Cricketer Cup 2002

The 2002 Cricketer Cup campaign was a triumph for the Old Tonbridgian players, management and supporters. We won the competition for the 10th time overcoming some strong opposition and at times playing some excellent attacking and exciting cricket. At their best, the players played with immense cameraderie (the X factor?) and the already impressive sum of the parts was left trailing in the wake of the team's capabilities - even strong opposition could be simply blown away.

The perception is that Tonbridge's unrivalled record (we lead the Cricketer Cup Merit Table and have won the competition twice as many times as our nearest rivals) means we sail through early rounds brushing aside all who come before us with ease. Poppycock. The reality is that the first round may be as tough as the final. There are no seedings. In the last ten years we have been knocked out at every stage from the first round to the final. Each match needs exactly the same level of commitment.

This commitment shines through each and every member of the Club. The President, Nick Heroys, watched every match. From Greg Adams getting a taxi from Oxford to Tonbridge the day after his exams finished to John Gibbs picking up players from distant parts of the country to Jamie Pyemont driving from Yorkshire to Tonbridge and back in a day, in a life where he was already driving hundreds of miles a week - the commitment to playing for the OT's was exceptional.

On the day these particular players may and often do do nothing amazing but this is irrelevant - they are there and where one player fails another is there to take up the gauntlet. You might say a player who does not want to give his wicket away is valuable but a player who does not want to give one of his team’s ten wickets away is better. A player playing for himself, or a player playing for his team, friends, family and supporters?

We beat (in order of appearance) Oundle, Merchant Taylors, Felsted, Wellington and Bradfield. There wer too many notable individual performances for me to mention all of them. However, the most explosive innings I have seen (64 in 23 balls) against Felsted by Matthew Banes, Jamie Parker's incredible (sic) fielding and spectacular, nerve-less, batting and the crushing of a strong Wellington side with a superb team display in the field were highlights. The key was that in each match, except the final, there was a point where we were struggling yet we overturned this position to win the matches.

At the final there are 12 awards, generously sponsored by The Cricketer, for the team on the day. The reality is that the competition is won by every player who represented the side as well as by John Gibbs, David Kemp, Tim Denham et al who do everything in their power to see the best side take the field. Rob Hands played in every round except the final, Chris Charlton "4 for" in the semi final, Will Montgomerie playing at a day's notice and getting a crucial run out.

Great is the man who will let his arm be twisted when he "cannot" play.