Chingford Cricket Club

On Saturday (3 May) the 1st XI were knocked out of the League Cup by Brentwood. After being put in and having the worst of the batting conditions Chingford scored 194/5 with Mac Meade and Sam Kirnon scoring fifties. In reply Brentwood scored 195/8 with Ben MacGregor (also taking 3 catches), Ryan Harris and Len Daniels taking 2 wickets apiece. At the start of the last over Brentwood needed 2 runs with 4 wickets in hand but two wickets, two dot balls and a single left them requiring one run off the last ball. A scrambled leg bye secured the win for Brentwood.

Chingford U13s started their 2008 campaign with a crushing win over Loughton on Sunday. Playing in the County Cup 1st round they restricted Loughton to 95-6 off their 20 overs. In reply Chingford reached the winning total in 18 overs for the loss of just one wicket. Andrew MacGregor (25) and William Evans (26) shared in an opening stand of 68. Full report to follow.

On Saturday the 1st XI won at Hutton but the 2nd XI (v Hutton), 3rd XI (v Blackheath) and 4th XI (v Hockerill) all lost. In the 2nd XI, Marc Fletcher and Richard Alston scored half centuries.
On Sunday hounours were even with Dulwich as the A XI lost off the last ball and the B XI won by 1 run off the last ball.

The 1st XI defeated Hutton by 5 wickets on Saturday (26 April) in the first round of the 2008 League Cup. Chingford restricted Hutton to 145 for 9 with Ryan Harris taking 5 wickets and the spinners maintaining tight control. In reply Chingford knocked off the runs with 2 overs and 3 balls to spare. Top scorers were Billy Rhone (55 not out) and Jamie Hill (39).

Denver Carolus returned to the UK today to play for the Club during the 2008 season. No doubt he will be seen around Forest Side in the near future.

The 2008 season began on Saturday (12 April) with the 1st XI losing at Sunbury (Jamie Hill a half century), the 2nd XI defeating Northchurch (Anthony Peek 63 plus 3 wickets) and the 3rd XI drawing with Sunbury (Marc Fletcher a half century). On Sunday the As (Alfie Taylor 60) v Wembley and the Bs v Hockerill were abandoned at the tea interval after one innings due to rain.

A few months ago when the fixtures were announced it came as no particular surprise that Michael Blake had organised a fixture for the Sunday Bs on the rather early date of 6 April. The day has dawned with thick snow rather than the hoped for warm spring sunshine and blue skies. The opening Bs fixture was cancelled a few days ago but if it hadn't been, no doubt the snow would not have stopped Blakey from going ahead with the game so he could get a head start in the wickets tally.

Photos of last evening's Club Supper are now in the Photo Galley. The 2008 Club Supper proved to be an excellent evening with a large turnout. Many thanks to speakers Doug Insole and Mike Blake . Awards were given out as follows:

2007 Batting Trophy - Steven Piper
2007 Bowling Trophy - Denver Carolus
2007 Performance of the Season - Ryan Harris
2007 Young Clubman - Jay Edmonds
1957 Performance of the Season - Ron Lynch
1951 Young Clubman - Derek Harwood
Special Award - Marc Fletcher

The U13 A team completed their indoor season with a win against South Woodford on Friday evening. South Woodford were bowled out for 93 - great catches by Harry Turnpenny, William Armstrong-Fox and Dan Lawrence. In reply Chingford scored 96 for 1, winning in the 11th over. Andrew MacGregor (25 retired) and Dan Lawrence (18) built an excellent opening partnership, then William Armstrong-Fox and William Russell took it to the end finishing with a six.

An historical article has been discovered detailing what those revolutionaries of CCC were trying to achieve for cricket in 1964 (and how right they were too!) See the full article by clicking on the 1964 Season Tab. A number of the other "Season" pages have also been updated - where this has happened they are shown in capitals on the homepage tab.

Chingford fell at the final hurdle in their bid for "The Double" at Waltham Abbey.

With the League Title already in the bag, attention turned to the Cup and the semi-final against Epping Foresters was a thriller. In the end Chingford were pleased to restrict Foresters to 102, with Michael Blake taking 3-25. Ben MacGregor (29*) and Matt O'Sullivan (25*) both retired but it needed some crazy running between the wickets between Ben and Michael Blake (9*) to see Chingford scamper home with one ball to spare, having needed 13 from the last over.

In the interval Chingford were presented with the League Trophy and Greg Hales - for the second year running - took the All Rounder of the Year Award in the League.

High Beach were the opponents in the final and at 43-4 Beach looked doomed. However their last pair stood firm, and using up all the overs steered their side to a defendable 87. Ben MacGregor bowled a tremendous spell taking 1-10 off his three overs. Chingford's reply never got going and with the top score only 13, from Peter Tarrant we never looked like getting the runs. Credit and congratulations to High Beach who bowled and fielded very well to defend their total.

So the end of a season where Chingford ended League Champions and Cup Runners-Up. Congratulations to all the squad on a great effort and we'll be back next year for more.

