|
Year
|
Month
|
Day
|
Speaker
|
|
Topic
|
|
2015
|
Oct |
1st
|
Members
|
|
31 members joined us for the 1st meeting of the new season. Once we
had approved the finances for the past year (a healthy surplus was the result), there
then ensued a review of the 2015 cricket season, with a panel of Chris Finch, John
White and Ian Henderson. On the international scene, it was agreed that although
the Ashes win was very welcome, the series was unlikely to be fondly remembered like
2005 or 2009, as a result of the lack of close matches. On the county circuit, relief
was expressed at Hampshire's last day survival in Division 1, which should make for
a very interesting visit from Jimmy Adams next month. Finally we looked at recreational
cricket and noted the contrast between midweek matches, which were badly affected
by the weather and weekend games, which were largely unaffected. |
|
|
|
8th
|
Ian Henderson
|
|
An audience of 40 members was enthralled by Ian Henderson's account
of his running in the London Marathon last April. Ian was quite rightly proud of
his achievement of a time of 6 hours 30 minutes (a time which he is confident of
beating next year) and raising £3500 for Cancer Research UK. He gave us a behind
the scenes view of the race which included his experiences of the sheer scale of
the event (38000 runners) and the great support and enthusiasm of the vast crowd.
Further insights were given into his training schedule, his choice of running shoes
and the importance of his runner's number. An additional bonus was being able to
handle the rather heavy medal awarded to all competitors who finished the race. Well
done Ian and we look forward to supporting you again next year. There was still
time for Ian for Ian to give us a moving and entertaining account of his daughter's
wedding last summer and a brief account of his cricketing exploits this year. It
was not altogether clear whether the marathon had a beneficial effect on his cricket
or not! |
|
|
|
15th
|
David Allen
|
|
The 37 members and guests present were treated to a memorable afternoon
with Dave Allen, the Hampshire Archivist, as our guest speaker. After a quick dip
into the archives Dave promoted a afternoon of lively discussion. This centred on
two themes - the time in our lives when we first became fully engaged with the game
of cricket together with what we regarded as the major change in cricket since that
date. Secondly, Dave criticized the ECB for many of their actions which had alienated
many actual or potential supporters of the first-class game and he went on to
warn the ECB of the perils of further tampering with the format of the County
Championship. The plight of spin bowlers was examined and convincing statistics were
provided to demolish the myth that county cricketers played too much cricket and
were overly tired. All in all, a most entertaining, informative and thought provoking
afternoon. |
|
|
|
22nd
|
Chris Mayne
|
|
Chris, Mayor of Bournemouth in 2014/15, took 27 members and
guests on a behind the scenes trip of his eventful year. He described how he
was elected to the post and the full time nature of his duties. He carried out some
530 engagements and raised some £30,000 for his five nominated charities. Sport
and music played a large part in his year as did the humbling experience of meeting
military veterans and a wide range of volunteers. His illustrated talk revealed not
only the splendours of the Mayor's Parlour, but also his wearing of a Southampton
FC shirt! A hugely enjoyable afternoon concluded with Chris challenging us to enter
a team in one of next year's Walking Football competitions. |
|
|
|
29th
|
Trevor Jesty
|
|
Trevor Jesty took a bumper and captivated audience through
his 50 year association with county and international cricket. He described his progress
from school cricket to representative sides to an initial contract with Hampshire.
As was common in those days he started at the bottom with plenty of groundwork. Progressing
from his debut against Essex, mainly as a bowler in those days, he eventually became
an invaluable all-rounder for Hampshire. Many great players became his team mates
but it was clear that he had particularly fond memories of Malcolm Marshall. Many
insights were given into the lives of professional cricketers in the 1970s
and 1980s and how careers were highly vulnerable to the whims of county committees.
The joys of playing at Bournemouth were contrasted with the horrors of playing early
season matches at Derby. Looking back on his career he had few regrets with the exception
of never playing in a one day final at Lords and the circumstances of his unfortunate
departure from Hampshire in 1984 - clearly a case of Hampshire's loss being Surrey
and Lancashire's gain. He touched only briefly on his umpiring career, a situation
which can hopefully be rectified by a return visit in the not too distant future. |
|
|
Nov |
5th
|
Jeff Mostyn
|
|
Jeff Mostyn, the Chairman of AFC Bournemouth attracted a near record
crowd of sixty members and guests. No one was disappointed as Jeff, in his typical
modest and understated manner, spoke about his role in rescuing the club from oblivion
and its subsequent ascent to the top tier of the game. Using a great deal of humour
and perception he gave insights concerning the philosophy of the club and some
of his key colleagues such as Max Demin and Eddie Howe. His comments about the financing
of a Premier League club left us in little doubt as to the pressures of top
level sport in the modern world. A lively Q & A session, ably conducted by Ian
Henderson, concluded a memorable afternoon which was not only informative and entertaining
but gave us an opportunity to express our gratitude for all that Jeff and his team
have achieved. |
|
|
|
12th
|
Jimmy Adams
|
|
An audience of 43 members and guests counted themselves fortunate
indeed to hear Jimmy Adams, the former Hampshire captain and this year's beneficiary.
