RECORD BREAKING SEASON

It was a truly memorable season in terms of fun and camaraderie matched by the performances. It could have been so different as opening game Ripley needed 4 off the last ball, and failed by 3 runs. Tight 3 wicket wins vs Tichbourne and Hogs followed and we were on our way to a record that I’m not sure will ever be broken -7 wins in a row to start the season and 10 in a row counting last season.

We also won and retained the Pecker Ashes against our convict friends (including Chef and Tiddles) and broke highest ever margin beating Chiddingfold by 249 runs. It was at this point that Shylock(not getting his money’s worth) said we needed better opposition. We’d come off 4 thumping wins in a row and at Kew going for the magic 8 or 11 in a row, we had them 60-5. We had a large crowd coming later and I didn’t want a ridiculous early finish. I also remembered my usual maxim over the years that we play cricket for fun and that my principal aim is a close and exciting game. So I hauled Traash off after 2 maidens and a wicket. They made 162 which I thought was very achievable, but sadly the batters didn’t fire. Anyway I hope you future captains play by this maxim in the future -we do play Sunday cricket for fun, and a close game is a fun game .

WOODPECKER AWARDS 2024

A few weeks ago we lost my uncle and Toby’s dad Kim Owen-Browne, a great Pecker player and supporter Besides the wonderful Toby, he has left one other great legacy - the word ‘Kindly’

In his Kindly Memory we have a new trophy this season the OWEN-BROWNE PECKER BOWLING CUP

Last year Runky won the bowling prize with an average of 14. This season we had 5 bowlers with averages 12.6 and under.Akash Akki Arnold, Butternut, Otto, Spinach 16 wickets at 11.25 and Traash 18 at 11.22. However there was one player who was our leading wicket taker by one run and also recorded a feat that’s only been achieved a handful of times in club history -Twice since 1989 and the remarkable was that the two last players to do it were playing in the team at Ham. Borgav 7-33 in 2001 and in 1989 ahem…modesty forbids 7-32 at Tadworth.

A year ago a he’d made his return to the Peckers after 20 years overseas and tore a hammy showing off his medium pacers to the young lads. He reinvented himself as a spinner and this year he eclipsed his two team mates with 8 overs 7 for 21. He’s a legend the 1st winner of the Owen-Browne Bowling Cup Chefrey

Chefrey winning the Owen-Browne Bowling Cup

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD

Cat was nominated for his improved batting -elevated to opener his average improved 15.5 , 17.8 to 23.4 and best against good bowling. Unfortunately that term couldn’t be used to describe his bowling. Traash managed to hit the hay before 6am a few times this season and halved his bowling average, almost doubled his batting.

Pippin cynically run out by jealous brother Merry on debut averaged 16 in his debut year, and this year up to 25, with a crucial 50 in Winchester to keep the run going. He’s also shown himself to be a decent and skiddy medium pacer

One player though got the unenviable Mr Kipling award for Buffet Bowling last year with his 3 wickets going at 8.5 an over. This season 5 wickets at 14.4, and a much thriftier 4.77. He was also in the running for the Ferret Award last year averaging 6.7, this year rocketed up to 18 , It’s Butternut

PECKER DUCKY CUP

The Ducky Cup is a new trophy that Cat insisted on. This will act as a generic ‘Booby’ Prize to someone who perhaps hasn’t had their best season, but a constant reminder that things can only get better, or to go to bed earlier. Our fielding was amazing this year and the bowling only Runky averaged over 25 and he’s in Madeira and would probably call me a ‘&&**’ so we can’t give to him. So in the absence of Fielding and Bowling ineptitude we look to the recognised batsman . Perhaps distracted by his 9 innings only 95 runs at 11.8 Greasy. Though he did bowl at lively pace and make a decent Paella. This chap averaged 48 in his 1st season, down to 18.43 last year -this season just 36 runs at 7.2, really shit at admin It’s Merry!

FERRET AWARD

The ferret goes in after the Rabbits.

