who played for Bournemouth at the time of the famous
1956-7 FA Cup run. Initially Peter's chances of becoming a professional seemed remote.
He was a pupil at Cheltenham Grammar School and was determined to succeed. However
his slight frame and stature failed to bring him to the scouts attention at the time.
Leaving school at 15, he became an apprentice and started an apprentices' football
team, which became very successful. He finally got his break by pestering the local
team's trainer to allow him to train with them and when the reserves were short one
day, he was asked to play. In 1953 he had the choice of joining Southampton or Bournemouth.
He went with Bournemouth and in the cup run played in the first two rounds. Mark's
own career revolved around cricket and he played for several local sides and had
a season playing Minor County cricket for Dorset. As his playing career came towards
a close, he concentrated more on coaching, which he still does today. In all a nostalgic
afternoon covering two sports. |
|
|
|
30th
|
Jimmy Adams
|
|
Jimmy scored another 50 when he attracted 51 members and guests to
his latest Society visit. The early part of the afternoon was spent in explaining
how Hampshire had improved their performances during the last season, which culminated
in them winning the Championship in their last match. In essence Jimmy explained
how they decided to harden-up the team, demanding maximum effort from the first ball
of day 1 to the last ball of day 4. In particular they turned down offers of manufactured
results when rain took time out of games and opted instead to maximize bonus points.
These proved to be crucial in the final analysis and it showed the team the determination
to profit from every opportunity. Towards the end of the season when there were some
disappointing batting collapses, someone put their hand up and came up with an important
innings. Jimmy also went through the squad members and emphasized where their individual
contributions had helped. There then followed a lengthy question and answer session,
with Jimmy not afraid to give forthright answers to some probing questions, particularly
on the subject of squad players who had been released. I am sure we all wish Jimmy
and the county a very successful season in 2015. |
|
|
Nov |
6th
|
Alan Edwards
|
|
This afternoon's meeting commenced with the stories of Colin Blythe
and A.E.J. Collins - two of the most notable of the cricketing casualties of the
First World War. This was appropriately followed by a two minute silence.
The main part of the meeting consisted of a talk by DCS member, Alan Edwards, who
provided a fascinating study of all the eleven players who took the field for Hampshire's
initial county match in 1864. It was clear that they were a colourful bunch who experienced
contrasting fortunes and were hardly paragons of virtue. Alan skillfully sketched
in the background against which they performed, to such an extent that we all felt
that we had been transported back some 150 years in time. Alan's obvious passion
for and knowledge of his subject combined to produce a most enjoyable afternoon for
the 29 members present. |
|
|
|
13th
|
Isabelle Duncan
|
|
It soon became apparent to an appreciative audience that there was
no one better qualified than our guest speaker, Isabelle Duncan, to talk about the
world of Women's Cricket. Isabelle provided us with a highly entertaining and informative
afternoon as she covered the history of women's cricket around the world, some of
the 'superstars' of the game and how women have become an integral part of the MCC.