Jimmy gave us an excellent 'inside' view of how Hampshire managed to turn last season
around and preserve their Division One status in the County Championship. The recruitment
of Fidel Edwards, perhaps something of a gamble at the time, was hugely instrumental
in this turnround. The pressures of captaincy were explained, as was Jimmy's decision
that it was the right time to pass the post of captain onto James Vince. Jimmy was
optimistic about Hampshire's future as he described the promising young players on
the club's books. He felt that the emergence of several young spinners would compensate
for the departure of Danny Briggs to Sussex, where his opportunities would be enhanced.
The Jimmy Adams blueprint for the future structure of the county game was just
part of a thought provoking afternoon which prompted over an hour of questions. |
|
|
|
19th
|
Chris Powell
|
|
Chris Powell kept an audience of 42 members and guests enthralled
as he described his journey from refereeing Sunday League matches in Dorset
in 1994 to achieving his dream of officiating at Wembley (in the JPT final)
earlier this year. The many challenges and opportunities along the way were
described in a most informative and amusing fashion. Many sacrifices (apart
from giving up playing cricket) had to be made in order to obtain his current ranking
of being judged among the top 0.4% of referees in the country. He has had to meet
very demanding fitness and aptitude standards as well as travelling the small matter
of 56,000 miles in the last seven years. By the end of the afternoon it had become
clear that the referee's/ assistant referee's lot is a most demanding one - a view
reinforced by the repeated failure on the part of the audience to arrive at the correct
offside decision when faced with a series of DVD clips of actual match situations. |
|
|
|
26th
|
Stephen Chalke
|
|
Stephen Chalke kept 40 members and guests totally enthralled
as he talked about his recent book - Summer's Crown. This celebration of 125 years
of the County Championship yielded a rich harvest of drama, humour and character.
The pace never faltered as Stephen took us on a journey which touched on the great
players, some memorable matches and a selection of the fascinating oddities and connections
which the game has thrown up. In Stephen's opinion a claim could be made for the
1970s being a golden age with nearly all of the top overseas players enjoying full
seasons and long careers with just one county. He made a strong case for the current
Yorkshire team being capable of establishing a prolonged period of dominance. As
we listened to this master speaker we realised that some of the current problems
in county cricket have long established roots and if we permitted any further decline
in the county championship then the game of cricket as a whole would be the loser.
To general acclaim Stephen was elected as only our second Life Vice-President. |
|
|
Dec |
3rd
|
Members
|
|
The annual Bring an Item slot more than lived up to its advance billing.
A veritable cornucopia of sports memorabilia was presented as members spoke lovingly
and informatively about their possessions. A wide range of sports was covered with
cricket, football, athletics and bowls among others being featured. A fascinating
range of photographs, press cuttings, autographs and caps were presented and
several alarming revelations were made. Among the most memorable secrets disclosed
were the laying bare of some of the 'rum' goings on in the world of table
tennis, how easy it is for the camera to lie, the fact that some bowlers improve
with age, the ownership of a football club by one member and the high incidence of
lost property at Northlands Road. Nostalgia reigned as we recalled the deeds of Ivor
Broadis, the Moscow Dynamos and some giants of Kent Cricket. Thanks to the efforts
of members a most entertaining afternoon was enjoyed by one and all. |
| |
|
10th
|
Andrew Hignell
|
|
Andrew Hignell, the widely acclaimed expert on Glamorgan cricket,
recounted the story of how the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff became the one hundredth
venue of Test Match cricket. Starting with the formation of the county club Andrew
impressed on the audience the importance of several key individuals such as Messrs.
Brain, Turnbull and Wooller in the development of cricket in South Wales. Amongst
the aims of the club were winning the county championship and bringing international
cricket to Cardiff. The latter objective would have been achieved as early
as 1905 had it not been for a chairman's casting vote in favour of Trent Bridge.
