Badgers Cricket Club – News Archive Page – Season 2002

Affiliated to the CCC

This page provides a repository of all the archived news items for 2002, in reverse chronological order. If you really have a desire for the older or newer entries, then the links below will get you access to all those that I’ve saved over the twenty-three and a half years that the site has been in existence.


Alan Tickner receives special recognition

One of the high points of the 2002 dinner and dance was a special presentation, conducted by club chairman Mick Willmott, to Alan Tickner for 34 years (and counting) of sterling service to the Badgers Cricket Club. Mick outlined the high points of Alan’s career on the field – most of which are readily apparent if you take a look at his individual statistics – but more importantly detailed many of the significant ways in which Alan has contributed to the continuing life and strength of the club off the field.

Most of those of us who have been involved with the club for any length of time appreciate that the part that Alan has played has been pivotal in keeping the club alive over the past twenty years or so – if nothing else, the list of players that he has introduced to the club reads like a who’s who of Badgers cricket in that period – and I’m sure that he’ll make good use of the new cricket bat that he was given as recognition of the club’s appreciation of his efforts.

Alan made a short acceptance speech at the time, but rather than try to remember the gist of what was said, I shall report here the contents of the letter that he has subsequently sent to everyone:

“I wanted to write to you all to thank you for the kind words and the gift you gave me at the Dinner and Dance on Saturday. The whole thing was a total surprise to me and I hope in my few hurried words I was able to express my personal thanks and hopes for the future of the Badgers Cricket Club.

“As Michael said I have been playing for the Badgers since 1969 and can honestly say that, apart from the aches and pains, I enjoy my cricket as much today as I did all those years ago. Since 1959 like-minded Badgers of all cricketing abilities have got together to enjoy a competitive yet fun game of cricket, and friendships have been established amongst a diverse group of families and friends from all walks of life. With no home ground it is remarkable how the club has prospered for so long and it is thanks to a whole host of people, past and present, who have given up their time to ensure things run smoothly. As I said on Saturday us old boys now look to the youth of the team (you know who you are!) to continue that work in the years ahead.

“Wendy will confirm that there are few things that I get really passionate about, but the survival of the Badgers Cricket Club is certainly one of them. As most of you know nothing brings out the worst in me more than a dodgy LBW decision, a Badgers’ collapse or losing a game we should have won! I certainly anticipate retaining this enthusiasm for the game long enough to get good use out of the new bat.

“Once again many thanks for your generosity and your friendship.”



Badgers dinner – trophies and plaudits

For those of us that were there this will be old news, but this year’s dinner and dance was another pleasurable evening, during the course of which we had speeches by Mick Willmott – which included a special presentation to Alan Tickner, see above – and club captain Mark Gordon, who managed to tread that fine line between the cricketing numbers and humorous asides. Part of the captain’s duties on the night are to hand out the various trophies, and this year the silver found the following homes:

BattingAlan Tickner565 runs @ 37.7
BowlingAlan Tickner17 wickets @ 9.9
FieldingMark Gordon11 catches
CaptainsGraham Davenport
Frank ButtIan Gregg
‘Wang Fu’Barry Davenport
Wrigleys AwardBarry Davenport



Dinner dance details

This year’s dinner dance will again be held at Leatherhead Golf Club, where we’ve had a great evening for several years now, on Saturday 23rd November 2002. Pre-dinner drinks will be taken from 18:30 onwards, with the meal starting at 19:00 and carriages at midnight. The cost has been held at £29 per person and there is a choice of starter, so don’t forget to get your forms back to Dave Tickner if you don’t want to be lumbered with whatever is left over.

View a map of the area around the golf club



Accommodation details for tour 2002

As discussed at the AGM, Alan Wilkes has come up with a new hotel for this season’s tour. Having made a personal vetting visit, Al is pleased to announce that the lucky establishment is the Cromwell Lodge Hotel in the centre of Banbury. He has booked what we consider a reasonable number of rooms, but if everyone that is interested could let Alan know how many beds they will need then I’m sure that he’d be eternally grateful.

