Wimbledon beat Northernto be ECB NationalTwenty20 winners

NEWSletterAutumn 2012

In a thrilling night fans watching on SkyTV and at the Edgbaston ground sawWimbledon Cricket Club beat NorthernCricket Club to become winners of theECB National Twenty20, on 6 September.

Wimbledon bowled Northern out for90 runs in 19 batted and made 91-3in 16.2 overs.

The success completes what is probablythe best year in the Wimbledon CC’s150 year history.

Neil Turk was man of the match.He scored 30 and Graham Grace scored32. In the semi-finals Wimbledon161-4 beat Cuckney (NottinghamshirePremier League) 144 all out by6 wickets.

InsidePage 5New Hon Sec,RichardHolliday

Page 11Best year everdedicated to Bill

Page 9London & SESquash Clubof the year

Page 16New juniorworking team

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Individualsessions

Call practitioners for an appointment

Personal training Dean Hughes, 07956 186373

Osteopath Tuesday & Thursday afternoons,Richard Searle, 07931 542317

Massage Thursdays & Friday evenings, Saturday &Sunday afternoons: Teresa Stopa, 07881 902688

Massage Saturday & Sunday mornings,Travers Barr, 07884 331378

ClassesPilates Krithia Wildfire, 07759 614766Tuesdays 12 to1.30pm, 7.30pm to 9pm,Call to check availability.Krithia also does individual lessons

Lisa Newsom Davies, 07855 822902Mondays 9:15am and 8pmTuesdays 9:15am and 10:30amThursdays 10:30am and 1:15pm

Yoga Heather Kemp, 07979 614766Wednesdays 10am and 7:30pm

Zumba Angela Oliviera, 07900 334 952

CoachingTennis Alex Morris, 07808 224 603Rod Booth, 07984 492 998

Squash Stacey Ross, SRA coach 07811 465073Paul Reilly, 07787 122494Sarah Davis, 07833 668499

Cricket Sean Davies, juniors 07766 082496

Playball, Angie Dillon, 07919 157748

ClubhouseReception opening hoursMonday to Friday 9am – 5:30pm

Bar opening hoursMonday to Saturday from 9am – 11pmSunday 9am – 10pm

Restaurant opening hoursTuesday to Friday 7pm – 10pmSaturday 12 noon – 9pmSunday 12 noon – 4pmClosed Mondays

Last orders are 10 minutes before closing time.

To book a table in the restaurant, 020 8971 8091

Court booking numberAfter noon weekdays and all day weekends

020 8971 8099.Cancellation number: as aboveor 020 8971 8090 for cancellations on the day only.

Subs due datesFebruary: Fitness suiteMay: Tennis, Associate, CricketSeptember: SquashOctober: Hockey

DiscountsGenerally 10 per cent is offered to members by:–

The Tennis GalleryTennis artefacts and memorabilia, next toWimbledon Park Tube at 144 Arthur Road.020 8715 8877

Ahmed Indian restaurant, 2 The Broadway,SW19,020 8946 6214

PWP Sports shop, 258 Wimbledon Park Road,SW19, 020 8780 3062

DeMont Digital ServicesCertified Help Desk Specialist, 020 8549 9553

Contents

1. Winning cricket

3. News - Richard Holliday

5. Obituaries

7. News from the Bar

8. Squash - Stacey Ross

11. Cricket - Crispin Lyden-Cowan

13. Tennis - Mary Preece

14. Hockey - Ben Marsden

16. Juniors

The Wimbledon Club Newsletter, Autumn 2012Editor: Jan Comer at Aurora.Production: thecircus.uk.comEditorial committee: Andrew Preston, John Williams.Printer: Stabur.Photographs by Sam Lloyd, Johnny Bouchier.Thanks to all our contributors.

The Wimbledon ClubChurch Road

Wimbledon, London SW19 5AGTel: 020 8971 8090 Fax: 020 8971 8095

www.thewimbledonclub.co.uk

3

As I think John Major said on becoming Prime Minister,“Who would have thought it!” Nobody was moresurprised than me at my appointment as Hon Sec andI am sure that some of my hockey friends are probablystill in a state of shock!

I joined the club 43 years ago and, because my familyhave lived in close proximity, we have all spent a goodmany weekends playing or watching sport at the Club.On one occasion our sons, Oliver and David were ballboys for Gabriella Sabatini and her coach on thegrass courts.

Inevitably, of course, there have been greatchanges at Church Road (on both sides ofthe street) and I have watched as the littleclubhouse in the corner first morphed intoa new clubhouse in the 70s and was thendemolished to make way for the grandbuilding that we now enjoy.

As an inevitable result of this longassociation my family and I of coursehave a deep affection for the Club and I countmyself extremely lucky to have been able to playhockey in such splendid surroundings for so manyyears and with so many members who havebecome lifelong friends.

So it wasn’t too hard a decision to take when Iwas asked if I would stand for election as Hon Sec.

SWOT

My first thought on my appointment was that I shouldtry to understand what the issues were among membersof the General Committee and staff. So I set aboutasking questions, trying to find out what the generalconsensus was regarding Strengths WeaknessesOpportunities and Threats.

I conducted 23 interviews and was able to present myfindings to the Gen Com.

It became clear that the general view was that theappointment of a Club director was a most pressingrequirement.

I should point out, I think, that as far as I could tell theclub was running very well. Members of staff and the

management committee had all stepped up andwere seeing to it that all the jobs that needed doingwere done.

There was, however, a feeling that the Club had becomeso much more focused on high sporting achievementand success through the appointment of professionalsports directors on one hand but still relied heavily onpart-time unpaid honorary officers on the other.

In the modern world of work finding volunteers withthe time to manage on a day to day basis was, it wasthought by my interviewees, going to be harder andharder to achieve.

It was also clear that the panel felt therewere many administrative and managementareas where improvement was required andwould indeed need a focused professionalto identify and implement new systemsand provide leadership.

