County recognition

The Herts County Association introduced a new monthly award for volunteers and the three that were awarded went to Herts League club stalwarts.

The Volunteer of the Month winners were:

May - Tony Thompson, Kings Langley CC

June - Rob Slack, Knebworth Park CC

July - Phil Lewins, AbbotsLangley CC

Their citations are on the county website; http://www.hertscricket.org/news The winners received a trophy, bottle of champagne, a £200 Gray Nicolls voucher for their club and an invitation to the Volunteers Awards Celebration at Lord’s. Clubs are invited to nominate any of their members who have voluntarily gone above and beyond, making an outstanding contribution to the success of their club. Nominations need to be made via the form on the County website www.hertscricket.org. Look out for the announcement with details of the web site address for the 2023 form. If you have any questions, email: julie.page@hertscricket.org

The County Association also announced the ECB / Hertfordshire Grassroots Volunteer Awards (which replaced the NatWest OSCAS). Each winner was a guest at the Celebration Day at Lord’s and received a trophy.

Roll of Honour 2022

Connecting Communities:

West Herts CC

Rising Star Award (11 – 16 years):

Adam Hardyman, Northchurch CC

Game Changer (17 – 25 years)

Yasmin King, Hitchin CC

Unsung Hero:

Melanie Wilkinson, Stevenage CC

Growing the Game:

Matthew Holly, Cheshunt Rosedale CC

Inspired to Play:

Ben Wilson, Bayford & Hertford Nondescripts

Lifetime Achiever:

Mike Arnold, Harpenden CC

SafeHands Award:

Nicola Hazelton, Bovingdon CC

Tackling Climate Change:

Sawbridgeworth CC

Volunteer Grounds Management:

Simon Bridgewater, Welwyn Garden City CC

ECB/Hertfordshire Coaches Association Coach Awards. 2022 Winners:

Young Coach of the Year: Natalie Gurnett, Berkhamsted CC

Services to Coach Development: Dominic Chatfield, Radlett CC

Coach of the Year: Vanessa Viner, Datchworth CC

Services to Coaching: Stuart Johnson, Hatfield Hyde CC

When 15-year-old Kyran Shackleton recorded figures of 5 for 13 off 7 overs, in the season’s first league game, for Potton Town against Totteridge Millhillians II in division 3A, he thought he might have a fruitful few weeks ahead of him. Little did he know how quickly it would become memorable. Just two weeks later he rocked up for a Monday night match which saw Potton taking on Bedfordshire Farmers. Among the Farmers team was a certain Sir Alastair Cook, England’s highest ever run-scorer (12,472) in Test matches. Cook has tried to play at least one match for the Farmers, every year. Cook had stroked his way to 20 off 14 balls when Kyran started his third over. It was time for a strategy. He told the Daily Telegraph, no less, “I knew if I bowled at his pads, he’d find a way to clip it. So I decided to try to get a line where a fourth stump might be. The light wasn’t that great and I think it caught him off guard. Next thing I know, he’s clean bowled.”

Cook had tried to swing the young seam bowler to the leg-side and his middle stump was knocked back.

Kyran said that Sir Alastair was brilliant with everyone after the game, buying everyone drinks until about ten.

Kyran wasn’t there to the end, however, with school exams all that week for which he hadn’t done enough revision!

Kyran finished the match with figures of 4-37 but that one scalp, caught on camera (picture below) and soon going viral on Twitter, caught the imagination. The BBC, Talk Sport, ITV and a host of newspapers, were soon carrying the story. It was his 15 minutes of fame.

Kyran ended the season with 22 league wickets, (41 in all Potton games). One of the Potton Town seniors told us “Kyran is a really nice, genuine and enthusiastic player who loves his cricket. Definitely one for the future.”

Two clubs. Four retirements.

We pay tribute to four stalwarts of their clubs who retired from club cricket in 2022. Ted Levey & Danny Wilson at Sawbridgeworth and Jerry Dovey & Jeremy Gillham at Letchworth.

Ted Levey, the run machine

Ted Levey has played his final league game for Sawbridgeworth. He is probably known to three generations of players, having played for the club for an astonishing 60 years.

The legendary 73-year-old left-hander has decided to call it a day after scoring well over 40,000 runs for the club. Sadly, not all the scorebooks/records have survived to confirm just what a great batsman he has been.

