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The History of RBCC on Tour

Chapter 1: In the beginning - Wylam 1984

Red Bat vs Wylam CC, Sunday 26th August 1984
Red Bat vs A Northumberland Select XI, Monday 27th August 1984

The squad had left London early on the morning of Sat 25th August, travelling by minibus up the A1 to Newcastle. There were 9 hearty souls; Matt Gummer, Dave Lloyd, Phils Solomon and Jones, Mike Welbrock, Paul O’Connor, John Anzani, Simon Grinstead and the late Matthew Holgate. I say late for two reasons, firstly he is no longer on this planet and secondly he had been up all night and was late for the Euston Road departure rendezvous of 9.30am. He eventually turned up pleading a mugger had hit him for his tour spends. Unlikely we all thought, but at least he was on board and we were heading north.

Talk turned to the nature of the team, we had Lloyd Peters meeting us at the game the day after, but we still were only 10. PJ had a feeling that Big Dan Whitelock would be taking his washing home for the Bank holiday weekend, from Manchester to Wetherby, famously on the A1. Sure enough a quick call to chez Dan's mum revealed this to be the case. Even confirming his arrival time at Wetherby bus station. Much to his surprise Dan, on alighting from the bus, was hijacked from his mother’s arms and taken on a road trip to Geordie land.

We arrived in Newcastle and were allocated various billets in and around the Welbrock household. Tired, very stoned and hungry, we set out for fun in the famous drinking arena, otherwise known as Newcastle city centre. Guided by Ziggy and his brother Pete, we hit the Geordie pubs and proceeded, as would be expected on the first night of a tour, to get completely and utterly bladdered. Pubs came and went, somehow there was no serious trouble, and we made it back to our beds, pissed as farts and ready for tomorrow’s game.

I woke up next to a snoring Welbrock, which was unusual. Slowly coming round I remembered I had (sort of) got the short straw and agreed to share a bed with Mike at his parents. It was that sort of tour, certainly no posh hotels ! The morning was spent discussing hangovers and finding each other. The minibus departed up country to Wylam, the views becoming more and more spectacular as we drove. Presumably we had a pub to meet in where more beer will have been consumed. I really have no recollection. The village was very picturesque and the ground even more so. Agricultural with a long thin ground surrounded by a stream and fields, is my memory. The weather was reasonably sunny and quite warm.

The old adage “If you remember Wylam you weren’t there”, comes into play here. This would never happen in Wisden, but my memory is decidedly patchy about the game itself. The score book is able to tell me some facts, so this is how it looks 20 years on.

Wylam batted first, openers Robson and Appleby taking on the unusual pace attack of Dave ‘Trundler’ Lloyd and ‘Skiddy’ Phil Solomon. After 3 overs a piece, the total was a respectable (for Red Bat) 19. However the acceleration began in the 7th over with both the openers 4th overs going for 6 runs. Dave Lloyd was kept on for a fifth over which was carted for 13. PO’C replaced Solly and was hit for 9 in his first over. Danny came on for his first ever Red Bat over and promptly took the wicket of Robson caught by his very old U 16s team mate PJ at cover, for 43.  O’C was bowling tightly and with his second over bowled the innings only maiden. He had 2 overs for 9 runs. Wylam were 72 for 1 .

Number 3 Miller was equally adept at batting and joined Robson in dispatching O’C and DW all over the park. Dan’s first spell for Red Bat of 4 overs had produced figures of 1-29. Not good enough for Skipper Solly who brought on the left arm cunning of Mike Welbrock.  O’C managed somehow to have Miller ct behind by the effuse Holgate, they were 130 for 2. Next over Trundler Lloyd, perhaps altering his pace with stealthy guile, chugged in and clean bowled number 4 Craven, Wylam 130 for 3 and in trouble. We were almost back in the game ! Number 5 Buckle joined Appleby, and they kept making us fetch it from the stream and from behind a small kissing gate.

