EAST RIDING CRICKET SOCIETY

What a night! We went out with more than a bang thanks to Mr Marks. Vic opened with his proudest record – that no first-class bowler in the 1980s conceded more runs than him – and rather set the tone for what followed.  With more than a nod to his location, he commented that Joe Root is probably the best batsman he's ever seen but that watching in Pakistan suggests that Harry Brook isn't far behind. No stranger to matters cultural as well as sporting, Vic ensured that Michelangelo and Harold Pinter both featured during the evening – perhaps a first for our society! Vic made his England ODI debut in 1980, playing two matches vs the Windies under captain Ian Botham. As 12th man at Headingley , Vic spent time usefully in the nets bowling Boycott back into form. Sir Geoffrey, however, did not return the favour! Vic played at Lords in the second game – perhaps Botham’s finest d isplay of captain cy as England won a tight game . Man-of-the-match Boycott was run out for 70...

Another 'in conversation' evening introduced us to James Carr – director of cricket of the Northern Diamonds and of the wider women's game in Yorkshire and the North-East.  This relaxed format was a perfect way to get to know James, a relatively new name to many but a coach fizzing with energy, enthusiasm and ideas. James first got interested in cricket through watching on Channel 4 and playing Kwik and street cricket while at primary school in Lancashire.  He played more formal, red-ball cricket at high school and joined a local club in 2001. While studying PE at college, he naturally veered towards coaching and over the next ten years completed his qualifications while working full-time in retail and project management. He was constantly looking for a role in cricket and his first opportunity came in New Zealand – as Cricket Development Officer for Southland, next stop Antarctica! There he found an area the size of Yorkshire but with a population of only 100,0...

Well, the high turnout certainly wasn't due to clement weather – it was a freezing night. So it must be attributed to the presence of the very mild-mannered and unassuming Mr Graham Onions himself. The evening took a slightly unusual format, with the opening session conducted interview style prior to the open-floor Q&A after the interval. Rather than report verbatim, I'll try to summarise the information we gathered from our guest. As a lad of about thirteen, Graham lived near a cricket ground and would often come home from school, don his whites and walk there. He started out as a batsman, but as he grew taller and became more athletic turned more to bowling. He played several sports in his teens, so wasn't part of any academy or other formal set up, and was about to go to university when he was spotted by Durham coach Geoff Cook and instead decided to opt for professional cricket. Graham made his Second XI debut, aged 18, and soon realised that he had to impro...

If our chairman has a fault, and that’s yet to be proven, it isn’t that of prolonging an AGM. We breezed through his own report, which sympathetically summarised our inability to meet for two years.  He also praised Maggie, Ian and Brian for keeping the society alive in that time. Maggie, as secretary, also kept it admirably brief focusing on thanks to Simon Foster for his help with finding our new venue and on membership numbers which reached a high of c. 90 in March 2020 and still stand at around 60. Please look out for an email canvassing views on our meeting dates for 2023/24, potentially moving to the first Thursday of the month and sometimes changing to a Monday if necessary to secure a particular speaker. Please also note also that our next meeting will take place on MONDAY 16 January so England, Durham and Lancashire seamer Graham Onions can join us. Brian introduced his signed accounts, current to September 2020 and distributed for all to read. All income and exp...

Apologies from our chairman and a new opportunity to write down questions for the speaker were the prelude to a helter-skelter evening. Paul Farbrace gave no sign of needing anything as simple as breath as he took us on an engaging and entertaining rattle through his cricket life and memories. With a mother who made cricket teas, and a father and two older brothers who played, Paul usually started as the 'extra' for an opposition short of a man or two.  He signed for Kent in 1986 after a year as a would-be goalkeeper at Coventry City, which ended when Steve Ogrizovic told him that he lacked two attributes for this role: height and ability!  He played as understudy to keeper Steve Marsh and was lucky enough play with one of his heroes, Derek Underwood, in the great man’s last game.  Moving next to Middlesex, he was part of their Championship-winning team but his true calling has proved to be coaching. Kent's Colin Page was an example of an 'old school c...