Where we play ~The Old Doms play all home games at... Bromsgrove Cricket Club St Godswalds Road Aston Fields Bromsgrove B60 3BN
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Touring Memories of Chairman Anstey....
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Now that said here we go...
So why do the Doms focus more on tours than some of our superlative success in, say the Lundbeck Trophy or classic ‘village’ encounters. Well, we know the Doms have always been great tourists and haven’t missed a tour since 1986 and in terms of gathering material there is of course never a shortage of frolics to reflect back upon, which I guess makes the whole tour thing much more fun to do. As ever, I’ve attempted to capture the occasional on-field achievements as well as the all-important antics off it, which is perhaps the very essence of what the Doms are about. Some of this material is worthy of wider appreciation (some less so of course) and when Webmaster transfers it onto our site we’ll no doubt find out!
1986
I learned a valuable lesson in respect of organising cricket tours (or indeed any fixture come to that). January is sometimes too late to do it. It seemed many clubs liked to have their fixtures in place by this time and that November of the previous year was the time to start phoning around. In the early days of the Doms, when we tended to play predominantly NHS opposition, it was also very useful to have in your possession the Hospitals/Community directory (bible), as you could select a telephone number in a desirable part of the country and often be pleasantly surprised to find that the switchboard operator at the other end knew who the cricket contact was.
The first time I ‘travelled down this road’ was in 1986 to organise our inaugural tour to Somerset and Avon. The switchboard lady informed me that Mendip hospital in Wells had a flourishing cricket team. She was also able to spoil me with three contact names: Joe Leaworthy, Alan Robinson, and Dave Green, all of whom we got to know well during subsequent tours.
Joe, Alan, Dave, and the Mendip boys, made up almost entirely of staff/clients from the Hospitals McGarvey (alcohol dependancy) ward, looked after us well at that nice ground “where Somerset 2nds once played!” With the magnificent Wells cathedral forming the backdrop, this was to stimulate the appetite for regular tours, and after this particular Saturday fixture Mendip Hosp. was to become the Friday evening curtain raiser for our South-West tours in ‘87,’88,’90,and’91. Their hospitality was superb and I was always particularly impressed with their willingness to take us for a pint after the match despite having to remain on soft drinks themselves.
In our first ever tour game itself Mervyn Morris and Vic Joesbury (the latter guesting from the old enemy) provided some respectability with the bat in an otherwise poor batting performance. Mervyn also returned the best bowling figures on the day. The following day we played our first game against Glenside hospital in Fishponds, East Bristol. I recall their fixture secretary Mike English describe his team as “reasonable” which in hindsight always begged the question, by whose standards? Glenside were far too strong for the Doms and Charlie Lyons’ 38 runs was our only real resistance to the onslaught. Bob Dyke’s 4 0 20 2 was the pick of the bowling on our side. To our amazement Glenside invited back the following season, though I’m sure it was on the strict understanding that whoever won the toss they had to bat first!
A nice guest house by the sea (or at least as near to the sea as one can get in Weston-Super-Mare) and a very pleasant landlord were ‘the icing on the cake’. I rather suspect that the landlord unwittingly played a part in our downfall at Glenside by opening the bar early that morning and he certainly seemed oblivious to some of the only decent cricket performances of this first tour......the previous evening on his hotel landing !! Likewise he was equally unaware of the near naked Dom wandering around his establishment with a large toy donkey in tow during the early hours! Who??? Who also tried to remove some louver windows in order to get to the bar???
Otherwise this was to be our only tour in a hired crew bus. We would in future always be spoiled with the Monyhull mini-bus(es). Without which I’m sure we would still never go for another crew bus!
1987
Sandwiched in between return matches with Mendip and Glenside, was a Saturday fixture with Tone Vale hospital in Taunton (Old stomping ground for Alan Last). Tone Vale was another ground in a superb setting. They were organised by local taxi driver John Hussey, a likable chap who seemed to know everything about anything as one might expect of a taxi driver. John was no spring chicken as he would tell you himself and the following season he was to appear in The Sun newspaper after achieving his first ever century.
John also introduced us to the Old Inn, Bishops Hull, on the outskirts of Taunton. Ideal as the bar closed when you had had enough etc etc. The Old Inn is pretty ancient pub too. As I recall it might even be listed. It was certainly very creaky and made the sort of noises in the small hours that could only possibly be a six foot homicidal maniac dragging an axe along the corridors. I also recall however, being far more worried that Ron Morgan might fall out of the open window! Otherwise it was a decent place and needless to say we returned the following year! For me however, the high spot of our trips to Taunton (Yes, even better than the antique shop with my name above it) was the traditional trip to the ladies church hall coffee morning. The cakes were especially impressive, but I will never forget the gentleman volunteer serving the teas. He looked up at Messrs Morgan, S.Morris, Rowan, and Anstey and enquired if we were offering some protection racket for church coffee mornings!
Which Dom broke the key in the mini-bus door lock, almost causing Ron Morgan to run off with an A.A man, and which Dom hopped out of the mini-bus outside a K.F.C whilst we were still doing 20 m.p.h ??? Which Dom woke me by ‘cracking’ open another can in the small hours when I thought he’d finally gone to sleep???
1988
We can all no doubt reflect back on a least enjoyable tour. Perhaps no runs. Perhaps the runs, whatever, 1988 were the forgettable tour for me. I hated it! We have always been lucky with the weather and I’m sure enough rain fell on this tour to have us heading for the hills. Arriving at Mendip and finding their note (in a polythene bag of course) explaining that the pitch was waterlogged, seemed to set the precedent for the weekend. Astonishingly, we managed a full game at Tone Vale the following day, but perhaps even more surprisingly, we played new opponents Frenchay district general hospital on the Sunday in torrential rain! Frenchay, local rivals of Glenside, said “well, you’re here now, there’s an artificial track, we might as well play it!!” To say there was some reluctance was the understatement of the century, and any reluctance was thoroughly justified. The game went ahead. Doms reversed the order and won the game. Nobody cared and nobody got warm for the remainder of the day!
Which Dom was thought to have stopped breathing ???