To be honest, I was surprised how much timewas required of those in honorary positions, how difficultit is to be on top of all the issues that constantly crop upand have good management contact with all the stakeholders, all of the time.

New director

Well, you will now know that Clare Wood has beenappointed as Club director and I am sure that she andher achievements will feature in future editions of thisnewsletter.

Let me say here how pleased I am that,after an intensiveand comprehensive search and interview process,we have been able to secure the services of sucha highly successful athlete and sports administrator.

The Wimbledon Club has developed and thrived in thehighly competitive and ever changing world of sportover the years I have been a member and I am surethat the era to come led by Clare will see continueddevelopment and sporting success.

I am sure we will strive to be the best we can be inall our sports but still maintain, I trust, the friendly,family club atmosphere that we all cherish.

Richard Holliday, Club honorary secretary

“Whowouldhave

thought it!”

Hon Sec - thefirst few weeks

News

Lesley Charles, our Clubcoach since 1989, retiredat the end of July this year.Of course she remains amember, so we will still seeher – but probably not atthe social mix-in sessions!Lesley has given wonderfulservice to the Club overthe years, managing tobe endlessly positive andencouraging regardless

of the standard of her pupils. She will be a hardact to follow.

We are pleased to have Rod Booth back at the Club ashead of adult tennis, responsible for all aspects of ouradult programme, including:

• Social tennis sessions on Wednesday evening6-9pm and Saturday afternoon 2-5pm (fullmembers only)

• Associates class on Monday evenings 8-9pm(associate members / self rating 1)

• Improvers class on Monday evenings 7-8pm(self rating 2-3)

Rod will also be organising new member play-ins;running box leagues, a tennis ladder, and the summerand winter tournaments. Rod is available for privateindividual and group adult tennis lessons and can becontacted at:tennisadultcoach@thewimbledonclub.co.ukor on his mobile: 07984 492998.

Alex Morris, who will be familiar to most members,has been promoted to head of junior tennis,responsible for all aspects of our junior programme.This includes mini-tennis sessionsfour days a week for U8/U9/U10 with junior tennisacademy squads for stand-out players; junior mix-inson Friday afternoons; team training sessionson Saturday mornings and an academy squad forolder juniors on Monday evenings. Our teams competein AEGON Team tennis in all age groups throughoutthe summer and we are committedto ensuring all our juniors have the opportunity toreach their full potential. Alex is available for privateindividual and group junior tennis lessons and canbe contacted at:tennisjuniorcoach@thewimbledonclub.co.ukor on his mobile: 07809 434165.

The end of an eraMary Preece, chairman of Tennis

News In Brief

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Bridge successfor Tennis

The Tennis section enters a team in the Surrey TennisClubs’ bridge league every year. The league has beenrunning for 13 years and this year our team won theBroadbent Golder Plate, which can be seen in the trophycabinet in the bar, in the knockout competition – our firstsuccess. The team members were Tony Hughes, WendyJohnson, Gill Martin, Mary Preece and Judy Tomline.

Lesley Charles

Club gardens, winner of Merton in Bloom’s BestCommercial Premises in 2011 and nominated in2012 – green fingers crossed

Add a picture of twocards of cards???

Tennis committee me

mber Karen Dervish

captures

a photograph of the

Olympic flame as it

went

down Church Road i

n July.

5

Along with several school friends Richard joinedWimbledon Hockey Club fresh from school in 1969.And apart from a brief sojourn with Hampstead hehas remained a hockey stalwart ever since then.Until he became Hon. Sec. at the 2012 AGM,Richard may not have been too well known outsidethe hockey section, but almost everyone will havebeen aware of his lusty tenor voice, often heard inthe bar when singing was the order of the day.

In his hockey career Richard has played at almostall levels over the years, from first Xl down tomasters (over 40) standard. A bustling centreforward he often upset the opposition duringmatches, but was always the first ‘to kiss andmake up’ in the bar afterwards. Not everyoneremembered his name, but no one forgot thecharacter.

Club’s first England Hockey coachRichard was the first England Hockey qualifiedcoach in the Club and again he has been singlemindedly dedicated in offering his coaching adviceand help to both the ladies’ and Junior sections,as well as, of course, all levels in the men’s section.But it is as a player that most will know him best,not least for being the Club’s leading goal scorerin eight separate seasons and for his successfulcaptaincy at some of the lower levels. As hisplaying days became less frequent so he took upumpiring, not only for the Club but also for Surreyand latterly for The Southern Counties UmpiresAssociation.

In 1995 he was elected a hockey Vice President,but loath to sit on his laurels put his talentstowards sorting out the masters/veteran part ofthe Club. So he might have continued, but in theearly 2000s the Club began a disastrous run onthe pitch with relegation seemingly happening atall levels every year. In conjunction with RichardCreed and a few others Richard decided thatdrastic action had to be taken to prevent theClub disappearing into the lowest reaches ofhockey. Richard Creed became chairman andRichard Holliday hon. sec., hon. treasurer and

deputy chairman. With determination and zestthese two almost single-handedly reversed theClub’s fortunes to such an extent that withinfour seasons the first Xl had been promoted tothe England Hockey National League, a higherposition than ever before in our illustrious 130years as a hockey club. And of course under BenMarsden, appointed by the two Richards asdirector of Hockey, we are now on the brink ofpromotion to the premier league of the top 10clubs in the country. Not surprisingly Richard wasnominated and elected as a Club vice president atthis year’s AGM. It was only after his nominationthat he was asked to take on the job of Clubsecretary. Luckily he agreed to take on this joband is now settling in well and coping with allthe onerous tasks now required of him.

As well as being a Club man Richard is aWimbledon man having lived with his wifeCarolyn and two sons in SW19 for the past 40years or so, being involved in many local activities,not least as lead tenor with the WimbledonLight Opera Society.

