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ISIS CRICKET CLUB 2010 Ground: Queens College, Abingdon Road, Oxford |
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Last Update: 05/09/2010 © Keith Whiter, April 2003 k.whiter@elsevier.com |
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2006 AGM - FIXTURE SECRETARY’S REPORT (keith Whiter) |
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The 2006 cricket season saw Isis C.C. involved in twenty-four consecutive weekends of cricket between mid-April and end-September. In that time, forty-five out of a possible fifty-five fixtures were played, including seventeen mid-week 20/20 matches. Ten games were lost to either the weather or England’s ill-fated foray into the soccer world cup, and every game that was started was played to a conclusion. In all, and discounting those games that were cancelled, Isis threw their hat into the ring with 32 different opponents throughout the season. All this, with the addition of another successful six-a-side tournament, meant that Isis regulars were able to enjoy a veritable feast of cricket through a fantastic summer of intense sunshine.
Nick Wyatt and Keith Whiter were hungriest for the cricket, each playing in 37 of the available matches, with the Walter brothers both playing 36 games and old-man-Wiblin close behind with a creditable 35 appearances, for which he turned up on time for two. New-boy Jack Hart bolstered the side with 31 appearances, while surprise package of the season Dale Jacobs made a deserved 26 starts, although feeble excuses about having to play cards or watch football in September did not go unnoticed.
I am relieved to say that most games in 2006 started on time, with both teams arriving at the same venue at the same time. There was certainly one cock-up to report, when we did not play against Elsevier in a game that wasn’t. That was certainly a bit embarrassing, although an impromptu beer or three with the chairman meant that the evening was not entirely wasted. Another embarrassment was entirely out of my hands. As we rolled down the M40, to face the largely international opposition of Quokkers Cricket Club, little could we unsung heroes of the fixture secretary fraternity have known of the plans of Chelsea Football Club to hold their premiership-winning celebration in the same locality. Neither would we have known that the local constabulary were going to close every main thoroughfare around South Park in Fulham, venue for the day. It seemed like a farce at the time, but at least ten Isis men good and true still turned up for the party, even though it was a very late start and we ended up losing from a strong position.
There were only three new opponents in 2006, the aforementioned Quokkers who beat us on a cabbage patch in the heart of Fulham, the Journeymen who beat us at the Warneford, and a Horspath XI that cried off when they heard about the strength of the Isis bowling attack. That’s a fixture that promises to be one that lasts (if they don’t put too many ringers in), so we’ll try for it again next year. The point though is that if we can schedule fifty-five friendly fixtures in a season, with only three of those against new opponents, it speaks volumes for the strength of our fixture list and the desire that our regular opponents show to play against us again and again. I can’t think of one 2006 opponent that I would recommend dropping in 2007 (assuming bi-annual visits to the Quokkers are not quite as traumatic as this year’s game proved to be).
The six-a-side may be a different matter though, as we again lost two entrants at the last minute and had to reorganise the schedule, literally, at the eleventh hour. The culprits were University Offices and Enstone, who both let us down for the second time in four years. I am not convinced that University Offices will not let us down again, and I’ll leave the AGM to advise on what to do about this. Enstone have already enquired about the date of next year’s event, and have pledged their commitment, so I recommend that we leave them in for 2007. Three strikes and your out though, and I suggest that if they let us down again in the coming seasons, we should invite replacement opposition. Other than this hiccough, the six-a-side in 2006 was another resounding success, and although Isis let themselves down badly on the field they can at least say they defeated the eventual winners, United Oxford Hospitals, in an earlier round.
We sadly failed to hold an official tour in 2006 when finding an opponent in the Swindon or Bristol area for the Saturday afternoon proved too difficult. For 2007, I recommend to this AGM that the club try a tour of Ireland. The itinerary will likely involve travel on the evening of Friday 25th May, games on the Saturday and Sunday, and return flights on Monday 28th May. Mr P. is well placed to secure the fixtures, so with your agreement, I will investigate further in November and look for deposits in December (the earlier we book the flights, the cheaper it will be).
For me, one of the best aspects of the 2006 season was the addition of new players. No less than 24 people played five games or more for the club, and eighteen played 10 or more. While David Wilson, our international for the season, has now returned to the USA, I hope that at least Simon Godby, Azam Nazir, Chris Slatter, Ben Karlin, Brendan Lewis and Jack Hart have all caught a good dose of the Isis bug and will be returning for many seasons to come. They all proved to be huge assets and played their part in a fantastic season. So too did our youngsters in Harry Stoneman, who has mastered the art of the “Nick Wyatt slide”, Jack Wells, who has proven to be an adept substitute wicket-keeper and Dale Jacobs, who did an amazing job in finishing with 21 wickets from 76 overs when you consider that he only bowled five overs in the entire 2005 season, when he made his official debut.
I guess the one downside to the season for me was our weekend form, where we won only 33% of the games we played. Midweek successes did mean that we closed the season with honours even, but I would like to see more application in the longer matches, so that we show strength as a team and do not rely on only one or two players to shine with the bat or the ball on the day. I would recommend that everyone sets themselves a personal target of runs, wickets or catches for the 2007 season, or do whatever it takes to help add focus on the field. My favourite adage is that the beer definitely tastes better after a victory.
Regardless of all of that, I regard 2006 as a truly terrific season, and it only whets the appetite for what is to come in 2007. Isis Cricket Club continues to grow from strength to strength, and while not necessarily unique in our approach, we certainly have a magnificent identity in local Oxfordshire cricket that, as we head for our 20th birthday, will hopefully secure the longevity of The Club for decades to come. |