1989
With the help of the hospital/community ‘bible’ we found ourselves on the Isle of Wight....only just though. The otherwise trusty Monyhull mini-bus failed to start right at the edge of the ramp leading on to the ferry (we were due to drive on next). Fortunately the symptoms appeared familiar as I had a similar problem after a long journey with my VW camper four years earlier. One thump on the starter motor with a cricket bat was sufficient to get us going. Some might argue it’s the only useful thing I’ve ever done with a bat in my hand! Trevor Green, who in later years was to become a good friend of the Doms kindly organised two games for us, both at the Whitecroft ground. On the Saturday against IOWCC. and the following day against IOW.Health authority. The latter being by far the most enjoyable opposition and the team we would play on three more occasions during the early nineties. As far as our accommodation was concerned the Delamere Hotel, Sandown was perfect for our needs. It was bright, cheerful, handy for the traditional beach games, and Richard Shannon the proprietor enjoyed larks and high jinx (If any proof of this was needed, he assisted one of the Doms in the removal of some of his own door fittings one evening!) Again we were to return here.
One of the Doms complained bitterly about the cuisine in an Indian restaurant! Who ???
1990
Into the 1990's and back to the south West. The bad news...the (t)rusty Monyhull mini-bus breaks down in Worcester. The good news....it was right outside a pub. The even better news....two phone calls later, our friends at Mendip know we will be late and the ever resourceful Pat Roper is on her way with the “BRMB” mini-bus. (Resourceful somehow felt inadequate when attempting to describe Pat. She really was something else, though a fiercely loyal Monyhull supporter!)
A quick change over to what was to become our regular mini-bus and we managed to arrive at Mendip hospital around 7.00 p.m.for probably our briefest Friday evening match ever. The game was played for the first time on the hospital pitch. The following day it was off to Tone Vale again (was that really hospital food in the Tone Vale dining room?) and chasing a decent total, the Doms wickets were tumbling until with nine wickets down we were well short of their total. I will always have fond memories of what happened next. Stuart Rich and Michael Denning for the remaining 12 overs or so paddled the ball away with so many different improvised shots it was as if they were in competition with each other to see who could invent the biggest variety! In the process they earned us a draw.
On that same evening it was off for the long drive to the Plymouth area to play John Howes’ Milton Combe CC. At the time, John was a union colleague who had turned for the Doms whilst working in Brum, and felt we needed a lesson. This, however wasn’t on the cricket field. It was in his local ‘The who’d have thought it’......still love that name! We stayed on Plymouth Hooe in a pleasant guest house. But where could Steve Morris be going in the small hours? It was during this game that Steve Morris took an excellent catch on the boundary only to be involved in sickening collision with Tony Piper a split second later. Tony swore blind he had kept his eye on the ball but did not see it in Steve’s hands!
But who struck fear into his team mates with those now legendary words, “right, that’s it, the trousers are coming on!” ??? And just where did Steve Morris go???
1991
Whilst attempting to arrange the 1991 tour the sad reality now facing NHS services was that hospitals were closing and the ‘rape and pillage gangs’ ( developers) would be buying up the land including, of course, the sports fields. There was much evidence of this close to home and the picture seemed much the same nationwide. Services were at best being divided and there was much despondency in evidence when organising cricket fixtures. It was a transition period and some hospital teams did not know if they would be able to raise a team or even have a ground to play on. Sadly 1991 was to be our last fixture with Mendip. Much as expected the aforementioned was the case and the game had to be switched to Glastonbury (there really isn’t a bad cricket ground in this neck of the woods!) Despite 58* from J. Beadle (honest) the Doms 107 was never going to be enough and Mendip reached our total with 3 overs to spare.
It was off to Milton Combe again after the Mendip game. This time we were to meet John Howes in the ‘Who’d have thought it’, from where John would direct us to our remote farmhouse accommodation on Dartmoor! All went to plan and John actually came in the mini-bus with us thankfully. Was this place isolated or what? It was without doubt Peter Cushing territory with all the swirling mist you could ever need. I will always be able to picture what John did next. He declined a lift home as he only lived “three miles across the moor” and jumped over a gate and off into the mist and pitch blackness! “See you Sunday boys” could be heard in the distance and I couldn’t imagine ever seeing him again.
Our fixture in Plymouth on the Saturday was cancelled due a waterlogged pitch so on to Sunday and John had clearly survived (but was he still one of us or one of them?). It turned out to be a comfortable win for the Doms after restricting Milton Combe to 66 (John got most of these). Good bowling performances by Alan Last (8 4 14 4) and Johnny Vickers(8 3 15 3) was the significant difference and the Doms took 22 overs to reach 70.
Which Dom failed to shoo a dozen or so wild horses away in order to get the mini-bus out (because they were about to be fed), And perhaps the best Doms quiz question in our history....which three Doms on the way home, in Weston-s-mare, delayed the re-start of the Somerset v Leicestershire county championship match and how ???
1992
A return to the delightful Isle of Wight was inevitable and in 1992 we went for it. For the next 3 years in fact! Trevor Green was again very helpful in organising our Friday evening and Sunday matches. The fact that he played for both teams no doubt helped but I was very grateful all the same as I only had to find some Saturday opposition. Finding Friday evening matches was never very easy so I was pleased to come into contact with our new ‘Mendip’- a Ryde-based pub team named The Partlands, who played on the old Ryde CC ground. I had been warned that Keith Saville, Bernie Hawkins and the rest of the Partlands boys had recently won a national award for being the worst pub in England! It did not feel very confidence inspiring though after sampling their hospitality, particularly the large spread laid on in the pub after the game, there could only be one explanation for their award....they must have cheated!
The Doms won a close match. Chasing The Partlands total of 112 off 20 overs, Doms reached 113 in the twentieth over. Johnny Vickers making 54. The following day our Saturday opposition Wootton rolled out the carpet for us …literally! Their delightful old boy, Peter Bailey (later to become our tormenter with 4 wickets from his very slow ‘airy’ deliveries) had explained that Wootton had an artificial strip. Unlike what we were familiar with however, this piece of removable fabric was pegged down for each game over a concrete track! A crowd of 31 (according to Stuart Rich) watched the Doms struggle to reach 110 in 31 overs. Wootton needed 10 overs fewer to ‘knock these off’.