Richard Holliday

By Ben Rea

The new Hon Sec -Richard Holliday

News

The sudden death of BillBurton came as a greatshock to all who knewhim. His many friendswere deprived ofa charming and

entertaining companion, The Wimbledon Club losta most loyal and supportive member and cricket andcricketers everywhere a shrewd and knowledgeabledevotee of the game.

Bill obviously enjoyed his wartime Malvern schooldays,even when exiled to Harrow, and in years to come heoften yearned for a life as a schoolmaster in one ofthe ancient public schools, a position his humanity,sympathetic judgment of character and love of bookswould have served him well. However, economicfactors decreed that after a period in the RAF heavilyinvolved in the Berlin Airlift he joined Sandemans,the well-known wine shippers, where his charmand acuity gained him worldwide respect.

Yet it was for his connections and love of cricket thathe will be most remembered. His great strength lay inhis ability to assess objectively the state of the gameand equally the strengths and weaknesses of thoseinvolved, be it friend or foe. As a captain of

Wimbledon over some 20 years, his tacticalshrewdness, strength of character and equanimityof temperament held together constantly changingteams, who in those laisser faire pre-league daysoften contained a fair proportion of gifted butdilettante performers whose commitment fell farshort of his own.

Paradoxically, a bowling action memorably describedas ‘like an octopus falling out of a tree’ and a battingtechnique based on a dour defence and an attackthat relied heavily on a swing of the bat thatdespatched the bowling, irrespective of where it waspitched, beyond long leg seemed quite at odds withthe elegance of all his other activities.

While committees were an anathema, Bill dutifullyserved his time on wider club matters and he willbe remembered especially for his leadership andguidance during the eventful years of his Presidency2008 to 2011.

Summers at Church Road will never be quite thesame without Bill. Our deepest sympathies goto his family and to Mona; it may be some smallconsolation to them to know that their loss isshared by so many others.

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Bill Burton (1928-2012) past president 2008-2011

Obituaries

Older members will besaddened to hear thatRon Oliver, the formerclub steward, passedaway on 14 June at theage of 76 in Spain, towhere he and Carol hadretired. Ron’s career atthe Club spanned almost19 years (1984 – 2003).

He exemplified all the attributes of a Wearsider andan army veteran: loyalty, integrity and an infectioussense of humour, coupled with a robust aversion topatronising members and unruly children.

Born in Sunderland in 1936, Ron left school at 15 andspent the next 11 years working three miles underthe sea at Vane Tempest Colliery in County Durham.Fearful of contracting silicosis, Ron signed up with theArmy Catering Corps in 1962, though we never lethim loose on our food counter! As a staff sergeant,his tours of duty included Singapore, Malaysia,Northern Ireland three times, and Bangladesh, wherehe was engaged in resettlement and reconstruction

following the 1969 typhoon. In 1981, Ron receiveda Commendation for Brave Conduct after avertinga potential gas explosion at his barracks. His armycareer culminated in 1984 on receipt of the BritishEmpire Medal from the Queen.

Reluctant to leave the unique camaraderie of theforces, Ron joined the staff of The Wimbledon Clubwith some trepidation following his discharge in1984. Most of Ron’s jokes and anecdotes cannot berepeated in a family newsletter; however, Sam Lloydused to hold a fairly comprehensive anthology ofRon’s ‘funnies’.

Leaving behind an extensive family of children andgrandchildren, Ron and Carol decided to embarkon a new life in Torrevieja in southern Spain, withRon operating a taxi service to nearby Alicanteairport and Carol arranging changeovers forholiday accommodation.

We extend to Carol and the family our deepestsympathy at their sad loss.

Ron Oliver (1936 - 2012) club bar steward 1984 - 2003

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I was already a member, albeit of the hockeyclub, when the Staniszewskis arrived at ChurchRoad to join the Club in 1954, so I think I canclaim to have known Patsie longer than most.She was already a formidable tennis player in herown right. In those days the tennis section wasa bit stuffy and tended to turn up for a casualgame of social tennis followed by a cup of teaand then went home. Patsie and Andrej were toogood not to realise that the section needed a bitof a shaking up, which they duly achieved. All ofa sudden matches were now played and won atall levels, but of course the social side continued.

When Andrej became Tennis hon secretary andruffled feathers that needed ruffling, it wasPatsie who was quietly in the backgroundsoothing damaged egos and picking up thepieces with all her charm, tactand patience. When Andrejeventually stood down asTennis secretary to be replacedby the less abrasive Patsie therewere audible sighs of relieffrom the cricket section who,rightly, saw an end to theendless arguments about themerits of club funds beingspent on a heavyroller or whether two or four tennis courtsshould be sited on the cricket outfield.

If you look at the many honours boards at theClub you may well be surprised, but probablynot, that the name Staniszewski appears morethan 100 times. Patsie was no slouch, winningfour ladies singles titles, six ladies doubles titlesand five mixed doubles titles. In her pomp in theearly 60s she would have won the ladies’ singlesfour years on the trot but for the intervention ofone Virginia Wade who had the temerity to win

in 1961. But Miss Wade soon moved to TunbridgeWells and then to international stardom, whilePatsie was able to once again reign supreme as

the champion of The WimbledonTennis Club, which sounded verygrand until one remembered thesmall establishment across theroad, the AELTC, famed for itscroquet, or so I hear.

Patsie served as Tennis secretaryfor some 25 years, duringwhich time playing membershipquadrupled. It was her proud

boast that she knew every one of them,which was true.

Latterly as her prowess inevitably waned, Patsiegradually became a very caring Club member.She was interested in how all the sections weredoing and was often to be found as a spectatorat sports other than her beloved tennis.

Patsie was the first Lady President of TheWimbledon Club, an honour richly deserved andthat gave her much pleasure. We shall miss hersmiling friendly face and her words of wisdom.