On behalf of the squad, we'd also like to pass on our thanks to Gerry Seeberan, Laurie Golding and Terry Francis for all their efforts in organising the League and providing us with so much enjoyment on many a Winter Sunday Evening.

Chingord won a keenly contested and really hard fought game with Tennyson to make it through to the semi-finals of the Cup. Tennyson were dismissed for 118, but crucially with 1.1 overs unused. Chingford made a good start with Greg Hales and Ben MacGregor both retiring but momentum needed to be maintained with the asking rate at 10 an over throughout. Matt O'Sullivan also retired and with Billy Rhone hitting 16, from the last over we needed 14. Greg Hales and Michael Blake saw us home with just one ball to spare.

The itineary for next Sunday is as follows:

5pm Semi-Finals :
Chingford v Epping Foresters
Epping Foresters B v High Beach

7.30pm Presentation of The Premiership Trophy and winners/runners up medals for both Divisions.

8.30pm The Cup Final

Followed by presentation of the Cup and Medals.

All Club members are welcome - so please come and cheer on the lads! The WACA is in Broomstick Hall Road, Waltham Abbey - we hope to see you there !

It is now confirmed that the 5th Eleven will play their home matches at the Peter May Sports Centre. We look forward to good interaction between the 3rds/4ths and 5ths who will now all be together on a number of Saturday afternoons.

Yes it's true, but we're not referring to Avram Grant ! An historical item has been discovered relating to the opening of the pavilion in 1968 when we were also visited by Miss Waltham Forest - Jean Sharp - where are you now ? The full article can be read on the left hand tab.

Premiership Champions Chingford beat a keen Myddleton House side to keep The Double Dream alive at the WACA on Sunday evening. Ben MacGregor hit an unbeaten 51 and 2 wickets from Greg Hales were the highlights of the evening's entertainment for the large crowd that had gathered. Chingford now face Tennyson Tigers in the Quarter Finals on March 16.

Congratulations to the Sunday Evening squad who beat Epping Foresters by 36 runs in the final Indoor League match of the Premiership.

Needing nothing else than a win to take the title and despite leading run-scorer Greg Hales otherwise engaged at Wembley, Chingford knocked up a healthy 106 with both Alfie Taylor and Ben MacGregor retiring. Foresters reached 70 in reply with two wickets apiece from Michael Blake and Ben MacGregor doing the damage.

The Premiership Trophy and medals will be presented at the Awards Ceremony on Easter Sunday at the WACA around 7pm. All are welcome.

Check out the 2008 Social Diary's new look & forthcoming events!

Some disturbing news has emerged today from South Africa, where we understand Shakeel Kadri has suffered a fall which resulted in a severe back injury. Whilst we understand he is now on the mend, if you're reading this Shakatak, from all of us at the Club - Get Well Soon mate.

The All Time Greats Membership Office were today contacted by a certain R. Alston, who wished to check that two consecutive centuries he had scored in 1992 had been added to his All Time Greats total runs! No doubt he is getting a bit concerned as he has heard that Peter Joslin, in 2nd place, has moved to within 9432 runs of his total ! We have updated the All Time Greats page and there is some movement in the batting rankings reflecting the updates for 1975, 1979 and 1980 - for these years the individual season reviews have also been updated.

An historical item has been discovered entitled The Day the County Played at Chingford, recalling the day in June 1947 when Chingford took on Essex at Forest Side, with Derek Harwood's father star of the day.....

Greg Hales was a record breaker as he hit 82 in the Premiership clash with South Loughton at the WACA on Sunday. A superb innings which finally beats the long standing record held by Martin Kerr from the days of Loughton Hall Indoor Cricket. Warmest congratulations to Grissly, but by the way, you ain't the leading wicket taker mate........

Thanks to our friends at the Vestry House Museum, a plethora of information has become available apertaining to the following seasons: 1975, 1980, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1999. This is now being loaded to the website but will take a while to complete. Watch the All Time Greats Page to see them move further away from any whippersnappers with their eyes on appearing on this page !

A new web page has been created to celebrate the cricketing feats of Graham Carpenter. Click on the link entitled The Bullet to reveal the full story...

Mike Blake, keen as ever to get a lead in the annual wicket stakes, has arranged a Sunday B fixture for 6 April. It is not impossible that March fixtures may follow!!

The opening SNEL fixtures for all XIs are as follows:

1st XI v Wanstead (10 May)
2nd XI @ Wanstead (10 May)
3rd XI v Hadleigh & Thundersley (10 May)
4th XI @ Hutton (10 May)
5th XI @ West Essex (24 May)

All fixtures are available on the SNEL website.