He had two spells as first team captain (1979-81 & 1987-90) and his two best individual league seasons in terms of runs came in the 1990s, scoring 602 runs in 1993 and 604 runs in 1996 at the age of 47.

He was a key member of the club’s Bryan Herts League title-winning team in 1984 and the side who were runnersup in both the league and inaugural Furnell Transport Cup two years later.

Ted recalls that his early days in the 1st XI, as a newly married man in 1972, involved an 80 mile round trip with Tony Puncher (another Sawbo legend). Ted usually fielded close to the wicket, undeterred by losing his teeth, as a 16 year-old, when hit in the mouth at short leg. 14 stitches and a mouthwash later, he came back and finished the match.

Ted also made his mark for Herts Seniors over a period of 25 years, an achievement which was commemorated before his last League game for Sawbo, when he received a special award from Colin Croucher (see picture).

Ted has loved this representative cricket, playing alongside former adversaries. He said: “Seniors cricket is designed for oldies like me to gather together and swap stories about people and events, stretching back over a lifetime, while still playing the game we love.”

In 2010 his 752 runs for the Over 60s led to an England call-up for the tour to Australia. There they won their sixmatch ‘Ashes’ series 4-0, with one tie and one abandoned.

Ted’s retirement has been prompted by the onset of arthritis in the wrist, meaning he has lost a lot of power when batting. Golf also hurts, especially the duff shots, so he’s taken up bowls.

Ted’s career in numbers (as far as they exist):

Sawbridgeworth

All Matches (1984-2022)

Batting: Matches-628; Innings-604; Runs-15,635; Not Outs-50; Highest-157*; Average-28.22; Hundreds-16; Fifties-87

Bowling: Overs-506.5; Mdns-55; Runs-2,611; Wkts-88; Average-29.67; Best Bowling-7 for 63

Fielding: Dismissals-246 (236 catches, 10 stumpings)

Herts Seniors (All teams - stats only available from 2002)

Matches-234; Innings-237; Not Outs-18; Runs-6,467; Highest-135*; Average-30.94; Fifties-39; Hundreds-9

Danny Wilson

Another retirement being marked by Sawbo is that of Danny Wilson, who has been at the heart of the first team since the late 90s and a tremendous servant to the club. Danny holds the club’s record for most league runs in a season, with 949, in 2011. He captained the first team for seven years and was instrumental in Sawbridgeworth competing at the highest level of Herts League cricket for over a decade.

Danny’s Sawbridgeworth career in numbers (all games):

Batting: Matches-414; Innings-402; Not Outs-44; Runs-14,752; Average 41.20; Hundreds-27; Fifties-83

Bowling: Overs-1,131; Mdns 157; Runs-4,630; Wkts-187; Average-24.75; Best Bowling-6 for 14

Catches: 198

Sawbridgeworth have bid farewell, as players, to two club icons who, they say: “Leave amazing legacies and gaping holes in the club.”

Letchworth legends

The end of the 2022 season saw the retirement, as players, of two genuine legends of Letchworth Garden CityJerry Dovey and Jeremy Gillham.

Jerry Dovey joined Letchworth from Barnet in 1985, going into a very strong 1st XI at the time. He finished his Saturday league career in 2022 with a typically stylish 43* in the 4th XI, having played over 600 games for the club in a number of different competitions and teams. A fine middle order batsman, Jerry scored over 700 league runs in a season three times since 2000, showing that his class was always permanent. However it was as an astute and positive captain that Jerry is often remembered best. He loved an aggressive declaration but his fierce determination meant he would never throw away a draw.

Jerry will continue to play for Hertfordshire Over 60s alongside his umpiring and Grounds Association work. He recently umpired with his wife Rose (a former Sri-Lankan international cricketer) in the Herts League (see photo above)

Jeremy Gillham retired after a staggering 57 year career at Letchworth, which began in 1965. His affiliation with the club goes back even further, joining in 1960 as a junior. Jerry went on to play over 800 games for the club and captained the 5th XI with great distinction from 2000. Jeremy was a fine wicket-keeper and talented batsmen, enjoying a spell opening the batting in the 1st XI and scoring a large number of runs across all teams. The final century of an illustrious career came in the 5th XI against Ware 2nd XI back in 2013, a typically classy 108*.

In 2021, he was blessed enough to enjoy a fantastic day playing with his son Tom and grandson Henry in the same 5th XI, where Tom scored an unbeaten 50 and Henry opened the bowling aged 13. (see picture)

Jerry will continue to coach at the club and remains Chairman of Selectors. This long association is far from over yet.

