Captains Diary 09

The season started when I decided to drop down from the 1st team to try and build some sort of future for the 2nd XI by trying to mix experience and youth in the same team. I tried to rally lots of players before the season started and encouraged to come on a journey with me over the season.
All the signs were good as lots of players gave me their assurances that they were ready to commit to the new regime!
This is where my diary starts and almost finished in 1 week. Our first game was against Rodmersham away in late April ..... After ringing everyone I knew or had numbers for, we turned up with 8 players including Tim G (72 years young) John Chapman who has only played twice before and 2 fifteen year olds. We managed to persuade Alex Roe’s dad Brian to field (he had only played 1 game in his life ...well done Brian by the way!!) and recruited a 13 year old from Rodmersham to make us 10 in the field. Not what I had in mind when taking on the captaincy.
We bowled first and with a lot of character and spirit that was to be evident throughout the season, we managed to keep the hosts to 247-4 off 40 overs. How we managed to survive those 40 overs and still be enthousiastic is amazing. Our reply was encouraging with Bert A (86) & Phil S (46) putting on 89 for the 1st wicket and Scott B (26) & Bert adding another 90. However with no depth to the batting Millsy & myself batted out the remaining  overs and a total of 198-4 was a fine effort. I would like to thank everybody who played that day as they are the ones who sowed the seeds that were to follow and persuaded me to keep going!
First league game was away to Cobham and with 4 youngsters and 7 experienced players this was the mix I had been hoping for. I won the toss and with what looked like a greenish wicket, I decided to have a bowl and make use of the new ball. Jon T opened up and with an air of expectancy from my new team, it didn’t take long for Jonny to set us on our way with a clean bowl in his second over. It was then over to the Skip to rip the Cobham team apart with 7-16 inc a hat-trick (inc 5 bowled with the inswinger which was to get so many more victims in the coming months) All out for 107 in 33.4 overs was a job well done but there was 1 mad moment when Bert somehow fielded a ball from slip and in trying to effect a run out managed to fell Millsy with nasty blow on his calf!! With Bertie (68) in that sort of calypso mode to go with the hot sunny day, it was all over in 17.3 overs and to emphasise the youth element, the 2 batsmen at the end were 13 year old Matt H and Scott B who hit the winning 4. 30 points in the bag and top of the league .... how good was the new Skip feeling that evening?
Next in line was a tough away game against Staplehurst.  With the run machine Bertie being held up, having won the toss again I decided to bat first and opened up with Millsy and the new addition of Dave W. Poor Dave was out to an outstanding catch in the gully by an over 60’s player for 1 and Bert followed soon after. A proud Dad and Skip, watched his son Scott (47) play his best innings of the season and shared a 103 partnership with Martin (57) and set the platform for Worzel to smash a quick 35 and take us over 200 ... 216-6 after our 45 overs. Millsy batted beautifully as he did many times during the season and often in important situations ... he was out to another outstanding catch at fine leg by another 60+.  With the addition of Corky I fancied us to defend that total and although there were a few anxious moments we just had enough in the reserve as they finished on 192-9. The Skip once again chipped in with 4-17. Poor Jon T had a ‘mare’ with the ball and 1-77 was a fair reflection of it although he did bowl the dangerman who made 73! Another 29 points netted.

At last a home game next with the visit of Milstead and a change of luck with the toss. (I was to lose 5 in a row and then win 8 in a row!!)  Milstead invited us to bat and on a good track and ‘System’ unavailable I would have batted anyway. Although Bertie rode his luck being dropped 4 times he put together our first century of the season with 118*including 4 big sixes. With Millsy (44) and out to another good catch they put on 97 for the first wicket and after our 45 overs finished at 208-4. Although Jon T and the skip were unable to breakthrough , their 2 an over economy put the pressure on.  Scott B bowled a beauty to get their star batter and Corky (3-47) then chipped in with 3 good wickets. 15 year old Alex Roe with his legspin then had 2 stumped by an excellent Dave W and the skip mopped up the tail (4-20) as Milstead stumbled to 151 all out.  30 more points and a good allround performance.

