The Cricketer Village Cup Official Programme

Saturday September 19th

The Cricketer Village Cup final 2020, Lord’s

COLWALL CC v REDBOURN CC OFFICIAL SOUVENIR PROGRAMME

NEW

Welcome

C

ongratulations are truly in order at the arrival of the 2020 Cricketer Village Cup final. Not just for the teams involved – Redbourn and Colwall – who have negotiated seven rounds (in Redbourn’s case) and many nervous moments en route to Lord’s. But also for the Herculean effort of getting the tournament going and to its climax in a season ravaged by the pandemic. It has been a tremendous feat of organisation by all at The Cricketer and MCC too.

The experience of Redbourn – debutants in the competition – is what the Village Cup is all about. Cricket dates back to 1666 on the village common and the club was formed in the 1820s, aided by that famous scallywag – Lord Frederick Beauclerk. Beauclerk was a crafty cricketer and one of the founding members of MCC, who played for the club while also captaining ‘All England’ and being the vicar of nearby St Albans. Although, according to the current vicar of Redbourn, Will Gibbs, who also plays for the club, “Beauclerk spent most of his time playing cricket, dining and gambling and not much administering communion to parishioners.”

The club has flourished and become an absolute centre of the community, hosting almost 300 juniors on summer nights, and numerous social events. They weren’t able to participate in the Village Cup until a rule change allowing slightly larger populations a few years back. They had to overcome three-time champions Reed in the first round and 1996 runners-up Langleybury in the regional final. Brothers Edward and William Hales double-handedly overcame Somerset’s North Perrott in the semis. Colwall meanwhile, whose ground has a stunning Malvern Hills backdrop, have had to grapple with long journeys and rain-ruined matches in their passage to Lord’s.

The Reverend Gibbs spoke for all competitors when he said that reaching the final would be “a wonderful testimony to all the volunteers who have given up their time to coach the juniors (75% of Redbourn’s team are homegrown players) and run social events and do all the vital chores for so many years.” It is a shame that none of them can attend the game this year, so it will be the duty of all 22 players to cherish every moment of being at the Home of Cricket on their behalf. Redbourn’s appearance in the final is also a fitting farewell to loyal club member Gerald Corbett whose chairmanship of MCC comes to an end this year.

Good luck to you all. I will be watching!

Simon Hughes Editor, The Cricketer

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Welcome from MCC

T

he Cricketer Village Cup Final is always a highlight for everyone at Lord’s, but perhaps never more so than in the circumstances that have brought us to today’s match. It has been a really tough year. Whether personally, with so many families having been directly affected by the Covid-19 virus itself, or in our lives more generally, as we have found that the things that we enjoy doing have been compromised. It is therefore heart-warming to be able to welcome the teams to Lord’s today, despite everything that is going on in the wider world.

Of course, like so much else this year, it will not be the normal occasion we have come to know and love. There will be no spectators, which is a great shame, but I am absolutely certain that for the players, this will be a day that they never forget.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at Lord’s. It is for this reason that we were so determined to ensure that the Village Cup final took place. These are special days and it is a great privilege for us at MCC to welcome cricketers of all levels to the Home of Cricket.

We have not been able to host much cricket at Lord’s this summer. In fact, today represents just the sixth day of cricket on the Ground in 2020, with just five more to come. Of all the matches on our fixture list it was the one that we were keen to protect, a reminder that Lord’s is for everyone, a day that celebrates cricket for cricket’s sake and ultimately is about the players.

Have a special day and may the best team win!

Guy Lavender Chief executive & secretary, MCC

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WHAT WE DO TABLE CRICKET Aimed at disabled 8-18 year olds, table cricket is a pan-disability form of cricket played around a table tennis table, with competitions culminating in a finals day at Lord’s.

SUPER 1s Super 1s offers disabled young people aged 12-25 an inclusive opportunity to play cricket and enjoy the benefits of sport.

WICKETZ Designed to tackle disadvantage, Wicketz is a community cricket programme for young people aged 8-18 facing severe deprivation across the UK, using cricket as a vehicle for social change.

SPORTS KIT RECYCLING We receive donated kit from all over the UK, then sort, pack and redistribute kit to projects all over the world.

GRANTS We provide accessible minibuses, sensory rooms and play spaces so that young people living with significant disabilities can play, learn and develop in safe environments.

www.lordstaverners.org

Itinerary for the day THE DAY’S PLAY 10.30am Coin toss 11.00am Play starts (40 overs per side) circa 2.00pm Innings interval (40 minutes) 6.00pm Close of play and post-match presentation Watch the victors raise the trophy in front of the Lord’s pavilion

Watch the livestream from www.nationalvillagecup.com Follow the day on social media via @TheCricketerNVC on Twitter and @VillageCup on Instagram, using the hashtag #NVC20

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Preview Village Cup final 2020: Match preview

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eaching The Cricketer Village Cup final at Lord’s is a dream come true; winning it is the stuff of legend.