On the Sunday we returned to meet up with our ‘89 opposition, the Isle of Wight Health Authority CC. Graham Fahy, Biku Ghosh, and scorer/inspiration Sandra Chaplow extended another warm welcome to us and as usual provided excellent teas. On the pitch they thoroughly deserved their victory against us, with Old Doms never really looking like reaching the 159 required. Doms finished with 113. Alan Last predictably the pick of the bunch with 52 runs and bowling figures of 3 for 11.
Which Dom said to himself, “I’ve got a couple of hours spare before we go on tour..... I know, I’ll build an extension on the house!” ???
1993
Have the Doms ever once arrived late and missed the ferry? No, twice! We always toured the Isle of Wight during Cowes week. This always seemed to add to the atmosphere, but because this was a busy time, one really had to be sure of catching the ferry we were booked onto as there was no guarantee you could travel on the next one. Indeed it was made clear that there was no entitlement to be allowed on an alternative ferry. We got away with it in ‘92.....we wouldn’t want to risk that again, surely?!
The 1993 tour fixtures were identical to that of ‘92. Sadly, but not altogether surprisingly, the Delamere Hotel had ‘gone to the wall’ and we were about to sample Ventnor for a change. My own personal tour included an absolute feast of cricket as the Bears (Warwickshire) were playing Hampshire at Southampton, which meant I could drive down to the Addenro House Hotel (Sounds posh, but Stan and Bridie’s place was a well established cricket supporters B+B just across from where The Dell used to be) on the Wednesday evening, watch Thursdays play and the first session on Friday. I would meet the mini-bus at the ferry terminal, play for the Doms over the weekend, and as it turned out, arrive back in Southampton in time to see the Bears win the county championship game on Monday (This after leaping impulsively on to Hovercraft that was due to leave Ryde for Pompey!)
We made some great friends at Hampshire, who really looked after us well when we visited. They still do and we always tried to return the favours when they came to Edgbaston without ever really achieving the same level of hospitality. Even the Hampshire players seemed genuinely pleased to see us in those days! At that time there were no pretensions of staging Test Cricket in Hampshire so the personal detail was very perceptible.
On the IOW it was arguably the Doms’ most successful tour in terms of results. We were too strong for Partlands, who never looked like reaching Doms total of 122 (Morris 60*) and were all out for 57. We achieved our revenge over Wootton the following day by first dismissing them for 108 (Oley a very impressive 3.4 overs, 2 maidens, 5 wickets for 3 runs.......in case there was any confusion Mark!), and scoring 111 for 3 off 24 overs. Steve Morris again the thorn in the opposition’s side with an unbeaten 51. It was our own turn on Sunday to be frustrated by ‘only’ achieving a winning draw. A good ‘stonewall’ ninth wicket partnership by IOWHA left them on 134 for 9 after the allotted overs in response to the Doms’ 156 for 9 (Oley 44).
Which Dom had 4 friends turn up to watch the Wootton game (as opposed to watching the afternoon session between Hants and Warwicks) only to see them promptly disappear because there was no bar! and which Dom got all chalked up on the same day ???
1994
I didn’t go. Having surgery seemed a better excuse for missing your only tour thus far than some I’ve heard! Same island, same opposition on Friday and same opposition on Sunday. Unfortunately Wootton had entered a Saturday competition and were unable to play us this year, which meant a new fixture in the lively Cowes against Plessey (The Leconfield Hotel might not have been the best place we have ever stayed in but in 1993 they provided me with a comprehensive contact list of every cricket club on the island) I guess it’s sods law that you will eventually have a clash of personalities on the cricket field irrespective of how sporting you try and be. I probably would bother trying to defend our record in this regard – I’d leave that to the overwhelming number of positive testimonies from our many friends. They seemingly, were a one-man show in respect of their organisation, and Malcolm Fry took a dislike to us, which is probably all that needs to be said. The issues were all well debated and my feelings were that compromises can be achieved if people are looking to make them. During subsequent telephone conversations I did sense that Malcolm was less than flexible.
On the plus side, everyone seemed delighted with the Hartland hotel in Shanklin village. As far as the cricket was concerned, Charlie Lyons and Mark Oley shared a 6 wicket haul as the Partlands made 100. Doms reached a 101 for the loss of only 3 wickets, which included an impressive partnership of 91 between Steve Rudge (67) and Paul Kennedy. On Saturday chasing Plessey’s 202, Doms achieved a ‘losing’ draw finishing at 102 for 9 (possibly compounding things further). In another of those test match-styled rearguard actions on Sunday, Doms reached only 84 for 7 in response to IOWHA’s 127 for 8. Mark Oley again recorded impressive tour figures of 6 3 12 4.
Who was the first Dom to telephone me about the Plessey debacle ??? 1995 We were definitely not touring! Menorca was on and we were all going to do some hard saving......but then Mark Oley’s father plays for this club in the Bournmouth and they’d like a game and we can’t really offend them by saying no can we … and why spoil the run of tours? What an unexpected pleasure this turned out to be! Beautiful weather, nice accommodation, two very pleasant oppositions, and I didn’t have to organise it! Mark Oley did us proud and he was always going to behave himself on this tour! I drove down a day early with Lily and met up with Steve Rudge and family, who were down for the week, staying on the upmarket side of town. Our Friday match was against Mark’s father’s Ashley Baptist Church team, who play at Ashley Rec. near Lymington. A really nice bunch including one lady player (the second time I’d played in a cricket match where there was a lady playing). Chasing their total of 113, the Doms stuttered to 95 for 7...clearly distracted by something? I caught and bowled Marks father when he was looking comfortable and about to play some shots and it felt like a faux pas. Still that’s cricket.
Well, I’d seen it often enough, and it always looked a nice place to play cricket.... Mark had managed to arrange our Saturday game against Twynham CC at Kings Park, Bournmouth, which is the nice ground within the nice grounds with the large pavilion, if you can follow. Right next door is Dean Court.....I know Trevor (c’mon the Cherries) Green would approve! Doms had a more successful day this time defeating Twynham by 7 wickets. The home side were dismissed for 102, with Morris taking 4 wickets for 20, and Oley 3 wickets for 26. Mark Oley was also amongst the runs in Doms’ winning total of 103, making 35. Johnny Vickers top scoring with 38.
Which apparently well seasoned tourist naively left his room key behind reception for ‘safe keeping’ and which Dom carried his lucky log around with him on Saturday ???