Hollingbourne arrived at Sheldwich Lees, won the toss and batted on a lovely looking wicket and another hot day. Big mistake as our attack with the new ball just blew them away. Corky (3-18) bowled beautifully and the skip (3-16) almost unplayable as it swung around. With Bertie chipping in with 3-3 from 11 balls, Hollingbourne were all out for 109. Once again Millsy and Bertie got us off to a good start and with 61 for the first wicket it was a stroll. We only lost 2 wickets and there were 20 overs left.

Another home game and another team deciding to bat first, West Farleigh made a good fist of it with 220-9 off their 45 overs. With Simon B in the 1st’s and Corky on holiday  we lacked the depth of bowling with JT (4-44) and Skip (4-38) doing most of the damage.  3 fine catches for Dave W but our disciplines were poor in the field with 39 extras inc 17 wides. But with 4 wins behind us we felt confident of chasing this down. Once again Bertie was the main man with 75 but good contributions from Steve B (35) Mark H (23) Scott B (23*) Dave W (42) took us home with 3.5 overs left. Good to see Matt and Scott bringing it home again.

3rd home game in a row, 3rd time the opposition wanted to bat again because of the hot weather and good pitch. Rumwood were a poor side and in truth we gave them about 40 runs as we took our foot of the pedal a bit. We ripped out the top and middle order with Bertie (3-31) and skip (3-12) controlling things. However a few lusty blows from the tail added a further 32 bringing their total to 140 all out. The result was never in doubt as Martin M (28) and Mark H (34*) finished it off in 24.3 overs.

That easy win maybe put us in a too confident mood for the following game away to Headcorn. I won the toss and decided to bat first as the track looked hard and it was very hot day and our batters were in good form. How wrong I was ...We made a poor start losing 2 very early wickets including Bertie for a duck. I lost it a bit when their first team bowler on a what turned out to be a poor wicket, started bowling short. These short balls were going through the top and were dangerous at his pace. After hitting Dave W many times, he bowled one straight at Scott’s head (with helmet) and he managed to fend it off to short leg. I went around and exchanged ‘words’ with him about needing to bowl at 15 year old’s heads to get them out when he could see how poor the track was. This was the first time we saw how good Dave W was as he battled to 85 and with Mark H (35) they at least helped put a score on the board of 185 all out. The opening bowler’s 6-20 had ripped us apart and more importantly we gave them another 2 extra overs to get them. The next 45 overs were eventful to say the least and could ultimately have cost us the league. JT (3-30) bowled really well and skip (2-36) had them in trouble but the long innings of Dave W may have taken its toll when after 2 good catches, he dropped the opening bowler 1st ball off skip (My disappointment after what had gone on earlier was a definite low point in my season) and he went on to make 41 and also dropped the top scorer off JT when he was in his 20’s. Despite these misses we still kept fighting and much credit to everyone that our heads never dropped. A last throw of the dice and I brought young Alex R (2-16) on inviting them to finish in style. First of all he dropped a really hard c&b and then took a wicket to put them 7 down. Mark H then took an outstanding one handed catch on the boundary to put them 8 down and still 7 to get. Alex then c&b no 10 and they needed 7 off 2 overs + the 2 extra. A fine Briss over costing only 2 meant they needed 5 off the last of the 45. A poor ball down the legside meant 3 wides from Alex but 4 dots and a single brought no 11 on strike with 1 ball, 1 run and 2 extra overs to bowl. All the field came in ... could no11 survive ... unfortunately he managed to pierce the field  and the game was lost. Our unbeaten run had ended but we showed great character and we were so close!!

