Saturday Captains Report by Imran Ahmad
2003 was a year of many achievements and hopefully a turning point for the club following on from the initiatives started in 2002. On the field our level of cricket has become more consistent. Although we didn’t win as many games in 2003 as we did in 2002, the cricket was of a good standard. Moreover, we played with a competitive attitude without forgetting the friendly ethos of the club.
Early on in the season I suffered a broken finger and was unable to play for 8 weeks. In my absence, Andy Fletcher stepped up to take the helm and got us our first victory of 2003 at Old Whalers. Without Simon Lancaster opening the bowling someone else needed to spearhead the attack. Vic Luis came on leaps and bounds, bowling some very tight spells at crucial times. On more than one occasion his bowling made the difference between winning and losing a game. Keeping it in the family, brother Edgar had a better time with the ball than with the bat, almost turning around a bore draw at Natwest Bank. Jess Sharling, (twice a grandfather) had yet another consistent season as the other half of the opening pair. His spell against Old Manhattans was particularly memorable although has still a tendency to day dream whilst in the field!!!
Majid Rafiq put on fine all-round performance and scored a century on the first day of the 2003 season on the artificial strip down at Crossbats. Fatherhood hasn’t reduced his appetite for success! Brian Douglass, although not as prolific with the bat as last year, showed how important he was taking the number 3 slot in the Corinthians batting line up. This year was a good one for Viv Sharma who scored a maiden half-century against Riverside. Through applying some orthodox batting style it was evident how much he has improved this season.
Steve O’Neil was ever reliable for some contribution with the bat and ball and offered valuable field placement advice to the skipper when things didn’t seem to work as planned. Tony Hammond’s fielding was something we could all learn from and the general positive attitude he brought to team in true Corinthian spirit. His bowling also came on a lot too, justifying the claim of being the most improved player this year.
Graham got his usual haul of wickets during the year with his nagging line and fortunately not too many ‘British Gas’ balls. I still haven’t figured out what his flipper is? Unfortunately, he suffered a bit of ill health and currently working on his overall fitness. We wish him all the best in achieving this aim. Jono made some cameo appearances before and after the birth of his daughter. He always provides an extra edge to our side. New players who made their Saturday debut include Jamal Tarafdar, Keith Pilgrim, Joe Nell, Barek Choudhury and Heinrik Keiter.
We had more new people playing for Morden Corinthians than in any other year after a successful ad campaign in the local media- many thanks to Steve O’Neil for his support in this matter. In order to develop the club for the future, more people will need to be recruited and everyone’s support is crucial to achieving this aim. Choosing a Saturday team became much easier with a larger pool of members and through the use of the club’s email group. I look forward to playing with all the new members from this year again in 2004.
Much progress has been made but we must all remember this OUR club and everyone’s contribution is vital so that the club and continue to sustain it’s growth and ambition.
I would like to thank all club officers and those members of the Saturday team who have supported me during my reign as Saturday Skipper. Furthermore, I wish Andy Fletcher all the best as captain and look forward to supporting him in this role.