On Saturday, September 19, 11 amateur cricketers from either Redbourn or Colwall will be triumphant on the hallowed turf, sowing their name into the fabric of the club.

Both teams have already proven they are good enough to win. Redbourn have knocked out former champions Reed and Glynde & Beddingham en route to the final and have taken 67 out of a possible 70 wickets.

Although they did not enter the tournament until the national rounds, Colwall have an equally impressive record. They have defeated two-time runners-up Astwood Bank and no team has managed to score 200 against them.

If Redbourn do win, it will be at the first attempt. The Hertfordshire side are making their competition debut this summer and captain Edward Hales is delighted with their progress. “I’m not sure at the start of the season we all thought we were going to be playing at Lord’s,” admits Hales. “We thought we’d be able to get far and once we got through the regional rounds, we targeted that quarter-final – as our only home game of the run – as the one. And then anything past there we decided would be a bonus.”

Despite playing all but one of their matches away from home, Redbourn have not complained. “I don’t think it’s made too much of a difference,” continues Hales. “We had an amazing trip down to North Perrott on September 6; got a hotel for ourselves on Saturday night. And we were hosted very well by North Perrott. We’ve been to some lovely places. I think that’s one of the best things about the competition – you have to go around to different places where you’d never normally play and sample village cricket elsewhere.”

In Colwall, Redbourn face a formidable opponent. But Hales is not awfully

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concerned, choosing instead to focus on his team’s strengths. “Colwall are a bit of an unknown to us,” he admits. “We haven’t really seen a lot of their results. They seem to have flown a bit under the radar. We just back ourselves against anyone, and we pride ourselves on: if we can play our best cricket, then I don’t see why we can’t beat anyone.”

Even if they lose, it will still be a special day for Hales. Not only will he be leading the side out at Lord’s, but he will be opening the batting with his older brother William.

“It’s pretty special to walk out and open the batting with your brother at Lord’s,” says Hales. “It’s a rare thing, isn’t it?”

Although Redbourn have reached Lord’s at the first time of asking, it has been a long time coming for Colwall. They have been competing in the competition for decades and former player Kim Berry is relieved to see them finally make it. “We’ve been a massive supporter of the Village Cup,” says Berry, who is now the chairman. “I played in a semi-final in 1982 against Collingham away and we lost by four runs. Those demons were still with me until Sunday [the semi-final]! Then we lost to Harome at home in a semi-final in 1992. We are quite regular winners of our group and often got to the last 16.”

Although Berry is delighted to forget the shortcomings of yesteryear, he is more excited about the future and what this summer’s cup run could do for his beloved club. “It is an absolute dream come true,” he says. “For many club members, it’s something we’ve always focused on as a club. It brings in momentum; it brings in a great spirit around the place. As you can imagine, phones and emails and records haven’t stopped [coming through]. I think for the future it’s a massive win in terms of people looking to play cricket at Colwall.

We’ve got a massive junior section of 180 children on a Friday night in non-Covid

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times. It’s got to be great news really and it’s just a wonderful thing.”

Yet it will be a bittersweet day as due to the government’s restrictions on sporting crowds, the people of Colwall and Redbourn will have to watch the match via a stream, broadcasted live on www.nationalvillagecup.com. “Not having spectators is obviously tough,” says Berry. “It’s disappointing, but ultimately the team are going to Lord’s and that’s beyond our wildest dreams.

It profiles the club, and I’m sure other clubs who have been there and won it will say it’s just a magnificent journey. We didn’t think we’d be in the Village Cup this year because of Covid, so it’s a real bonus.”

And Berry is confident the team will bring the trophy back to Herefordshire. “If we perform anything like we did against Carlton Towers and Astwood Bank – who are very strong, good sides – then we will give ourselves a fair chance,” he says. “We’ll give it our best shot – I can assure you of that.”

Whatever happens during the final, we know a new name will be engraved on the famous, old trophy. Will it be Redbourn, the ambitious newbies that have taken the competition by storm? Or will be Colwall, the seasoned challengers who have been dreaming of this day for years? All will be revealed on September 19.

Colwall CC Redbourn CC Lord’s

Leading run-scorers Colwall PLAYER

Ben Cooke Richard Howitt Oliver Cox Fergus Cameron James Abel Ben Febery Ben Wheeler Andrew Robertson Michael Gooch James Wagstaff Daniel Newby

INN NO RUNS HS

4 3 4 3 2 3 3 4 2 2 1

1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1

188 91 78 71 63 39 34 18 5 3 0

90 57 47 44* 52 34 22 10* 5* 3 0*

AVG 100 50

62.67 30.33 19.50 35.50 31.50 13.00 11.33 9.00 5.00 1.50 -

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Edward Hales William Hales Hugh Craig Conor Yorath George Cutler Steven Richards Adam Pritchard Danyaal Khalid Callum Moyle Josh Arnold