If that was tough, the next game put me through the ringer as well. Bearsted lost the toss and I decided to bat again on a short boundary one side, a great wicket and a very hot day. This turned out to be a very emotional day for me as my whole family turned up to watch. We were without Martin M, JT and Simon B and so were desperate to get a big score on the board. My masterstroke was played before we even started our innings ... I decided to open with Dave W and Bertie and said that Scott would bat 3 if Dave got out as he was the ‘plodder’ and Steve B would bat 3 if Bertie was out as he was more aggressive. Dave W then outscored Bert (57) to 50 in their 140 opening partnership, reached his hundred and then kicked on to a superb 155 not out with great strokeplay... Talk about having to eat your own words!!  Max B also played a great support innings with 43 as Sheldwich reached 281-3. Surely game over?
Not a chance, Bearsted hit us very hard from the beginning and were 76-0 in the first 10 overs before I bowled the dangerous Clifton for 59. With the short boundary and 7 bowlers tried we just couldn’t stop the runs. I was powerless as my 1-75 showed but somehow we kept our nerve and fielded well under pressure. Hulksy finally bowled one of the in batters and the 13 they needed off the last over was 6 runs too many. Their opener (97*) was the highest scorer against us all season but his slow run rate was probably the deciding factor with 6 wickets still waiting after him. A big win after the Headcorn loss.

An important toss to win after overnight rain and I asked Shipbourne who were 2nd in the table to bat first. Simon B (2-23) and skip with 6 maidens put Shipbourne under so much pressure and they kept losing wickets to Corky (3-19) & Scott B (3-13) and their 107-8 in 45 overs was a great fielding and bowling effort epitomised by a superb one handed catch by Alex R.
However this concentration was short lived as we started our innings disasterously. Within 10 overs we were 21-5 with Hart (4-19) ripping out our top order. With fielders all round the bat , Skip (42*) and Max  B (35) slowly started to dig their way out of the mess. In the next 24 overs we put together a partnership of 74 which put us in sight of victory. I managed to get myself a thick ear with a top edge off a no ball but a couple of well hit 4’s brought us a great win with 8 overs left. It was a great feeling to know we were still top and this sent me on my holiday in a joyus mood.

News of a abandoned game at Marden was a relief in some ways as I knew I would be back to lead the team again the following Saturday against a high riding Linton Park and still on top of the league. 8 wins and 1 loss with 5 games to go.
After the problems of chasing in the last game I won the toss again and decided to bat on a quick wicket which did a bit early on. Martin M (109*) batted superbly and was well supported by Max B (40) and Worzel (40*) at his attacking best in our total of 234-2. This was a Millsy special, slow watchful start, accumulate and then put the cream on the cake with some big sixes and a few cultured fours. This was an above par score on this wicket and credit to the three of them.
Corky (2-22) off his 12 overs was the pick of the bowlers and with skip (4-38) and ‘System’ (2-48) also bowling well, this was a top performance to restrict a strong Linton batting line up to 178-9. I particularly enjoyed the inswinger I bowled the top scorer of the league and Capt of Linton with for 48. 29 points was good reward for our victory over 4th place Linton.