Friday 4/1 - The U15 lost to Wanstead A.
Saturday 5/1 - The As defeated Frenford and the Bs lost to Walthamstow A

1st XI 2008 SNEL Premier League Fixtures have just been announced. They are as follows:

10/5 v Wanstead
17/5 @ South Woodford
24/5 @ Brentwood
31/5 @ Saffron Walden
7/6 v Upminster
14/6 @ Gidea Park & Romford
21/6 v Ardleigh Green
28/6 v Colchester
5/7 @ Hainault & Clayhall
12/7 v Brentwood
19/7 v South Woodford
26/7 @ Wanstead
2/8 v Saffron Walden
9/8 @ Upminster
16/8 @ Colchester
23/8 v Hainault & Clayhall
30/8 v Gidea Park & Romford
6/9 @ Ardleigh Green

The 1st XI 2008 Premier League campaign commences on Saturday 10 May with a home fixture against Wanstead

Wot - you lot ? You have to be joking! Still two new members have been inaugurated into Blakey's Hall of Fame to celebrate the New Year, so click on the link to find out if it's you !!

Santa was not in generous mood when he drew the Cockspur Cup at Lord's earlier in the week. For the third year running we meet Brondesbury, this time away on 4 May. The winners get a home match against Waltham.

Saturday 15 Dec - The A team scored 167 for 2 against Woodford Wells with Paul Shawyer, Mat O'Sullivan, Rob Whitfield, Greg Hales and Ben MacGregor all in the runs. In reply Wells were all out for just over 100 with Greg Hales and Alfie Taylor leading the way with the ball.

Chingford beat Tennyson by 3 wickets to move to second place in the Premiership table, with 26no from Shakeel Kadri and two wickets from Michael Blake leading the way. Chingford's own finisher Peter Tarrant bludgeoned five singles in his 5 not out to leave a spectator asking us "Is the reason he never runs because he is injured ? "

The 2007 season review has now been loaded onto the website and can be accessed via the left hand menu on the Home page.

On Friday 7/12 the U13 A team chased down Ilford's score of 92 with three wickets in hand. Both William Armstrong-Fox and William Russell scored 25 retired.

The Evening Standard Challenge Trophy Draw sees us paired in a tough First Round Tie at Bishops Stortford on 11 May. If we manage to win we will have to travel yet again to our bogey ground Eastcote on 15 June, scene of many a Chingford disaster in recent years ! Ho hum....

On Friday 30 November the U15s gained a convincing win against Roding Valley by 6 wickets. On Saturday 1 December the As (160/4)defeated South Woodford A (132ao)by 28 runs and the Bs (119/2)defeated Woodford Wells (118/4) by 4 wickets.

The draw for the 2008 League Cup has been made. Chingford have been drawn away to Hutton in the 1st round which is to be played on Saturday 26th April. If we progress to round 2 on May 3 we will be away to either Brentwood or Billericay.

Following receipt of the 1977 1st and Sun A books , again from Bryan Hart (Thank you !) the 1977 season summary has been updated. We have also taken the opportunity to update the All Time Greats Page where we have a new All Time Great. Click on the page to find out who it is. Bryan has moved up one place in the bowling to 8th now. Remember to keep those old scorebooks coming - especially if it's you who should be on this page !

The 25th victim has been added to Blakey's Hall of Fame. Click on the page on the left hand side to see if it's you. If it's not there's plenty still to add in here to the list !

Greg Hales with three wickets and Michael Blake with two restricted Tennyson to 72 all out at the WACA on Sunday Evening. Hales again with 28 and Ben MacGregor with 22 played key parts in seeing Chingford home together with a vital single from Peter Tarrant. This gives Chingford two wins out of two so far this winter.

Thanks to Bryan Hart, the 1st eleven scores from 1978 have now been added to the website and the season summary updated. Read about the year that Jeff Runciman topped the 1st eleven batting averages and Richard MacGregor the 1st eleven bowling averages. It's true......but then they only played 2 games each !!

On Friday 9/11 the U15 team defeated Buckhust Hill A with an over to spare. The team now has one win and one tie for the season.

The B team comfortably defeated Wanstead A on Saturday. After bowling out Wanstead for 104 with Anthony Peek taking the last three wickets with a hat-trick, Chingford batted sensibly to win with wickets in hand and balls to spare.

The A team lost to Walthamstow A by 1 run on Saturday. After restricting the opposition to 123 Chingford lost a late flurry of wickets to leave Mat O'Sullivan needing to get 14 off the last over. With 2 needed off the last ball a good yorker beat the bat and was well taken by the keeper leaving Mat on 43 not out and the As short.

Warmest Congratulations to Ben MacGregor. We have heard today that Ben won the Dukes Chess Valley League Division 1 Bowling Award for 2007 - this goes to the bowler who took the most wickets in the League.

I have however informed him that no amount of honours like this guarantees entry to the CCC All Time Greats !!

Andy Lewis has been in touch with Michael Blake. We are now storing e-mails from our long lost old friends on a new Blasts from the Past Page. Click on the link on the menu bar to find out if Psycho is still asking to be taken off after taking 7-7 and what he made of the day he came up against an England batsman ! Andy would be delighted to hear from anyone at the Club so please let Michael know if you need contact details.

Michael Blake has added a new website section 'All Time Greats' (see left hand menu). The section reveals the top 10 run-getters and wicket-takers for the Club based on available data. The top batsman and bowler are clear but who is the premier all-rounder? Looks like a close run thing between Peter Joslin and Michael Blake.