Colwall PLAYER OVERS WKTS

James Wagstaff Michael Gooch Oliver Cox Richard Howitt Ben Febery Andrew Robertson

22 25 15.5 24 2.2 25

9 8 6 4 2 2

BB

5/30 3/8 3/24 2/37 2/11 1/20

AVG

8.33 8.38 15.00 28.00 5.50 59.00

SR

ECON

SR

ECON

14.67 18.75 15.83 36.00 7.00 75.00

3.41 2.68 5.68 4.67 4.71 4.72

Redbourn

Redbourn PLAYER

Leading wicket-takers

INN NO RUNS HS

7 7 7 6 5 4 4 4 3 4

0 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 1

387 333 116 93 79 44 42 33 20 20

94 125 55* 35 55 28 33 20 19* 10*

AVG

55.29 55.50 38.67 15.50 19.75 11.00 10.50 8.25 20.00 6.67

100 50

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

PLAYER OVERS WKTS

Conor Yorath Josh Arnold Daniel Darvell Steven Richards Daniel Roe Adam Pritchard Hugh Craig Callum Moyle

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38.4 48 56 14 8 11 13.5 38.5

16 10 10 7 4 3 3 3

BB

5/17 3/36 2/13 5/16 4/40 2/32 1/10 3/50

AVG

7.50 16.30 18.70 9.00 10.00 14.33 21.67 69.00

14.50 3.10 28.80 3.40 33.60 3.34 12.00 4.50 12.00 5.00 22.00 3.91 27.67 4.70 77.67 5.33

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The road to Lord’s

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fter a whirlwind couple of months, The Cricketer Village Cup final is finally upon us. And it has been a long journey for debutants Redbourn, who have gone through seven rounds to reach Lord’s. Their first game was a baptism of fire – an away trip to defending champions Reed. Although Reed were unable to play their 1st XI following their promotion to the premier league, they were still a tough proposition. Redbourn’s tournament could have been over before it had even begun.

And they were made to sweat as Reed almost chased their score of 237 for 7.

The three-time winners reached 209 for 8 as Redbourn’s attack held their nerve.

They were on the road again in their next match, this time at Northchurch. A century from William Hales helped them post 296 for 9, a score which the hosts could not chase down. They were bowled out for 160 in the 34th over as the visitors secured their place in the regional final.

Standing between them and a place in the nationals were Langleybury, the 1996 runners-up. And this time it was Edward Hales who led the charge with the bat, scoring 67 to help them post 227 for 8. They were able to defend that score with ease thanks to a superb performance from Conor Yorath, who finished with figures of 4 for 27. Langleybury were all out for 120.

Their next match, again on the road, was against Essex side Horndon on the Hill. Horndon started well with the bat, reaching 91 for 4. But Steven Richards quickly turned things around, taking five wickets to end the innings on 109. It was not a simple chase, though, as Redbourn consistently lost wickets. They were saved by skipper Edward Hales, who hit a composed 54 to hold the innings together in a six-wicket win.

Redbourn’s tour of England continued with a trip to 2009 winners Glynde & Beddingham, who batted well to post 189.

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Yorath was again in the wickets, taking three of them. Edward and William Hales again got them off to a flyer, putting on 133 for the first wicket. Yet there was a twist in the tale as a they collapsed to 174 for 7, with George Cutler and Josh Arnold saving the day to secure a three-wicket win. Redbourn had knocked out another former champion.

They were finally given their homecoming in the next round as Cambridgeshire’s Eaton Socon made the journey to Hertfordshire. Batting first, Redbourn were only able to reach three figures thanks to a crucial 35 from Yorath as they were bowled out for 123. Yorath then delivered with the ball as he finished with figures of 5 for 17 in a five-run win.

The result could have easily gone the other way.

Standing between Redbourn and Lord’s were Somerset’s North Perrott. On paper it seemed a tough match, but it was far from it. After restricting North Perrott to 160 for 9, Edward and William Hales raced to victory. They hit 71 and 77 not out respectively to secure the win inside 22 overs. Despite never previously competing in the competition, Redbourn deserve their place in the final.

Although they received a bye to the nationals due the Covid-19 pandemic, Colwall’s journey has not been any less exciting. Their first opponents were Bronwydd of Dyfed. It was a great performance as they dismissed their opponents for 137 before reaching 68 for 1 in the 15th over. But then came the rain and the umpires were forced to decide the match by a coin toss. Luck was on Colwall’s side, however, as the coin landed in their favour.

The weather would not dampen their next match against two-time runnersup Astwood Bank as they produced an excellent batting display. Ben Cooke hit 90 to help them post a competitive score

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of 228 for 8. In reply, the chasers reached 142 for 3 as the game hung in the balance.

But cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Captain James Wagstaff picked up five wickets to derail their chase and secure a 30-run victory.

