“Summary of 2002”

AD 2002 was a transitional year for the cricket team formerly known as Jude the Obscure. Our patron, Number One supporter and opening batsman, Noel Reilly, left the pub in August 2001, and so the team was temporarily homeless. At that year’s Annual General Meeting, held on neutral territory in North Parade, Noel announced to the assembled masses that he was opening a new pub, Far from The MADding Crowd, in the centre of town. Following his rousing speech and some impassioned pleas, the team voted unanimously to follow our patron to his new establishment, and thus a new team, “Far from The Madding Crowd CC”, was born.

Somehow, yours truly ended up taking over the captaincy from the departed Leo Phillips, who went to seek his cricketing fortune overseas, and despite all our best intentions, neither the team nor the pub was really ready for business by mid-May. All things considered, we put up a reasonable fight against the Bodleian in the first match; Howard Jones, the ever-impressive Thornton Smith and extras were the stars as we set a moderate total on a shambles of a pitch, and we were only two wickets short of an improbable victory. A week later we thrashed a strong but hung-over Marlborough team at Boars Hill, thanks mainly to a record partnership of 111 between Lee Davie and James Hoskins. Two days’ later, the new pub opened in a blaze of publicity. Much Black Sheep and Taylor’s Landlord was drunk that night. But that’s really where the fun ended.

2002 proved a testing year for skipper, M. Bullock.

Twelve days later, amidst the euphoria of the World Cup and the damp squib of a test series against Sri Lanka (or was that the other way round?), only seven “Madmen” showed up in Swindon, and really needn’t have bothered, as we were humbled and humiliated in what was an embarrassing “no contest”.

Two weekends of rain spared our blushes further, but it was only a temporary reprieve. Two hundred and seventy-six runs were conceded in what seemed like half an hour against the Lemmings, and despite the best efforts of Ed Lester and extras (again), we could barely make three runs let alone reach three figures.

By now the captain was under pressure from the media, and he was surprisingly absent without explanation from the team to face the Bodleian. Stand-in captain Antony Mann at least won the toss, but couldn’t stop the rot as The MAD went down by 83 runs. The skipper returned against OUP but to little effect, as extras again shone in a 140 run defeat, though four wickets, one courtesy of the legendary “iron hand”, thrust Ben Mander into the spotlight.

A hollow victory against the five man Marsh Harriers followed, with scores from Bullock, Mander (again) and extras (yet again) giving The MAD 142-6, which turned out to be their second best of the season. The Harriers, with loaned players, replied with just 63.

The fines committee went into overtime in the return against the Marlborough, as The MAD, once again captained by A. Mann, threw away a golden opportunity of an unprecedented double by crashing to 51 all out in pursuit of just 78, Dylan Jones and Antony Mann being the key wicket takers. Thornton Smith’s valiant 33 before he stamped on his stumps, was to no avail.

Mr Smith.

It came as a welcome relief to travel to Cornwall in August, the venue for our excellent tour. Typically, it rained for much of the weekend (except at Eden), so much time was spent propped up at the Holland Inn bar. Nevertheless, our bowling was impressive on the Friday, but it took place not on the cricket field but at Plympton Superbowl, and on this occasion there wasn’t a batsman present to smash everything back over our heads into the video games and burger stalls. Sunday was predictable too – wet and disappointing – and, true to form, we lost, despite a rare run for Nigel Sawyer.

So poor was the performance against South Oxford when we returned, that all details were scratched from the record books, and after an enjoyable Club Day, we succumbed again to the Nomads on the last day of the season.

‘Beer Matt’