On Friday evening the U15 tied with West Essex A off the last ball of the match. On Saturday the As beat Wanstead B by 3 wickets with 3 balls to spare and the Bs lost to Loughton A off the last ball.
Sunday saw Chingford off the mark in the Premiership with a 5 wicket win over High Beach in the first outing of the season

Antony Peek has today been inaugerated into Blakey's Hall of Fame. Find out how he qualified by clicking on the tab on the left hand side of your screen !

On the opening day of the indoor league season Anthony Peek played for both the B and C teams. He scored 56 not out for the Bs but not content with this he smashed 62 for the Cs. Congratulations go to Spanner for his two half-centuries on the same day.

Marc Fletcher started his indoor captaincy career by leading the Cs to a comfortable win over Goodmayes & Blythswood. David Joslin hit three sixes in his first three balls and Anthony Peek scored 62. Further details in the results section in due course.

The Indoor A team defeated the Indoor B team by 9 runs in the opening fixture of Division 1. The As posted 150 for 2 with Paul Shawyer (27 retired), Matt O'Sullivan (36), Greg Hales (27 retired) and Rob Whitfield (25 retired) all in the runs. In reply the Bs scored 141 for 5 with Anthony Peek scoring an undefeated half century and Ejaz Khan 24. Going into the closing overs the Bs were favorites to win but Ben MacGregor only conceded 2 runs off the 9th over to push the run rate up at a crucial time. Victory for the As but they were pushed all the way by the Bs.

The adult indoor season starts on Saturday 6 October with the A team taking on the B team (8:45am Peter May Centre). The A team comprises Ben MacGregor (Capt), Paul Shawyer, Alfie Taylor, Greg Hales, Matt O'Sullivan and Rob Whitfield. The B team comprise Billy Rhone (Capt), Ejaz Khan, Kerry Marriot, Richard Alston, Anthony Peek and Truptesh Patel. Support welcome.

Denver Carolus leaves the UK to return to South Africa today (2 Oct). The Club wishes him a safe journey home and another successful season for Tygerberg CC.

On Sunday 30 September the Sunday Bs defeated Crouch End Calthorpe by 10 wickets in the final fixture of the 2007 season. Denver Carolus signed off with an undefeated 50 and 1 for 0 off 3 overs. Anthony Peek scored the runs he required to take him past 1000 for the season.

On Saturday 11 August the Club had its least successful day of the season so far with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XIs all losing leaving them in third, second and fourth positions in their various divisions respectively. However the 4th XI maintained their top of the table position with another win.
On Sunday 12 August in the CVL the A XI defeated Potters Bar whilst the B XI lost to Edmonton.

On Saturday 4 August the 1st XI lost to Ardleigh Green by 82 runs, the 2nd XI defeated Ardleigh Green by 9 wickets (Richard Offord and Ejaz Khan 4 wickets each), the 3rd XI lost by 3 wickets to Shenfield and the 4th XI had a winning draw against Ardleigh Green (Dan Carver scoring a hundred). On Sunday 5 August the A XI lost by 7 wickets to Ealing whilst the B XI won at Harrow thanks largely to excellent batting by Martin Steel, Peter Joslin and Anthony Peek.

On Sunday the 1st XI played Chelmsford in the League Cup semi-final. In a game reduced to 40 overs per side due to overnight rain Chingford were put into bat and scored 174 for 7 with the major contributors being Mac Meade (68) and Alfie Taylor (32). In reply Chelmsford subsided from 38 for 0 to 90 all out due to some excellent bowling from the spinners with Denver Carolus (5 for 21) and Ben MacGregor (3 for 9) leading the way. Chingford will now appear in the Final on 27th August which will be played at Brentwood CC.

On Saturday the 1st XI travelled to Saffron Walden and won by 2 runs in a remarkable game. Batting first on a poor pitch Chingford started well with Matthew O'Sullivan leading the way with 45 but the innings fell away to leave the 1st XI all out for 123 just after lunch. By tea although Chingford had taken 6 Saffron Walden wickets the home side needed just 12 more for victory. In what turned out to be the final over of the match Ryan Harris took three wickets to take his haul to 5 for the game and lead Chingford to a dramatic win. Further drama was added by the fact that Ryan got the last batsman out twice off no-balls before producing a legitimate delivery to end the match.

On Saturday 28 July the 1st, 3rd and 4th XIs all won. The 2nd XI suffered their first league defeat of the season off the last ball of the game and the 5th XI lost their friendly match.

After 11 weeks of the SNEL season the 1st XI are 2nd, the 2nd XI are top, the 3rd XI are fourth and the 4th XI are top.

21/22 July - An excellent set of results for the Club.

Saturday - The 1st XI beat Wickford by 6 runs with an over to spare with Mac Meade taking 6 wickets. The 2nd XI beat Wickford by 9 wickets after bowling the opposition out for 90. The 3rd XI drew with Walthamstow and the 4th XI defeated Horndon.

