Woodmansterne Cricket Club

The First X1

Review of the 2003 Season

2004 season
Captain	Tom Wortley
Vice Captain	Jim Selby
Umpire	David Harris
Scorer	Irene Harris

While 2003 was hardly a vintage season, with only three wins, there is much to be positive about looking towards the new season. 2003 began badly with confirmation that 2002's leading wicket taker, Braden Higgs, would be unavailable for all but one game; with skipper Neil Park's season lasting just four overs before it succumbed to a skiing-induced knee injury, the omens were poor. Nevertheless, while victory was elusive until mid-June, many performances were encouraging, and, had the rub of the green - and very often the flip of the coin - gone our way, a comfortable mid-table position could have been assured before the baking hot summer took its toll. As the temperatures rose, a seven-game barren streak ensued, including three routs, but two wins and a winning draw in the last four games demonstrated what we are capable of.

Much thanks must go to Dave Harris and Micky Pratt for their umpiring stints, and Irene Harris for her multi-coloured scoring, to Dave Brazier and Bob Conquest for their ceaseless efforts in producing a superb track, and to Bill Bessant and Dave Clisby for their entertaining and suitably controversial match reports.

The 'old guard' made telling contributions at times, most notably the prodigious Vagg, with 545 runs at 36, and the dependable Bessant, who picked up 30 wickets at 16, as well as superb individual efforts by Turner (89) against Burpham and Worplesdon and Selby (5-38) at Ottershaw.

However, the most encouraging signs were provided by youngsters. Aldous continued to improve, bagging twenty-nine wickets, but even more promising was the emergence of Hicks, an elegant, technically-gifted batsman in the mould of Michael Vaughan, and Polley, a destructive timer of the ball with an array of shots to challenge Marcus Trescothick. With more youngsters set to come through from the Seconds, the future looks bright for Woodmansterne.

2003 Averages