15 Years Wasn't All That Flew By...

So it's all over. My final Devon Premier Division league match at my home cricket ground was to be today against North Devon. They arrived without Glenn Querl (their overseas), without the Overton twins who are away with England U19s in Australia for the World Cup, and without a few others too so we could be forgiven for thinking we might have done the double over them for the first time in many years. Not to be. The rain came, when it let off we worked to get the field fit for play and as soon as we had, the rain came back. Game called off just before 2pm. As I walked off the field a Spitfire flew past, and that alone brought back so many memories.

My Home Of Cricket

I first joined Bovey Tracey Cricket Club in 1997 at the tender age of 11. I played a couple of games in the Under 15's and Under 13's, and the following season aged 12 I also played in the Under 17's and was asked for the first time to play for the full Men's team on a Sunday, which became a regular thing for me. It was around this time I knew I would rather be a cricketer than a footballer and in 1998 I won a trophy for "Most Enthusiastic Colt". I have never set the world alight as a cricketer and have never thought  I was, or ever claimed to be the best player. In the clubhouse is a board that shows every President, Chairman and 1st XI Captain in the history of the club and I made it my mission to get onto all three columns of that board.

In my age group the main three players were Ben Cadoux-Hudson, Ben Ayres and myself with Ben Cajee one year below us. All 4 of us attended county trials for our ages and although I made the squad on a few occasions, I never represented Devon in a match. On 11th July 1999 we had an Under 13's match at home to Dartington & Totnes, and with Ben C-H and Ben Ayres both away with Devon, I was made Captain. Ayresy was always Captain, I was always Vice Captain. The match itself was fairly unremarkable and we won convincingly. As I've mentioned previously, aviation is another of my passions and I knew that Concorde was visiting Exeter that weekend. Under 13's match in the morning, dart to Exeter Airport to watch her take-off and then dart back to Bovey to play a men's match. Perfect day for me? Even more so when Concorde did a flypast over the ground during my U13's match and my Dad (sort of) caught it on video (see below). Even more so when we got to Exeter and the registration was G-BOAC, or "Alpha Charlie", my Concorde.

As we grew older we all shared the Captaincy of the age groups, with Ayresy and myself mainly doing the duties from U13's, U15's and U17's. Of all the guys I played with through the age groups at Bovey, Ben Ayres is the only one I have constantly played alongside every single season and he has gone on to be one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the county. It's amazing to me that of my 15 years at the club, I have played alongside Ryan Bougourd, Chris Bradley, Pete Bradley, Andy Fairbairn and Ben Ayres for at least 10 seasons each. A lot of us played 2nd XI Premier Division cricket together, then were all thrust into 1st XI Premier Division cricket, suffered relegation and built ourselves up again in the A Division, won the title and topped the table in the Premier Division for most of 2012. A personal highlight was winning the 1st XI Player's Player award in 2005. The same core of guys have been there for years, the bonds built up over that time are irreplaceable and to think that next Saturday is the very last time I'll share that with them is very saddening.

Bowling for Bovey in April 2007

Together we've won Twenty20 Cups, the A Division title in 2008, Narracott Cups, the Devon Senior Cup and played alongside and against many players we have seen in First Class cricket. Mark Lathwell (England/Somerset/Braunton), Gavin Ewing (Paignton/Zimbabwe), Neil Edwards (Seaton/Somerset), Omari Banks (West Indies), Arul Suppiah (Somerset), Lewis Gregory (Plympton/Somerset), Jamie and Craig Overton (England U19's/Somerset/North Devon), Farhan Adil (Chudleigh/Pakistan alledgedly), Hasantha Fernando (Sri Lanka/Plymouth) and Vernon Philander (South Africa/Budleigh Salterton) are just a few that I can think of that we've faced over the years and we've had Ali Imran Pasha (PIA and Pakistan U19's), Faisal Iqbal (Pakistan, nephew of Javed Miandad), Steffan Jones and Ben Phillips (Somerset mainly), Farhaan Behardien (Titans, South Africa), Andy De-Boorder (Auckland, New Zealand) and this year Neil Hancock (Somerset) who have played First Class cricket and played for Bovey Tracey during my time at the club. I am immensely proud to have shared the cricket field and played alongside such talent, and to test myself against it. Lathwell, Adil, Edwards, Steffan Jones and Philander are all players I have managed to get out and to have hit Jamie Overton for two sixes over his head last season was pleasing, especially as he was clocked in the Under 19 World Cup bowling at 93mph! Doesn't sound like much but to a simple lad from a small Devon town it's something I'm proud of, just as much as I am proud of playing 2 seasons in Sydney, Australia and I am proud to have had a net session with the West Indies at the SCG in 2010. Cricketing dreams that came true.

Me with Faisal Iqbal after winning
the Devon Senior Cup in 2010

So here we are, 25th August 2012 and supposed to have played North Devon. The rain cancelled it. Last weekend after the horror defeat at Exmouth and the Phil Matten episode that led to the emotionally charged blog entry, I agreed to play the Sunday friendly. I'm glad I did because for the first time ever I properly focussed all my energy on my batting and was determined to not get out for less than 100, and that's exactly what happened. After some running "games" with Richard Longstreet (declining easy runs to keep strike... both of us guilty), including when I was on 98 and after completing the first run to start the easy second, watching Richard lean on his bat at the other end, I finally managed to get my third ever century. No real celebration, I was retired by my captain and walked off knowing my face wasn't showing any happiness or excitement. Of course, I was immensely proud, a ton is a ton whatever standard you are playing but I was more relieved that the previous day could be consigned to history and forgotten in the best possible way, as quickly as was possible.

At the time, I had no idea it would be my final innings at Bovey Tracey Cricket Club. Obviously a great way to finish, but I would still have rather played today than watch it rain, I cannot tell you just how gutted I was when the call came from the umpires and I realised my time at this amazing cricket ground was over. Dillon Mullins picked up on it and came over to me to cheer me up, but I really was close to tears, I was that gutted and choked that I didn't get to end it on my terms. But to finish with a hundred? Can I really be disappointed with that?

Me hitting Jamie Overton for the first of
two sixes, North Devon CC 2011.

I have just two matches left to represent BTCC. Tomorrow (Sun 26th Aug 2012) sees us take on Sidmouth in the Devon Senior Cup Final, to be played at Sidmouth. The weather forecast is good, but you can never rely on the weather in this country. Next Saturday we play Tiverton Heathcoat needing a huge amout of luck to land the Premier Division title with a 17 point gap and just 20 to play for. In what has been an awful summer for rain, we just have to pray it stays away. I would love to win two trophies in my final two games for the club, what more fitting way would there be to end?

My first game as Captain was marked by a Concorde flypast, never to be repeated. My first ever hundred was scored on the same day England won the greatest Test Match EVER at Edgbaston in 2005. I took my first 5 wicket haul in 2008 helping the 2nd XI to win the A Division. All happened at Bovey Tracey, my home town. And now my final innings in my home town was my third hundred. Can't be a bad script. And when the Spitfire flew over the cloudy skies as Dillon and I walked from the field, it reminded me of Concorde's Final ever flight into Filton, Bristol in 2003. Almost identical weather conditions, and a Spitfire flew over Concorde after she had landed, never to take flight again. Here, a Spitfire flew over me, seemingly never to play cricket in my home town again. It just seemed to perfectly emphasise how time flies until suddenly, before you realise it, it's all over and all you have are memories.