Despite a middle order collapse of 191 for 3 to 196 for 6, caused by tight bowling from Welbrock and Lloyd, Wylam reached 241 for 7 from 40 overs, helped by some lusty blows from their lower order and the fact that we couldn’t get the opener Appleby out.  He finished on 94 not out.  Welbrock 2 wickets, Lloyd 3 for 68 from 15 overs!  O’C and DW 1 each and Solomon unlucky not to take a wicket.

We were tired and hungry, what better than a cricket tea to replenish the spirits ?  It was taken in a wonderful old village hall a short walk from the ground.  Laid out beautifully, the setting was a work of art in itself.  We tucked in and ate our own weight in egg mayo sandwiches and home made cakes.  The talk was of batting order, and how we should win the game.

Matt Gummer and Simon Grinstead were to open, and got themselves to the crease at 17.42, according to scorer Anzani. Both were back in the shed in less than 15 minutes, Red Bat were 10 for 2. Could numbers 3 and 4, Solomon and Peters reverse the destruction ? The answer is no. 22 for 4 after half an hour. Number 5 Dave Lloyd came in and consolidated things. He and PJ put on 26 for the 5th wicket, both hitting big sixes. Mine, I am reminded by DW, was a stealth like pull over the kissing gate. Red Bat were 48 for 5 when I trudged off bowled by Craven for 16 in 20 minutes. Mike W joined Dave and they put on another 17 in 14 minutes before Mike was bowled for 7, 65 for 6. Dan and Dave then put on 20 more for the 7th before Dave was run out for 30. The scorecard showed Dave's last 3 scoring shots of 4, 6, 6, more than doubling his score. He batted for 45 minutes, considerably longer than any one else. Some lusty blows from PO'C who made 11 and a responsible 17* from DW, who farmed the strike from the tail of Anzani and Holgate, took the total to 114 all out . We lost by 127 runs. We had played a tour game and it had been great fun.

The pervading discussion in the pubs that night was two fold;  how much better we would have to be to be a competing cricket team, and how bloody knackering it was to chase the ball around the park if you are not.

The next day dawned bright and early with a game against A Northumberland Select XI, at Coxlodge, commencing just before midday. The NSXI was put together by Mike Welbrock's brothers Pete and T (?). Pete was later to occasionally appear for Red Bat. The game was 30 overs a side. The NSXI won the toss and elected to bat. Opening bats Walsh and Jones facing the might of the Red Bat opening attack of, once again Solomon and in this instance “Tall” Paul O’Connor. In his second over Paul knocked over Walsh’s stumps and they were 23 for 1, albeit from less than 4 overs, thanks partly to 5 byes and 3 wides as well as some big fours. “Skiddy” Phil took himself off after 2 overs and brought on the even “skiddier” Jones to bowl the 5th.  Jones the Bat and Brusby, the number 3, took the score on steadily to 53, after less than half an hour. In the 9th over, I produced one of those overs that has lived in my memory.  In 4 balls bowling little off cutters. I had my namesake the opener and the number 3 clean bowled . NS XI were 54 for 3 and once more we should have been back in the game.

It most definitely wasn’t to be ! We were flippin’ murdered ! The number 4, A. Robson, and 5, Pete Welbrock, set about us and moved the score to143 in less than half an hour. O’Connor's replacement Dave Lloyd, bowling slower than the day before, was punished for 36 from 4 overs . My own richly deserved 4th over was tonked for 15 and I was rightly taken off. Pete was particularly severe on brother Mike whose spell of 4 overs was hit for 35 including one for 17.

Skipper Solomon had a plan though, the hitherto untried donkey drops of Simon Grinstead. Pete was flummoxed by the final ball of the over, and 2 yards down the track was stranded in no mans land, turning around to see keeper Holgate whip of the bails in one big swoop. Actually he turned around to see Matthew scrabbling with the ball on the ground, trying to guide it on to the stumps. Pete being a nice guy and probably feeling he’d inflicted enough punishment for a holiday Monday, didn’t attempt to make his ground until Holgate finally broke the stumps. To be fair on keeper Holgate,  he had kept reasonably tidily the previous game against Wylam. Had spent two nights sleeping on a hard floor and had drunk twice his own (heavy) weight in 36 hours. Also he was the only one willing to take on the job, Lloyd Peters having departed back to Leeds that morning. Still, it went in the book. Matthew's only recorded stumping, bowled Grinstead for 38.