1996
A memorable tour, which Doms tend to reference like it was yesterday! Reminiscences of our inaugural overseas tour to Menorca (yes, I know, but the Isle of Wight joke did wear a bit thin) will naturally recall the difficulties surrounding our then Secretary and his family. I prefer to think that bridges were subsequently built … forever the optimist!
The build up to this Tour had gone well in terms of organisation, although I maintain that no one person should organise a tour of this scale on their own again (right skips?!). I was particularly pleased with the sponsorship money raised (ah, those were the days), the Tour shirts (despite the worrying inefficiency) and the sheer quality of our gifts (biased or what?) for MCC to commemorate the trip. They were certainly delighted to receive autographed bats signed by the likes of Lara, Donald and Pollock. A month or so before departure there were, however, some signs of what was to come when I received calls from our operator explaining that an irate member of our Club had been telephoning them, attempting to alter arrangements and generally being obstinate.
After arrival my first two days were dominated by having to find accommodation for our Secretary and his wife who were arriving on different flights at approximately the same time (she was flying from Manchester with the boys). This and my decision to collect them from the airport probably initiated the demise of my own holiday and the on-field behaviour and the subsequent debacle that followed was inevitable I guess. All very regrettable and on reflection it always felt like we should have managed the whole thing differently, but heaven knows how.
Despite this we seemed to hit it off rather well with our opposition over the three games. On this impressively picturesque little ground Doms’ claimed an unlikely losing draw in the opening encounter. Unlikely in the sense that we were not playing ‘village’ rules (40 0vers) and yet MCC seemed to think that they had to bowl us out in order to win. They didn’t, and after losing early wickets cheaply Tony Peck and myself occupied the crease in a less than entertaining fashion and Doms eventually finished 135 runs short of MCCs 247 for the loss of 8 wickets. They customarily put out a strong side for the initial game against touring sides and in truth they were much too strong for us. Dropping their Dutch centurion on 0 off yours truly didn’t help did it JV, but I’m sure I must have deserved it! Peck 27*, Anstey Snr 22, Morris 16 and Bertram 16 tells its own story. As does wickets taken: Vickers, Dyke and Anstey Snr taking 1 each.
Doms were much better the following day albeit against a weaker MCC. Chasing 174 Doms won by 7 wickets, finishing on 176 for 3 with Steve Morris 50 not out. Oley 36, Bertram 32 and Peck 24 all made valid contributions. Dyke Jnr’s 1 for 23 and Oley’s 2 for 31 was the pick of the bowling. Doms were well beaten in the final midweek game as the Sunday defeat prompted MCC to wheel out a stronger side. Chasing MCCs total of 215 Doms were all out for 94. Last top scoring with 26. Morris’ 8 2 18 4 a quite superb effort with the ball and the only real highlight it would have to be said.
A dinner later that evening organised by our hosts in Villa Carlos (where else?!) was thoroughly enjoyable with some rousing speeches and presentations. We were extremely grateful of their efforts on our behalf, particularly Andrew Manners and Jenny Nuttall. We vowed to return, possibly for our 20th anniversary, but as we would later discover MCC were to experience difficulties in terms of accommodating tours. Unlike other Spanish based clubs, who were nurturing local talent, MCC were made up almost entirely of ex-patriots. David Sheffield revealed that due to retirements and Members’ departures from the Island they were struggling to get sides together.
On the return flight the Captain mentioned that his passengers should feel honoured to be travelling with us. He meant it tongue-in-cheek – We, of course, believed he was quite correct.
Given the choice, which Dom player would you least have wanted to have their tour shirt stolen from the dressing room??? Which Dom won a ‘champagne moment’ award for his hilarious demolition of the MCC nets, whilst also wondering why Colin Morris called him the mole??? 1997
It was back to more familiar territory with a three-fixture long weekend against Ashley Baptist Church, Twynham and Isle of Wight Health Authority. Two valuable lessons learned for me on this tour. Firstly, look where you’re going when you’ve been to the loo in the middle of the night. If you go through the wrong door and it shuts behind you, you could be in the hotel corridor and may need to wander across the car park in your undies to seek help! Secondly, if you miss a Charlie Lyons knock of 74, you can be sure that he will be able to take you through it ball by ball! (I bet this is the one time we didn’t wind him up with offers of a change of gloves, bat etc!)
I was absent from the Friday Ashley Baptist Church game, but a “magnificent” 74* from Lyons helped produce a winning 142/5. Our opponents reached 120/5 off the allotted 20 overs, with two wickets-a-piece for Dave Wright and Stuart Rich. Doms won again the following day when Charlie Lyons’ friend Tim Pritchard replicated the formers score of 74 in his only ever Doms tour. Doms made 180/8 off the allotted 30 overs, which was 27 too many for Twynham. 3 wickets for Oley and 2 each for Vickers and Peck did the damage.
So it was over to Wighty to play our old friends on the Sunday at Whitecroft. We went across as foot passengers to be met by an impressive convoy of cars. This seemed a good idea given our track record with mini buses and missing ferries, although I seem to recall a rather fraught return journey, where we almost did miss it again (with the help of the opposition this time)! In between ferries, Doms were just edged out in an exciting game. We reached 192/5 thanks to a great knock by Peck, who was sadly caught 13 runs short of a century. IoWHA passed our total off the final ball finishing on 193/7. Anstey Jnr, Last and Lyons taking 2 wickets each.
After the Friday game which Dom perpetuated criminal damage to council property in order to release the minibus??? And after the Sunday game which Dom wound everyone up so much over the weekend (particularly Laurie Boyle) that he almost ended up in the River behind the pub car park???
1998
An identical tour to 1997 kick-started with a win at Ashley Rec. Doms made 128/2 (20 overs) with Lyons again their tormenter making 50* and Dyke Jnr 34. In response Ashley Baptist Church finished 9 runs short of their target on 119/6 (2 wickets for Anstey Snr and 1 wicket each for Dyke A, Morris, Rich and Last. The fixture with Twynham this year switched from Christchurch Rec to Walisdown (we never play them at the same venue twice) and in a rain-effected match Doms set Twynham a total of 99 to win thanks to mostly thanks to figures of 4 1 5 4 from Lyons. After 15 overs they had reached 55/6 and one downpour later it was match abandoned. What was most memorable about this game however was the fact that each outgoing batsman and, seemingly some of their other players changed and left the ground. By the time we decided to call it a day Doms were clapped from the field by three guys, including the chap who was waiting to lock up!
