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Club History
1st XI Report 2005Season Summary League: Div 2 Positon: 2nd [out of 17 teams] (11 wins (10 x 20 points!) 2 abandoned and 4 losses) Outcome: PROMOTION to DIV 1 Early on in the season we realised that the fixtures were such that a lot of the tough games were to be played up front. We needed to be in touch with the leaders half way through the season. This meant good early season practice and good availability was required. This was well achieved with a good number of lads pitching up for some miserably cold net sessions and early season friendlies. Well done to all. The new skip had to go through a large learning curve, but thankfully was very well mentored by Robbo in particular, as the number of hours racked up in debate cut into the working day. After 3 losses in the first 7 games, with the low point being at Dartford, there was some serious debate and frustration expressed in the change room. Whatever the reason, from this point on the OCC was hardly contested in any game until promotion was secure. An unbelievable run of 9 games was to follow. Duirng this run we achieved seven 20 point batting first wins, only being interrupted by 2 rained off games. Suddenly the side had gained a pleasing sense of invincibility. Even when the situation looked poor with the bat there was always a sense that as each player dug in there would be enough runs scored for the bowling attack to defend. Looking over the results it is evident that there has been a growing contribution across the team, which in my time at the club had not been previously the case. The bowling attack especially has shown strength, which has been reflected in our ability to get the 20 point wins in many low scoring games. No doubt the number of wins of the toss, especially on the home turf, did us loads of favours, with the spin attack in particular being more than capable of taking advantage of the conditions. After the loss of Wessels, who played a significant part in some our early wins with both bat and ball, thankfully the lack lustre start to the skip's season turned around. In the absence of the skip Bradders took the sword to RACS and Alex also chipped in more regularly. On the batting front it was a real pleasure to see Sheds starting to play a more senior role in the side, playing two match winning tonnes for us at Hythe and Ashford. Robbo as ever was solid with memorably knocks against two of the top sides, Hartley and Bromley, when things were looking bleak. There was definitely more 'chipping' in from the other bats and Bradders, for the first time apparently in over 10 years, was actually keen to rise above his normal 'Jack' birth. Hopefully the tail will take the gritty batting performances into next season - against all odds on several occasions we lasted the 50 overs, adding vital additional runs and of course denying the oppo any extra overs. Alex and Yam's top partnership against Bocca, in the first game of the season, was a great example of the spirit and contribution made by all members of the squad, which ultimately carried us through the season. On the fielding side I have got to say that despite the limited amount of practice the catching was outstanding with a high number of top class catches being taken and very few outside of any part time slip catches being dropped. It really lifts the team to see a great catch held as it sets a high standard for the rest of the team to follow. Although not having such an immediate impact on a game as catching does, unfortunately the level of the ground fielding was not of such a high level. As you may have seen during the games, poor ground fielding can certainly affect the mental health of the person bowling at the time......and also gives the oppo cheap runs which next season we will be ill able to afford. In particular, I hope that the OCC have learned some tough lessons about not letting oppositions take easy singles. Being more alert next season along with some extra practice on this side should go some way to improving this standard. Let us not take half the season to wise up to this as the teams in Div 1 are likely to take full advantage - we know that many in Div 2 did not. Each and everyone individually needs to ensure that our running between the wickets is sharp and that we for a change we are the ones demoralising the opposition, by chipping away at them. On the spirit side, I feel the 1's have gained more self belief and fight through the year. For us to take it to the next level this will need to improve further. Although efforts have been made at improving pre match warm up, this will need to be taken more seriously to ensure we are match ready. The early season net attendance was good, but petered out to be dire after half way through. Noticeably it was the younger generation who grew in stature as the season progressed, whilst those who started well and did not attend nets thereafter saw their performance dropping. There will need to be greater attention to this if individuals wish to stand up and be counted in what is sure to be a far more competitive league next year. Should we achieve this then this will in turn add still further to team and club spirit. Memorable moments: Yam/ Alex début 50s save the game at Bocca, Robbo / Pabs looking invincible with the bat at Bromley, Wessels reverse pull six, Sheds 2 tonnes, various great catches, Gaston 65 [for 2!], Gooch straight 6 at Chestfield, Pabs promotion winning finger breaker, Bradder's wanting to knock out the Wanderers tail end bat, eight 5 or more wicket hauls. Well done to all! Great Season. Special thanks to Ray for umping and to Jim and Trudi for a consistently high level of teas throughout the year.' Paul Schmidt [Saturday 1st Xl capt 2005] • Back to top
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