Bronze went to 14 runs at 4.67 Chefrey Epstein.Previous Ferret Winner and must have thought he had it in the bag with 8 runs at 2.67 Potty, but his old buddy with 5 runs at 1.67 was just too ferretty-Snax

CATCH OF THE SEASON

This was easily the best season of catching I can remember. It didn’t start that well I headed won over the boundary in the 1st game and Traash dropped two sitter s at Tilford

Chiddingfold ironically turned the tide as it was a year ago Chefrey dropped three off Runky including the dolly he refers to as a fizzer. Kamikaze a pearler in the gully, Greasy at slip a sizzler if greasy had taken another wudda been 6/6. , then Cannon normally a Colander took 2 at Withyham. At Outwood we took 7 catches Skier for Pobsy, Milhouse a beauty and Kwakka the best of the lot. I reread our wonderful match reports and this was a beauty from our own Headmaster Twinkle –

‘The best don’t think, they do…and Muttley did, taking off to his right like a Humvee off a landmine, in glorious flight to pluck an absolute beauty at full length, inches off the ground. ‘Oh, waddacatch!’ Richie Benaud fawned from his grave. ‘What. A. Catch.’

Greasy took a crucial catch at Marlow off Akki, and it was a record as the first Pecker to unbalance, throw the ball back in and take it. Almost 100% at Treasury cat just spilt his milk( a flying effort). Borgav a worldy at slip at Teddington, then in the Peckers Peckers Ferndog took another absolute flier as Keeper. Speaking of Keepers, Moleman took 10 this season including a crucial stunner at Hogs and another to remove Henners at Barnes. He’s also played a blinder on the stats

Moleman wins catch of the season, Cat working on the trophy

AUDREY SCOVELL AWARD

In honour of someone who gave great support to the team

Strongly nominated was Kamikaze -we had 12 for Outwood and as he was at Finals day where it was pissing down and looked to be going into Sunday he kindly offered to drop out. The clouds lifted, his beloved Somerset team won and he got 2 hours of sleep on the floor of a doss house -still pissed he decided to come and support the lads -drank 20 pints, entertained all and sundry.

One couple who came along and supported the Peckers at many games -bringing barrels of tea, other refreshments, and even invented a Pecker Salad with Butternut, Spinach and Avocado plus a Pecker Dip Kwakka-Moley. the ever loveable Horse and GG

Horse and GG win the Audrey Scovell Award

KINDER BUENO

Lots of Kindly Efforts -Kwakka’s been extremely generous and a great help with some Admin and the Raffle tonight.

Cat is ever helpful has done sterling work with the trophies and also now is the Pecker kit man

Doby and Finura’s generous sponsorship has enabled us to buy kit at massively reduced prices

CLUBMAN

In honour of the great Chris Rossi. This player joined us in the 2018 season, and has been ever-present on the team sheets ever since.

He shares a lot of attributes with Rossi. Firstly he puts in a lot of miles on the motorway driving solo to games. Like Rossi he’s extremely generous at the bar and when hosting us at the Three Horsehoes. He’s the Pecker Daddy of such club luminaries as Cat and GK Smeagol, and it’s his line which is really now the heartbeat of the club. At the Peckers Peckers he made a fantastic Prawn chicken and chorizo paella, bringing all the materials and cooking up an absolute storm -He’s had a bloody busy year opening a new restaurant, getting married and becoming an uncle but still played 9 games , a fantastic CLUBMAN

Greasy wins the Chris Rossi Clubman Award

PECKER BATSMANS CUP

LAST season Moley won the Pecker of the Year with an average of 43.6 and was 9 runs clear of 2nd place Trash and Henners 34 . This year in true Statto Style Moley scored 8 runs higher than last year 357 still leading run scorer and improving his average by 1.

5 players averaged over 50 including Mutley, Borgav, Henners the Bomber and Lav the Whizzer. But scoring 320 runs at 53.3, his 1st Pecker Ton at Tilford…He also took 18 wickets at 11.2 and in most years would have easily won Woodpecker of the Year… otherwise known as Prince Andrew and Philip Schofield…Traaassh

Traash deservedly wins the Pecker Batting Cup

WOODPECKER OF THE YEAR

This has been the most difficult year to decide on the Woodpecker of the Year. Spinach with 16 wickets at 11, Chefrey with 19 wickets and a 7-for. Reigning POY Moleman casting off the curse with brilliant keeping and catching including the man most unlucky not to win. Traash 320 runs at over 53 and 18 wickets 11.22. However there was one astonishing performance on and off the field this year. He became a Pecker oin 2012 and recent batting averages- 26, 8, 9, 10, 15.75.

In 2017 his son Harry was born with Hydrocephalus, water on the brain a condition that is very serious , affects 1 in 720 and very little know about it. So Matt set up a charity that’s raised awareness massively, and over £700,000. It was great that Harry and Caroline were at Ham to witness Mutley’s brilliant ton. He gave up drinking and smoking this year -the batting performance sky-rocketed to 250 runs at AN INCREDIBLE AVERAGE OF127.5 A remarkable performance by a remarkable man -It’s Mutley.