Players and spectators very much enjoyed the Annual Badger Memorial Match which was played on Saturday September 3rd. It was a 30 overs interclub friendly to commemorate and celebrate Steve Green’s commitment to EMWCC from childhood to his untimely death aged 44. Badger, as he was widely known, was a 1st team player and a team and club captain. He worked tirelessly to promote the Club and to encourage youngsters to play cricket.
Players included long standing and new members, as well as some Colts. Henry Goodall and Rory Reid Thomas both aged 11, along with Sam Boulton aged 13, all played well and enjoyed the afternoon. However, the winning run in the final over was scored by Adam Murch aged 59, who says he has been a member for 46 years!
Mark Dickety, Club Captain, presented the Annual Players’ Awards. Notable recipients were Neil Rose who received the Mick Neville Memorial Cup for outstanding fielding. His 17 catches were the most scored in the Hampshire League. The Captain’s Cup for best all-round player not receiving another award, went to Isaac Low. Isaac bowled a League best of 6 for 19 and also won two matches at the death with his bat.
The fun Spud Awards are presented at the discretion of the Club Captain. These arose some years ago when two players defecting to EMWCC from another club were asked why they wanted to join that “load of potatoes”! The WAGs Spud went to Neil Rose, who received a suitably illustrated potato. There were also awards for Young Spud, Top Spud, New Spud, Spud Hands and Duck Spud, which Mark awarded to himself!
Colts section summer report.
The sun certainly shone on our summer of cricket this year and at EMWCC we took full advantage of the amount of cricket on offer. Over 90 boys enjoyed packed out training sessions and well supported matches. The parents of our U9’s appreciated the chance to soak up some Friday evening sunshine with the BBQ and bar alongside the training sessions. The boys didn’t disappoint on the pitch either. The U9A’s proved a very strong team and comfortably topped their League table with only a single defeat all season, in their pairs matches. The U9’s mixed team also enjoyed some great cricket – with many children playing their first ever matches.
The U11’s enjoyed great success. The A team were League champions in their first season of ‘points scoring’ matches, which was sealed in a thrilling last game of the season title decider when they achieved a win over their closest rivals, Andover, with just two balls to spare to remain undefeated. After a slow start the B team went on an excellent winning run of six matches in a row to end up joint top of their League.
The U13A’s secured some notable victories on their way to a 5th place finish in their League. The season highlight was a run to the semi final of the League Cup – just missing out on a spot in the final on the last ball of the match. The U13B’s were the team to watch if you are into a nail-biting finish! They played out no less than three matches all decided on the very last ball, as well as a number of other extremely tight games on their way to a creditable 4th place League position.
We are indebted to our head coach Ian Stuart for preparing the boys for their cricket this summer – working alongside the team of parent coaches and other volunteers without whom of course none of this would be possible. Indoor winter training for all age groups (including for our newly reinstated boys U15’s team) will begin in January as we prepare for the summer season 2023. If there are juniors who would be interested in playing for the club or adults who might like to coach or volunteer, then please visit our website at emwcc.com for more information or to get in touch.
Ben Gillings
Girls section summer report.
Coached by Nick Heath, the U13 Girls’ squad have had an entertaining season full of fun, sunshine and cricket. They came up against some strong opposition in the Winchester League and ultimately won 2 of their 8 games. They play competitive hard ball games and have grown in confidence as a team. They enjoyed an evening at the HQ of this year’s Juniors’ Club Sponsor: Three Joes Pizza, and also had a fantastic time watching England play India at the Ageas Bowl.
Coached by Charlie Evans, the U11 Girls’ squad ended up firmly in the middle of their League with some stand out performances from this smaller squad of girls. A five wicket haul from Kinvara Boulton, a fantastic and memorable catch in the deep by Violet Perkins and strong batting from Eliza Latreuille. The team came on immeasurably during the winter nets training and built on this with a great team spirit.
Coached by Charlie Gloyn, the U9 Girls’ squad grew from strength to strength during the season. With summer training and BBQs every Friday evening and matches on Sundays their improvement was really impressive. The U9B’s (made up of mostly Year 3 players) gained valuable experience and enjoyed playing in their first competitive matches having fun and laughter along the way. Watch out next season – they will be match ready and hungry for the League title! The U9A’s had an incredible season: Unbeaten champions of their League! They saw off competition from Hursley Park, Sparsholt, Compton & Chandlers Ford and Eastleigh – playing 8 matches in total and winning all of them by a convincing margin. They even played and beat the older U11’s IBM Hursley Girls. There was no stopping them! What a great cohesive team effort to be proud of!
Diary Note: The AGM will be on Wednesday November 23rd 6.30 pm in the Clubhouse.
| Lynda Gray | Press Officer – EMWCC | ldaten453@aol.com |
| Adrian Lee | Chairman – EMWCC | fulford.lee@btinternet.com |