As it was, another 104 years passed before the dream of a Test Match in Cardiff was
realised. The intervening period was not without incident as the Arms Park (the forerunner
to Sophia Gardens & the Swalec Stadium) was revealed as the true birthplace of
bodyline bowling. An audience of 35 members and guests was very grateful to Andrew
for brightening an overcast December afternoon with his knowledge and humour. |
|
|
|
17th
|
Members
|
|
Thirty members sat down to enjoy a gastronomic Christmas Buffet Lunch.
Members excelled themselves in providing mountains of food which in true Dorset Cricket
Society style was polished off with great alacrity. This was followed by various
films, culled from both UK and Australian sources, commemorating the life of Richie
Benaud. Graham Jones, who organized both components, was thanked for providing a
most convivial and enjoyable afternoon. Several members then adjourned to spend an
hour in the next door cricket nets - even more surprisingly no serious injuries have
yet been reported. |
| 2016 |
Jan |
7th
|
Members
|
|
A total of 68 members and guests sat down to our sixth annual lunch
at Canford Magna Golf Club. Sadly, in view of the closure of the club at the end
of March we shall be looking for pastures new for our 2017 event. A first-class occasion
was enjoyed by all present with plenty of food, fellowship and fun to the fore.This
happy state of affairs was yet another tribute to the legendary organizing skills
of David Hain. There was no shortage of entertainment with a splendid raffle and
a memorable turn from Derek Hopkins which included the ever-popular game of Heads
or Tails. The proceeds from this together with the £70 raised by the weekly
Book Sale went to support those suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. |
|
|
|
14th
|
Chris Finch
|
|
The weekly round of meetings for the second half of our 2015/16
season commenced with Chris Finch talking about more of his Kent and Hampshire
Cricketing Heroes. 31 members were present for this ramble down Memory Lane. Chris
was ably assisted by Alan Rayment who delighted the audience with his memories of
Godfrey Evans among others. By the time that tea and coffee were served only five
other players - Peter Richardson, Derek Underwood, Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, Butch
White and Henry Horton- had been covered. The talk was illustrated by a large number
of photographs and scorecards - one of the latter containing an advertisement for
the Alan Rayment School of Dancing! |
|
|
|
21st
|
Dean Allen
|
|
Dean Allen brightened up a dull winter's afternoon for 36 members
as he talked about his book (based on his Ph.D Thesis) - Empire, War and Cricket
in South Africa. Dean proved himself to be an absolute diamond (no pun intended)
of a speaker as he narrated the amazing and colourful story of James Logan and how
he helped shape a critical era in South Africa's history. We learned what a key influence
he was in the development of cricket in South Africa and how this impacted on and
related to his many other activities. A key lesson for us all was how economics,
politics and sport were just as intermeshed in the late Victorian and Edwardian times
as they are today. The combination of a highly polished presentation and a gripping
story made for a memorable afternoon indeed. |
|
|
|
28th
|
Andy Murtagh
|
|
Andy Murtagh, the author of 'Sundial in the Shade', did its subject,
Barry Richards, proud in his address to 44 members and guests. As Andy revealed how
he came to write the book it became apparent that as a former teammate he was in
a position to provide a unique insight in to the cricketing career and life of a
Cricketing Great. This was highlighted in an epic description of a duel between Barry
and a full-speed Andy Roberts in the nets at Southampton.His stature as a cricketer
was confirmed by Sir Donald Bradman among others and master classes against such
bowlers as Bishen Bedi. His great innings at such diverse venues as Durban, Lords,
Perth and Harrogate were fondly recalled.The entertainment that Barry gave to so
many across the world was in stark contrast to his lack of opportunities on the international
stage (4 Tests and World Series Cricket) and tragedy in his personal life. By the
end of the afternoon it was obvious that memories of Barry continue to burn brightly,
perhaps more so in England than in his native South Africa. An uplifting story tinged
with sadness. |
|
|
Feb |
4th
|
Don Seaby
|
|
Don Seaby excelled himself as he gave an audience of 33 brief
glimpses of just some of the items from his huge collection of sporting memorabilia.
He focused mainly on cricketing postcards which covered grounds, teams
and players. Football was not neglected as we were treated to pictures
of some of the great South Coast teams of the past. Jaws dropped as Don
revealed the value of some of his rarer items and explained the scarcity of particular
Cornhill cards owing to the different methods of production and distribution.