If you’d like a little more information on the hotel then the closest I can find to a home page is http://www.cromwelllodgehotel.com/. If that doesn’t provide you with what you need, then you might also try one of these:

  1. http://www.oldenglishinns.co.uk/find-inn-results.php?inn=6434
  2. http://www.aboutbritain.com/BanburyHotels.asp
(although the latter site doesn’t work if you are using Netscape v4).

View a map of the area around the Cromwell Lodge Hotel



The Badgers are going to the dogs …

… or so Dave Tickner tells me :) A trip to Brighton Greyhound Stadium is being arranged for Thursday 18th April 2002, and Dave would like to know who is interested. For the full monty, please read the original format letter and for a little more information on the track itself, including directions, try the official British Greyhound Racing Board web site.

View a map of the area around the dog track



Indoor Nets Season 2002

This year’s indoor nets will be held in the sports hall at Nescot College, Reigate Road, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey.
Tel no. 020 8394 1731. As ever it has proven extremely difficult for us to get the dates and times that we would like, but hopefully enough of us will be able to get there to make it worthwhile.

View a map of the area around the college

There will be four sessions on the following dates:

Monday 8th April7-8PM
Monday15th April7-8PM
Monday22nd April7-8PM
Monday29th April7-8PM



AGM – 13 Feb 2002

Eleven intrepid Badgers braved the elements to attend this year’s AGM, at the Sutton & Epsom Rugby Club, for whose hospitality the club is most grateful. Things got off to a typical Badgers start, with only two members being at the club by the published start time, and the Hon. Sec. forgetting the minute book!! What follows is not intended to be a full and accurate record of the meeting, I’ll leave that job to the minutes, but simply reflects the key points that I can actually recall at ten days remove.

Once again the Hon. Treasurer has badly let the side down by making a dog’s dinner of the forecasts for the second year running, to the extent that we made the better part of 150 quid in profit, despite the budget being to break even. As ever, our Premium Bonds also came up trumps, and as a result of this horrendous fiscal mismanagement, match fees and subscriptions will remain the same at five pounds and twenty pounds respectively, as they have done for so long that I can no longer remember just how many years it is.

All the elected officers of the club stood pat, much to the relief of those of us who were not among their number, and there were the usual discussions about how the club could attract more players, especially a few younger ones. However, there were some dissenting voices this year, along the lines of ‘how will us old ’uns get a game if we do find several lithe young fellows from somewhere’ and a lively debate followed which reached no concrete conclusions.

This year’s tour will feature the same opposition as last year, with all present (with the possible exception of my left cheekbone) agreeing that the new fixtures put in place last year worked out beautifully. However, there had been some concern expressed over The Crown And Cushion, especially with regard to their food hygiene, and therefore it was agreed that alternative accommodation would be sought, probably in the Banbury area. Further details will be posted here as and when they are forthcoming.



Notice of AGM – 13 Feb 2002

This year’s AGM will take place on Wednesday 13th February at 19:30. The venue this year will be Sutton & Epsom Rugby Club, Cuddington Court, Rugby Lane, West Drive, Sutton, Surrey.

View a map of the area around the rugby club

I don’t yet have a machine-readable version of the full notice, but once I do I’ll try to remember to post a link to it here.



Richard Kemp badly damages knee in road accident

Badgers stalwart Richard Kemp has apparently been involved in a road accident that has left him with a badly smashed up knee, which has had to be operated on. I am sure that Richard and Ann would appreciate knowing that our thoughts are with them whilst he recuperates in hospital, so if you’d like to send a message to the poor old feller he can currently be found at:

Foster Clark Ward
Maidstone Hospital
Hermitage Lane
Maidstone
Kent   ME16 9QQ

My understanding is that he may be in hospital for another week or so (current date as I write this is 19th January 2002) so don’t leave it too long to write.