“four ladiessingles titles, six

ladies doubles titlesand five mixeddoubles titles”

RememberingPatsie,firstLady PresidentBy Ben Rea

The unpredictable weather and the Olympic Tennisover the road is certainly reflected in how muchwe have seen you all over the spring and summer.It wasn’t what you’d call Pimm’s weather really.However, draught Peroni, which we added severalmonths ago, is proving to be very popular withClub members and visiting sporting teams. Wewill be expanding our range of bottled lager andciders soon, so keep your eyes peeled for some newadditions. Our guest bitters continue to cause muchinterest, most popular so far has to be Harvey’sSussex Bitter.

We have quite a few functions coming up. Somewill have been and gone by time the newsletter ispublished, but they are worth mentioning as theysound fun. There’s Hockey’s party on 29 Septemberwith an emergency services theme and live music,Midnight Train jazz and blues band on 5 Octoberto entertain us all and World Squash Day on 20October which is being celebrated by an afterevent party at the Club with band Riot.

8

News from the barBy Mandy and Geoff Spicer

For your diariesHope to see you at:

• Saturday 8 December:Winter Wonderland Christmas Party and TheDanny Lee Band for all members and theirguests at the Club

• Wednesday 9 January:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs panto atthe Wimbledon Theatre starring Priscilla Presleyand Warwick Davis

Quiz Night• Friday 8 February:Please see Club notice boards for further detailsand buy tickets early to avoid disappointment.

See you in the bar!

The Grounds Committee (GC) hasnow been running for 21 months,and was formed by the General

Committee as a formal sub group following theextensive works on both the grass tennis courtsand on the cricket outfield, also used by thehockey section. The GC is made up of onerepresentative from tennis, hockey and cricketwith support from Brian Gibbons and Paul Brind,head groundsman.

The remit of the GC is to monitor and to overseeall external facilities, ie those outside of theclubhouse and indoor sports hall.

The key tasks for the next period concern theend of season ground works. In the second halfof September the cricket square and outfield will

be scarified, seeded and top dressed. This willrepair and start the preparation works for nextseason. The grass tennis courts will have similarworks starting on the first Monday in October.This work is necessary to ensure that the grassgerminates and starts the growing process beforethere is a drop in ground temperature.I am advised that grass does not normally grow whenthe ground temperature drops below 5 degrees.

The Tennis Dome project is being managedthrough the Tennis committee, and onceconstruction has been handed over postcompletion, will come within the GC remit.

The GC would like to thank Paul Brind and histeam for their sterling work over the summercoping with an unusual mix of weather.

End of season worksBy Edward Thom, Chairman Grounds committee

Surrey cupThis 2012/2013 season will see a change in howthe top end league is structured. Division one,where our strongest team plays its squash, has, ona trial basis, been expanded to encompass division2. Our second team consisting of home-grown Club

members did exceptionally well last season toget promoted, meaning we now have two teamsin Surrey Cup’s division one, a great achievementno doubt. The aim for this season will be tokeep both teams in the top division.

9

Wimbledon Lakeside Squash

London and SE SquashClub of the yearStacey Ross, director of Squash

DAY date OPPONENTS H/A TIME RESULT

W/C 8-Oct Rac 1 a 7.30

Wed 17-Oct West Byfleet 1 h 7.30

W/C 22-Oct Wimbledon R & F 2 a 7.30

Wed 07-Nov Colets 2 h 7.30

W/C 12-Nov Surbiton 1 a 7.30

W/C 19-Nov WEEK OFF

Wed 28-Nov St. George's Hill h 7.30

W/C 03-Dec Surrey Sports Park a 7.30

Wed 12-Dec Christopher's h 7.30

Wed 09-Jan Rac 1 h 7.30

W/C 14-Jan West Byfleet 1 a 7.30

Wed 23-Jan Wimbledon R & F 2 h 7.15

W/C 28-Jan Colets 2 a 7.30

Wed 06-Feb Surbiton 1 h 7.30

W/C 11-Feb WEEK OFF

W/C 25-Feb St. George's Hill a 7.30

Wed 04-Mar Surrey Sports Park 1 h 7.30

W/C 11-Mar Christopher's a 7.30

Lakeside Men's First team Surrey Cup 2012/13 Division 1R

Team round-up: summer Surrey Cup

Finishing positions

Lakeside 1: Mid tableLakeside 2: 6 out of 8, remaining in the same divisionLakeside 3: Top halfLakeside 4: Last and face relegation

Queen’s cup – good startLast season was the first year the Lakeside womenput in a team for the Queen’s Cup inter-clubleague. Matches were played against Hurlingham,Queen’s Club, Lambs, Charing Cross andCumberland and captained by Louisa Knight.The girls finished middle of the table; a respectableplace for their first year in the league. Good luckin the season starting off again this October.

Lakeside venue for Silver junior event

Lakeside hosts three events a year to outsideplayers, two junior events and one adult, allof which are now well established tournamentson both the junior and senior circuits.

The culmination of our successful track record inhosting these events has lead to England Squashallowing a Silver event to be played out here atLakeside next season. Silver events attract thecountry’s elite junior players and are the pinnacleof the junior calendar. This will be a greatshowcase for our facility and will makeLakeside the venue for one of the mostprestigious tournaments in the UK.

10

London Squash Camp

England internationals and national coachesdescended on our courts over the summerto provide training camps for our adults andjuniors. Peter Barker WR 6, Daryl Selby WR 11and Adrian Grant were among other playerswho delivered a master class to many of ourmembers. The weekend was a mix of squashand gym-based training that allowed thosewho attended to pick the brains of the topplayers in the world and get an insight intotheir views on the game.

Wimbledon Lakeside Squash

Off-peak court usageRunning 13 teams from five courts and a healthygeneral demand for match play in the evening canput a strain on court availability post 6pm. Whileevening time sees us sweating the assets, the off-peak hours have previously posed a challenge asto find ways of how to avoid the courts lying idle.

Time has been spent forging links with local

schools in order to fill this gap. Ricard’s Lodge,St John’s Bosco College, Rutlish, SouthfieldsCommunity College and Albemarle PrimarySchool are all now making good use of ourcourts during the day alongside establishedWillington School. Other schools are also inthe pipeline as are alternative groups such asU3A, a group of retirees.