Sunday - The A XI beat Wembley by 7 wickets with Rob Whitfield scoring a hundred. The B XI also beat Wembley by 7 wickets with Steve Piper scoring a hundred in 66 balls.

On Sunday 15 July Chingford beat Gidea Park & Romford by 11 runs in the quarter-final of the Essex League Cup. Chingford won the toss and batted first scoring 245/9 off their 45 overs thanks to a good team effort lead by Paul Shawyer (85) and Billy Rhone (41). In reply Gidea Park were all out for 234 off the penultimate ball of the 45th over. Main wicket takers were Mac Meade and Ben MacGregor with 3 each and Len Daniels with 2. The semi-final against Chelmsford will be at Forest Side on Sunday 29 July (1pm). In the other half of the draw, Wanstead v Ardleigh Green and Hainault and Clayhall v Wickford are the Quarter Finals on the same day.

On Saturday 14 July the 1st XU suffered their first loss of the season by 4 wickets against Ilford. The 2nd XI defeated Harlow and the 3rd XI won against Fives. The 4th XI had a winning draw against Fives as did the non-league 5th XI against Edmonton.

A Wormcast spy spotted Chingford Captain Richard MacGregor praying for divine guidance behind the pavilion in the tea interval in a bid to save his team from certain defeat against the Wormcasts on Monday. God delivered his wishes as the thunderstorm came just in time to save his side from total humiliation with Chingford 60-3 in reply to the Wormcasts 258-9 declared.

On Saturday Jamie Hill scored 148 not out for the 1st XI against Colchester whilst Ejaz Khan took 7-24 and James Runciman scored 105 against Upminster for the 2nd XI.

On Sunday in the Chess Valley League the As easily beat Abbots Langley by nearly 200 runs whilst the Bs lost by 8 runs against Winchmore Hill.

On Saturday the 1st XI took 11 points from a winning draw against Colchester, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs all got 20 point wins against Upminster, Ilford and Billericay respectively.

Cricket Week at the Club starts on Monday 9 July. As usual every day during the week there will cricket (weather permitting!), the bar, food available in the evenings and various fund raising events/activities. Your support is both welcomed by and extremely important to the Club.

1 July - The League Cup quarter final against Gidea Park & Romford was abandoned and has been rearranged for Sunday 15 July. The Sunday Bs game against Rickmansworth was also lost to weather.

With a washout of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th eleeven games there were no headlines about Denver this week. Instead taking centre stage was The Bullet who starred as the 5th XI dodged the showers to draw at Old Ignatians. After 14 overs this year , The Bullet has conceded 5 runs ! Match that Mr Carolus!!

Peter Norgate,the Pace Ace, and President of the Wormcasts spoke today about his Club's prospects in the coming needle match with Chingford on Monday July 9. "Being anxious to preserve our 5 year unbeaten record over the Winter I've had the cheque book out to bring in several big-name new signings for the Casts this year. Should Chingford try to trump this by fielding 1st XI players in opposition, we will retaliate by batting an extra 20 minutes beyond our usual declaration time of 5.30pm for each 1st XI player selected. Alternatively, we are happy to play limited overs provided it is 75 to the Wormcasts, 25 to Chingford"

On Saturday 23 June the 2nd XI beat Horndon-on-the-Hill by 101 runs (Chingford 235-9, Horndon 134 all out). Key performances were Steve Piper 60 and 2 wickets, Truptesh Patel 49, Ejaz Khan 4 wickets and Kerry Marriot 3 wickets. The 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th XI matches were all abandoned due to rain. On Sunday 24 June both matches against Hemel Hempstead in the CVL were also abandoned due to rain.

Sunday 17 June saw the start of the Chess Valley League games. Both the As (by 2 wickets) and the Bs (by 7 wickets) defeated Kenton. Key performances for the Bs were Steve Piper 4-27, Mike Blake 3-27, Anthony Peek 62 and Chris Baldock 63 not out.

On Saturday 16 June the 1st XI continued their unbeaten league run with a draw against Gidea Park & Romford with key performances coming from Len Daniels with the ball and Mac Meade with the bat. Both the 2nd and 3rd XI games were abandoned due to rain. The 4th XI went to the top of the table with a convincing win against Southend (Paul Canham 63 and Tony Barker 5 for 7).

On Friday 15 June Rhone's Rhinos and O'Sullivan's Ospreys both scored 129 off their 20 overs but the Rhinos triumphed due to losing fewer wickets. The evening was a great success in raising funds for the Club and thanks go to Billy and Matt for organising the event.

The league Cup Quarter Final tie with Gidea Park and Romford has been scheduled for Sunday 1 July 1pm start at Forest Side. Spectators are welcome !

Congratulations to Denver Carolus on his maiden century for Chingford v Old Victorians on Wednesday. After tea , however he could only watch as The Bullet performed an economical bowling masterclass.....see fixtures section for details.

Saturday saw the 1st,2nd and 3rd XIs all secure draws and the 4th XI win in the Essex League. On Sunday the 1st XI lost in the Evening Standard whilst the Sunday Bs drew.

