Whilst never having a settled side did not help, Woods were only outplayed on a couple of occasions & only a dropped catch denied a win against eventual league winners Old Wimbledonians.

It would seem unfair to focus on one small mistake, but its fallout shook the club to its foundations as all three Saturday captains and the social secretary resigned after it.

However, the team spirit did not diminish and everyone continued to believe that a win was only just around the corner. The highlight of the season turned out to be a tied match with Churt, when in a nail biting finish the final wicket was taken by a runout as Churt went in search of the winning run.

Everyone who played contributed in some way, but it was the lack of runs that caused most concern as the club only managed to secure maximum batting points on two occasions and the clubs 10th wkt partnership was higher than both the 1st & 4th wicket. Skipper Chris Vagg led from the front 391 runs @ 43.4 including an undefeated century against Old Paulines and 3 other big fifties whilst no one else managed to register a score over fifty.

Dave Clisby 195 runs, Neil Park 154 runs & Tony Phillips 150 runs all contributed with the bat, but will probably feel that next season will see them a lot more prolific.

James Selby took on the role of all rounder 168 runs @ 21.0 and 21 wkts @ 28.5 including 5-55 against Churt.

The bowling attack was strengthened when leg spinner Tom Wortley 15 wkts @ 26.1 including 5-55 against Old Wimbledonians returned from University although his arrival coincided with the injury to opening bowler Bill Bessant 12 wkts @ 27.2 and his premature ending to the season. Had they been available all season the clubs fortunes may have been different. A special mention must go to Ken Wright who represented all three teams and demonstrated to some of the younger members the value of bowling line and length.

Dave Pryor was as reliable as ever behind the timbers 15 catches & 4 stumpings and led the way in undefeated innings. As always a special word of thanks to umpire Dave Harris and scorer Irene Harris for their assistance during the season and the hard work put in by the ground working team Dave & Andy Brazier and Bob Conquest in making the wicket and ground such an enjoyable venue to play cricket. A big thank you to web master Bill Bessant for his entertaining match reports and full value website.

Finally, the club is looking forward to the emergence of more colts and the opportunity to visit new grounds and play against new opposition with a swift return to the 1st division. Good luck to the new skipper !!

Averages

Highlights (what highlights?)

Results

Summary

1stX1 Report and Averages 1999

1stX1 Report and Averages 1998