Colwall’s campaign almost came to an end in their next match against East Midlands champions Dumbleton. They could have been bowled out for a very low total if it were not for James Abel, who hit a crucial 52 to get them up to 124. Michael Gooch then delivered the goods with the

ball, finishing with figures of 3 for 8 from his eight overs to help bowl Dumbleton out for 115.

Now only Carlton Towers stood in their way, but they were not going to stop them.

Colwall powered their way to 238 for 6 before restricting Carlton’s batsmen. They struggled to keep up with the run-rate as the light-faded in this rain-affected match.

With Carlton on 147 for 5, the umpires called it a day in the 32nd over. After so many near misses in the past, Colwall will finally get their chance to play at Lord’s.

THE ROAD TO LORD’S

Colwall First Round: Bye Second Round: Bye Regional Final: Bye Fourth Round: Colwall beat Bronwydd by coin toss Fifth Round: Astwood Bank 198 for 8 lost to Colwall 228 for 8 by 30 runs Quarter-Finals: Colwall 124 bt Dumbleton 115 by 9 runs Semi-Finals: Carlton Towers 147 for 5 (31.2) lost to Colwall 238 for 6 on run rate achieved

Redbourn First Round: Reed 209 for 8 lost to Redbourn 237 for 7 by 28 runs Second Round: Northchurch 160 lost to Redbourn 296 for 9 by 136 runs Regional Final: Langleybury 120 lost to Redbourn 227 for 8 by 107 runs Fourth Round: Horndon on the Hill 109 lost to Redbourn 110 for 4 by 6 wickets Fifth Round: Glynde & Beddingham 189 lost to Redbourn 190 for 7 by 3 wickets Quarter-Finals: Redbourn 123 bt Eaton Socon 118 by 5 runs Semi-Finals: North Perrott 160 for 9 lost to Redbourn 161 for 2 by 8 wickets

TOP PERFORMERS

Colwall Ben Cooke 188 runs @ 85.63 James Wagstaff 9 wickets @ 8.33 Michael Gooch 8 wickets @ 8.38

Redbourn Edward Hales 387 runs @ 55.29 William Hales 333 runs @ 55.50 Conor Yorath 16 wickets @ 7.50

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Saturday September 19th

The Cricketer Village Cup final 2020, Lord’s

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COLWALL CRICKET CLUB

V

REDBOURN CRICKET CLUB

JKF Wagstaff* OH Cox BM Cooke RWJ Howitt FAD Cameron JJ Abel BP Wheeler† BG Febery AGO Robertson MJ Gooch LS Dalley

ES Hales*† WM Hales CA Yorath HJI Craig DM Roe SH Richards GL Cutler AJ Pritchard J Arnold CA Moyle DF Darvell

12th man: DJ Newby Scorer: Nickos Kontarines

12th man: HP Amos Scorer: Connor Mulholland

UMPIRES: MR R PATEL, MR AJ ANTHONY

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COLWALL CRICKET CLUB

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James Wagstaff (Captain) Nickname: Wag, Wagler Played county 2nd XI and scored a Birmingham League ton batting at No.9. Made 1st XI debut for Colwall 26 years ago.

Benjamin Wheeler Nickname: Wheels Herefordshire 2nd XI player.

At Colwall for 20+ years.

Can hit a long ball, usually caught on the rope.

Oliver Cox Nickname: Coxy Moved to UK at 6 from Canada.

Highlights include first ton and the game-winning wicket in this year’s Village Cup quarter-final.

Benjamin Febery Nickname: Febes Won a game at Wembley and hoping to win a game at Lord’s. Bowls off-spin and middle‑order bat.

Benjamin Cooke Nickname: Cheffers Cricket, hockey and Warzone is all he needs. Due to a broken wrist, has learnt to bowl left-arm tweakers. Student of Life.

Andrew Robertson Nickname: Robbo Played in various premier leagues in UK and NZ. Groundsman who has worked at Ealing CC, Harrow School, The Elms.

Richard Howitt Played county 2nd XI and minor counties, Cambridge University Blue and a has a century vs Middlesex. Master I/C Cricket at St Edward’s Oxford for 15 years.

Michael Gooch Nickname: Mikey Has hit 57 sixes – one which caused him to replace pavilion tiles. HalfAustralian, half-English; one of the only people who always win the Ashes.

Fergus Cameron Nickname: Ferg Played at Colwall since the age of seven. Played age-group cricket for Worcs and now splits time playing for Bristol University.

Luke Dalley Nickname: Mr Prestige Worldwide Medium-slow bowler who only takes wickets with even slower balls.

Taken four hat-tricks and scored one century. Rice aficionado.

James Abel Nickname: JAbels Been at Colwall since 2010 and is the longest-serving 1st XI player. Underbowled, specialist fielder.

Daniel Newby (12th man) Nickname: Newbs Professional bat gripper. Parttime medium-pacer. Dabbles in golf and has a hole in one to his name. Go to shot: slog sweep.

