Steeple Aston Cricket Club
Lord’s Taverners Charity Golf Day
Steeple Aston Cricket Club is organising a Golf Day at Heythrop Park Golf Club to raise money for the Lord’s Taverners.
It will take place on Friday 3rd September, tee-off from 8.00am.
The cost is £90 a round to include 18-holes, breakfast, lunch and a chance to win a number of prizes. All proceeds will go to the Lord’s Taverners charity.
For more information, please email (peter.higgins@ctshirts.co.uk) or call him on 01869 347493.
For an application form as well as more details about the day and the Lord’s Taverners charity, please click here.
Awards Dinner 2009
A very successful season for the cricket club ended with our annual Awards Dinner, which was held in the Village Hall on Saturday 7th November. Sadly Graham Gooch, our erstwhile coach, could not make it, but we were delighted once again to welcome our star guests from Somerset, Neil and Janet Powles. If a growing attendance at the dinner is synonymous with the fortunes of the club, then we are in rude health – 2007 saw 45 attendees, 2008 53 and this year 72. What was particularly pleasing was the variety of guest: from 14 to 65 years of age; from players to partners and wives; from simply those in the village who wished to support the club. Alex Damm even arrived with Clare again, it being a year since their first real date at the dinner in 2008! This year I even got the tidying up right by dragooning Harriet, Jon Scotchbrook, Kate Adams and the Spires’ entourage to help. All done in about 15 minutes and off to the White Lion, then in the small hours (allegedly) the Red Lion. At lunch the next day Mel and Sarah were bemoaning Jon and Jay’s stamina!
Pictured here are award-winners Scott Powles (best bowling), Dave Powles (best innings) and Peter Higgins (best bowler).
The awards were as follows:
Best innings of the year Dave Powles 111 against Barton Abbey
Best bowling of the year Scott Powles 5-23 against Sandford St Martin
Best wicketkeeper (over the age of 40) Dave Stewart 2nd: Phil Chesser
Golf Match Won by the Golf Club, captain Alan Brewer
Best batsman Greg Renk
Best bowler Peter Higgins (most wickets were tail-enders!)
Best young player Ryan O’Sullivan (pictured here)
Clubman of the year Peter Higgins
The award that got the biggest cheer of the evening was for Ryan O’Sullivan (Best young player) whose 837 net sessions last year certainly made him our most enthusiastic cricketer. It was heartening at the 837th net to see him finally master the forward defensive stroke; let’s just hope he can remember it for next year! I must confess to feeling quite emotional myself as the club voted for me to receive the Clubman of the Year award; doubtless it was more out of relief as I have now stepped down as captain. However I must thank Jon Scotchbrook for his kind words and all the players for the commemorative jug and bottle of fine wine, which luckily I was able to hide and will savour another time. Jon had organised everything so well, even sneaking into my office to take stats from the scorebook, that I had no idea about it. If his organisation of the team next year is half as good, we are in for a successful season. Bottles of wine were also presented with thanks to Barbara Brewer, Sarah Chesser, Kate Adams, Caroline Owen-Lloyd, Caroline McGrath, Sarah Powles and Julianne Osborne, who had made teas/lunches during the season. We could not manage without them! Finally our President, Nick Cleobury, plucked the tickets from the jug for the raffle prizes and we are all still mystified as to how he managed to choose Heather Cleobury’s ticket! Surely there is more chance of us winning the NPower village knockout, but more of that next year.
