Decade

1995 Season

Results

Appearances, runs, wickets and catches totals

1995 – Simon mourned after high summer for Gents batsmen

ricketing matters were put into perspective with the passing just after the end of the season of New Barbarian Weasels bowler Simon Lloyd. His death at 28 was not unexpected, for he had been ill for a long time. Simon was a good friend to The Gents, playing the game hard while being very sociable off it, in the best Weasel tradition. For The Gents, it was another winning season, but it was touch and go in four matches. In Stuart Snelling, they acquired the fast bowler they had sought since 1989 but well though he bowled this was a batsmen’s summer, The Commander scoring 503 in all and Rotherham’s Mick Walker posting the highest score in a Gents match. The Gents’ run aggregate (2,882) was a record and with some good, varied attacks, helped by able late-season guests in Sanjay and Ketan Patel, a record six consecutive wins were recorded. The Gents won at Boston Manor for the first time and went on to record a Hat-Trick of Trophy wins, but The Weasels retained the President’s Cup. Aside from Snarler, The Gents also benefited from the increased availability of young bucks Burville, Wright and Patel. Off the field, the Victoria Rec pavilion was burned down minutes after the Virgins clash. At least the alternative venues had showers, a hygienic necessity given the late summer heatwave and the state of the average cricketer’s armpits, feet and groin at the end of a long day in the field!

                Thornicroft and Todd, whose batting all year was a revelation, dominated the Lager Louts match with a seventh wicket stand of 64 before The Gents narrowly saw off The Urbans and their excellent young quickie, Adrian Gathercole. Mr Snelling, introduced by Dan Todd, enjoyed what he saw and joined, only to be carted all over a postage stamp ground by Mick Walker a week later, the game well lost. The Gents needed a stiffer test for the first Beggars clash than a 203-run win against a weak Enterprise and so it proved, Charles Arthur putting the game beyond reach, after being dropped five times, once by slip Andy Monk when he was on one! The Gents were angry on 28 May, where a violent Snelling/Burman stand was stymied by the depressing sight of TAM slowing down the over rate, although the Angries then showed the better side of their nature with some attractive batting. The heavens opened a week later against FC Chad and Mr Snelling’s Gents’ record read Won One Abandoned One Lost Three! One wondered, as one did with Mr Maughan in 1989, if Stuart knew what he had let himself in for. Still, Snarler made it plain that he was in for the long haul and The Gents’ luck was to change with six superb victories. In a rewind to the Golden Run Glut of 1994, Hubbocks and Todd inspired a huge total in the Berrylands rain before the sun came out eight days later, baking an already dodgy Battersea Park strip into an evil, spitting monster. The Commander, despite being poleaxed by a Burrell bouncer, gritted out a brave 47, but there was good support from Todd (27) and Burville (23) before Snelling unleashed an unplayable spell on this terror track, bowling the first four Saints, including two ducks for the Mayhem Brothers, Trevor and Andy!

                The Commander (51) and his Squadron-Leader (5 for 22) dominated the sodden inaugural Virgin Casuals game but Victor Richmond’s influence was crucial. He stayed with Mark for 15.3 overs as The Gents slowly built a winning score, despite friendly oppo sledging! A last over win resulted in a gentle friendly away to London Owls, that included a Gents total made in under 26 overs and Mr Bulmer’s middle-stump being knocked out of the ground by Snelling Ball One. And so The Gents made their historic trip to Boston Manor on 23 July. The Battle of Brentford was played out on a glorious summer’s day, with air quality still bearable at the start of the heatwave, and despite some fierce bowling and committed fielding The Beggars’ 154 looked a winner, particularly when The Gents stood at 27 for four. The Wright/Ashton partnership of 127 made in 20.3 overs (both scoring their first fifites v. West XI) is the zenith of the first Gents’ decade. It was chanceless, and even in the subsequent controversy over both captains’ tactics was rightly the centre of attention. A week later came a game which Kitbag described as NBWs’ best of the year. Snelling was rested after an opening spell of 4-4-0-3, but the visitors still could not quite make the ton. 1995 was notable for some superlative fast bowling and Derek Kirkwood’s brave fifteen-over spell in 90° heat was as good as any. The gallant Weasels caught some fine catches but Wright and Patel edged The Gents home. If they triumphed against Kirky’s Exocets that week, fourteen overs from Gathercole seven days later was too much as a fine Urbans side ended the long winning record in Wimbledon.

                On 30 July the Saints came to town. The ex-pats made The Gents field in the oppressive heat and batted well, but were shot down by the c Sanjay Patel b Ketan Patel combo, which occurred three times, twice at long-off! Sanjay smashed 41, but a typical collapse needed a careful Commander knock of 39 not out to steer The Gents home with last-man Burman at the other end. It was the perfect lead-in to the President’s Cup but New Barbarian Weasels were triumphant on a day chockful of runs. The Gents buried FC Chad in Game One, but the South Londoners then gained a memorable win against the hosts. Sadly, The Commander was injured and limped home. Toddy then lost an important toss, the rampant Weasels piling up 159 for three, a score more appropriate to a day’s Test cricket than a 20-overs thrash. The Gents Away End kept up vociferous support but even guest Paul Christensen’s 52 not out, with good support from Chris Folley (35 not out), was not enough. Guest Beggars totally dominated the Gent innings. A shattering finale which for sheer anti-climax relegates it to the Games of Shame, scintillatingly though the furry carnivorous mammals batted.

                A classic Gala Game v. London Owls, dominated by the subtleties of flight and spin, ended with Wright judging perfectly a skyer over at long-on with two balls left. The post-match party with the friendly, generous Owls was memorable. Feeling, stoked by the respective fanzines, had, however, been building up all season between The Gents and West XI. Far from going off, however, the Memorial Trophy decider a fortnight later was played in a good spirit. Lacking only Wright from the Best Ever Gents XI, a fine Bodders 50 set up the win to cap the end of an era. Dave Thornicroft and Frank Gallagher moved and would never play again. Nick Hubbocks had been losing interest for some time and seemed to think that the club was a charity. John Townley took a sabbatical. Nothing stays the same forever and 1996 would mean a radical overhaul of the potentially great 1995 Gents side as it tried to repeat the success of the previous years.

©The Gentlemen of West London Cricket Club 2006