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REDBOURN CRICKET CLUB Edward Hales (captain) Nickname: Blue Top New captain and destructive keeper/batsman. Has played his club cricket for Redbourn since he was six.

George Cutler Nickname: The Real GC babes/Collo At 16 years old George is the youngest of the squad and had to get the day off school to be here.

Plays county for Herts.

William Hales Nickname: Green top The elder Hales began at Redbourn aged eight. After playing at Cambridge CC he returned in 2019 and is 2020’s leading run-scorer.

Adam Pritchard Nickname: Appers/Bones/Quengers Another 3rd generation player.

Adam represented Hertfordshire age groups and has been a part of the 1st XI since he was 14 years old.

Conor Yorath Nickname: Tonks Competition’s leading wickettaker. Third-generation Redbourn player. Represented Hertfordshire through all age groups.

Joshua Arnold Nickname: Arnie He joins a long list of Arnolds to play for Redbourn. A clever offspin bowler who has also scored some useful runs with the bat.

Hugh Craig Nickname: Craigy The 18-year-old has a strong family connection with the village and has also represented Herts through the age groups.

Callum Moyle Nickname: Windsock Callum joined from the West Country in 2016. A seam bowler but can chip in down the order with some important runs. He is the team’s NHS hero!

Daniel Roe Nickname: Kim/the manager Joined in 2006 after playing in Essex and Yorkshire. Has scored over 7000 runs for the 1st XI while captaining them for many seasons.

Daniel Darvell Nickname: Doorbell The slow-left-armer has taken over 500 wickets for the club.

Practises his craft in the nets long after everyone else.

Steven Richards Nickname: Iron Man Captained Redbourn to back to back championships in Herts’ divisions 3A and 2B. He is a middle-order batsman who also picks up important wickets.

Henry Amos (12th man) Nickname: Hamos Henry has made several 1st XI appearances this season and has taken some important wickets.

Product of the junior section.

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History of the Village Cup

T

he Cricketer Village Cup began in 1972 after Ben Brocklehurst, long-time managing director of The Cricketer, was taken by an offhand comment by Aidan Crawley, the chairman of the National Cricket Association, voicing his desire to see village cricketers play at Lord’s. Ben, together with his wife Belinda, formulated a plan for a national competition, restricted to teams from villages of no more than 2,500 inhabitants.

Publicising their venture in The Cricketer, they were met with a huge response from over 1,000 villages, 795 of which were accepted as entrants for the inaugural Village Cricket Championship as it was known then. Cornwall team Troon were the team to beat in the early years, winning three of the first five tournaments.

While the lottery of the draw makes the competition extremely open, there have been instances of relative dominance by strong outfits.

The early 1980s, for example, brought a sudden Welsh hegemony, with the trophy crossing the border four times between 1980 and 1984 as St Fagans (Glamorgan) and Marchwiel (Clwyd) each won it twice. St Fagans added a third title in 1991, equalling Troon’s record, with a 17-run victory over Yorkshire’s Harome.

That record was then surpassed

by North Yorkshire side Woodhouse Grange, who won consecutive titles in 2014 and 2015 to go with previous victories in 1995 and 2007. Their four wins – with additional visits to Lord’s in 1999, 2008, and 2012 – established them as the competition’s most successful side. Their promotion to the Yorkshire North premier league, however, deemed their 1st XI ineligible for the competition.

North Yorkshire rivals Sessay picked up the baton by winning their second title in 2016. They became the 10th side to win the competition more than once, with Caldy (Mersyside), Linton Park (Kent), Goatacre (Wiltshire), Elvaston (Derbyshire) and Shipton-under-Wychwood (Oxfordshire) also achieving the feat.

Reed (Hertfordshire) joined the club a year later by defeating Sessay in the final, adding to their 2012 win. And they completed a hat-trick of titles last September with a comprehensive win against 2006 champions Houghton Main (South Yorkshire) Reed’s premier league promotion in 2019 denied them the chance to play their 1st XI this season – much to Redbourn’s advantage as they knocked them out in the opening round. Now Redbourn are hoping to finish the job by becoming the 49th winners of the Village Cup, but so are Colwall. One of them will write their name into the history books.

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Village Cup final history 1972 Astwood Bank (Warwicks) 165 (P Johns 5-25) lost to Troon (Cornwall) 170-3 (T Carter 79*, T Edwards 45) by 7 wickets.

1973 Troon (Cornwall) 176-3 (T Carter 70*, J Spry 41) beat Gowerton (South Wales) 164-5 (A Daniel 50) by 12 runs.

1974 Collingham (Notts) 109 lost to Bomarsund (Northumberland) 110-7 (H Halley 44*) by 3 wickets.

Played at Edgbaston after being rained off at Lord’s.

