Blasts from the Past
No. 2 Andy Lewis - October 2007
Andy Lewis has been in touch with Mike Blake after a gap of about 20 years. I thought his ramblings would be of interest !
1st e-mail
I have just come across the website and seen that I am No8 on the all time list of wicket takers! Though I'm disapponted that the 87 runs I scored in my 25 years with Chingford didn't get me onto the all time run scorers list! It is great to see that the club is really doing well and there are still some old faces around. I now live in the Lake District so the web site is a great way to catch up with how the club is doing. I presume you are still trundling away from the top end at Forest Side and continuing to baffle both batsmen and fielders with your fearsome pace.
Andrew
ps I have just seen that you have mentioned the six Ali Brown hit of me at Cheam - the biggest 6 I have seen! I also remember the first two balls of that over which he hit straight back at me like tracer bullets!
Then we got another !!
2nd e-mail !
Michael
Good to hear from you. Receiving your e.mail and looking on the web site certainly brings back plenty of memories. I knew that Bunny had passed away but sorry to hear that DCH has gone as well.
After leaving university in Hull, I obtained a post grad qualification from Huddersfield University and then got a job working with young people in Workington. It is a very challenging job but I love living up here away from the rat race in London. I live in a small village near Cockermouth surrounded by fells so that walking and mountain biking(!) are what I get up to now. The only cricket I follow is on the telly.
I've got so many memories of playing for Chingford - Buddy Jessop persuading me to take Richard Alston and Charlie Kerr in my tiny MG Midget up to a second X1 game at Welwyn Garden City stands out! How about Ray Follis travelling up from the Isle of Wight each week to play for the Sunday A's with his rather over protective wife! I particularly remember my early days down the London Transport playing with the likes of Sid Arnold, Stan Whitmarsh, Tom Shepherd and Ted Alston. And how could I possibly forget playing with playing with Phil Vass - one of the nicest people you could ever meet but whose left arm over bowling was certainly a site to behold!
I have to say that my memory of you though has nothing to do with cricket - it was travelling with Ian Holmes (aka boring blocker) and you in that orange monstrosity of a car to watch Everton play at Oxford on a freezing cold night. I seem to remember that the heater wasn't working in your car despite you constantly saying that it would start working any minute, and then getting back to Chingford about one o'clock in the morning absolutely frozen!
I have still got a few team pictures, mainly from the 1980's. I will see if I can get them copied and send them down. There are certainly a few faces from the past - remember Mick Bear? I have also got the 'flying V's' picture taken during a rained off mid week game (I think at Eastwood Sports Centre) with the likes of Paul Cross, Peter Coyte, Paul Heale, David Layton, Steve Miell, Phil Caldwell, Jeff Runciman, Paul Hart and Ian Hastings posing underneath the V for Victory sign. This must have been about the only mid week game I can remember you missing.
I'm more than happy for you to put my e.mails on the web site, and please say hello to those who remember me
Andrew
No 1. Paul Russ - September 2005
Former Chingford player Paul Russ came over from Australia and spent a couple of seasons with the club before returning to his homeland. Paul talks about his memories of the club and gives us his take on the recent Ashes series;
My first and foremost memory of Chingford Cricket Club is having Peter Tarrent pick me up from Heathrow Airport with a pair of shorts a t-shirt and his Chingford cricket vest. Then into his little Peugeot - who knows what he was farming but it did have a distinct farming fragrance.
I was told before I left that there was a hard hitting big drinking bloke named Alston and I thought to myself that this bloke must be a legend of the game and the bar.
When arriving at the first game v Saffron Waldon I met this bloke and he was certainly big in all facets. From there we were very competitive in both the bar (who can talk about there own game) and hitting sixes as there was a bet between us that ran for two years. I think I had beaten him by two!!!
We had a great time off the field; Fraser, Gripper, Danny and Jamie were not shy about going down the pub and as wanting to support the local economy, I would oblige.
Jeff Runciman looking after me and the big day we had at Lord's and turning me off cognac for life.
Many of the great characters of the club such as Billy Birch,Blakey, the Hart Foundation,
John Woodland and the others around the club which made it a unique and hospitable club for which to play.
I did miss out on one thing in my time at Chingford and that was seeing James Runciman turn one of his off break's. How is he progressing with it?
I now own two pubs in Melbourne and have three children. I still manage to play cricket locally but can't commit to playing the level that I want.
With winning the Ashes, Strauss and Pietersen can now put their names up with many a fine "English" cricketer; Greig, Hick, Smith the list goes on but it is good for the game. Everyone became too complacent over here with cricket so I hope that it may get the game going again. 18 month's gives you guys enough time to soak in the urn but I am sure it will return to it's rightful owners, Australia.
I hope to be over in May next year with the family and catch up with everybody and try and squeeze a game in on a Sunday if possible.
The quicker that Chingford can get to the premier division would give me great satisfaction as over the years the club has had some mighty fine players.
I am sure that the club is in good hands.