Club of the year

England Squash has revived the Club of theYear award by inviting active clubs with agood all round programme of squash toenter. The criteria on which clubs are judgedinclude the overall coaching programme forjuniors and adults, beginners and teamplayers, the quality of the club’s facilities andthe provision the club makes for the localcommunity.

Lakeside was the winner of the London andSouth East division and runners up nationally.This is acknowledgement at the highest levelof the standard the club has set in terms ofthe coaches we have delivering squash to ourmembers, as well as overall programme wehave in place.

At the awards Club chairman David Johnson,Julie Quester, Stacey Ross, Sarah Davis

11

Wimbledon Cricket Club

Best year everdedicated to BillComplied by Crispin Lyden-Cowan

Wimbledon CC can rightly claim to have had their bestyear ever, winning the top three premier titles and runnersup in the 4XI Premier league. However, to win theNational T20 title, live on Sky Sports at Edgbaston,representing Surrey, must surely be the greatest ofaccolades that will live long in the memory.

We were profoundly sad to lose one of the SurreyChampionships’ greatest advocates, and our formerPresident, Bill Burton, in January 2012. We dedicate our2012 success to Bill, who would have been our proudestsupporter.

First XIThe aim for the 2012 season was very clear, retain the PremierLeague title and win the Surrey Twenty20 Cup. Similarly to lastseason the League Title was won with two games to spare andwas a perfect addition to the Twenty20 Trophy that was wonat Sunbury in July.

Pre-season was a virtual washout and in the initial 50 overmatches we won two matches against Camberley and Reigatebut lost to Banstead. A disjointed league table showedWimbledon playing catch up cricket as other teams completedrain affected games. Against Camberley we chased down 260and were indebted to James Brown who throughout theseason played to his maximum potential, winning games forthe club in whatever situation was presented to him. A secondaway win at Reigate was very exciting for the club as theycouldn’t chase down the 276 runs we set them withdisciplined accurate bowling from all the attack.

Time cricket needs quality bowlers who can perform overa sustained period of overs. The team was blessed in thisdepartment by a quartet of tall fast bowlers who sharedout the new ball and first change roles dependent on whatopponents we faced or the pitches we found ourselves playingon. Add in the wicket taking ability of Tim Monteleone and theaccuracy of Will Leith and we had control of large parts ofmatches and a pattern emerged of restricting the opposition

and then simply chasing down the runs needed to win weekafter week. It seemed that no matter when a bowler neededchanging we had the quality to keep attacking the oppositionwithout a let up in performance despite the change of bowler.Seb Franke-Matthecka took two five wicket hauls in as manyweeks and Tim Monteleone seven wickets at Normandy.The captain joined in with five at Malden. While the battingseemed nervy at times, it’s always worth remembering thatall 11 players may bat in a game of cricket and it matters nothow many wickets you lose so long as you win. Other teamsmay have felt that they pushed us close, but we found a wayto win, and the confidence you can achieve through gettingthrough a tight game is infectious. We felt enormous pride asa side when two opposing captains commented that, ‘we justcouldn’t believe your depth....we thought we were throughyou but then another quality player came to the crease’.

By mid season we were top of the league after a draw athome to Guildford and that is where we stayed for the rest ofthe season. The title would be retained if we won two of ourlast five one day games. At Guildford the opposition felt theyhad scored enough setting us 270 to win but a skilled runchase, which included our only ton of the year, put us on thebrink of the title. We won in no small part to the batting ofTurk and Grace who formed a solid base all season thatallowed the more free spirited players to take risks.

Eventually the Championship was Wimbledon’s after aSaturday when all games in the League were abandoned.While it was odd to win the title in the bar, we felt we hadbeen the best team all year and deservedly took theChampionship - finishing the season with good wins againstSutton and Normandy at home.

We amassed fewer points in the league than last year, due tothe rain, but the seasons were quite similar in how we played.The team winning always comes first. Every individualcontributed a match winning performance at some pointand much were not just what many would consider statisticalhighlights. The importance of ‘winning one for the team’goes beyond 50s, 100s and five wicket hauls of an individual.

The only statistic that matters within our dressing room iswhere we are in the league. It is with great honour andpleasure that we can say, we are at the top.

Our grateful thanks go to Barry Perry, our omnipresent scorerand to groundsman Paul Brind who battled all the odds toproduce good strips.

First XI: Back Row: Tim Monteleone, Gerry Penford,Andrew Loubser, Darren Hooey, Dylan McNeilage, J Snape

From Row: Barry Perry (Scorer), James Brown, Graham Grace,Neil Turk (c), Ray de Passos, Seb Franke-Matthecka

12

Wimbledon Cricket ClubSecond XIThe defence of a league title is always a challenge, nonemore so in 2012, with wet weather and soggy outfieldsgiving everyone a slow start to the season.

The early win on the first day of the season, when a lot ofother matches were abandoned, got us off to a good start,and victories throughout the season, punctuated by somespectacular losses, such as at Normandy being bowledridiculously cheaply, meant we were always in contention.

Our star performers with the bat included Johnno Gordon(356 runs and our only centurion), James Reynard (355runs), Joe Lukens (336 runs) and Mark Costin (316 runs).Our bowlers were dominated by Johnno with 28 wicketsand Gavin Yell (19) and Duncan Howells (15).

Our season was one of team performances, with someonestepping up to the plate in most matches, inspiring theteam to great catching, sublime fielding and all roundmagnificent cricket.

We are sad to see Faiz Ebrahim retire, having played 71

games over five years, assuming his position behind thestumps with 72 catches and 15 stumpings.

Our grateful thanks go to Alex Anderson our scorer andour omnipresent umpires.

Second XI: Back Row: Andrew Loubser, Gavin Yell,Charlie Leonard, Joe Lukens, Alex Hunt, Mark Costin.

