Cirencester Cricket Club > News > August 2003 > Message from Richard Graham, 1st XI captain

Message from Richard Graham, 1st XI captain [Wednesday 20 August 2003]

Many of you will have heard about the first team's narrow defeat at Birdlip on Saturday. What you may not have heard was quite how good a game it was, and this is important because it shows why I am confident that we will avoid relegation this season.

The Ciren batting was formidable. Donwil's innings was simply the best I have seen in the league this season. No-one would have been comfortable bowling at him. Dan Robbins marked his promotion by resisting some of Donny's most ambitious calls and striking 4 fours in support. John Turton, Dom Jeffcott and Mark Clayton all played their best innings of the season - great to see John smiling after running a hard 3 runs, Dom enjoying driving the ball over the bowlers' heads and Mark charging to turn another impossible run into 1 if not 2. If we can bat like this in the last 2 games against Cam and Haresfield we should score even more runs.

In the past we have sometimes batted well, sometimes fielded well and sometimes bowled well - but rarely all 3 on the same day. We knew we had to be consistent, and no-one could fault the fielding. Everyone was tigerish - Dan H and Andy R especially so - and there was lots of encouragement for the bowlers. In my report for the Glos Standard I've highlighted a tremendous return to form from Dom and a very promising debut from Pat Mosely. This was Nasser Hussein rejuvenated, but with both bat and ball!

Elsewhere we had moments, Donny might easily have had a couple of lbws, but we all know we have to be more consistent in line and length over all 45 overs to constrain a decent batting side on a good wicket. We had them 8 down, so it was close, and the team spirit was fabulous - but we know we could have won. For these last 2 games then I shall be asking bowlers to think even harder about bowling to the plan and the field I've agreed with them. I am absolutely confident that they'll respond with success!

Now for the good news. Old Richians were thrashed, gaining only 1 point against our 9, so we've overtaken them on average. That 218 runs and 8 wickets were as good as it gets when you lose, and the points are priceless. Next weekend the Old Richians are 4 players short due to one of them getting married. This makes their game tougher. Haresfield play top of the league Rockhampton, who in turn play the Old Richians the next week. By contrast we have 2 games against Cam (home) and Haresfield (away) to finish off the season. If we win both and win well it is not impossible that we could finish 6th out of 10. The league is that close. It isn't clear how many teams will be relegated and promoted - it might be more than 2 - so every point is worth fighting for, in the spirit we fought on Saturday.

These games are important to the whole club - all of us old lags owe it to the up and comers to prevent the Club from dropping down again, and the up and comers will want to play on good wickets against good opposition next year to keep improving. It would be ironic indeed just at the time when the Club's local standing, junior coaching book and overall balance sheet are so much stronger if the firsts were relegated. So all of us playing will give our best, as we did on Saturday. I will again ask all the team to be at the club at 1.15pm, so that we get together, talk through the plan and be prepared well before the first ball is bowled. And any support all the rest of the Club can give - players, parents, Vice-presidents etc will make a huge difference.

Richard Graham, 1st XI captain