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Honours Board Season 2008

WHCricketChat
Cricket Chat – The Weekly Newsletter from Winchmore Hill Cricket Club and its Sections

Season 2008
Number 4
Thursday 8 May

A view from the rooms...
What a difference a week makes! After a good win against Radlett, watched by a decent bank holiday crowd, the team enjoyed a good bonding session. Despite the hangover, it is disappointing that West Herts pulled out of the Cockspur Cup game. It's fair to say the whole side was looking forward to the game and a chance to build on a decent perfomance against Radlett.

Like Welwyn Garden, Radlett are in the Home Counties Premier League and a club with aspirations of continuing success. Speaking with some of their ranks after the game, it is clear the time allocated to Premier League cricket is having an effect on the make-up of their side. Stalwarts of the side through the last 10 years have dropped into the 2nd XI or retired completely, unable to commit to 12 hours away from home/family/friends on a Saturday, after a full week at work. Their equivalent to Teddington away is Banbury or Basingstoke away. 11.30am start 7.45pm finish. 8 hours playing time, plus an hour warm-up, plus a shower and beer with oppo afterwards, plus travel both ways, means a premier league cricketer will be leaving home at 9am and getting home at 9pm - If he really wants and needs to. It is quite a commitment, and an under-estimated one. Good luck to our 1st XI who kick-off their Premier League campaign this saturday versus Hampstead.

1st XI skipper, Neil Hurst, gave his thoughts to the a "a view from the rooms" over a beer on Saturday night. Happy with a pre-season campaign of 2 good wins and one loss, Hursty feels the side is gelling and with the addition of 4/5 players still to feature through work, holiday or IPL commitments. After a decent pre-season campaign, where some new faces, notably Jim Gatting, have made good impressions, Hursty's aspirations are clear - some silverware!! Neil states, "naturally, I want us to do as well as possible. Realistically, I'm aiming for a solid top half of the table finish in the league and to win a cup. I feel strongly that we are made up to be a very competitive cup side. It was very disappointing that West Herts pulled out, as we'd responded well to the defeat at wgccc and were looking forward to building on our momentum". Hursty is also keen to play in front of a good level of home support, picking up a theme raised in this column last week. In a message to the club's current and possible support, Neil said, "It's great to play in front of friends and family. It certainly has a positive effect on the team, on and off the field".

Good luck Hursty.

10 years ago..............WHCC had a different skipper. We were just about to make the first cut of the Middlesex Premier League, and were led by the passion of Nadeem Mohammed. In a series of profiles on current and past WHCC players, we begin with Nad's views, direct from sunny Sydney, Australia;

Name : Nadeem Mohammed
Describe your cricketing style in less than 15 words :  Win at all costs, challenging & proud with high level of personal desire to perform.

Highest score :  For the Hill this was 124no vs Welwyn else 158no vs Sleaford for Peterborough Town CC.. (but who's counting ! apart from Bowers!)

Best Bowling :  10-18 vs Castor for Peterborough Town CC.! For the Hill this was 6-30 vs Southgate in Middx league

Favourite Ground :  Lords that I played at.. Middx club grounds was Ealing.

Favourite Player :  Personally - Ajaz Akhtar/Frankie Griffiths.

Favourite WHCC player :  Too many Tony Chanmugam, David Bowen, Neal Avent, Carlos Remy and Frankie Griffiths  (sorry for the ones I missed) 

Most Memorable WHCC Match :  vs Brondesbury in Daily Mirror Final in 97. They won Standard that year and went far in National so to beat their best side at Ealing and win our first trophy was a highlight particularly as was a real team effort  Plus getting hundred in final always helps!

Top 3 Other WHCC Matches :

1.  vs  Enfield at their Presidents day prob 1996 (chased 230 odd in 37 overs) when we thumped them and superseded them as best club around.

2.  vs Saffron Walden in Sunday league in 97 - captained against a very good side with a mixed WHCC and beat them

3.  vs Wimbledon in Standard in 95.. we won a tight game with a great team performance under TC.

Most respected opponent :  None 

Worst moment for WHCC :   Dealing with the whole Andy Noble incident ! (you know who you are !!)

Where do you see WHCC in 5 years time :  Hopefully still one of the top clubs in London 

What do you like best about WHCC :  Lunches were good....more seriously helped me become the person I am....

and to conclude this week's piece, we go full circle and bring ourselves back into the present day. Current skipper, Neil Hurst, gives his own responses as he prepares for his first game in charge in the Middlesex Premier League;

Name : Neil Hurst
Nickname : Hursty

Describe your cricketing style in less than 15 words :  Energetic & positive

Highest score :  134 n.o vs MCC, 2006

Best Bowling :  5-30 odd in a 2’s league game MANY years ago.  Bowling now confined to the nets

Favourite Ground :  to play at, The Paulin Ground.  To watch at: Lords, SCG and Newlands

Favourite Player :  Shane Warne

Favourite WHCC player :   Carlos Remy

Most Memorable WHCC Match :  League win vs champions Richmond in 2005.  We chased 280 and won.  I scored my maiden Premier League hundred and Danny Law scored 70 off 40 balls.  One of the sixes he hit still hasn’t landed.

Top 3 Other WHCC Matches :

1. Last ball win vs Ealing in EST in 2004

2. Win vs High Wycombe in National Cup Regional Final in 2005

3. u17s Middlesex Cup win alongside Bowen jnr, Barker, Mote, Adamson all of whom still play for the club and are among my best mates

Most respected opponent :  I respect them all but revere none of them

Worst moment for WHCC :  EST semi final loss against Hainalt & Clayhall

Where do you see WHCC in 5 years time :  Hopefully as the premier club in North London.  Life and people are changing and the club must too to retain the status it has given itself over several years.

What do you like best about WHCC : The fact that it has given me so many great friends and memories in cricket and football.  Friendship through games.  The club motto speaks volumes.

Aspirations for 2008 : Winning silverware in my first season as captain

Food for thought? Interesting views and memories? I certainly think so and hope you've enjoyed. More to come for next week and my thanks to a former and current WHCC 1st XI. Good luck this weekend to everyone who represents the Hill.

From the boundary...
Winchmore Hill secured a place in the next round of the Nation Cup (Cockspur Rum Cup) without bowling a ball on Sunday. The opposition, West Herts, could not raise a side and withdrew from the competition, giving the Hill a bye to the next round.

The next round will be played on Sunday 18th May when we play XXXXX at The Paulin.

The opposition for the Club XI, Old Albanians also cried off, but we too were struggling to find sufficient numbers to make up an eleven.

I didn’t see any of the cricket over the weekend—I and Ken Parsons were up in Coventry, at the Richo Stadium, watching the FA Carlsberg National Leagues System Cup Final. That must be the longest title for a cup competition!

The Southern Amateur League Representative side had reached the final and were pitted against The Midland Combination (Division One). Had Hursty been fit he would have undoubtedly been in the squad.

The match ended in a 1—1 draw after extra time and the game went into penalties. The SAL came out on top, winning the shootout 4—2 with Norsemen’s keeper (and Southgate cricketer) Dan Ashley saving two of the penalties.

The Southern Amateur League will now represent the Football Association in the UEFA Regions Cup to be held in Italy next October.

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[Page updated 9 May 2008]