Front Row: Faiz Ebrahim, Tom Eaves (c) Dylan McNeilage,Johnno Gordon, (missing Pete Thompson).

Third XI2012 was an interesting season for Wimbledon Third XI.Over the winter, we were unable to secure a home ground,and so our home fixtures took place at one of four differentvenues. The team did not let this affect them however,returning a 100% winning record at home.

Throughout the season, our bowlers excelled, regularlybowling teams out for under 150. Tom Linley and KishoreSeshadri share the prize of leading wicket-taker, with 23each, both at under 13 runs apiece, and we had eightbowlers take 10 or more wickets. On pitches affected bysuch a wet summer, the batsmen found the going tougher,and yet we still had some great performances – David Willstopped the runs tally in the league with 405, including ahundred and two fifties, and Chris Nolan and Grant Kuileralso scored over 300 runs.

Great appreciation must go out to the core of the team,consisting of Tom Linley, David Wills, Chris Nolan, JamesWatson, Grant Kuiler, Grant Turtle and Dilshan De Silva,whose regular availability and consistent performancespaved the way for Wimbledon to take the league title,which was secured on the last day of the season, in frontof around 100 supporters, completing a stunning seasonfor the team.

Premier 3rd XI Champions: Back Row: Jonathan Broad(scorer), Grant Turtle, Paul Warbis, Chris Nolan,James Watson, Tom Linley, David Lewis (Umpire)

Front Row: Dilshan de Silva, Ali Muirhead, David Wills,Harry Houlder (c) Grant Kuiler, David Roberts

Fourth XIAfter a tough start to the season, which included three closelosses and a tie, finishing only four points behind worthyleaders Dulwich was, while frustrating, an excellent result.Consistency of availability remained an issue throughout –we used 14 opening pairs over the season We weredelighted that so many of our younger players haveestablished their places and look promising for future years.

Inconsistent batting, Amjad Husain and Josh O’Rourke beingnotable exceptions, contrasted with a bowling attack thatperformed well week after week: Kane Laurence and IanCaskie took 60 wickets between them, and both went atless than 3 an over. A settled batting line-up next seasonwill be a priority if we are to reclaim the title.

The season’s highlights came mainly in August andSeptember, by which time a solid side was developing,which bodes well for next season. Best moments? Amjadbatting like it is 1987, before ‘retiring-tired’, Ian Caskie top-scoring wearing prescription sunglasses, Kane rolling backthe years (to 2010), and not breaking down (more thanonce), and, of course, Sami’s ongoing incomprehensionof London’s transport network.

Wimbledon Lakeside Fourth XIThis year, Wimbledon Lakeside Fourth XI has some 37 playersrepresenting the team during the season, with many a Fridayspent scraping a side together. After six games, Lakeside wasrooted to the bottom of the table with a solitary win.

This is where the season was transformed. With many youngplayers returning from school and university cricket, the sidewent unbeaten in the last eight games to finish third.

The batting was led by Mark Cairns (148 at 29), Tristram Moody(145 at 48) and Jamie Andrews (139 at 70), whose captaincywas a major factor in winning so many games. But it was thestrength of the bowling that made the difference. Numerousgames were won inside the first 10 overs with the opponent’stop order lying in ruins! Ben Roe led the attack with aplombdespite his young age and was renowned for devastatingopening spells. He was supported by Dinesh Thuru (13 at 8.38),Jamie Andrews (9 at 6.44) and Charan Singh (9 at 9.89).

Special thanks must go to Bob Cairns for managing the team,ferrying players around, umpiring and frequently having toplay as a last minute replacement!

13

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club

Warm weather at lastfor finals dayThe weather this year has been very disappointing and as aresult the grass courts were opened very late. On the positiveside the three new synthetic clay courts have played extremelywell in the damp conditions and have proved to be verypopular with most members. The air-dome is now up againand prices and booking procedures are generally the same aslast year. The one change is that the session time for the singlescourt is now one hour to fit in with coaching times, the pricehas been reduced accordingly. If you have forgotten yourpassword or how to use the system, you can get a reminderby emailing tenniscom@thewimbledonclub.co.uk.

Six AmericansWe plan to run six indoor American tournaments in the air-dome and sports-hall this winter and booking details are onthe tennis notice board at the Club. The dates of thetournaments are:-

• Saturday 27 October • Saturday 24 November• Saturday 26 January • Saturday 16 February• Saturday 16 March • Saturday 13 April

Tennis finalsLast year we had appallingweather and our Club Finals daywas a complete washout. It wastherefore something of a reliefto wake up this year to excellentweather – in fact, one of thebest days of the year. It was verywarm with a light breeze –perfect for all of us who werewatching from the balcony.And we were very wellentertained by some goodtennis and exciting matches.

We held the prize giving in the evening at a buffet BBQ, whichwas well attended. As usual, Kim and Dave looked after us verywell and we enjoyed being entertained by a young Jazz singer.

TeamsOur Men’s and Ladies’ teams have had mixed fortunes inboth the winter and summer leagues but they have generallyretained their positions in the top divisions of the Surreyleagues. Our Junior boys’ teams have done very well thissummer winning both the Division 1 leagues at 14 andunder and the 12 and under age groups.

Re-surfacingThe Tennis committee has started the process of investigatingthe options available and obtaining quotations for resurfacingthe three artificial grass courts next year. As things progresswe will have a small group of members trying out the varioussurfaces before we make our final decision. We will keepyou informed as things progress.

