Cricket Review 2024 Season

Posted on November 15, 2024 by John Smith

The club’s 44th year saw us play our 480th match welcoming 5 new players into the club taking our overall total of players who have represented the club up to 226 over the 44 years. In total 34 players were used, 31 of whom batted, 24 of whom bowled with 17 of these taking wickets and 14 players taking catches and 1 a stumping.

Our full record – WAIT FOR IT – was Played 11, Won 6, Drew 0 and Lost 5, our first winning season for 21 years since 2003. 3 games were called off at quite short notice due to a waterlogged pitch and one team (Nascott) cancelling on us twice but thankfully we managed to find two new opponents (taking the total number of opponents that we have faced up to 78) through social media so we ended up only losing one game.

The season started in spectacular style with a record ever winning margin of 175 runs away to Trafalgar with Harry Rogers scoring a brilliant undefeated century (and the club’s 3^rd highest ever knock) and Phil Rogers (no relation) achieving our 2^nd best ever bowling analysis of 7-10 off 6 overs. We then won our next 2 away games making it in 3 in row all away (the last time we won 3 games in a season was 2013). The next two games were close affairs against a strong new opponent (Linslade) and Coldharbour before we set off for on tour.

As usual our annual West Country tour in Somerset was very busy. A few played golf on the Friday afternoon before we took part in the annual Witham Friary sports quiz with one of our 4 teams taking first prize and Reggie Betts winning the prestigious Hands on bum / Hands on arse trophy. A few hardy souls did the Bath Skyline parkrun on Saturday morning before our first tour match v Batcombe. It was quite a surreal experience taking place with a large wedding going ahead in the same field and that and the awful weather contributed to a weak LSCC team being comprehensively defeated. We put up a much better display in the Sunday game as a much stronger LSCC team narrowly failed to chase down their target. Were 4 defeats in a row going to derail our season? Not a bit of it as we stormed back with 3 successive home victories doing the double over Roadrunners and Old Chelmsfordians and defeating another new opponent in King Georges from Watford. A defeat in our last match v Ex Blues could not take the gloss off the season and a large LSCC turnout celebrated in the bar afterwards in style.

The Player of the Year vote was won by Il Duce narrowly defeating the maybe deserved winner Dickie Cushion and the skipper is not too naive to realise that it had as much to do with his threat of resignation and the Mike Brearley effect on a winning team as much as anything else, though there were two match winning innings thrown in.

The Garry Burrell Duck trophy went down to the wire with 4 players in with a chance of winning it in the last Ex Blues game but ultimately John (Carol, Wheeliebin, Lt Pidgeon plus many more) Griffiths’ golden duck on tour proved decisive for his 2^nd LSCC duck trophy win.  

On the batting front, Harry topped the batting averages (and aggregates) with a brilliant average of 93.50 from his 3 games followed by another good year from Henry and a very promising debutant year from Jonny Mousley, so we obviously hope all 3 can play a few more games next season. As above Harry scored the club’s only century, going to his ton (whilst on 99) with a 6 knowing that it was 100 and retire so we will never know if he would have gone on to beat the club’s highest score of 119.

Honourable mentions must be given to both Jonny M and Mike Mc who also scored undefeated 50’s. A reflection of our good season was that 15 players had double figure batting averages. As was the fact that 3 partnership records fell in 2024. The club’s best ever 6^th wicket partnership was broken in the 1^st game with a stand of 96 between Harry and John G (plus Ollie once Harry had retired). The 2^nd best ever 4^th wicket partnership of 128 was set by a combination of 4 players (Jonny M, Mike Mc and following their retirements, Henry and One-Liner). Finally, the 3^rd best ever 6^th wicket partnership of 78 was set by Henry and Jon May

On the bowling front, the 77 wickets (20 more, and 26% higher, than in 2023) were shared around, with Phil Rogers and Tiger Pearce claiming double figures with 12 each followed by DT and One Liner with 9. Phil and Tiger, of all the players who bowled 10 overs, topped the averages with 10.58 and 11.58 respectively though an honourable mention should be given to Terence whose 3 wickers came at an average of 4.00 including the most spectacular caught and bowled wicket ever by a septuagenarian.

On the fielding front 39 catches (11 more, and 40% higher, than in 2023) were taken with the ever impressive Ben Collis topping the charts with 7 (plus a run out) followed by Mike Mc and Oscar with 5 each. Dickie’s great year behind the stumps was shown in his 4 catches, 2 stumpings and 2 further run outs. In some of our games it was a joy to watch our out fielding when we could field a young and athletic team.

On the milestone front, John Griffiths hit his 2,500^th LSCC career run (becoming the 5^th player to do so) as well as playing his 200^th innings. Tiger Pearce played his 200^th game for LSCC becoming the 8^th player to achieve this milestone. One Liner also played his 150^th innings

The Champagne Moment and Clubman of the Year trophies will be announced and presented at the club’s Cricket Dinner and Awards Evening in a few weeks.

So an enjoyable winning season, the first for 21 years, involving many players and most importantly some new blood which was certainly needed with the semi or full retirement through age or injury of many of the older stalwarts. It proved a bit of a challenge at times with 3 fixtures having to be rearranged at short notice but we got through it. Thanks to Roadrunners who switched fixtures and managed to come up with a pitch in 2 days and we all know one team that we won’t be playing again. We did struggle to get full teams out in quite a few games but each time by hook or be crook, or both, we managed to field full teams each game. 34 players is a lot in one 11 game season but the good news is that many younger players turned out and we want to continue this trend in the few years as they are the future of the club as we head towards our 500^th game in 2 years.

Cheers DT