Our international reach

Overseas players have been guests at Herts League clubs for decades. Most come from the established cricket playing countries but, last season, a new international link was created (unless you know differently) with a Brazilian playing for Frogmore. And he played alongside a Peruvian!

Players from Afghanistan are more likely but Hoddesdon broke new ground by inviting a refugee from that country to develop his love of cricket, after arriving in this country.

These two stories demonstrate the international reach of our league and the good work being done by many of our clubs.

From Rio to Frogmore

Frogmore hadn’t planned on having an overseas player for the 2022 season, but finished up with two, both ex-international cricketers. However, neither can be said to fit the normal pattern of aspiring youngsters for the main Test playing countries. Felipe Lima de Melo is from Brazil and George Glynn is from Peru.

of it. In 2012, when Brazil started their first ever cricket team, he watched a few games in the first year, decided to get involved and hasn’t looked back.

To develop his love for the sport, Felipe decided to take a sabbatical from work last year, travelling to England with the aim of taking in as much knowledge of English cricket which he could take back to Brazil to help in developing the sport there.

The contact between Frogmore and Felipe was work colleague of the club’s Safeguarding Officer, Jack Massey. That colleague was Peruvian – George Glynn, who, like Felipe, has represented his country in T20 matches. Luckily George has a British passport, hence Frogmore found themselves with two internationals, last season, playing in division 5A!

Jack says that Felipe was inspiring to watch. “He’s an off spinner who truly loves the game. He is so positive all the time, gets everyone going and soon picked up his first wickets ever on a grass pitch (they’re all Astro in Brazil). He finished the season with a haul of 26 wickets.

Felipe’s story is heart-warming. It started in 2009, when, struggling with insomnia, the TV was his salvation. As a sports lover who had fallen out of love with football, he found himself watching India/Sri Lanka Test cricket and instantly fell in love with it. He was attracted to the ‘chess’ of the game and the sound of the ball on the bat. He couldn’t get enough

“Every contribution he makes to the club means everything to him and in less than two months he became a foundation of the club. Frogmore have been struggling with availability but his passion has encouraged some older club members to play a few more games and we have been getting by, thanks to Felipe.”

Refugee finds a new home

In April 2022, Hoddesdon were contacted, via their social media outlets, by the UK Refugee Council about cricket-loving Wasil, a teenage Afghan refugee. Wasil was seeking asylum while living in a refugee hostel in Hoddesdon and was keen to play cricket again.

Hoddesdon Chairman, Ian Munday said: “As soon as the UK Refugee Council contacted us, we were keen to find out how we could help. We met Wasil a week later when he was brought to the club by his mentor and translator and despite not even having basic English, we were able to communicate in the language of sport.”

Ian continued: “Wasil has an amazing story, having had to flee his home country, leaving behind his family and friends, which was unbelievably brave for a teenager. He ended up living in a hostel with strangers, in a country where he did not speak the language or know anybody else.

"Our initial aim was to ensure that Wasil knew that the club was a welcoming and friendly environment and to make him feel at home. As soon as he joined in one of our practice sessions, you could see he had played before and to see the joy on his face was an emotional moment.

“Wasil returned the following week to watch and when the paperwork was sorted, he was able to play. The younger members of the club viewed Wasil as a hero and he was, in turn, happy to assist younger team members with their technique.”

After a few weeks, the club was pleased with the efforts that had been made to make Wasil feel a part of the club but there was also the knowledge that there was more that could be done. Club members Antony Higgs and Guy Lipyeat then took it on themselves to raise contributions to fund a weekly halal food delivery to Wasil and to provide cricket kit and equipment. The club also arranged for weekly 1-1 English lessons, to supplement Wasil’s college course.

Over the course of the season, Wasil grew in confidence and on a memorable night he brought a couple of newly found Afghan friends to a club music evening, where they demonstrated their skills in Afghan dancing.

Ian Munday feels that Wasil’s experience demonstrated how Hoddesdon takes its social responsibility very seriously, as a community club. He said: “We believe that cricket is for everyone and we welcome all players and social members from across our diverse community.

"I would encourage all clubs to reach out to the UK Refugee Council and to offer your support. Our great sport can make a real difference to someone’s life and it is not often that cricket clubs have these opportunities to make such a difference”