Number 4 Robson was run out attempting a second for his 50. They were 148 for 5 after 19 overs. It still wasn’t one o’clock, frenetic stuff ! Grinstead was taken off after only one over, to be replaced by Matt Gummer for his first over on tour. Matt was dispatched for 17 including four big fours, three from the number 7 Nichol and one from the number 6 Culvery. It was time to bring on some changes. Skipper Solomon replaced Welbrock with Big Dan Whitelock to slow things down. With his first over going for only a single, there was an element of containment felt around the fielding side. Who was to take the other end ? Solomon the Skipper seized the ball and brought himself back for his second spell, promptly bowling a maiden to the previously on fire Nichol. Danny bowled his second over for only 6, they were 175 for 5 as Solomon rushed up to the crease to bowl the first ball of his second over in his second spell, clean bowling the hapless Nichol for 15. He had scored 13 off his first 3 deliveries and only 2 more from the next 15. NS XI were 175 for 6 with less than 8 overs to go.

Whitelock was taken off to be replaced by Dave Lloyd. Dan had bowled 3 economical overs for 9 runs. Lloyd elected to bowl off spin, some how convincing the skipper that it would turn. It didn’t, much, and he was hit for 19 from his final 2 overs. Skipper Solly meanwhile produced an unforgettable over, the penultimate one of the innings, clean bowling number 8 Appleby for 15 and number 9 Patterson first ball, with his whippy medium pace. Phil finished with 7-1-32-3., and the Northumberland Select XI with a massive 228 for 8 from 30 overs. Paul O’Connor had reason to be pleased with his 1-14 from 4 overs. Dave Lloyd less so with no wicket for 55 from 6 overs. I was quite chuffed with a return of 4-0-27-2, given my first 3 went for only 12. There were a massive 35 extras including 26 byes and 5 leg byes ! In the spirit of friendly cricket we had used 8 bowlers.

A quick turn around saw the opening pair of Gummer and O’Connor stride to the crease at 13.55 hours. The openers bowled a maiden each but the pair soon got going, Gummer hitting a couple of fours from F. Nichol's second over, the fifth of the innings. Unfortunately during Gilroy's 3rd over O’Connor was bowled for 2, batting for 13 minutes. Red Bat were 13 for 1. Mike Welbrock strode to the crease to some friendly banter from the opposition. He was clean bowled for a duck 3rd ball, the last one of Nichol's 3rd over and the innings’6th. Red Bat were 22 for 2. This was to be very quickly 23 for 3 with Gummer out for an aggressive 19 in 24 minutes caught from Appleby's first ball.

I walked to the crease with some serious work to do at number 5. It didn’t get done, caught behind for another 3rd ball duck; 23 for 4 and in serious trouble. There then began the only serious partnership of the innings, between Dave Lloyd batting 4 and number 6 Skippy Phil Solomon. The pair put on 48 for the 5th wicket, easily the highest partnership of the tour. They were both out in A. Jones second over and the innings’ 20th. Lloyd caught and bowled and Solomon bowled, both making 20 in 51 and 46 minutes respectively. Some semblance of order was in place at 71 for 4. Not a match winning total but something to go from to make perhaps 130 or 140. Once again it wasn’t to be. A second ball duck from DW was followed by a decent cameo by a ringer J. Latiffe who made a quick 13 and a gritty 23 minute, 24 ball 11 by Grinstead, saw us to 104 with all eleven out in 28.3 overs at just after 15.30, Anzani contributing a 4 ball 3 before being bowled by Appleby in his second spell. He finished with 3-0-7-3. It had been another rude awakening as to how much work needed to be done.

It was a long drive back to London, undertaken mostly by myself, the rest of the team sleeping all the way back. We were older and definitely wiser.

Phil Jones