In the Open Tournament the results were:

Men’ssingles

CameronHulett bt Alex

Morris6-3,1-6,7-5

Ladies’singles

MelissaPine bt Lisa Pryce 6-2, 6-2

Men’sdoubles

Alex Morris& StephenMorris

btTravers

Barr & CameronHulett

6-1, 7-6

Ladies’doubles

GeorgieMacPhail &Lisa Pryce

bt Debbie-Lou Carey& Alice Shimmin 6-1, 6-3

Mixeddoubles

Travers Barr& Lisa Pryce bt

Nicholas Massiere& MelindaMassiere

6-1, 6-2

Men’s vetsingles Martin Cornish bt Duncan Riefler 6-1, 6-4

Men’s vetdoubles

MartinCornish &

Duncan Rieflerbt Dan Maynard &

Paul Zoltowski 6-3, 7-5

Ladies’ vetsingles

Debbie-LouCarey & Penny

Wyattbt Denise Gwatkin

& Alice Shimmin3-6, 6-4,6-3

Mixed vetdoubles

Duncan Riefler& Wendy Riefler bt Jonathan Salmon

& Liz Dale 6-3, 6-2

Men’s 55singles Alan Tarney bt Graham

Gillett 6-1, 6-0

Men’s 55doubles

Peter Janzten& Jim Whittaker bt Steve Evans &

Phil Hazlewood 6-1, 6-1

Men’s 55doubles

Brian Snapes &Jim Whittaker bt W/O

In the Handicap Tournament the results were:-

Men’ssingles Adam Wood bt Paul Wickman 6-1, 6-4

Ladies’singles Liz Dale bt Liz Touquet 7-5, 5-7,

6-4

Ladies’doubles

Rona Chester& Alison Sim bt Anna Pankratva

& Liz Touquet 6-1, 7-6

Men’sdoubles

Peter Scull &Paul Wickman bt W/O

By Mary Preece, chairman of Tennis

MenThe men’s first XI finished third in the East Conferenceof The National League, the highest level everachieved by our club. It was a great all round teamperformance with notable hat trick performancesfrom Ben Hawes and Simon Lanyon. The award forPlayers’ Player of the Season went to Ben Dando.

The men’s second XI also finished in a record spot forWHC by coming third in the London League Premierdivision. The highlights including a first away winagainst Hampstead and Westminister HC in 10 years,and the first double against Canterbury. Many thanksare due to the leadership of Guy Harding and WillGrant.

Men’s third XI finished fourth in London League 1 –thank you to Morgan Knight and Jim Sayer.

Most improved players were junior protégésAlex Newman and Robbie Stenning.

Men’s fourth XI were promoted to join men’s 3sin London League Division 1, a compliment to theexcellent leadership of Captain Shaun Lazarowand erstwhile team manager Brian Hanlon.

The men’s 4s have achieved four promotions infour seasons and were voted Higgins League Teamof the Season.

The 5s have consolidated in the London LeagueDivision 4 and did us proud by finishing fourthin London League Division 6.14

A great year in all areasBen Marsden, director of Hockey

Wimbledon Hockey Club

With a record breakingseason for the entire club,thequestion is where to start?

The ladies’ sides have gainedfive promotions this season with the ladies’ firstteam joining the men in the National leagues.The ladies’ vets did us proud again and were

crowned national champions for the secondyear running.

The men’s 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s and 6s have all finishedin the highest positions in the club’s historywith the men’s fourths promoted to join thethirds in the London league and the currentmen’s first team fielding three Olympians.

LadiesIt was great news as the ladies’ first team won theSouth League Division 1, gaining promotion to theNational League Conference East. Special congratula-tions are due for the exceptional work of Sarah Kelleher(coach), Ann Baker (manager) and Lolly Glossop(captain). The ladies 1a’s team won the Surrey PremiereDivision, gaining promotion. The ladies 2s came third inthe Surrey Ladies Division 1. While the ladies 2a’s wererelegated from their league, the Ladies 3s (Academyside) had a superb season winning the Surrey LadiesDivision 3 and gaining promotion to Division 2.

The ladies have enjoyed fantastic success, withconsecutive promotions for the Wimbledon ladies 1sin the last two seasons, into the National League EastConference – a new challenge that will raise our level ofhockey and an exciting prospect for the future. The girlshave worked very hard and deserve their success. Theirexample and leadership has filtered through inspiringsuccess at all levels.

A special mention must be made for our player of theseason, Tamsyn ‘The Bullet’ Naylor for her consistentlyexcellent performances, Amy Couture in her first seasonwas our top goal scorer, Abi Fincher-Jones (GK) fora stand out season.

We are extremely fortunate to have Sarah Kelleher,former Irish international and captain as our coach.

The ladies have also become the driving force behindthe Club socials, which is helping WHC to become theMUST JOIN club.

National League promotion team

15

Wimbledon Hockey Club

Olympic yearThis has been a wonderful year for the GBHockey spectator, with or without a goldmedal; Boris Johnson aptly reminded usof the role Wimbledon Hockey Clubplayed in codifying the sport back in thelate 19th Century. The Riverside Stadiumbrought together so many enthusiasts,including 40 WHC members againstSpain, and many others in some thrillinggroup matches. The loudest cheers werefor Ben Hawes who showed yet againwhat a talent he has been for GB overthree Olympics and several world andEuropean Championships since 2002.

Ben was recognised with Life Membershipin a splendid evening in his honour at theClub, attended by players, supporters,members of the General Committeeand board of the Club. Ben Rea (President) receiving an Olympic shirt from Ben Hawes.

For further information and latest news visit our new website www.wimbledonhockey.com

Golf day

Another greatsuccess by NickBurt saw hockeyplayers out atHampton GC inplus twos andbrollies(unfortunately).

Nick Burt

Coaching

The quality of coaches, increasingly from firstteam players with national honours, continuesto improve and drive the growth and success ofour junior members. Particular thanks to TarekAbdullah, Dean Davis (Hems), Ben Dando, MattGarnham, Jim Sayer, Jared Treadaway, JonnyKinder, Brad Sellars and Shaun Lazarow.

Umpiring

We rarely thankour umpiresenough. We areseeing a growingawareness by boththe NPUA andSHUA of the greatstrides made byWimbledon HC inon pitch manners.We are particularlygrateful to RuthHampson for herchallenging roleas umpire liaison.