On the Sunday Doms bowled IoWHA out for 51 off 23.1 overs, with some impressive bowling from Dyke Jnr (5 2 6 3), Morris (3 2 1 2) and Oley (3 1 3 2). Doms reached 53 for the loss of one wicket thanks to 28* from Morris and 18* from Bardsley. In view of the early finish it was resolved to have a 15-over slog and, batting first again, IoWHA made 59/5 off the agreed overs. Bardsley Snr was the pick of the bowling in the second game with figures of 2 0 7 3, although young Bardsley Jnr shone with 2 0 2 1. Doms reversed the order this time (memories of Frenchay), but the outcome was the same for the luckless IoWHA who experienced another 9-wicket defeat. Doms finished on 60/1 thanks to 20 from Last and 21 from Lyons.
This game will also be remembered for a rather bizarre twist(er). There have been some unusual occurrences leading to breaks in play over the years. A marching band, an air ambulance landing at deep extra cover in Selly Oak and a more conventional type of ambulance pulling up on the edge of the square at Barnt Green following Steve Morris’ attempt to catch the ball with his teeth. This meteorological phenomenon was observed by twister-tracker Stuart Rich to scatter Doms fielders in all directions (what’s new then?), narrowly miss the pavilion, and transcend the square before finally exiting at deep fine leg.
After fielding the ball against Twynham, which Dom won a ‘Champaign moment’ award for throwing his cap to the ground whilst directing an outburst towards Alan Last, who he suggested was not backing up??? (This prompted a mimicking of the incident with ten other caps thrown to the ground shortly after!) Also, who definitely did NOT break the bed at the Lymington pub where we were staying???
1999 From old ‘stomping’ ground to uncharted territory. The Doms actually ventured north to Liverpool! These later-in-the-year tours devoid of consideration of the new football or rugby seasons (but thank God someone’s prepared to do it I say!) posed something of a dilemma for me. Do I go and watch the Villa or go on tour? A careful check of our Constitution revealed the following implied terms: “The Club Chair should endeavour to engage in optimum levels of sporting activity as deemed appropriate….” So clearly I had to interpret this as ‘do both’! Lil and I missed our Saturday fixture against Liverpool John Moores University X1 and instead went to watch a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal (judgement some might argue). We missed a comfortable 9-wicket victory during which our hosts were bowled out for 113. Interestingly no Dom got 2 wickets – surely something of a first after bowling a side out? Oley 57* and Morris 28* saw the Doms home.
Lil and I drove up from London to join the Team on Saturday evening at our very pleasant accommodation in Cheshire and the following day it was off to Rainhill for our Sunday fixture. We would be seeing more of these boys on subsequent tours. Playing village rules, Doms batted first and made 124/7 in 49 overs. Dyke Snr opened and ‘carried his bat’ superbly with a disciplined knock of 41*. Rainhill produced some stubborn resistance to finish on 98/7 and the match was drawn. A lengthy spell of bowling from Morris produced impressive figures of 14 6 24 2. A special mention for Katie Peck who made the starting X1 against Rainhill. Our first lady player to tour by my reckoning.
Which Dom was stumped at Rainhill after going on one of his legendary walkabouts before the ball was ‘dead’ (off the very next ball after being sportingly warned by the wicketkeeper that next time ……)??? Which Dom suffered a nose injury which didn’t stop bleeding for two days???
2000
Well, the precedent had been set now – a repeat of the 1999 tour to Liverpool had Lil and I speeding in the opposite direction towards East Anglia for Ipswich v Villa. A pleasing 2-1 win this time but the game would mostly be remembered for a sickening, career-ending injury to the promising Belgian striker Luke Nilis. I missed a draw against John Moores X1 on the Saturday. Under the captaincy of Tony Peck for this tour, Doms made 171/7 off 39 overs mainly thanks to 79 from Morris. In response our hosts hung on with a rearguard finish of 136/9 off 42 overs. Doms just couldn’t take the last wicket that would have ensured victory with Oley’s 8 2 11 3 the pick of the bowling.
After a hearty breakfast, (Mark Oley had negotiated the early opening of the local greasy spoon) Doms achieved a fine 9-wicket victory at Rainhill the following day. After restricting Rainhill to 110/9 off 43 overs, Doms reached 114 for the loss of only 1 wicket off 32.3 overs. Oley made 38* and Morris 54*. The latter’s half-century was complemented by another superb spell with the ball recording figures of 11 4 13 3.
Which two brothers became the first to tour for the Doms in 2000???
2001
For the third year running we returned for some more Merseyside hospitality but, oh, what a bonus – Villa just happened to be playing at Anfield!! Lil and I decided to let the train take the strain, which turned out to be a good move because there was gridlock on the M6 and we arrived in good time to enjoy a hearty breakfast. We did feel awful enjoying a nice cold beer in the pub near our University accommodation while the guys were stuck on the motorway but we were at least able to advise on the quality of the beer by mobile phone in preparation for their arrival! Eventually it was a taxi off to Anfield with Lil, Stuart and Alex Rich and Katie Peck to see a fantastic 3-1 Villa win, which had always been something of a rarity at Anfield. Poor Alex struggled to see as the crowd kept standing up and when I asked him after the game what had he enjoyed the most, “the bits I could see” was the reply!!
A taxi ride after the football got us to Liverpool University in good time to see Doms just unable to take the two required wickets that would have resulted in victory over John Moores X1. Doms made 181/4 off 40 overs, which included a useful 60 runs from outgoing skipper Alan Last (see, once the pressure’s off….!). Our hosts made 99/8 off 35 overs. Oley and Lyons returned impressive figures of 5 1 13 3 and 9 4 12 2 respectively.
After a few beers it was off for a Saturday night curry. We met some Liverpool-based Villa fans in the restaurant as well as some gloomy looking Reds. There was a certain irony as these Liverpool fans were trying to forget the footie and were a little exasperated when we all piled in to join the Brummie exiles! The halls of residence were basic but acceptable (did anyone else apart from the Chairman fail to realise that the wash basin was inside a cupboard?!). There was a very late and very noisy party in the block where we were staying, which wasn’t surprising for a student block but for the fact that the first semester hadn’t started and there were no students. It turned out to be a group of lecturers and it seemed only fair to give them an early alarm call the following morning!