1975 Isleham (Cambridgeshire) 120 lost to Gowerton (South Wales) 124-4 (H Bevan 57*, R Evans 46) by 6 wickets.

1976 Troon (Cornwall) 113 beat Sessay (North Yorkshire) 95 (B Moyle 4-23) by 18 runs.

1977 Cookley (Worcestershire) 139 (J Such 42; R Coulson 6-24) beat Lindal Moor (Cumbria) 110 (J Parkinson 40*) by 29 runs.

1978 Toft (Cheshire) 130-8 (A Stimpson 41) lost to Linton Park (Kent) 131-6 (N Thirkell 51*) by 4 wickets.

1979 East Bierley (Yorkshire) 216-4 (C Defoe 61, J Decent 45*) beat Ynysygerwn (Glamorgan) 124 by 92 runs.

1980 Marchwiel (Clwyd) 161-8 (P Barrett 47) beat Longparish (Hampshire) 82-9 by 79 runs.

1981 St Fagans (Glamorgan) 149 (G Jones 36*, P Needham 24) beat Broad Oak (Yorkshire) 127 (A Robert 28*, A Greaves 27; S. Robertson 3-22, P Needham 3-22) by 22 runs.

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1982 Collingham (Nottinghamshire) 148 (G Driscoll 63, R England 42) lost to St Fagans (Glamorgan) 149-4 (D Mason 43) by 6 wkts.

1983 Troon (Cornwall) 155-6 (B Carter 55*) lost to Quarndon (Derbyshire) 157-2 (D Hibberd 53*, I Farmer 38*, S Underwood 36) by 8 wickets.

1984 Marchwiel (Clwyd) 159 (WT Roberts 55, D Wallis 38) beat Hursley Park (Hampshire) 151 (AN Aymes 56, PE Wright 39; A Morris 4-32) by 8 runs.

1985 Rowledge (Surrey) 134 (N Dunbar 33, A Hook 28; I Trewartha 4-24) lost to Freuchie (Scotland) 134-8 (G Crichton 24*, S Irvine 24) by losing fewer wickets.

1986 Forge Valley (Yorkshire) 170-9 (CJ Risdale 41, AJ Grayson 29; J Curtis 4-38) beat Ynysygerwn (Glamorgan) 165-9 (DW Thomas 55, R Williams 23; TS Glaves 3-34) by 5 runs.

1987 Longparish (Hampshire) 166 (JD Heagren 63, RD Sturt 22) beat Treeton Welfare (South Yorkshire) 90 (N Jacobs 21; RD Sturt 3-14, B Smith 3-26) by 76 runs.

1988 Himley (West Midlands) 192 (SA Walker 75, JE Hughes 30, KM Iles 4-46) lost to Goatacre (Wiltshire) 193-6 (KM Iles 91*, M Hunt 28) by 4 wickets. Played at the Midland Bank Ground, Beckenham after being rained off at Lord’s 1989 Hambledon (Hampshire) 104 (S James 37; R Locke 3-11,

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L Challenor 4-32) lost to Toft (Cheshire) 105-4 (A Caro 37*, C Pay 3-31) by 6 wickets.

Played at the Midland Bank Ground, Beckenham after being rained off at Lord’s 1990 Goatacre (Wiltshire) 267-5 (KM Iles 123, JB Turner 53, MA Hunt 39; DK Shipton 3-83) beat Dunstall (Staffordshire) 217-8 (PH Wallbank 51, GM Shilton 35, Abid Ali 31*; J Angell 4-18) by 50 runs.

1991 St Fagans (Glamorgan) 169-6 (JPG Sylvester 38) beat Harome (Yorkshire) 152-7 (TW Marwood 33) by 17 runs.

1992 Methley (South Yorkshire) 150-6 (D Jones 57; C Westbrook 4-40) lost to Hursley Park (Hants) 154-4 (C Surry 76*) by 6 wickets.

1993 Kington (Herefordshire) 191-6 (M Porteous 45; G Hudd 3-36) beat Frocester (Gloucestershire) 189 (JA Evans 73, ID Smith 53; CJ Scott 3-10) by 2 runs.

1994 Elvaston (Derbyshire) 227-5 (P Birch 101*, P Torry 37) beat Werrington (Cornwall) 172-9 (G Stanbury 40*; P Thompson 3-33) by 55 runs.

1995 Woodhouse Grange (South Yorkshire & Humberside) 151-8 (M Burdett 26; A Manger 3-34) beat Tiddington (Oxfordshire) 137-8 (P Head 3-31) by 14 runs.

1996 Caldy (Merseyside) 222-5 (B Saunders 76, P Eymond 57; J Khan 3-32) beat Langleybury (Hertfordshire) 216 (P Reynolds 73, J Khan 34; B Saunders 4-53) by

NATIONAL V ILLAGE C H A M PIONS 4 Woo dh

*A further 21 clubs have won the Village Cup on one occasion 6 runs.

164-7 (J Simpson 58) by 79 runs.