We were completely stumped by a question that she threw at us - Who was the first
cricketer to score a century, take a hat-trick and claim ten wickets all in the same
match? Answer - Betty Wilson of Australia. We were further enlightened as to the
real meaning of the term - manhole cover and some of the workings of the Disciplinary
Committee of the MCC. Isabelle dealt with a wide array of questions with her customary
aplomb and wit. A most enjoyable afternoon was rounded off with many of those attending
the meeting snapping up signed copies of Isabelle's book - Skirting the Boundary. |
|
|
|
20th
|
Richard Isaacs
|
|
Richard is the son of former Hampshire Scorer Vic Isaacs and ODI scorer
for Sky Sports. In a fascinating talk, he explained how he had been recruited to
Sky Sports following a 13 year stint at HMRC. His job entails scoring games, ball
by ball, in traditional paper & pen style, while simultaneously researching statistics
to put in front of the commentators for their use, if they choose to do so! Richard
regaled us with a few tales from the commentary box, where he works generally unseen
and unheard. He explained that although he was able to research many facts in advance
of a game, some incidents or innings are so unexpected that they have to be done
'on the hoof'. The recent world record ODI score of 264 by Rohit Sharma was a classic
example. He should have been out for 4, but finished up annihilating the record for
the highest score in an international ODI. By the end of the afternoon members had
a much greater appreciation of what goes into a modern sports broadcast. Many thanks
Richard! |
|
|
|
28th
|
Members
|
|
The meeting commenced with a one minute silence in memory of Phillip
Hughes, whose death had been announced in Australia that morning. The meeting was
advertised as an afternoon of rich nostalgia and members were certainly not disappointed
as memories of this much loved ground came thick and fast. Graham Jones set the scene
for us with his compilation of film clips which brought to life some of the great
players who have graced the ground. Tales from various standpoints - first class
cricketer (Alan Rayment), club cricketers, scorecard sellers, caterers and spectators
delighted the audience until close of play at 3:30. A most enjoyable afternoon thanks
to the contributions from many of the members. |
|
|
Dec |
4th
|
Nigel Gray
|
|
Members and guests were well entertained by Nigel Gray, the Head Groundsman
at the Ageas Bowl. In his very modest manner he shed considerable light on the art
of groundsmanship at a major cricket ground.It was a real eye opener as Nigel explained
the amount of planning that is necessary in allocating matches to pitches right across
the square. International matches are notified well in advance but limited overs
knockout matches had to be arranged at very short notice. The demands of TV broadcasters
were paramount in the planning process and it became clear that when the hotel (behind
the bowler's arm at the Northern End) is up and running a further set of problems
will emerge. A full explanation of the umpires marking and reporting system was provided
in the Q&A session. Members were unanimous in drawing two conclusions: firstly
that Nigel was a very worthy winner of the County Championship Groundsman of the
Year for 2014 and that he has been instrumental in establishing the Ageas Bowl as
a major international arena. |
| |
|
11th
|
Patrick Ferriday
|
|
Patrick Ferriday, making a very welcome return to the DCS, based his
talk on his recent book - Masterly Batting. It attempts to rank, in order of merit,
the top one hundred test centuries of all time. Those present were captivated by
Patrick's explanation of the methodology used.The criteria employed and the weighting
given to each were statistically based with no room for sentiment in the final judgment.
It was made clear that this exercise was concerned with great innings, as opposed
to great batsmen. This approach, unsurprisingly, threw up some surprises - not least
the omission of both Jack Hobbs and Denis Compton from the book. This naturally meant
that a lively exchange of views concluded a most enjoyable, informative and thought
provoking afternoon. |
|
|
|
18th
|
Xmas Lunch
|
|
The afternoon commenced with the traditional Christmas Buffet Lunch.
This was a most enjoyable event thanks to the generous contributions from the members.
The thirty trenchermen present made a gallant effort to clear all the food provided,
but even they were unequal to the task. Lunch was followed by a slide presentation
from Richard Mockridge of his round-Dorset walk. It admirably portrayed the county
at its beautiful best. This was followed by film tributes to two Hampshire (and world)
greats - Barry Richards and Malcolm Marshall. |
| 2015 |
Jan |
8th
|
New Year's Lunch
|
|
The season resumed with our 5th annual Ladies Lunch. As usual we were
catered for by the excellent staff at Canford Magna Golf Club and after a most enjoyable
meal, Derek Hopkins led a fundraiser for Motor Neuron Disease and organizer David
Hain completed proceedings with a free raffle. Many thanks to all those who contributed
to an excellent afternoon. |
|
|
|
15th
|
Andy Collier
|
|
36 members counted themselves fortunate indeed to hear a talk from
Andy Collier of the Cotswold Cricket Museum. Andy described how he had built up a
most impressive collection of cricket memorabilia over the years. Donations, e-bay,
auctions and individual deals have all yielded a rich harvest but not always without
problems. Andy explained that establishing the provenance of certain articles was
not always an easy matter. His passion for, and knowledge of, the game shone through
his presentation and left members green with envy and in awe of what he has achieved.