Ruth Hampson

A special thank youmust go to Andrew‘twinnie’ Sortwellfor his massivecontribution to theclub. Twinnie doesa fantastic joborganising thefixtures and bookingfor the entire sectionwhich in itself isa part time job.

Andrew Sortwell

16

A new Junior Working Team is to give a crosssection view on all aspects relating to juniorsport at the Club, Junior coordinator JulieQuester reports. The remit includes a numberof tasks aimed at helping to develop juniors,coaching, qualifications and communications.

The team is to develop strategies to help thetransition from Playball to junior and then to seniorsports and is to link junior sports into the structureof seniors sports.

There are to be more opportunities for juniorplayers to achieve coaching qualifications withintheir chosen sports. As a part of this steps, are to

be taken to ensure coaching standards aremaintained and that coaches have the requiredqualifications, including in First Aid, and complywith CRB Disclosure, Equal Opportunities, ChildProtection and the accreditations for each sport(Clubmark – Cricket and Tennis, Club First –Hockey and Club Charter – Squash).

A new Junior sports website is also planned.

If you have any queries relating to any of the aboveplease do not hesitate to contact any member ofthe working team. We are here to help you. If wedo not know the answer directly, we can normallyfind someone who does know.

Sarah Davis HeadJunior Squash coach

Stacey Ross,Squash director

Sean Davies,Cricket director Simon Eaves, Junior

Cricket coordinator

Alex Morris JuniorTennis head coach

Georgina Headley,ladies Hockey

Ben Marsden,Hockey director

Tarek Abdulla, JuniorHockey, head coach

Angie Dillon,Playball

New Junior Working Team

Junior Working Team

Paul Riley,senior Tennis

Julie Quester, Juniorcoordinator

Team

17

Cricket

The story of the season - Rain Cricket cancelled – almost 40% of matches

U15s Mid Surrey Cup Winners and League Runners Up

U14s Mid Surrey League Champions

U15Bs Fifth in NEC League – combined U15Bs and U14Bs

U13s Mid Surrey Cup Winners and U13B League Champions

Playing record: Scheduled 156 Won 75 Lost 23 Abandoned 58

By Simon Eaves, Junior Cricket coordinator

The wettest season onrecord for the WimbledonJunior Cricketers

18

Cricket

U12s Mid Surrey 8th and U12B League Runners Up U11s NEC and Mid Surrey Cup Winners, third in League andBeddington Finalists - U11Bs NEC League Runners Up

U10s NEC League 10th - U10Bs 3rd in NEC League

U8s Excellent wins and NEC Tournament Champions

U9s Lots of games cancelled some good wins and semifinalists in the NEC Tournament

U7s on Sunday mornings

U6s playing for the first time on Sundays Juniors at the Oval in August The coaching Team 2012

Many thanks to Junior sponsors Robert Holmes & Company

19

Hockey

Bigger than everBy Tarek Abdulla

Girls runners up

Our girls U10 played fantastically in the Surreytournament finishing runners up and progressingto the South round. Showing the great strengthand depth in that age group, the girls were ableto finish fourth in the South with a vastly changedsquad, due to the Easter holidays. Only narrow1-0 losses kept them out of the medals.

Boys

Our boys’ squads have been able to testthemselves against teams from a bit further afield,with teams coming from Belper as well as Hollandand Germany.

The Wimbledon Hockey junior section will bethe biggest it has ever been this year. October2012 will see the start of a Quicksticks sessionfor 4 to 7 year olds, as well as a Friday nightsession for juniors that we are unable to

accommodate on Sunday mornings.These additional sessions mean that wehave 70 new juniors signed up to play,aking our total to more than 400.

County players

Once again we have seen an increase in Wimbledonplayers representing their county, with 28 playersturning out for Surrey. Also huge congratulationsto the following players who were selected toattend Junior Regional Performance Centres (JRPCs)

• U18 Helen Clemmow, Alice Moseley,Rebecca Stormer, Alistair McFarlane,Bruno Vanderstichele

• U17 Emma Headley, Kate Sullivan, James Wilmot

• U16 Kristin Read, Tilly Swan, Jack Waller

• U15 Florrie McParland, Joshua Coniglio,Rory Jones

20

Tennis

Alex Morris, head of Junior Coaching

It has been great to see juniors developingthrough the tennis programme and playingmore at tournament level.

AegonA total of eight teams represented the Club in theSummer Aegon Junior Team Tennis. Next year, thesize of our squads and the great momentum wehave should mean that we are able to add evenmore junior and mini teams.

WinnersWe have had great successes with our 14 andunder boys first team and our 12 and under firstteam. Both won their groups in the Surrey Division1 league. Congratulations to the players for all theircommitment and hard work on the practice court.We are all grateful to all the parents who took oncaptaining the teams and helping to organise allthe matches.

Squash

Stacey Ross, director of Squash

We have in excess of 100 juniors who regularlytaking part in the organised Friday and Saturdaysessions and a healthy uptake of new juniormembers this September has kept our juniormembership around the 165 level.This numberof active juniors is nothing short of phenomenalin comparison to the national average and istestament to the quality of coaches we havedelivering the weekly sessions.

Paul Reilly, Sarah Davis, Doug Revolta and DominicSleeman work hard to keep weekly lessons freshand interesting using new and innovative routines,warm ups and games such as squokey, squicketand squiing to name a few.

Sadly we will be losing a great coach, DominicSleeman in December. Dominic took on a fulltime role at Milbourne Lodge School in Claygate inSeptember last year. Having juggled for more thana year his 9 to 5 teaching role Monday to Friday atthe school, working weekends at Lakeside and thatof full time dad, he has very reluctantly been forcedto call it a day at Lakeside after four years. Dom hasbeen an inspiration to the hundreds of children hehas coached and he will be missed enormously bythe coaching team. We are truly very sorry to beseeing him go and wish him huge success atMilbourne Lodge.

Fit for squash

Phenomenal numberof active juniors

More juniors playingat tournament level