2017 Results & Reports

It was the proverbial season of two halves for the 1XI. Sitting second after 7 games it had the squad eyeing the possibility of three consecutive promotions. Sadly a dip in form didn’t see the team win again for the rest of the season, fortunately the early wins were enough for the team to hang on to their Div 1 status.

Greater depth was added to the 2017 squad with the additions of Charlie Forbes, Chris Adlam and Caleb Whitefoord and the return for the first half of the season of Tahir. The new additions acquitted themselves well and immediately fitted into the squad, the spirit and togetherness is certainly one of the teams key strengths.

The main struggle this season was with the bat, with only four players registering over 200 runs.

• Chris Fewson – 264 runs
• Edward Cooper – 250 runs
• Mark Collin – 249 runs
• Nick Procter – 226 runs

On the other side the bowling depth remains the strongest discipline with fine performances from:

• Josh White – 25 wickets
• Charlie Forbes – 21 wickets
• Adam Burlison – 15 wickets
• Caleb Whitefoord – 12 wickets
• Nick Procter – 12 wickets
• Chris Fewson – 11 wickets

The squad has enormous potential, but we need to turn that potential into consistency. With the bulk of the squad entering their fifth season together the continuity of selection is in place but next the season the players need to step up individually, particularly with the bat and promotion is certainly attainable if we all learn to value our wicket.

There were very few games when we put all three disciplines together at the same time, if we can work on these aspects we have enough quality to challenge at the top end of the division and continue our pursuit of championship cricket.

The final word has to without doubt focus on the tragic loss of our great friend and teammate, Mark Collin.  It is clear he leaves a massive hole in not only our team but our lives. When we return for winter nets it should be knowing he is on our shoulder encouraging us to be better cricketers and better people. He believed in all of us and genuinely believed we can continue our climb up the leagues – we owe it to him to prove he was right.

Winter well everyone and we go again in 2018.

Adam Burlison
1st XI Captain, 2017

Having been appointed as captain of the 2nd XI in January 2017, the objective for the season was to earn promotion to Division 2. The squad included a number of colts, ranging in age from 13 through to 17 years, supplemented by a number of senior players, which combined to make a squad with a blend of agility in the field and experience.

Our campaign did not begin in quite the way I had hoped it would, losing our first two games of the season, to teams who would be in the promotion mix towards the end of the season. Our main weakness in these games was fragility in our batting, and ultimately not having enough runs on the board proved to be costly in these games.

As the 1st XI established a more settled team, this coupled with the return of our senior colts back into the team post the summer exam season, the same core group of players stayed in the 2s most weeks, this saw the emergence of a team spirit, which was nurtured into a determination not to lose. After our third defeat of the season in early June, I am very pleased to report that this team did not lose another game of cricket in 2017.

In a season in which we won 8 games (and also benefited from one team conceding), there were several standout performances. However, the one thing that really pleased me was that we learned from our early season experience, and that in each game, there were always a couple of batsmen who applied themselves and batted really well to put the team in a strong position:

• Adam Iqbal, aged 13, scored three half centuries for the team and became the team’s leading run scorer in 2017 with 308 runs.
• Jordan Bond (U17), played only 5 games, but averaged 47.5.
• Martin Keay and Antony Brown each played several games and added vital in game knowledge as well as important runs and both averaged 45.7 and (a Bradman-esque) 99 respectively.

In total, the top 6 batsmen scored nine half centuries, although none of these were converted into a century.

This same team spirit continued in the bowling department, where the bowlers worked well as a bowling unit. There were also some outstanding performances with the ball, of which the best bowling figures are listed below:

• Nick Bond 7 for 38
• Alex Cooper 5 for 4
• Harry Mead 5 for 17
• Asim Iqbal 4 for 10

Each of these were match winning bowling performances. The top 3 wicket takers in the team for the season had an average ranging from 6.5 to 12.9. This shows the accuracy and consistency with which the bowlers had performed.

