Decade

1994 Season

Results

Appearances, runs, wickets and catches totals

1994 – new blood in as Gents batsmen make hay

nother great season. The sun shone, Jim Wright, Dhruv Patel and Bill Murphy were first seen in Gents colours, Nick Hubbocks posted a club record 514 runs, five batsmen scored over 200 runs for the only time and the Bob Ashton Cup was brilliantly retained 2-1 after the usual Boston Manor nonsense saw The Gents lose the opening game. Stand-in skipper Ian Maughan controversially inserted the Chelsea hoodlums in Game One, The Gents romping to victory. Mark then joined Ian in a composed stand of 63 against Urban Ponytails, but was sadly crocked once more, missing a dismal defeat by West XI at Boston Manor, a ground rapidly acquiring jinx status. After good strides forward in 1993 this was very sad, and little was learned from games against a weak Enterprise, turned into a two-innings affair and then ruined by the rain, and a scurrilous load of old trouser against TAM, who whinged about the venue and batted far too long in order for their captain to get his ton. The Gents like nothing more than a grievance and a bit of moral high ground to trample all over, so John Townley was sent in with instructions to save the day, a mandate he discharged with impressive literalness, prodding two runs (off Balls 58 and 61), scored off 92 balls received over 33 overs!

                The run-up to the Wandham game is a pivotal part of Gents history. Two players short, Andy Burman’s colleagues Mr Patel and Mr Wright kindly volunteered and found themselves comprising the new ball attack on a perfect batting wicket. Jim was successful with a c Mike Hughes at the wicket in his first over, but an impressive ton from Nigel Wilson set The Gents a tough challenge. Fortunately, Hubbocks was in unstoppable form and with Wright broke the back of Wandham’s bowling with a 129 stand. Both Wright and Patel liked what they saw and opted to become full members, which was interesting in the light of the undignified incidents at the Winter 1993 AGM, when two stalwarts, Messrs. Townley and Alderman, objected to the club signing new players, thereby changing its original social nature.

                Only 433 runs were scored in the dour first five games, but 881 were to follow in the next five and 677 in the four after that. Hubbocks was a particular culprit, but others were guilty too. Meanwhile, Ashton, with good support, was bowling sides out, a record seven Weasels falling on 18 June, before fifties from Hubbocks and Patel secured a superb win! Six days before, fifties from Hubbocks and Maughan plus three Burman wickets helped The Gents to an easy win over a Brianless NELPS. A top game in Enfield then saw London Saints keep their unbeaten run there in this rubber. The Gents score was based around a stand of 102 between Ashton and Bignell, during which Milton Jolin lost it completely and went to do his weekly shop at Safeways in full cricket whites. Despite the shenanigans of the celebrated Town Park Nutter, the ex-pats blocked a tense, honourable draw with eight men around the bat. Guests Hill (five wickets) and Jolin (a record five catches) starred. If that was a fine game, what followed on 3 July stretched the bounds of imagination and belief. On a hot day, The Gents had to win to keep alive their hopes of retaining the Bob Ashton Cup, but key players like Bignell (diplomatically playing for neither side in the 1994 rubber), Thornicroft and Boddington were missing. Dear John Black lost it totally after the game, failing to locate the Victoria public house, a huge fuck-off building on the main road, Victoria Road, two minutes’ walk from Victoria Rec. Hoodwinked by an old codger into buying him a drink and then given spurious directions, John arrived 40 minutes after everybody else. But if he, and Andy Burman, could have just one game from their Gents careers, one suspects it would be this, for John had bowled well, had the dangerous Waddell c Ashton for 11 and run out potential match-winner Padd Harrington, while Andy had earlier given Mike Hughes valuable support in an eighth wicket stand of 36, having been told “see off Hillbilly then serious mayhem.” This game was a watershed; neither Renvoize nor Sambrook Smith would ever play again, but they both played their part in a memorable win (Richard crucially bowling Mr Arthur with a full-toss), enjoyed their time as Gents and were excellent contributors.

                There were some brilliant Victoria Rec strips in 1994. The Gents did not monopolise the runs, as the fine Urban and Weasel sides then showed. After conceding seven runs off one ball, thanks to four Commander overthrows, The Gents were never going to beat The Ponytails with only three bowlers (Mr Alderman, not being asked to bowl, resigned soon after), while Weasels Flack and Kirkwood compiled a record, earth-moving fifth wicket stand of 84 a fortnight later to smash The Gents to defeat in under 21 overs. Warm, late summer sun saw some splendid matches. The London Owls game was a statistician’s wet dream; the record Gents score, two fifties (Hubbocks batting for 9.4 overs, Bignell for 39!) and two Michelles for Thornicroft and Todd after another brilliant stand (mercifully only 65 this time) between openers Bulmer and Maddocks. Don’t look back in anger? The Gents played sublime cricket in Sutton on 7 August, Bill Murphy taking 3 for 21 on début to induce a major Angries collapse from 106 for two to 146 all out, Ashton mopping up the tail. Hubbocks and Thornicroft then smashed the club’s second wicket partnership record, which had stood since May 1990, before Mr Todd carved the winning run, despite aiming for a “nought not out to boost my batting average.”

                The excellent Saints attack was too much for The Gents in an enjoyable Gala Game. Andy Mayhem scored 58 but brother Trevor was amazingly b Todd 0! Victory against Enterprise then followed thanks to Milton Jolin, who bowled the dangerous blond behemoth Buckley for 60! The Gents knew it was not their day when the sun shone for the President’s Cup. Urbans, replacing Chad, were easily beaten but Lynch and Smalldon added crucial late runs with The Weasels 93 for 8, helping their side to a narrow, but deserved, retention of the cup, despite a valiant 40 from Wright. A week later, burly Dave Thornicroft clubbed a mighty 96 against Rotherham before Dhruv cleaned up. Meanwhile, after a promising start, West XI’s own form had slumped and they arrived at a damp, cold Wimbledon Park on 18 September looking a weary side. Wright induced a c and b off Gents nemesis Charles Arthur for 1 and the innings nosedived, the last six wickets falling for ten runs. Bodders (27 not out) then steered The Gents to a deserved triumph, the club showing what they had learned from The Commander, injured for this game. This pivotal game, the superlative fielder Rich Wilman’s last, led to much soul-searching by the Beggars, for The Gents had simply outfought them. A great end to a fine season.

©The Gentlemen of West London Cricket Club 2006