Lil and I let the train take the strain again (easy for me to say) to Rainhill. Doms batted first and made 133/9 off 45 overs. Tom Haydon top scored with 31. We had by now become quite used to some sledging from their wicketkeeper, who liked to offer a ball-by-ball commentary on proceedings. Steve Morris revealed that their wickie had suggested to Tom that Tom should play towards mid-on where the fielding was weak. Tom obliged next ball with a boundary and he was quiet for at least an over. Despite a superb effort with the ball from Ed Day, returning figures of 12 4 30 5, Doms total was overtaken and Rainhill (137/7 off 33.3) won by 3 wickets. Were Rainhill really ALL leg spin bowlers that day? A lift home to the door from Mr Rich was gratefully appreciated.
Which Dom had his car number plates stolen, believing this had nothing to do with being in Liverpool and everything to do with his team mates???
2002
Our ambitions to return to Menorca had been dashed when David Sheffield faxed me in 2001 to say that MCC would most likely be able to offer us only one fixture. I had kept some correspondence sent to me some years earlier by Andrew Bond, Sporting Alfas’ Director of Cricket. I decided to telephone Andrew to see if a tour to the Costa Blanca’s newest Cricket Club was feasible and experienced what I can only describe as my most harrowing cricket phone conversation. Andrew’s widow revealed to me that he had sadly died some months earlier and I felt absolutely dreadful. Mrs Bond was so sweet and untroubled by my cumbersome efforts at apologising profusely and offering condolences. Indeed, she was delightful and explained that she had received many such calls and anticipated receiving many more because of her late husbands tremendous efforts at promoting Sporting Alfas. Mrs Bond was also able to put me in touch with the very charming Clive Woodbridge, who seemed to take about ten seconds to convince me that the Doms should head for Albir.
Head for Albir we did and our operator, bye and large, looked after us well. A minor critical quibble would be the ambiguity surrounding the cost of child places, and room sharing costs, which I would describe as ‘fluid’.
Well, was this for real? A team coach with ODCC in the window awaited us. Our visit had been advertised in the local press and on local radio! Good job the skipper had us neatly turned out in tour shirts. Unfortunately, our coach was unable to drive up to the hotel, which prompted something of a scramble for the best rooms. This was bad news for the Rich’s and myself (or so we thought) who had been trying to find the precise location of our accommodation. Skips too although his daughter Katie had ‘sorted’ his key. We glanced down at the two remaining room keys and, expecting the worst, set off to discover the finest rooms you could imagine with quite breathtaking views of the bay (I’ll never tire of telling this story especially to those in the ‘Mozzie’ suite overlooking the road! Did Steve Morris really expose Lasty to the Mozzies by removing his duvet and thus diverting them in his direction?)
The Hotel owner was a Belgian guy who owned a parrot. One of them named Luke and the other Larry – I managed to get their names mixed up one evening, which went down well, but I did sense that the parrot was in charge here. You got a light continental breakfast with tea / coffee. If, however you requested the latter at any time during the day after breakfast the answer was a very unequivocal “no”. Otherwise La Riviera suited our needs nicely.
The tour proper commenced at the Columbus Oval with a Thursday fixture against the 40s Club of Spain. They batted first and reached 250/6 in 44 overs. Alan Last doing the damage almost single-handedly with figures of 7 1 39 5. (Not the only damage that he did as I recall - during the previous evening some of us were having our drinks spiked by the little treasure!). After losing early wickets, Doms were always struggling to chase down this total and were bowled out for 140. There was the inevitable Heber Mattis stumping after going for a stroll. I was umpiring at square leg and watched on as the bemused wickie and slip cordon reached agreement on whether they should whip his bails off next time…..! Morris 57*, Lyons 30 and Peck 19 were the only Doms to reach double figures.
The following Saturday I decided against trying to get to the Villa game! It would certainly have been less painful as our first encounter against Sporting Alfas resulted in the slaughter of the innocent. We were trounced. Sporting Alfas made 296/3 in 40 overs, with Alan Last taking all 3. Chances were not taken and we paid the price. Doms were bowled out for just 89 off 29.3 and if you take away skips’ dogged 41* the rest speaks for itself.
The following day produced an improved performance but also our third tour defeat. Sporting Alfas put Doms in to bat and we reached 153/8 in our allotted 40 overs thanks to another dogged individual effort this time from Morris who made 88*. The fielding was much tighter (had to be) but unable to prevent Sporting Alfas reaching 154/4 off 34.3 overs (Last 6.3 1 16 2, Anstey Snr 8 0 30 1 and Lyons Jnr an excellent 6 0 31 1 on his initial Doms tour).
All three games were played in an excellent spirit and followed by some kind words from both camps. I also took an opportunity to express my thanks to Mrs Bond for her understanding.
On the Saturday, which Dom won a champagne moment award for having ‘nothing’ wrong with his chin on the way to figures of 8 0 75 0??? And which Dom was called a “piss pot” by the parrot??? Also, which Dom came on to replace the Chairman to became the youngest tourist to play for us??? And who managed to bring three times the baggage allowance with enough luggage for an arctic expedition???
2002
Well, we hadn’t toured for three months and had been developing withdrawal symptoms. This little bonus trip in July had been organised by Mark Oley whose brother-in-law played for Mountfield CC near Hastings. We would be involved in a triangular tournament on the Saturday plus a match against Mountfield on Sunday, By way of another bonus we were invited to a BBQ at Mark’s Sister’s delightful home on the Saturday evening.
The tournament began with a game against Parkhurst. They opted to bat first and probably regretted this decision after being reduced to 32/9 in the allotted 10 overs. Alan Last again performing well with figures of 3 0 4 3. Doms reached their target of 33 off only 4.2 overs thanks to Peck (19*) and Morris (12*). Against Mountfield it was Doms turn to be given a hiding. After stuttering to 41/4 off their 10 overs (Morris 18), Mountfield eased passed our total to finish on 44/1 off only 5.3 overs.