On Saturday 9 June the 1st XI took 10 points out of a winning draw against last year's champions Hainault & Clayhall. As a result the team are tied for top position in the Premier League after 5 weeks. On Sunday 10 June a dissapointing performance saw the 1st XI exit the Evening Standard Challenge Trophy against St. Margaretsbury.

Denver Carolus, who plays for Tygerberg CC in Western Province when he is not playing for Chingford, has recently received the following awards from his 'Home' club:

Best bowling average (19)
Most wickets in the season (51)
Best allrounder (200 runs & 51 wickets)
Player of the year

After two consecutive league hundreds, Greg Hales only managed 83 this week against Ardleigh Green (although to be fair this was probably an even better innings than his last hundred). No doubt there will be much debate at selection as to whether he can hang on to his 2nd XI spot!

On Saturday the 1st XI beat top of the table Ardleigh Green to record their first Premier League win and take 25 points. Chingford batted first totalling 140 all out with Jamie Hill scoring 35 at the top of the order and Sam Kirnon (37) and Matt O'Sullivan (20) helping the 1st XI post what turned out to be a competitive total. Ardleigh Green were then bowled out for 113 with Denver Carolus (4 wickets) and Ben MacGregor (3 wickets) leading the charge.

Another good weekend of cricket - on Saturday the 1st and 4th XIs defeated Ardleigh Green, the 2nd XI achieved a winning draw against Ardleigh Green and the 3rd XI lost to Shenfield. On Sunday both the Sunday As and Bs beat Hampstead by 1 run and 4 wickets respectively.

On Friday 25 May the Weekday XI beat touring side Leicester Mossdale with David Joslin scoring a rapid hundred.

Stephen Thorne has been added as victim no 23 in the Hall of Fame. Click on the HoF page to read how the Blake/woodland combination sorted him out on 19 July 2002

Both Sunday A and B games were abandoned without any play. Similar story on Monday for the Weekday XI.

After 3 weeks of the League Season the 3rd XI are top of their division whilst the 1st, 2nd and 4th XIs are third in their respective divisions.

Greg Hales scored his second consecutive 2nd XI hundred yesterday by posting 101 against Saffron Walden. This followed last week's 111 against Wickford.

On Saturday 26 May Rob Whitfield and Paul Shawyer put on Chingford's record partnership in the Premier League. After losing the toss and being put in the 1st XI subsided to 19 for 4 before Rob Whitfield(104) and Paul Shawyer(77)put on 199 for the fifth wicket.

On Saturday 26 May in the Shepherd Neame Essex League the 1st and 2nd XIs drew and the 3rd and 4th XIs won. The 1st XI scored 280-9 largely thanks to Rob Whitfield (104) and Paul Shawyer (77) and had Saffron Walden 89-3 when the rain intervened. The 2nd XI scored 285 for 8 with Greg Hales scoring 102 supported by Steve Piper (58) and Truptesh Patel (44). In reply Saffron Walden scored 272 for 8 with Steve Piper taking 4-49. The 3rd XI succesfully chased down Westcliff's score of 267 for the loss of only 5 wickets. Andrew Chipchase scored 64* and took 6-56, Roy Williams scored 54 and Paul Adshead 67. The 4th XI bowled out Upminster 5th XI for 104 (Mike Blake 3-21 and Kevin Love 4-21) and won by 1 wicket in a tense finish. Overall another good day for the Club.

The 1st XI were knocked out of the National Cockspur Cup by Brondesbury on Sunday. Chingford were bowled out for only 92 but made the visitors work hard for their victory by taking 6 of their wickets in reply. The Sunday Bs beat Southgate Compton by 5 wickets with David Joslin scoring a half-century and Richard MacGregor taking 5-17 and Denver Carolus 4-14.

On Saturday the Club recorded three wins and a draw. The 1st XI drew with Wickford and took 10 points thanks to two excellent fightbacks (Chingford 213 all out, Wickford 212/9)with Denver Carolus and Matthew O'Sullivan scoring 61 and 49 not out respectively. The 2nd XI chased down Wickford's 283 thanks to 111 from Greg Hales. The 3rd XI bowled out Walthamstow for 43 (Nasser Rashid 6 wickets) and won by 7 wickets. The 4th XI won by virtue of Horndon conceding the game due to their inability to raise a side.

The U13 indoor team, that came runners-up in Division 1 of the Metropolitan Essex District Cricket Board Indoor League, were presented with their trophies on Monday by Cliff Greenhill at Loughton CC. Photos of the team are now in the photo gallery.

Saturday saw the 1st and 3rd XI come awat with winning draws against Ilford and Fives respectively. The 4th XI lost to Fives and the 2nd XI game was abondoned due to rain. On Sunday both games were abandoned without a ball being bowled because of rain. The National Cockspur Cup game against Brondesbury has been rearranged for this coming Sunday (20 May).