1997 Caldy (Merseyside) 166-9 (C Findlay 43) beat Shipton-under-Wychwood (Oxfordshire) 110 (F Macdonald 38; J Cooper 3-25, B Saunders 4-26) by 56 runs.

2005 Eynsford (Kent) 201 (J Wise 59; D Houldridge 4-21) lost to Sheriff Hutton Bridge (North Yorkshire [South]) 203-6 (SD Crowder 76*) by 4 wickets.

1998 Methley (South Yorkshire & Humberside) 238-3 (S Rowse 94, A Gilston 62) beat Apperley (Gloucestershire) 177 (IM Coggin 46; L Mills 4-34) by 61 runs.

2006 Timsbury (Somerset) 184 (M Sage 72) lost to Houghton Main (South Yorkshire) 185-6 (L Jeffs 45, N Bisby 37*, R Collins 35*) by 4 wickets.

1999 Linton Park (Kent) 195-4 (N Thirkell 60, D Thirkell 50) beat Woodhouse Grange (North Yorksire) 175-8 (JE Bean 55; I Brattle 4-33) by 20 runs.

2007 Findon (Sussex) 220-2 (TJ Kingsbury 103*, GS Waller 62) lost to Woodhouse Grange (North Yorkshire [North]) 221-4 (NG Hadfield 73, SR Dwyer 58) by 6 wickets.

2000 Elvaston (Derbyshire) 191-9 (L Archer 81, R Johnson 40; S Davis 5-38, D Turner 3-41) beat Eversholt (Bedfordshire) 175-9 (W Davies 37, S Davis 32) by 16 runs.

2001 Ynystawe (Glamorgan & Gwent) 190-5 (J Hubschmid 51, A Beasley 48) beat Elvaston (Derbyshire) 91 (R Torry 45; P Discombe 6-18) by 99 runs.

2002 Elvaston (Derbyshire) 121 (P Hemming 3-26, C Panter 3-26) lost to Shipton-Under-Wychwood (Oxfordshire) 122-5 (S Bates 40) by 5 wickets.

2003 Shipton-UnderWychwood (Oxfordshire) 146-9 (D Sealey 3-22) beat Astwood Bank (Worcestershire) 79 (P Snell 5-24; C Panter 4-26) by 67 runs.

2004 Sully (Glam & Gwent) 243-4 (LA Smith 113) beat Exhall & Wixford (Leics & Warks)

2008 Valley End (Surrey) 195-6 (EGC Young 69) beat Woodhouse Grange (North Yorkshire [North]) 171 (SD Burdett 56) by 24 runs.

2009 Glynde & Beddingham (Sussex) 207-9 (JP Adams 79, D Harris 41; R Vigars 4-60) beat Streethouse (West Yorkshire) 201-7 (PC Langley 68, Vigars 41) by 6 runs.

2010 Shipton-under-Wychwood (Oxfordshire) 227-5 (A Hemming 59, S Bates 46*) lost to Sessay (North Yorkshire [North]) 228-3 (M Wilkie 78, M Till 56, N Thorne 42) by 7 wickets.

2011 Woodhouses (South Lancashire) 112-1 (NR Doyle 63*, JR Tolley 36) beat Rottingdean (Sussex) 54-8 (RA Prescott 3-8) by 58 runs. Match reduced to 10 overs a side 2012 Woodhouse Grange (North Yorkshire [South]) 184-9 (TS

#nvc20

ous e G 3 Troo ran 2 C ald n, St Fagans, ge y, Elva s R ton, Go eed Linton a Shipto Park , March tacre, n -u n d e wiel, r-Wy Sessay chwood,

Young 42; MD Cooper 3-39) lost to Reed (Hertfordshire) 185-4 (TD Greaves 51, CM Jackson 37) by 6 wickets.

2013 Cleator (Cumbria & N Lancs) 193-9 (ID Clark 37; W Cartlidge 4-35) beat Rockhampton (Gloucestershire) 192-7 (J Williams 50, M Tyler 50) by 1 wicket.

2014 Great & Little Tew (Oxfordshire) 114 (D Suddaby 3-36) lost to Woodhouse Grange (North Yorkshire [South]) 118-0 (A Bilton 70*) by 10 wickets.

2015 Woodhouse Grange (North Yorkshire [South]) 256-2 (A Bilton 60, N Hadfirld 64, C Bilton 65) beat Foxton (Cambridgeshire) 237-8 (C Sanderson 74) by 19 runs.

2016 Sessay (North Yorkshire [North]) 307-5 (S Mason 138, N Harrison 69) beat Sibton Park (Kent) 188 (B Allon 70) by 119 runs.

2017 Reed (Beds & Herts) 170-3 (R Wharton 86*, J Heslam 54) beat Sessay (North Yorkshire [North]) 164-9 by 7 wickets.

2018 Folkton & Flixton (North Yorkshire [North]) 198-8 (M Nesfield 60, W Hutchinson 48), beat Liphook & Ripsley 126 (T Norman 3-18) by 72 runs.