Doms met Mountfield again in the final and batting first they set us a total of 70 to win the tournament after 3 0 17 2 from the travel-weary Walshe. Anstey Snr 2 0 7 2 and Rich 2 0 18 1 accounted for the other three wickets. Also worthy of mention, an excellent catch by Katie Peck. Despite chasing in positive fashion Doms finished 16 short on 53/5. An enjoyable tournament nonetheless followed by an excellent evening.
The following day, Mountfield reached 165/9 in 35 overs (Last 7 0 26 2 and Anstey Snr 8 1 49 3). After losing 6 wickets for only 11 runs, Doms hung on nervously for a draw thanks to Morris and Pearson, finishing on 109/9, with Morris unfortunately stranded on 49*. Oley the only other noteworthy contributor with the bat making 25. Mountfield were definitely on our frequency in terms of providing excellent teas (with chips!) and they also organised sandwiches back at the pub afterwards.
Which Dom excitedly informed us of our bargain deal at the Grand Hotel, only to find that it was a fleapit guesthouse named after the road that it was in??? Also which ‘Dom’ failed to arrive in time for the Saturday tournament (made it for the BBQ though!) after being waylaid …turning out for a rival cricket club en route???
2003
Well, we had our twentieth anniversary tour all but sorted, but couldn’t resist a less-than-convincing trip to Albir to seek out suitable accommodation. I believed in the legitimacy of this trip and so did skips, Steve, Alan, Phil, Annie… so that’s validated that! It was great to see Clive Woodbridge, though we were saddened to learn that his delightful wife Ann had been unwell. I’m pleased to say that Ann has made considerable progress and we hope to see her during the tour. We even dropped by to see Luke and Larry at La Riviera. Only the Parrot and some female staff were present, but nothing had changed – we couldn’t have any coffee and rooms were largely only available to family / regulars! We hope that everyone will be as impressed with the Avenida Golf Apartments as we were (just to show we did find something!).
Of course, this was never going to be a substitute for a cricket tour and we agreed to play a September Sunday match against Mountfield again. A quick scan of the football fixtures revealed that Villa were playing at Chelsea and as we were going that way anyway skips dropped me off at Hillingdon and the boys carried on down to our overnight Hotel. After seeing Villa robbed 1-0 at Stamford Bridge I made my way to Bexhill to meet up with everyone at Dave and Katie’s before going for a meal. Then it was off to our Eastbourne hotel for a nightcap or two. The good news - Skips had done us proud as this was a lovely place. The bad news – I was rooming with Lasty, which usually meant sleeping with one eye open. I survived the night and despite waking to find him stood over me with a camera I would have gladly settled for this outcome.
After a hearty breakfast, it was coffee on the sun-soaked patio overlooking the sea and then off for the obligatory game on the putting green. After my usual abysmal performance we set off for a leisurely drive to the cricket ground. This slowly but surely became anything but leisurely when we realised that we had underestimated the journey time. We just about arrived on time though Steve Morris, who had driven down for the day, was at least present at the ground to be our envoy. Doms won the toss and opted to bat but slumped to 57/5. After a brief rally during which 25 were added Doms again slumped to 83/8, despite a useful 29 from Morris. My instructions were to occupy the wicket (Menorca style!) and try and see out the overs. An hour and a half later I’d added the grand total of 15 (one of those fours should have been six though!) and with three nicely despatched consecutive fours from Stuart Rich we reached 118 in 34.1 overs. Doms certainly made a fight of it but Mountfield reached 122/7 in 25.5 overs to win the match. Mark Hunt returned excellent figures of 6 2 14 3 and did not deserve to be on the losing side. Mountfield again kindly arranged food back at pub for us again – a good tour venue indeed!
During our haste to get to the game on time, which Dom couldn’t wait a second longer to relieve himself only to find the quickest changing traffic lights on the planet??? Also which Dom twice brought an empty cup out to the wicket to offer instructions on the pretext of bringing the Chairman a drink???
2004
We wanted our twentieth anniversary tour to be special and knew that a return to Albir wouldn’t disappoint – it didn’t and indeed exceeded all our expectations. Top notch opposition, accommodation, resort and yes, our own tourists made for a superb celebration. We watched the world go by outside our favourite pavement café munching their famous toasties. There was the Lords Bar, ‘Villa’ restaurant and of course the very avoidable water park … ouch, never again! The three-match tour included a Forty Club of Spain fixture sandwiched in between two games against Sporting Alfas. There were two defeats and an exciting final ball victory in the final game.
The Chairman top scored with the bat in the first two games, which would never be good news for the Doms! During the first encounter I can’t remember playing in heat like that! I went in at three when the unlucky Walshey, in his only game of the tour, was well caught after hitting an exquisite four off the previous delivery. As Lasty will vouch, it’s hard to get out when you’re trying to throw your wicket away ….in case you die from heat exhaustion!
Doms wilted towards 156/6 off their 40 overs (Anstey Snr 32, Peck 28, Morris 26, Oley 21). Sporting Alfas knocked these off in 27.3 overs and won by 8 wickets, finishing on 160/2 (Oley 4 1 20 1, Anstey Snr 4 0 22 1).
Prior to the Forty Club match I drove to the airport and swapped Phil, Annie and Kitty for Justin, Julie and a lump, who would later be named Will! The Doms were overwhelmed in this second fixture and never looked likely to get near their 178/6 off 47 overs (Hunt 13 2 50 2, Oley 10 3 31 2, Morris 15 0 56 1, Anstey Snr 5 0 20 1). Doms struggled to 68 all out off 39 overs. In the end, losing by 110 runs. Anstey Snr 16 and Hunt 10 were the only Doms to make double figures.
The final game against Sporting Alfas was a classic and had everything. Chasing Alfas’ 183/9 off 40 overs Doms showed some steely determination in keeping up with the required rate. A couple of dubious decisions from umpire Oley resulted in the Doms requiring 3 to win from the final ball. Now, depending on whether or not you believe that Lasty deliberately and deftly glided the ball towards fine leg (beyond the reach of the young Alex Rich, who was guesting for our opposition) will influence your take on the final outcome. Me – I write speeches on behalf of the Liberal Democrat’s and couldn’t possibly comment! Doms finished on 184/7 (40 overs) with Peck 43, Anstey Jnr 34, Morris 30, Hunt 27 and Last 15* the pick of the batting. Some good presentations on this tour. I’m not often lost for words but the cricket ball clock had me stumped for sure. As did Sporting Alfas CC thanking us for choosing them for our twentieth – top notch!