The miracle of Horton Kirby was next as I won the toss and decided to insert the opposition on a hot afternoon. I bowled my ball of the season as I bowled the opener with the perfect inswinger at pace. Simon B (4-22) also bowled his best spell of his season. Jon T bowled his quickest spell all season but his luck was out, dropped catches, and the classic was the 5 no balls he gave away when he bowled  a bemused middle order batter top of middle stump but had been called for a no ball and the ball then sped to the boundary!! We also conceded 16 leg byes in their eventual total of 158-9. Young 12 year old Piers R bowled an excellent spell of 1-14 off his 4 overs as we were introduced to ‘legend’ for the first time. Corky took two excellent catches and the fielding was of a high class and we were pleased with our first half work.
With the absence of Dave W and Bertie our makeshift batting was torn apart by their Skipper (5-26) in the first 9 overs. Millsy was unlucky playing on and as I went to get padded up to bat 6, 3 more quickly followed and I was thrust into the fray at 14-4. I had hardly taken guard when I lost JT and first innings for Sam W for a duck to make it 14-6. That left a 13 & 12 year old and Corky (not batted all season) and Simon B (2 balls all season) to make a further 145 runs in 30 overs. At this stage I was getting some real stick from the opposition about how poor we were and I was just determined to not get out and get as best a score as was possible. Enter 13 year old Matt H, fielders all round the bat, and lots of chat. Full marks he scored 17 in style and the score was 47-7 when played back to a good ball and was LBW. Out strode the ‘legend’ and I assured him that there was no pressure and just to enjoy himself. When we had reached 72 after 29 overs he pronounced that he was having fun (All I could think about was the pressure of not getting out) 3 overs later and he proceeded to tell me he was really enjoying this!! As we watched the scoreboard climbing and the scoring becoming easier, we for the first time realised we COULD WIN this at 92 after 33 overs. 67 off 12 overs was definitely on, not realising that we wouldn’t need the other batters padded up!! The 34th & 35th overs brought 18 runs and reduced the run rate to 5 an over. We had run together very well and when Piers reached his 50 in the 39th over I was amazed to find him saying  ... ‘lets make sure we get you through to 50 skip!’ The 40th over was a loud and emotional over as I first of all I guided a four to 3rd man to bring me to 46 and then pulled the next ball to fine leg for four more and a loud shout to claim my maiden Sheldwich 50. (Congratulated by a 12 year old who had managed in 1 game what I had spent over a 100 games trying to achieve but nonetheless rewarding for all that) Only one more special moment before we crossed the line ... We needed 3 to win and Piers hit it square past the field ... we ran 2 .. 1 more to win .. he was almost at my end when I shouted I can’t make it Piers .. go back. He did and then smashed the next ball for 4 to win with 3 overs to spare. A new 8th wicket record of 115 and not a chance in that.
What emotions at this time ...to see the smiles on our team’s faces and the hugs that followed will stay with me forever. I felt so much relief and pride ... WOW!!  Wake up ... Did it really happen!!!

Back to reality ... how could we follow that? ... By playing 2nd place Meopham at home! First of all we welcomed back Bertie, Millsy, Steve B and Dave W which strengthened the batting immensely. With this in mind on winning the toss for the 6th time, I decided to bowl first feeling that we could chase down anything and that the new ball on a good wicket might just give us an advantage with our bowling at full strength too. This was the day that Skip (3-38) decided to produce his best spells of the season. We managed to get the early wickets we craved with the outstanding wicket .. a great diving catch from Dave W off a very quick JT delivery. At 27-3 they never really recovered and the bowling of Corky (1-23) & System (1-22) was exceptional as we squeezed them and an inspired spell of 3-13 from Bertie knocked them over for 146. The back up fielding was outstanding and was perhaps our best outfield performance of the season.
We were very confident that the match was ours but when we were 26-3 after 12 overs the Skip had doubts after what had happened with previous collapses in recent weeks. But this was another Millsy (78*) masterclass and was very well supported by Scott B (36 Retired Hurt) as they put on 110 for the 4th wicket in 22 overs. This included an all run 5 which resulted in Scott pulling a thigh muscle ... but no probs for a 54 year old who was running his 15 year old partner into the ground. In recent weeks Martin showed tremendous powers of concentration but also great fitness including big scores on a Sunday too.
Returning the ‘man hug’ from last week, Millsy deserved his, as I really felt that this win would be the title winner!! Sadly this was to prove to be our peak and it was all down hill in the last 2 games.

