Third XI Captain's Report, 2010 Season

Following our impressive fifth-place finish the previous season, there were some who thought we would be chasing promotion in the 2010 campaign. I always had doubts about this for three main reasons: Firstly, as well as we had played in 2009, many of our victories were tense affairs which could have gone either way. Secondly, we had lost three of our key players to other SACC sides. Thirdly, three of the relegated sides had been poor, and had been replaced in our league by much stronger looking opposition.

Anyrate, having started the season with optimism, and perhaps even a touch of complacency, by the beginning of June, we looked like real relegation contenders with four consecutive defeats behind us. During this time we bowled particularly badly, amassing some disturbingly high totals in the extras boxes. Against Portchester, we bowled 20 wides in a rain-affected 27 over match, the clear difference between defeat and victory.

Things were not going well, and, as can happen on a losing run, some players looked for reasons in every place apart from their own performance. It was clear that we needed to improve the quality of our cricket, and rekindle the kind of team spirit which had characterised this team in the last couple of years.

The turning point of the season came with the victory against CBBEA on 12th June (much more important and enjoyable than England's World Cup opener against the USA). This was followed by a resounding victory against North Baddesley, easily defending a smallish total on a pretty dodgy wicket.

Throughout the rest of the season we went on to play consistently better cricket in all departments, and had chances of winning many of those games. Unfortunately, our ability from the previous season to prevail in tight situations deserted us, and we went into the last couple of games desperately needing good victories to avoid relegation.

And so to that last Saturday in August when, despite our best efforts, we lost easily to a hard-hitting Nomansland side adept at hitting a cricket ball to the side of, and well over, New Forest trees and historic monuments! Frantic phone calls to other teams left us with the clear impression that we were relegated. Off we went to Moja's, putting on a brave face, and drunkenly celebrating the triumphs, or even mid-table respectability, of other teams. Inside, I felt like the black sheep of the club, and it was only the prospect of the Sarisbury WAGs doing some lap dancing routines and maybe sitting on my lap instead of Keith's, that got me through. My senior colleague, Mr Oliphant, was the picture of deep despair - was it our relegation or just his mid-life crises, I wondered.

I will never forget that surreal feeling when I woke up the next morning, clicked on the Hampshire League website and found out that IBM had lost so heavily that we had overtaken them (just) and finished one place above relegation. Wow! Is this reality or is the Cobra-induced hangover affecting my vision? I recall placing a ruler along the monitor screen just to check that we were really fifth from bottom before going on the Forum to find our escape reliably confirmed (thanks George).

This is the third season in a row where high stakes have been riding on the last game of the season for the Sarisbury 3rd XI. Although this time round it was for the wrong reason, it still makes for a tremendous finale to a long campaign, and makes turning out week after week all worthwhile to play this great game.

Our achievement in ensuring survival in this division should not be underrated. The standard of this division is high, and we are the only third team playing in it. It is true that we were significantly helped in the final stages by a couple of players from the second team, and an ex-first team captain stepping out of retirement. The fact that this almost wasn't enough to keep us up just shows how good the standard is. Looking at the season as a whole, the decisive factors in our survival were the consistently high number of bonus points we claimed from defeats, and the fact that all of our five wins were against sides placed around us. Much of this was achieved by third team regulars, rather than 'ringers'.

In the past couple of years, it has been our batting which has been our weakest discipline. This season, although sometimes not posting big enough scores batting first on The Green, the batting department was much stronger. We actually scored 600 more runs than last season and our bonus points total ranked in the top third of the league.

Unfortunately, our bowling, upon which last season's success was largely based, did not achieve the same level of consistency, and we were not able to defend lower totals as we had done in the past. Our economy rates were significantly higher than in 2009. However, in the bowlers' defence, I would add that we played against stronger batting sides, often boasting a couple of players who would comfortably make our second team.

In no particular order I would like to highlight some top performances during the season (hope I haven't missed any):

• Matt Reeves hit two fantastic knocks against Portsmouth and Southsea (96 no) and CBBEA (70). The array of class shots on display made these innings a pleasure to watch, and a century at P & S would have been richly deserved had he not been forced to retire hurt.

• Graham Flower hit his first league ton against CBBEA and went on to play some other fine innings. His fielding was also exceptional, possibly bagging the catch of the year along the way. A bit more consistency and positive intent in his batting will see Graham breaking into the second team.