Chingford 1st XI's first game in the Premier League saw them come away with a winning draw (10 points to the opposition's 7 points). Chingford 224 for 8 off 58 overs, Ilford 144 for 8 off 59 overs. Best batting was from Jamie Hill (69)and Mac Meade (62). Best bowling was from Denver Carolus (21-6-46-4) and Ben MacGregor (16-6-18-3). After one match Chingford sit top of the Premier League!
Both Sunday games were a washout. The Cockspur Cup tie with Brondesbury is re-arranged for Sunday May 20th at Forest Side (1pm)

The Wormcasts Page has been considerably updated and now includes deatails of all wormcasts matches between 1984 and 2000. the remainder will follow soon !

Weekend of the 5/6/7 May - Wins for the 1st XI (v Hadleigh), 2nd XI (v Hadleigh) and the Weekday XI (v Tennyson). Winning draws for the 4th XI (v Gidea Park & Romford) and the Sunday Bs (v Dulwich). The 3rd XI lost to Gidea Park & Romford and the Sunday As lost to Dulwich.

The 1st XI beat Hadleigh & Thundersley on Saturday by 47 runs to progress into the quarter finals of the League Cup where they will play Gidea Park & Romford.

Photos of the 2007 Club Supper can now be found in the Photo Gallery.

The Club welcomes Denver Carolus from South Africa who joins as our overseas player for the 2007 season.

The 1st XI won both cup games this weekend (versus Horndon and Harrow Town), the 2nd XI beat North Enfield and the Sunday Bs beat Chigwell. The 3rd XI lost to Blackheath and the 4th XI to Hockerill.

The 1st XI (272-8) beat Harrow Town (166 all out) in the first round of the Cockspur Cup (National)and will play Brondesbury next on 13 May.

The 1st XI beat Horndon-on-the-Hill in the first round of the Shepherd Neame Essex League Cup and will now be away at Hadleigh & Thundersley in round two.

The 2006 season review published in the 2007 Shepherd Neame Essex League handbook has now been entered onto the website - please see '2006 Season' menu item.

The Chingford U13 indoor team finished their season in the Metropolitan Essex District Cricket Board league with a win over Ilford which left their record at 6 wins and 3 losses. The team ended up as runners-up in Division 1 (the top division) to a very strong and unbeaten Wanstead side and represents the best finish by a Chingford indoor colts side. The players should be congratulated for their achievement and will pick up their runners-up trophy on 14 May at Loughton CC. Those who played during the season are William Armstrong-Fox, Alex Gordon, Ben Gordon, Andrew MacGregor, Beth MacGregor (Captain), William Russell and Elliot Saggers.

Wins this weekend for the 1st and 2nd XIs versus Sawbridgeworth and the Sunday As versus Wellwyn Garden City. Hundreds for James Runciman (2nd XI) and Mac Meade (Sunday As). 3rd XI and 4th XI lost to Bentley and Blackheath respectively. The Sunday Bs lost narrowly to Tennyson.

Ben MacGregor opened his account for the season with a hundred and Paul Shawyer a half-century as the 1st XI defeated Shenfield.

On the opening weekend of the season there were wins for the 1st XI and the Sunday Bs. The 2nd XI, 3rd XI and Sundat As all lost. Further details will be posted in the results section.

The Essex League Cup Tie against Horndon on the Hill has now been switched to Forest Side - 1pm start on Saturday 28 April. The Second Eleven will now play away to North Enfield on that day.

The Chingford Indoor Cricket season came to an end with a win in our last league match. A match report appears in the results section.

Playing members are reminded that Cricket gets underway on the weekend of Saturday 14/ Sunday 15 April. We will be fielding 3 Saturday and 2 Sunday sides so please let Captains have your availability ASAP or before the first selection meeting on Tuesday 10 April at 8pm. The fixture cards are now out (for the first time ever in March !!) and the early season matches now appear on the Fixtures Tab on the website.

Three wins for Chingford this weekend. The A team (125 for 5) beat Harold Wood (124 all out) by 1 wicket with Mike Lyon top scoring with 39, Ben MacGregor picking up 3 wickets and Greg Hales taking two excellent catches. The B team (109 for 1) beat South Woodford (108 all out) by 5 wickets with Mike Lyon, Truptesh Patel and Billy Rhone all retiring with the bat. The U13 team won after Roding Valley conceded the game.

The U13 indoor side beat Buckhurst Hill by 39 runs on Friday evening. After being put in to bat Chingford scored 110 for 4 with Beth MacGregor (33 not out) and Andrew MacGregor (27 not out) being the main contributors with the bat. In reply Buckhurst Hill were bowled out for 71 with William Armstrong-Fox and Ben Gordon taking two wickets each. More details in the Results section.

The Waltham Abbey Indoor Cricket League generously have individual awards for the players with the best batting and bowling averages in the entire League. Congratulations to Greg Hales who won the batting award with an average of 70 and to Michael Blake who was Runner-up in the bowling with an average of 11 in League Matches. The Awards Ceremony is on Sunday 25th March , 7.30pm at the WACA.

The indoor D team lost by 6 runs to Ilford A but acquitted themselves well. Carey Harborne 2 for 5 and Beth MacGregor 2 for 7 were the pick of the bowlers and Mark Campbell (24) was top scorer with the bat. Further details in the results section.