We needed to win 1 out of the last 2 games to be champions. The penultimate game away to Leeds & Broomfield was to prove to be a the lowest point of the season. It didn’t start well when the 1st team took one of our players so we had to play for the first time with 10 men, without JT and Bertie in what could have been a title winning game. Perhaps worried by the lack of depth to our batting, I decided on winning my 7th toss in a row that we would bowl first. At 39-3 it looked as if we might just be beating the elements, but with Dave W injuring a finger 8th ball in  and basically being a passenger in the field, Steve B taking over the gloves having a ‘mare’, and Mark H pulling his calf again creating another passenger. So only 8 fit players and our back up bowlers Corky & Scott B going at 7 an over, and then Skip managed to pull his groin which had been niggling away since the Horton match. The rest of the Leeds batting just got away from us with dropped catches and poor bits of fielding and their 246-8 was at least 60 too many on the lively wicket. Full marks to Simon B (3-41) who bowled beautifully and deserved better with dropped catches. Surprisingly enough Scott and Skip caught their best catches of the season but they mattered not. When we came off the field I saw for the first time a defeated and shellshocked side.
I felt despair as I looked round the changing room and knew there wasn’t 249 runs here even if we played well. Mark H said he couldn’t bat, Dave W didn’t know if he could at this stage .. the youngsters looked blown away and poor Steve B looked like a walking wreckage but with his usual smile and ‘it will be ok Skip’. The skip himself for once was mentally and physically gone which I’m sure was conveyed to a dispirited  side. What followed only emphasised these thoughts. Martin & Max received unplayable balls and suddenly I was in the middle after 4.2 overs with the score at 8-3. Dave W had bravely made it to the middle with me. Apart from survival I had not had any time to gather any positive thoughts and it was no surprise that I played an attacking shot totally out of character and it was 21-4. As I trudged off I felt devastated that I had let my team down when it was REALLY needed me, even if it was just for a bit of confidence building for the next match. The only thing I remember after this was having a little chuckle at Corky facing his first ball of the season and the surprise on his face as it hit his bat and went to 3rd man for a single ... instinct had put his bat in the way and luck did the rest!!
Our 8 batters had been blown away for 50 and a massive loss in terms of runs and team morale!!  This was definitely the low point of the season and something if I’m honest I personally never recovered from mentally.

The lead up to the ‘winner takes all’ match v Mersham away didn’t go well. Despite the fact there was no 1st team game I struggled to find players for this match ... surely this was a crazy situation with such an important game but until Friday evening I didn’t have 11. After 50 all out I was hoping to get some experienced batting to replace the injured Steve B, Mark H & Dave W with Bertie, Ben H, Hulksy, but it was not to be, but on a plus side Dave W was declared fit. We did also get a bonus when Steve Hannam was able to play and was in good form after a 70* the Sunday before in partnership with Millsy 92*.
This was definitely a game I didn’t want to win the toss, but for the 8th game I won it and decided to bat first. This was based on not wanting to have a bad start with the ball and finding ourselves under the cosh and ultimately chasing too many runs. Looking back I can see all my decisions were now being based on negative thinking and trying to protect our fragile confidence.
Trying to get to Mersham I had forgotten to pickup  Nigel M (umpire) and was therefore late... worse still I got lost even tho I have been to Mersham 4 times!! I suppose I’m trying to justify a state of mind that was not conjusive to positive thinking.
Despite all this we made a good fist of it early on. Recovering from a body blow of losing Millsy, Dave W (73) & Steve H (23) put us in a position at 94-2 to really push on. Even at 121-3 with 15 overs left things looked good, but a crushing blow of losing Dave W hit me hard and perhaps the total confusion in my head, resulted in me throwing my wicket away and with it the innings just disintegrated and almost ground to a halt at 146-9. Cricket is all about what ifs, but if I had only batted thru, surely we would have made at least 60 of the last 15 overs and 180 on this pitch would have been hard to get. However this is what we had to defend and we went out in the right frame of mind I believe.
Jon T then produced a superb spell of bowling causing havoc for all batters. I struggled with my groin muscle and bowled below par but with Simon B also bowling well, we were right in the game. Sadly a couple of difficult catches went down and they slowly ate into our total. We then lost our keeper again, hitting that same bad finger and Bertie who had just arrived was called on as a sub but our talisman had gone and with it our last chance really. Steve H with 2 quick wickets revived some hope but we never really had enough runs to trouble a strong batting side and to be fair the best team won on the day. We had given it our best shot and had just run out of steam at the wrong time. The young lads who had given everything all season found it tough to up their game against the stronger teams and the experienced guys had so little in the tank after such a long season. The last 4 games were always going to be tough and decide our fate and this is what happened.
Having said all that I cannot praise enough the effort and at times the great skills we showed as a team. It must not be forgotten that this was a great season for us and that the mix of young and  ‘old’ was totally justified and a real step forward for the future. The 2nd XI can only be better and stronger for the experiences of 2009.
Pride in leading this side was certainly my over-riding emotion and one I will always remember!! As yet I’m not sure if I will give it another go as it had a big effect on my health, but perhaps I can lessen my playing mode especially my bowling and give some more resources to the Captaincy ... I’ll give it some thought in the off-season!!