There was much audience discussion as we were all borne along on a most welcome tide
of nostalgia. |
|
|
|
11th
|
Graham Jones
|
|
Graham Jones entertained an audience of 37 with his Humour
in Sport - Part Two. Laughter was a constant feature of the afternoon with the 68
minutes of the presentation passing all too quickly.The characters featured were
many and varied with the usual culprits - cricket's umpires and commentators - playing
their customary role in the entertainment. The net was cast wide to encompass a variety
of sports with the irrepressible Muhammad Ali dominating every interview in which
he appeared. Max Boyce, in his own unique style, cast a completely fresh light on
the world of pro-am golf and the great Gareth Edwards. The audience were most appreciative
of a highly entertaining afternoon. Thanks were expressed to Graham for the expertise
and time which he has invested in his Humour in Sport presentations, which have become
one of the highlights of the DCS season. |
|
|
|
18th
|
Alan Edwards
|
|
An audience of 37 members were present to hear Alan Edwards do
full justice to the story of George Brown. George was not only a Hampshire 'great',
but also one of the game's most remarkable characters. He was a true all-rounder
who left his mark on games as a batsman, a bowler with several varieties and as a
wicketkeeper. His high point of achievement was in the 1921 Test series against Warwick
Armstrong's all-conquering Australians when he was second in the England batting
averages. In the following season he was instrumental (172) in Hampshire's legendary
win against Warwickshire. He was highly regarded by such literary giants as Cardus,
Robertson-Glasgow and Arlott, who praised his character as well as his achievement.
Alan explored the varying aspects of his character which ranged from irreverent humour
to 'a dark brooding presence.' Alan's full and colourful portrait of an enigma, which
included some fascinating diversions such as the strong link between Oxford and Hampshire
cricket, provided an afternoon of rich entertainment. |
|
|
|
25th
|
John Barclay
|
|
John Barclay, paying his third visit to the DCS, kept a bumper audience
of 53 absolutely spellbound for almost two hours. Apart from the abundant humour
that we have come to expect from John we were treated to a fascinating discussion
on the merits of individual brilliance as opposed to the team ethic. This topic emanated
from John's theme for the day which was Teammates - the subject of a forthcoming
book, edited by Stephen Chalke, which he has contributed to. The person which John
has written about is John Spencer, who took him under his wing and generally helped
him belong to the Sussex team which he joined as a sixteen year old. The early impression
he made on Tony Greig was described in the most graphic detail. Other topics covered
were relatively innocent forms of match fixing, how to handle the genius of Imran
Khan, favourite umpires and the tactic of the 'camouflage of lunacy!' A most enjoyable
and memorable afternoon came to a close all too soon and John's next visit to the
DCS is eagerly awaited. |
|
|
March |
3rd
|
Richard Mockridge
|
|
Richard Mockridge revelled in his role as the senior statesman of
the DCS with his customary aplomb. We were all wondering what riches he would unearth
from his cricket box. We were not disappointed as we journeyed through the early
part of Richard's life via pictures, photos, bats, autographs, films, programmes
etc. A life in cricket was joyously recounted as we delighted in a trip down Memory
Lane. We were provided with a master class in the promotion of audience participation.
We eagerly await a second, third and even fourth innings. |
|
|
|
10th
|
Members
|
|
A record crowd of 35 members turned up for this three-part meeting. An
obvious attraction was the sumptuous buffet lunch which was comprehensively demolished
in true DCS style.This was followed by the AGM. Various reports highlighted another
successful year for the society. The decision was taken to leave the level of the
annual subscriptions and weekly charges unchanged. The Clubman of the Year award
went to our long serving treasurer, Ron Dickinson. The main office holders were re-elected
to their posts.The 'Ask the Umpire' slot saw members either snatch a quick forty
winks or disagree with several of John Holder's verdicts. |
| |
|
17th
|
Graham Jones
|
|
25 members gathered to hear excerpts from our previous speakers. We
heard from Jimmy Gray who recalled Hampshire captains Mark Nicholas and Colin Ingleby-MacKenzie,
John Barclay then had the audience roaring with laughter with his tale of 'Consolation
In Incompetence' featuring Tony Piggott, Imran Khan and Viv Richards. We switched
to football as referee Derek Nippard related the scrap between Norman Hunter &
Franny Lee. Chris Martin-Jenkins then recalled the pitfalls of live commentary, before
we closed with the day that an opera singer came to visit us. Jon Andrew mixed opera
and welding, then produced a rousing final rendition of Nessun Dorma. |
| |
|
24th
|
Derek Hopkins
|
|
The season concluded with one of Derek's eagerly awaited quizzes.
It had been promised that it would be easier than in the past and to be fair - it
was, which made some of our poor scores even more unbearable. However there was the
traditional end of season cream tea to look forward to and in true DCS style it was
polished off. We took our leave, vowing to return on October 6th for the new season. |