• Dave Agha proved to be an important mid-season addition to the batting line-up, hitting three (almost four) consecutive fifties.

• Ian Clark (v Hyde) and Dan Millward (v Portchester) both hit debut half-centuries in this division.

• Jimmy Davis became a centurion for the first time in any form of cricket with an accomplished and undefeated 115 versus Hamble. I am sure there will be many more from this fine young player whose positivity, modesty and commitment to the team cause is an example to us all.

• Colin Day hit the best 3rd team innings of the season against Nomansland (104). This was a class demonstration of how to bat properly: firstly toughing it out on a damp wicket against an accurate opening attack, and then really cashing in when the going gets a bit easier.

• Fred got lured out of retirement, and hit two impressive fifties, enjoying the chance at The Green to pull short balls into the road.

• Martin Lander was the unluckiest bowler of the season, turning in some really good spells but not gaining the number of wickets he deserved. It's good to see Martin finally establishing himself at this level.

• Scud was a major factor in our win against Baddesley, opening up and bowling a 10 over spell to return tremendous figures of 10-4-18-1. When he got it right, he was a real threat to the opposition batsmen, and ended up our leading wicket-taker.

• In the same game, Ian Clark located the demons in the pitch to achieve 4-18.

• Jake almost single-handedly turned the game around against Fawley, coming on when they were cruising to victory and taking 5-38. The highlight of this spell was when he cleaned up a top batsman with another unplayable slower ball.

• Jake's fielding all season was even more amazing than his bid to look like a member of a Wham! tribute band. When I first picked him, maybe raising some eyebrows, it was with this reason in mind, and, boy, he didn't disappoint. Literally a match-winning fielder.

• Olly, although not as prolific as the last two years, still hit a good number of runs, and the captain himself chipped in with a few useful knocks.

There is a perception that the 3rd team is a Dad's Army outfit, but the reality is somewhat different, and younger players have been filtered successfully into the team. This season saw major contributions from Graham Flower, Jake Scott and Martin Lander. Another, Louis Mitchard, also showed us that he has a really bright future in the making. The same is true of some of the young talent which has been nurtured so well in the Academy side. Boys, be ready to stake your claim, but also be aware of the hard challenges which will confront you as you go up a level.

Now, on a more personal note, I would like to say that, after a difficult start when captaincy was at times a lonely place to be, I thoroughly enjoyed the season, and especially the conclusion. I really appreciated the support of some key players in the team, and, while I am the first to admit to mistakes, I also feel I got a lot right. Some people may cry out for more positive field settings, and applying more pressure etc., but my experience tells me that Hampshire league games are not usually won this way, particularly if your side does not have specialist close catchers (come back Ian Farley!). I would rather highlight occasions like the Hamble game when, with the game well won, most people couldn't understand why I had one fielder positioned at deep midwicket - that was until the ball was hit straight down his throat!

As well as the tactical side of the game, being a captain means playing an ambassadorial role for the club. I was proud to be phoned up on Sunday morning after the last league game by two clubs who wanted to pass on their congratulations to us for having avoided relegation. Their reason: we're a good bunch of lads who play the game in the right spirit. It made me think back to the first league game of the season when, despite getting hit around the park, we called back one of the Trojans batsmen who had been wrongly given out caught behind. Cricket for me is about Sarisbury Athletic winning, but also about playing the game the right way and promoting a positive image for this great club of ours.

As ever, some thanks to the really important guys who have made this season possible for the rest of us. Olly continues to be a tremendous support for any captain, both on the field and off. We have shared many mid-week phone calls and emails discussing the issues of the day. Robbo's work on the wicket at The Green has been dedication itself. It takes an act of true munificence for a seam bowler to prepare such batsmen-friendly wickets! Finally, real gratitude on behalf of the team to Blackie who umpired for us on many vital occasions, and earned the respect of the opposition for his fair decision-making.

This is a great club, full of great individuals and togetherness, and it was fantastic to see our run of promotions continuing for the 4th and Academy teams. Congratulations go to Mark Hansford and Ian Farley, and all their players. Well done also to Pete Hammond and Jon Floyd for securing comfortable mid-table positions in what we thought might be a year of consolidation for our top two teams. Next year, I am hopeful that the third team will have an improved season, and, given the opportunity to do so, I would like the chance to lead this side to greater things.

Greg Horton
September 2010