In summary, it has been a privilege to lead this dynamic squad of talented players, and I believe that when we are at full strength, we are a match for most teams.

I would like to convey my thanks to everyone who has played in the team in 2017, and congratulate you all on promotion to Division 2. I look forward to the 2018 season, to see this group of players develop, and see how far we can progress in Division 2.

Asim Iqbal
2nd XI Captain, 2017

2017 was a successful year for Effigham’s Sunday XI. Competing in the Village Cricket League Division 2, we finished the season top of the table by a margin of just four one-hundredths of a point over local rivals East Horsley.

The season began in promising style with a dominant winning draw away to Horsham Trinity. Effingham, winning the toss and batting first, declared on 258-4 and bowled and fielded well to restrict Horsham to 178-8. This game was followed by a 173 run win against Worplesdon and Burpham (including an unbeaten hundred by Harrison Green).

Then we were faced with a double header against Dorking on consecutive Sundays. In the first game Effingham bowled superbly to restrict Dorking to 176 all out and were in control of the game with the score at 162-5. However, disaster struck; we lost 5 wickets for 6 runs and were bowled out for 168. An extremely disappointing end to what was another promising performance. The following Sunday against a far stronger Dorking side, the opposition, again batting first set an imposing total of 229-6. In reply, Effingham batted sensibly to secure the draw, finishing on 132-6 and recording three batting bonus points.

After this start Effingham really began to play some good cricket. There was a comprehensive away win over Peper Harow before an exceptional win against Farncombe. Having been reduced to 61-6, Joe Roberts and overseas Matt Meers combined in a 104 run partnership before Farncombe were bowled out for 88. This was just one of Joe Roberts’s match winning performances in 2017. He really has been excellent in the VCL, scoring 237 runs at 34 (including 2 fifties) and taking 13 wickets at 24.

The main reasons for Effingham’s success this season were the two wins over East Horsley. Batting first on both occasions, they were special wins for different reasons. In the first game, Effingham set 246-9 thanks largely to the 109 run partnership between Ed Cooper and Cameron Walters. East Horsley were in trouble at 109-6 before their number six (a first XI regular) clubbed a rapid 109. However Effingham continued to take wickets at the other end and, with only one wicket in hand and just 15 runs required, the East Horsley number 6 was caught on the long off boundary off the bowling of Ian Barnard to give Effingham the win.

In the second game, Effingham posted 248-8 (this time largely due to Harrison Green’s 83 not out and some lusty hitting from the lower order). In reply, East Horsley appeared to be interested only in the draw. They were drifting towards this target comfortably at 153-3 before Effingham took 7 wickets in 15 balls (including figures of 6-36 for fourteen year old Tom Cobb) to win the game by 94 runs. Another excellent win against a strong East Horsley side.

The middle of the summer saw high scoring draws against Holmbury St. Mary (including 86 for Green and 108* for Chris Fewson) and Worplesdon and Burpham (Fewson 130*). We lost for the second time in the season against Westcott in front of a bumper crowd at the Calburn Cricket Field. August concluded with a comprehensive ten wicket win over Horsham and defeat against Peper Harow.

This meant Effingham took their slender 0.04 point lead into the final two league games of the season. Unfortunately these turned out to be rather damp affairs with both being abandoned soon after tea. The abandonments meant that, due to the VCL’s average points system, Effingham were division two champions and will be promoted to division one for 2018. It was an excellent effort by all 36 players who appeared in the campaign.

It is also important to note that not all Sunday cricket is VCL cricket. 2017 saw good wins for Effingham over Bookham (thanks largely to fifteen year old George Nicoll’s maiden senior fifty) and also Abinger Hammer by a margin of just 13 runs (Joe Roberts with figures of 7-2-18-5).

On a personal note, I have tremendously enjoyed leading this team and seeing some really good individual and team performances this season. I look forward to seeing all of us rise to the challenge of Division 1 in 2018.