Results & Stats
All in all this year we won 7 and lost 3, with two of those losses being extremely close. This means that in the last 3 years we have played 28 won 19, tied 1 and lost 7, not a bad haul. There follows the team’s averages for the year, for which each player must have batted or bowled at least 4 times:
Batting Averages
|
Name | Innings | Out | HS | Runs | Average | 100 | 50 |
| Greg Renk | 5 | 1 | 47* | 129 | 129.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Powles | 5 | 4 | 111 | 286 | 71.5 | 1 | 2 |
| Peter Higgins | 4 | 3 | 58 | 135 | 45.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tom Maxwell | 5 | 5 | 49 | 139 | 27.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jay Spires | 5 | 5 | 42 | 112 | 22.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jon Scotchbrook | 6 | 6 | 51 | 126 | 21.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Scott Powles | 4 | 3 | 44 | 58 | 19.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Osborne | 5 | 3 | 30 | 54 | 18.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Neville | 4 | 3 | 28 | 45 | 15.0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Munson | 4 | 3 | 10* | 22 | 7.3 | 0 | 0 |
Bowling Averages
|
Name | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best Bowling |
| Peter Higgins | 58 | 9 | 6.4 | 3-4 |
| Tom Maxwell | 90 | 8 | 11.3 | 3-21 |
| Greg Renk | 88 | 7 | 12.6 | 3-19 |
| Dave Powles | 51 | 4 | 12.8 | 2-4 |
| Chris Neville | 76 | 5 | 15.2 | 3-12 |
| Scot Powles | 153 | 10 | 15.3 | 5-23 |
| Sam Hatzigeorgiou | 41 | 2 | 20.5 | 2-19 |
| Daniel Munson | 74 | 2 | 37.0 | 1-16 |
| Kevin Osborne | 148 | 2 | 74.0 | 2-24 |
| Ryan O’Sullivan | 57 | 0 | ---- | 0-4 |
Of those who played less than four games the most notable batting performances were: Simon Cleobury 58 against Great Tew, Mark Brewer 46 and Mark Mills 50 against Chairman’s XI. The best bowling performance was: Graham Bullen 2-12 against Barton Abbey. So a great season for the SACC and thanks to all who played. More news next March.
Best wishes
Peter Higgins
Chairman
Awards Dinner 2008
A very successful season for the cricket club ended with our annual Awards Dinner, which was held in the Village Hall on Saturday 4th October.
We were delighted that Neil and Janet Powles could make it all the way from Somerset as our star guests and in all we had well over 50 in attendance, certainly a record in my time. It was particularly pleasing to welcome so many players’ wives and partners; even Alex Damm brought a girl along and she even left with him! It was great too that so many supporters and friends from all over the village came along and everyone seemed to have a thoroughly enjoyable time.
However I must apologise to the Hall Committee because the floor was not swept. I am sure I asked someone to do it, but cannot not remember who and clearly forgot to check. I faithfully promise next year I will come back in the morning and sweep it up myself. Mea Culpa.
The awards were as follows:
Best innings of the year: Simon Cleobury 116 against Great Tew
Best wicket of the year: Ryan O’Sullivan (still only 13) against Barton Abbey
Best catch of the year: Dave Powles against Great Tew
Golf Match: Won by the Golf Club, captain Alan Brewer
Best batsman: Mark Mills
Best bowler: Ashley Clark
Best young player: Alexander Maxwell
Clubman of the year: Martin McGrath
It all became rather emotional at the end as the club voted for Martin overwhelmingly as our clubman of the year. Martin is now back in Iraq for his second tour, but we were able to give him a rousing send-off and of course he accepted all our best wishes with his customary modest style.
However I can vouch for the fact that by 2.30am there was a little emotion creeping into his voice, but that may well have been caused by Neil Everitt’s “Heavy Water” Ultra Premium vodka, which tends to cause almost instantaneous amnesia.
Bottles of wine were also presented with thanks to Barbara Brewer, Jo Ellis, Sarah Chesser and Kate Adams, who had made teas/lunches during the season.
2008 Report and Statistics
All in all this year we won 7, lost 1 and tied 1 with 3 games cancelled. Next year Jay “where’s my car?” Spires has promised faithfully to ensure no more cock-ups on the cancellation front. He is, as I write, beavering away at next year’s fixture list and hopes to have it agreed by the end of November.
There follows the team’s averages for the year, for which each player must have batted or bowled at least 4 times:
|
Name |
Innings |
Out |
Highest |
Runs |
Average |
100 |
50 |
Bowling Averages
|
Name |
Runs |
Wickets |
Average |
Best |
Of those who played less than four games:
the most notable batting performances were: Jon Scotchbrook 55 against the Chairman’s XI, Tom Maxwell 54 against Cholsey, James Munson 46 against Barton Abbey and Scott Powles quickfire 32 against the Chairman’s XI.
the best bowling performances were: James McFee 3-7 against Sibford, Kevin Osborne 2-15 against the Chairman’s XI, Alex Maxwell 3-13 against Great Tew, Prash 2-22 against Barton Abbey, Graham Bullen 3-40 against Cholsey and Daniel Munson 0-12 off 6 overs against Barton Abbey (since we play limited overs matches, bowling economy is often as useful as wickets).
So a great season for the SACC and thanks to all who played.
Best wishes
Peter Higgins
Chairman
For reports on 2008 matches and more club history, please go to www.geocities.com/steepleastoncricketclub