The number and breadth of questions demonstrated that we had all enjoyed a most interesting
and entertaining afternoon. |
|
|
|
22nd
|
Mike Nurton
|
|
33 members enjoyed a literally magical afternoon as they heard Mike
Nurton relate the story of his life in cricket. Mike commenced by telling us how
he first became interested in cricket, citing the importance of parental encouragement
- a factor that he feels is now less prevalent than formerly. He described his progression
through school and club cricket to his long and distinguished career in Minor Counties
cricket for Oxfordshire. Numerous stories followed concerning both Minor Counties
and first class players that he had played with or against. The one player that stood
out for Mike, on account of his brilliant strokeplay, was Alvin Kallicharran. Mike's
extensive playing and coaching experience (he still coaches at Sherborne School)
enabled him to put the many changes he had seen in the game into context. The afternoon
concluded with Mike performing some of his magic tricks - surely a first for the
society. Now we know why his autobiography was entitled, 'Conjuring Runs'. |
|
|
|
29th
|
Richard Scott
|
|
Richard Scott, the head coach of Middlesex, cast a penetrating light
into the modern world of coaching. His pre-season preparations were well under way
despite only 8 players out of a squad of 25 being currently in this country. He was
determined that his array of specialist coaches, including Jack Russell, an emphasis
on white-ball skills and a pre-season trip to Abu Dhabi would ensure that the Middlesex
team would be hitting the ground running in early April. All of this was in stark
contrast to the regime that generally pertained only twenty years ago. Richard outlined
his coaching culture and demonstrated that there was scope for different coaches
to have their own approaches and strengths. He then highlighted the advantages of
playing at Lords (excellent catering) and the disadvantages (restrictions on practice
on the main ground outfield). In his opinion the gulf between Division 1 & 2
of the County Championship had increasingly widened as the best players gravitated
to the top division. The intensity of play and squad depth were other factors that
promoted sides had to contend with. A new DCS record was surely established in terms
of the number of questions that were asked, all of which were admirably handled by
Richard. It was clearly evident that Richard had high expectations of his players,
both on and off the field and that the future of Middlesex cricket could not be in
better hands. |
|
|
Feb |
5th
|
Chris Finch
|
|
Chris Finch, the Society's Chairman, delivered part three of his study
of Kent and Hampshire heroes, covering the period 1900 to 1969. After a brief discussion
concerning which players from the post-1969 era could be described as characters
or personalities the real presentation commenced. Owing to the high degree of audience
participation (38 members and guests were present, many of whom added greatly to
the enjoyment of the afternoon by readily sharing their memories) only six players,
three from each side, were reviewed before tea and biscuits beckoned. The players
who were put under the spotlight were Doug Wright, Tich Freeman, Tony Pawson, Peter
Sainsbury, Roy Marshall and Derek Shackleton. |
|
|
|
12th
|
Grahame Lloyd
|
|
Grahame Lloyd, the author of 'Six Sixes' and 'Howzat', kept a sizable
crowd enthralled with his fascinating story of what happened to the ball, or more
accurately the ball masquerading as the real ball, that Garry Sobers hit for six
sixes in one over at Swansea in 1968. Grahame patiently and entertainingly explained
that a Stuart Surridge ball used in the over in question was the real ball and that
the Dukes ball auctioned at Christies in 2006 for £26400 was not. His dogged
persistence in pursuit of the truth of the matter was greatly admired as was his
use of film, recorded interview, poetry and singsong. A most enjoyable afternoon
which demonstrated the extent to which the cultural boundaries of the society have
been extended. |
|
|
|
19th
|
Les Loader
|
|
Les Loader’s remarkable career in cricket started in 1948 and he has
just completed his 66th year of playing. He did his national service in the RAF and
chose to sign-up for three years. This greatly enhanced his playing career, as he
traveled more and tended to be posted to parts of the Empire where cricket reigned
supreme, such as Aden, Egypt, Kenya, Sri Lanka & Pakistan. This gave him a great
insight into playing in different conditions and against foreign players with their
particular skills. After military service he worked and played for the British Transport
Commission, with many representative matches. In 1968 he moved to Bournemouth and
played for Bournemouth Amateurs for the next 10 years.Work then took him abroad to
Holland where Barry Richards had just been employed to run the Dutch Leagues. When
he returned to England he joined The Moat club in Kent. This was almost the Kent
2nd XI, though subscriptions were £75 a year, this being the late 70’s! In
more recent times he has become a regular for the Forty Club, as well as playing
representative cricket for Dorset Over 50’s and various over 60 and 70 sides!! The
very thought of it gave most of us listening a few twinges. He is in training for
his 67th season and adding to his 2000+ wickets. There followed a very comprehensive
questions and answer session. |
|
|
|
26th
|
Steve Fletcher
|
|
A crowd of forty six members and guests were hugely appreciative of
a visit from the AFC Bournemouth legend - Steve Fletcher. In an interview ably conducted
by Ian Henderson, Steve started by talking about his current job as Head of UK recruitment.