2019 Houghton Main (West & South Yorkshire) 160-8 (S Tidey 3-40, JP Tidey 2-19) lost to Reed (Beds & Herts) 161-3 (TD Greaves 67*, R Lankester 59) by 7 wickets

19

Individual final records HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES 138 123 113 103 101* 94

S Mason KM Iles LA Smith TJ Kingsbury P Birch S Rowse

BEST BOWLING 6-18 6-24 5-24 5-38 4-17

P Discombe R Coulson P Snell S Davis JPG Sylvester

BEST ALL ROUND PERFORMANCE 91* and 4-46

Sessay Goatacre Sully Findon Elvaston Methley

v Sibton Park v Dunstall v Exhall & W’ford v Woodhouse G v Werrington v Apperley

2016 1990 2004 2007 1994 1998

Ynystawe Lindal Moor Shipton Eversholt St Fagans

v Elvaston v Cookley v Astwood Bank v Elvaston v Harome

2001 1977 2003 2000 1991

KM Iles

Goatacre v Himley

1988

TEAM PERFORMANCES

Highest totals 307-5 Sessay 267-5 Goatacre 256-2 Woodhouse G 243-4 Sulley Centurions 238-8 Methley 237-8 Foxton 228-3 Sessay 227-5 Elvaston

v Sibton Park v Dunstall v Foxton v Exhall & Wixford v Apperley v Woodhouse G v Shipton-u-Wychwood v Werrington

2016 1990 2015 2004 1998 2015 2010 1994

Lowest totals 79 Astwood Bank 82-9 Longparish 90 Treeton Welfare 91 Elvaston

v Shipton-u-Wychwood v Marchwiel v Longparish v Ynystawe

2003 1980 1987 2001

Highest aggregates 495 Sessay 307-5 493 Woodhouse G 256-2 484 Goatacre 267-5 455 Sessay 228-3 441 Woodhouse G 221-4 438 Caldy 222-5 415 Methley 238-8 408 Glynde & Bed’ham 207-9

bt Sibton Park 188 bt Foxton bt Dunstall 217-8 bt Shipton-under-Wychwood 227-5 bt Findon 220-2 bt Langleybury 216 bt Apperley 177 bt Streethouse 201-7

2016 2015 1990 2010 2007 1996 1998 2009

Biggest victories 119 runs Sessay 307-5 99 runs Ynystawe 190-5 92 runs East Brierley 216-4 79 runs Marchwiel 161-8 79 runs Sully 243-4

bt Sibton Park bt Elvaston 91 bt Ynysygerwn 124 bt Longparish 82-9 bt Exhall & Wixford 164-7

2016 2001 1979 1980 2004

Victory through losing fewer wickets Freuchie 134-8 bt Rowledge 134

20

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1985

Official Provider of Cricket Club Insurance to the National Village Cup

2019 National Village Cup Winners Reed Cricket Club

SPECIALIST INSURANCE COVER FOR YOUR CRICKET CLUB, LEAGUE, ASSOCIATION & CRICKET BOARD E: extracover@marswool.com www.marshallwooldridge.com Marshall Wooldridge Limited Insurance Brokers, 14-16 Ivegate, Yeadon, Leeds, LS19 7RE

Thank you

F

or large parts of 2020, it was difficult to envisage the Village Cup being played during such disruption. So to write this in preparation for two teams competing for the trophy at Lord’s in September, is remarkable. Despite starting on July 26, the competition has two finalists ready on September 19, just six days after the original date of the final.

The competition would not have been possible without the nimble work of the nigh-on 200 clubs who entered this year’s competition. We went from no competition to the first round’s matches in the space of 10 days, so a huge thanks is owed to all those who got things moving so quickly. The 100+ clubs who deferred entry this year are already in the hat for 2021 – in what will be the 50th edition of the Village Cup. A massive thanks goes out to our sponsors also. The support of Pipers Crisps, Marshall Wooldridge – providers of ExtraCover insurance, Bola Bowling Machines, and charity partner Lord’s Taverners meant the competition could go ahead in such challenging circumstances. Their

22

continued support of village cricket should be heralded.

Of course, we wouldn’t be gearing up for this final without MCC, who we must thank enormously. They have moved mountains to ensure the final could remain at the Home of Cricket in 2020, and the fact that the Village Cup final is the only non-professional match to be played at Lord’s this year leaves us feeling extremely privileged. From opening up the famous Committee and Writing Rooms as overflow changing rooms, to turning the Long Room into a lunch station for the day, they really have pulled out every stop to make sure the players receive the best possible experience.

Lastly, we must thank all of you who are reading this. We have seen record numbers visit nationalvillagecup.com and we hope the inaugural streaming of the event will project the competition to an even wider audience. Thank you for making the competition so special.

Chris Smith Director, The Cricketer

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