Right then, here’s a few anniversary specials: who caught Alberto’s eye (while he was chatting with myself) by dragging a large buoy from the swimming pool, past reception, on its return journey back to the sea??? Who was trapped in his apartment by large triffids??? Who took a short taxi ‘ride’ from Benidorm Old Town to ………Benidorm Old Town??? Which couple were asked to remove their beer bottles from the pool area??? Who resolved to ‘T-cut’ a hire car in the midday sun??? Who annoyed the scorer by marking his run up on the hallowed turf with his cricket shoes??? Whose leisurely paraglide session turned into a white-knuckle ride at the hands of a couple of numpties??? Who falsely acquired a Doms Tour number???
2005
This was one of those, ‘we’re perilously close to spoiling our unbroken run of nineteen tours … quick, squeeze in a September weekend and a fixture with our friends down in Sussex.’ I had a Lords date on the Saturday as the Bears had made it to the final of the C & G Trophy, and it was a special one as the final was against Hampshire and I was meeting up with friends supporting both counties. I won’t mention the result or say too much about the fact that I didn’t manage to join the Doms on Sunday as planned. Suffice to say that it was definitely a dodgy meal / possible virus and was in no way alcohol related. Mountfield batted first and made 218/7 off their allotted 40 overs. The pick of the bowling: Hunt 8 1 24 2 and Morris 8 1 29 2. Ladha and Rowan Snr managed a wicket each. The latter also taking two good catches. Despite a quality century from Morris, including seventeen fours and one six, supported by Rowan Snr and Walshe, Doms fell 29 runs short of the total (Morris 103, Rowan 29*, Walshe 23).
Who won the golf tournament??? Who was the victim of a wind-up over an apparent hole-in-one??? Who won the mallard-teal award for a richly deserved golden ..???
2006
Cricket is brilliant! Profound I know, but there can’t be another sport in the world where you get to meet so many people on your travels. My good friend, Seamus and I travelled to the Barbados and Antigua Tests in 2004 and outside our local ‘Gap Bar’ in the former we got into conversation with three Essex boys - two Hammers fans, (Terry Henman and Dave ‘WHU’ Smith) and, strangely an Evertonian named Martin). It was to become the start of a friendship that has already seen us watching a lot of cricket, footy and rugby together in a relatively short space of time (including, by now, increasing numbers of S Loughton members). Now, of course, we had an opportunity to pit our wits against them on the field of play. Our August weekend however began with a Saturday fixture against Epping Foresters CC, which Terry had kindly organised on our behalf. Now apart from having plenty of Trees there was something else very unique about their ground. Apparently, it’s the most expensively constructed cricket ground in the country (or was it world?) because when they completed that section of the M25, which is immediately underneath the pitch, it required some intricate design / composition so as not to spoil the surrounding area.
There certainly seemed no danger of us spoiling the surrounding area as their contact guy, Doug informed me on our arrival that the game had been called off due to a saturated wicket (it certainly had been raining heavily). We accepted the inevitable and resolved to sample their hospitality, which amounted to the bar opening and the commencement of a carpet bowls tournament with pool balls. Doug informed me that they tended to take their carpet bowls very seriously. Moreover they tended to win! After a tense battle however they didn’t on this occasion – we did! They were so disappointed that it prompted their skipper to shout, ‘C’mon then, outside, we’ll give you a game of cricket’!!! (LOL) …. and play we did. L Ladha was a late change to the Doms side. Foresters batted first and made 134/3 off 16 overs with a wicket each for Last, N Rowan and K Ladha. Doms chased well thanks mainly to a great knock of 67 from Morris, but unfortunately fell six runs short of the total, finishing 128/6.
So on to Sunday and the main event, which had looked very doubtful due to further rain during the morning. The rain did stop eventually and as the South Loughton ground drains quite well we were able to play. As I recall, Doms were invited to bat first as the touring side, which was declined (very politely of course) in favour of the conventional toss of a coin. S Loughton batted first and made 97/7 of 30 overs (Anstey Snr 3 1 5 1, Peck 3 1 6 1, Sadler 2 1 3 1, Last 5 1 13 1 and N Rowan 2 0 11 1). Catching my mate Aaron felt like a faux pas but I’m sure he would have done the same. He thought it would be a safe shot as I had a broken finger! This was always going to be a close, low-scoring game between two evenly matched sides (right down to the walking wounded with runners!) but Doms were losing too many wickets and were eventually all out for 84,13 runs short of the total. Sadler 25 and Anstey Snr 14* were the only Doms to make double figures.
An excellent tea (Andy), bbq (Richard) and well-stocked beer fridge (Terry). As well as top hospitality, which began as soon as we arrived on the Friday evening.
Which pair disappeared for a game of badminton as the Epping Foresters game was obviously not going happen??? Who, for all the right intentions, got us a cheaper deal on accommodation in Ilford??? Who jumped over at least half a dozen ‘obstacles’??? Who woke with whose backside in their face??? Who had a major tantrum because of a slight delay in getting to the Indian restaurant (no apology for this inclusion - no one can be spared from these pages!!)??? How many attempts did it take to get those damn letters on the little bats straight??? Why was there an intense silence in the minibus during the latter stages of the journey home???
By way of a bonus there was an additional September fixture in Sussex, which I was unable to make. We had arranged to play Mountfield, who unfortunately were committed to another fixture but were able to arrange an alternative opponent for us, namely Crowhurst CC. This turned out to be an excellent encounter. Crowhurst made 137/5 off 25 overs (Peck 5 0 27 2, Last 6 1 40 2 and Morris 4 0 12 1). Doms again chased down the total well but required 3 from the final ball to tie the game but unfortunately only made two and lost the game by one run.
Who won the old gits v young gits golf tournament??? What on earth went on between M Hunt and P Peddu??? In case we need a tie breaker ….. just how many revised excuses can the Rich family invent for not going to Albir???
Well, here’s hoping everyone has an enjoyable time in Spain. If it’s half as good this time it would still be top drawer. Remember the Doms motto ‘Sport in true spirit’ and have a good one!
John
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