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ISIS CRICKET CLUB 2012 Ground: Queens College, Abingdon Road, Oxford |
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Last Update: 10/01/2012 © Keith Whiter, April 2003 k.whiter@elsevier.com |
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2011 AGM - FIXTURE SECRETARY’S report (KEITH WHITER) |
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After the frustrations of last season, I am very pleased to report that after reorganising the fixture list, adding a few excellent new fixtures, and having had a relatively dry spring and summer, Isis enjoyed a full and entertaining season of forty completed matches and only five cancellations. Much can be said about the joys of a winning season, but I think we should all feel proud of a win rate of 62%, and finishing ahead in both weekend and mid-week forms of the game. In all, we won twenty-five matches and lost fourteen, with one draw.
2011 is set apart by an unprecedented number of players appearing for the club, fifty-nine to be exact. Of these only fifteen played more than ten matches, which highlights our dependence on casual affiliates when one or two of the regulars go unexpectedly absent to injury. There were some notable additions to the club’s rank and file though, and I can only hope that the Isis spirit touches the likes of Steve Jayna, Will Green and Gus Gardner-Morrison for many seasons to come. The addition of a number of Indian colleagues from Infosys Technologies was also a great help, and in particular Ravikieran Kella who was one of those fifteen stalwarts. We were also helped by a few big-hitting antipodean rugby players , who stepped in when we were struggling for players and made a terrific contribution to our run rate. But how nice, on the back of matches against a Chairman’s XI at a memorable 25th anniversary celebration , that we should see the likes of Adrian Southgate return to the club to don the Isis shirt.
While a couple of batting records fell to good partnerships, there were only three centurions in 2011, while our players did pass fifty runs on twenty-four occasions. Despite the winning season, none of the bowlers recorded a five-for. Injuries to stalwarts such as Lester Whitby and Nick Wyatt will have been frustrating for the individuals concerned, and with others such as Pete Wiblin unable to play so often it was essential that others stepped up their performances. Perhaps the deciding factor in this winning season then were the narrow wins we made, highlighting the depth Isis showed with both bat and ball. Team performances prevailed over individual excellence, and for that alone I cannot think of many more enjoyable seasons than this one.
New fixtures included three victories against Far from the MCC, a win against gracious hosts Keen Cricketers XI, and two delightful matches against an exuberant team from Infosys, who clearly love cricket and were delighted to be invited to play us. Old firm derbies included a grand-slam of four wins against Wytham, even honours with both Enstone and Charlton-on-Otmoor and two losses apiece against Appleton and Astons (one of those being a veritable thrashing). We played at some terrific venues too, the highlights being a return to Blenheim Palace and the fantastic experience of winning a close encounter on the playing fields of Eton College. All in all, from a fixtures viewpoint, just about everything worked in 2011, and I recommend that we enter 2012 with no planned changes of opponent in our list.
Finally, I cannot let the chance go by without congratulating the Isis golfers, who defeated Wytham in such dramatic fashion in the Wyder Cup, our traditional final fixture of the season. Coming back from a 4-0 deficit to win 5-4 was the stuff of legend, and our victory was made all the more sweet by the magnanimous and gracious presentation of the trophy by one Robert Werlinger.
What a fitting end then to what was without doubt a cracking 25th anniversary season for a cracking club. The great sporting sides of history always build on their success and all I can say is roll on April and the start of another fantastic Isis season and may this rich vein of prosperity stay with us for many seasons to come.
Keith Whiter |