CAPTAIN’S END OF SEASON REPORT

3 Batters in the top 13 and 4 bowlers in the top 14 : Top wicketkeeper and 3rd best catcher and a League best bowler and a young player award. Best teas in the League by far!! Well done everybody!!

Martin Mills             A*  :  Great team man, pleasure to captain, and had a great season with the bat. If you want someone to bat for your life ... he’s your man. Congratulations on a fine season Martin .. All the more remarkable considering all your other Sheldwich responsibilities.

Bert Andrews          A   : Absent too often through no fault of his own, put in some special performances with bat, ball and fielding although started to fade in form late on. Enjoyed his optimism and support.

Dave Williams         A* : Best wicketkeeper in the league, took some excellent catches & stumpings. 1 outstanding innings which equalled the League’s highest and finished in the top 10 league scorers. Always a great help during an innings with advice.

Simon Brissenden  A : Most consistent Sheldwich bowler. Deserved more wickets but had an excellent economy rate. A dream bowler for any captain ... give him the ball anytime and he produced. Superb team man ‘Mr 2nd XI’, passionate about the team and  our scorer due to not having to bat too often.

Nick Cork                 B  : Good season with the ball picking up useful wickets. Not always consistent but a delight to captain and another good team man. Always an enthousiast and a good influence on the younger members.

Jon Taylor               B+ : If Jon had bowled like he did in the last game at Mersham, he would have been amongst the top wicket-takers as his attitude was spot on. Too often Jon was too down on himself and this affected his bowling and the team spirit. He bowled really well in patches and had we held our catches he would have perhaps been more consistent. His batting when he attacks the ball is a delight to watch. The 40* against Linton Park was as fine an exhibition of timing as I saw from anyone all season. His 35 at Staplehurst was also a vital contribution because of its speed. Get the attitude right Jon and next year will be your best as an allrounder ever.

Mark Hammond    C+ : Struggled with a calf injury which affected his performance. Never quite got that breakthrough innings although two not out 30+’s could have been better if we were chasing bigger scores. But he certainly took the ‘catch’ of the season at Headcorn. Excellent influence on the younger members and I look forward to a fit Mark scoring lots of runs next year.

Steve Blythin          C+ : Another who struggled with injuries and affected his performances. Helped behind the stumps when needed and his support throughout the season was second to none. First full season for a long time which will reap its rewards next year. Pleasure to captain.

Scott Brown            B- : Started the season very well with some excellent contributions with the bat but too often gave his wicket away early in his innings. However an excellent first adult season with lots of promise and hopefully the 30’s & 40’s will be turned into match winning scores next year. His bowling only flickered occasionally but 3-13 against Shipbourne proved decisive. Needs to become more consistent and fulfil the talent he has but well done on your first adult season.