This was a demanding role involving a huge amount of travel and much report compiling.
In the search for new players it was not only playing ability that mattered but also
a person's character and motivation. It was clear that AFCB expected high standards
of its players both on and off the pitch.This distinct philosophy combined with the
fact that many of the key off-field staff had played for the Cherries meant that
there was a strong feeling of love for and loyalty to the club. In short we had a
local club that we should take great pride in. Among other topics covered were the
potential to expand the ground's capacity, the team's recent form and the current
standard of refereeing. Steve concluded by touching on his own playing career from
his early days at Hartlepool. He was not just a goalscorer but will also be fondly
remembered as a most effective 'target man'. A memorable afternoon spent in the presence
of a giant of the game whose appetite and love for the game remains undiminished. |
|
|
March |
5th
|
Members
|
|
The annual 'Bring an Item' afternoon yet again produced a veritable
cornucopia of sporting memorabilia. Fears that the supply of such items might be
drying up proved groundless as football and tennis as well as cricket were well represented.
There was variety in abundance as scorecards, photographs, programmes, tickets, cartoons,
autographs, bats and many other items were displayed in quick succession. A most
entertaining afternoon, rich in nostalgia, as members displayed the humour and expertise
for which the Dorset Cricket Society is renowned. |
|
|
|
12th
|
Barry Dudleston
|
|
Barry Dudleston entertained a bumper crowd of 46 members and guests
to one of the undoubted highlights of the season. Drawing widely on his 49 year association
with the game as a player, umpire and ICC advisor he commented knowledgeably and
entertainingly on many of the developments in the game that had taken place over
this period. Barry described the evolution of limited-overs cricket and expressed
his concern that, as evidenced by the current World Cup, the bat had become too dominant.
He felt that England's disappointing performance was due to an absence of great players.
He rated Amla, Sangakarra and de Villiers as being outstanding players in all formats
of the game with the last named being not only a superlative all-round sportsman
but also a most modest individual. Some of the notable characters that he had encountered
such as Tony Lock, Ray Illingworth, KP, Arthur Jepson, Nasser Hussain and inevitably
Fred Trueman were described in an engagingly amusing and perceptive way. One of the
abiding features of a memorable afternoon was the importance of humour in our enjoyment
of cricket. |
| |
|
19th
|
AGM
|
|
In keeping with the society's tradition, the members provided a mouth
watering buffet lunch, which they promptly demolished with great relish. Having been
thus fortified, the members then congregated for the AGM. This was a lengthier affair
than usual. Both the President and Chairman reported on a very good year for the
society - a state of affairs which was reinforced in reports from the Social Secretary
and Treasurer. Some of the issues and challenges facing the society were discussed
at great length. Two decisions were made - firstly the current level of subscriptions
and weekly charges would remain unchanged for 2015/16. It was also decided that in
future all meetings would commence at 1:45 pm. |
| |
|
27th
|
Derek Hopkins
|
|
The season ended with a Derek Hopkins quiz, as 29 members gathered
for the final time until October 1st. A photo quiz that included a wicketkeeper upside
down as he attempted a run-out were amongst the puzzles that Derek had conjured up.
When the groans subsided as the answers were revealed, the end of season cream tea
materialised to send members off to the various cricket grounds in the region, with
a special plea to support cricket at Dean Park. |