The U13 indoor team beat Havering atte Bower by 11 runs on Friday evening. Batting first Chingford totalled 89 for 5 largely thanks to Beth MacGregor (25) and William Armstrong-Fox (17 not out). In reply Havering finished on 78 for 4 with Andrew MacGregor taking 2 for 9 and Alex Gordon 1 for 14. Further details in the results section.

Just a reminder that the Hoppers will be celebrating their 75th Anniversary with a dinner to be held at West Essex Golf Club on Friday 16th March. If you would like to attend , please let Mike Blake know.

Last Tuesday the D team were about to default on our fixture with South Woodford B because only one player was available. A number of retirees plus Beth MacGregor rallied to the cause allowing us not only to fulfill the fixture but win by 4 wickets. Full story in the results section.

Congratulations to the Indoor Sunday Evening Team. Their sixth win from eight league games earns them a return to the Premier Division at Waltham Abbey at the first attempt.

See the Photo Gallery for 'The Jeff Runciman Collection'. A blast from the past providing memories of great Chingford cricketing luminaries. Enjoy the way it used to be, the classic batting techniques, the hairdoos etc.

At the AGM on Sunday 4th February the following captains were elected for the 2007 season:

1st XI - Sam Kirnon (Captain), Jamie Hill (Vice-Captain)
2nd XI - Rob Runciman (Captain), Steve Piper (Vice-Captain)
3rd XI - Andrew Chipchase (Captain)
4th XI - Mark Campbell (Captain), Paul Hart (Vice-Captain)
Sun A - Ben MacGregor (Captain), Ryan Harris (Vice-Captain)
Sun B - Mike Blake (Captain), Richard MacGregor (Vice-Captain)

On Saturday, the As won and the Bs lost. Both matches appear in the results section. Also appearing is last Thursday's Under 15s match which was lost.
Missing Swan Vestas
The match amnesty has brought forward a match report from an Under 15 victory from January 18th.

Chingford play 5 matches this weekend [see home page and fixtures page] the most cricket matches the club have played on a single weekend since the last Summer season.

For the second season running, the C team face an interesting end of season battle to avoid relegation. Last season, we finished 8th, one place above the drop. This season, with 3 matches remaining, we are 9th. Our last match is against bottom club Harlow Town. However, our next match is against 8th placed Walthamstow B. If we win this match we will go above them in the league table. This may be enough to avoid relegation. If we do not win this game, we will need to beat second placed Woodford Wells and Harlow to stand a chance of avoiding the drop. For full details, visit the league tables page. Our next match against Walthamstow B is on 17th February.

The Club's Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday 4th February at the Clubhouse commencing at 7pm.

We have recently purchased a bowling machine paid for through the Jack Petchy award scheme. Chingford colts have already been batting against it at their winter net sessions. The machine will hopefully give our youngsters the chance to improve their batting. As yet, no machine has been devised to help them develop their bowling.

It has been a tough week this week for Chingford Cricket. The bright spot was the Under 15s, who, after a difficult season so far managed a win. The Under 13s lost to a strong Wanstead, playing better thn most other sides have managed. The Under 11s lost a tight game and the Cs lost a very loose game. Details of all matches should hopefully appear in the results section.

A young Chingford U13 side lost to a very good Wanstead A team on Friday evening. Wanstead 133-3, Chingford 61-6. Beth MacGregor scored 25. Further details in the results section.

In their quest for promotion from Division 3 of the Indoor League, the Ds have acquired a Manager to run the side. Someone to pick and organise the team without the worry of playing. The new Manager is Paul Hart. Paul stands down from the Captain's role and from playing due to a couple of injuries. He intends to rest his body for the summer.
Paul feels that after 25 of playing indoor cricket, he should be retiring on doctors advice. Even though Paul talks of retirement, if he is fit and healthy come October, he may be persuaded to play on.
Paul started playing Indoor Cricket when Chingford started playing, in the early 1980s. At Chingford during the late 1990s interest in playing the game was on the wane. (as it was with a number of other clubs) However, Paul was largely responsible for keeping Chingford Indoor cricket going.

Subject to the AGM, Rob Runciman is expected to continue as 2nds skipper in 2007. However, the whole selection process has been severley undermined. Rob had the telephone numbers of all those people he expected to pick at some stage, on his mobile phone. Rob, who is noted for his ability to lose things, lost his mobile phone. He now has a replacement mobile with the same number. However, he no longer has any telephone numbers. So if you feel that Rob should, for any reason whatsover need to call you, (such as picking you) please text him your telephone number.

Just to say hi to everyone who remembers me, many congratulations to the 1st team on their promotion and of course I wish all the teams success in 2007. One question, has Blakey's smooth action crumbled yet? Give me a call when he gets the yips - it can't be far off. Incidentially I have found some audio tapes of Cheshire tours dating back to 1979 and 1981 if you are interested in a sound library - or perhaps they are better left in my safe deposit box.

Hope to watch a few games this year

Cheers

Paul

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