Max Blythin            B- : Excellent first full season with 2 x 40’s and a 35 in tough situations. His support to me in the match winning partnership v Shipbourne  was superb. His bowling like Scott’s lacks consistency but has promise. His fielding definitely improved over the season and his commitment to the cause was always 100%. Well done Max

Matt Hammond    C+ : Confident lad who has natural talent and will be better for the games he played this year. One excellent contribution with the bat in difficult circumstances when he helped set the platform for the ‘miracle’ win at Horton Kirby. Fielded well and surprised many opponents with his good throw from the deep. Can’t wait to see him make the big breakthrough with the bat next year.

Alex Roe                 C+ : His bowling started so well but faded badly during the season. Needs to have a good pre-season in the winter nets so we can get some consistency and variation into his bowling. His batting was not needed too often but has the ability to attack and defend and will be a useful late order batter next year. His fielding has been excellent and his one handed catch against Shipbourne was a delight to see. Nobody tries harder than Alex and a nice character to have about the team.

Sam Wells             C  : Filled in really well on many occasions at the last minute. Great bubbly character who was well liked  and although we have yet to see any real contributions with bat and ball, next year will see him develop especially with the bat. Like Alex ... needs a good pre-season. Always gave 100% in the field and provided many a funny moment especially at Staplehurst where the sightscreen tripping him up and diving into the bush entertained us all. Stay with us Sam and we will get you involved more next year.

Special Mention to Piers Richardson who in 1 game became a Sheldwich ‘Legend’ at the age of 12 and managed to outstage the Captain in the ‘Miracle Match’.  Not only did he score a maiden 50 but also is now the holder with me of the record  8th wicket partnership at Sheldwich with 115. What a shame he broke his arm on the following Monday and deprived us of further miracles! . The team’s best wishes are with you and we look forward to having our ‘Legend’ back with us next season!!

Thanks  also to Ian Shrimpton, Nathan Cole, Ben Holmes, Tom Janes, Ian Hulks, Richie Wyatt, Steve Hannam, Phil Stanford, Brian Roe, John Chapman & Tim George for their briefer contributions.

Skipper   :  A-  Bowled really well on occasions and was relied on to get the early breakthroughs. Ran out of steam and a niggling groin injury restricted my impact when it was really needed near the end.  Contributed on 2 occasions with 42* & 59* when the innings was collapsing and in partnership with the youngsters brought about 2 unlikely victories. Had an inconsistent time in the field but some good moments and always gave 100%. His Captaincy was very much lead by example and try to inspire others and to a large extent managed to accomplish this. Overall had more goods days than bad and kept the morale of the team on a high most of the time.

Highs  :
The ‘Miracle of Horton Kirby’ .. My maiden Sheldwich 50, a record partnership, the arrival of a 12 year old ‘legend’ and being able to respond to jibes about being embarrassed at being Captain of this lot and how are they top of the league? As good a feeling as when we won the Premier League at Horton in 2003 .. a feeling I didn’t think I would match again in a Sheldwich shirt.
The Staplehurst captain telling me that the ’young lad’ batting was a real prospect (my son) on his way to 47.
Winning against Shipbourne from 21-5.
Great feeling of beating Meopham with a superb team performance.

Just being captain of such a great bunch of guys over the ups and downs of a memorable season

Lows  :
The feeling of defeat and humiliation against Leeds & Broomfield after being bowled out for 50.
Watching my son get a first ball duck against Bearsted when his sisters, gran & grandad and aunty were watching and seeing his despair in the changing room for the next hour. My own poor performance in the same game (possibly affected by the previous event)
Playing so poorly in the last 2 games when it really mattered ... 1 wicket and 7 runs in 2 games .. ugh
Seeing the look of defeat on my team at Mersham when the dream had died!!
Arriving at Rodmersham with only 8 men in my first game as Captain
The dropped catch by Dave W against Headcorn and losing the game.