9 December
Award Winners
The Awards Bash last month kicked off with a frenetic indoor match, in which a Warne Stars team beat Isambard by a considerable margin (148 v 88, if memory serves). Players then retired to the bar for the awards themselves, which were won as follows:
Player of the Season - Dave Bywater
Most Improved Player (The John Malin Memorial Trophy) - Scott O'Brien
Best Debut Season - Ric Firth
Clubman of the Season - Keith Williams.
Congratulations to all the winners.
Team Secretary
Sir Rich has stood down as Team Secretary, choosing to concentrate on his batting. A call for volunteers to replace him produced Dave Bywater, who will start in the role with immediate effect.
Dave has considerable recent experience in wiping arses, having a baby daughter, so should be ideally suited for the Team Sec role. Please give him your support and assistance.
Constitution and Transport Policy
Following the recent AGM, the Isambard Constitution has now been amended slightly. An updated version can be found on the website here.
The above link also shows the club's Transport Policy. This will be of interest to everyone who uses public transport to get to matches - i.e. almost everybody. Please take a moment to have a look.
Merrow Photos
Pete Brooks took some excellent pictures at Merrow last season, a selection of which have been put on our Gallery page. Click here for a butcher's.
17 November
What took me so long?
Apologies for not having updated the website for over a month - a combination of being very busy at work, sorting out the AGM at the end of October, and having problems with our webserver. The latter at least is now fixed, so enabling me to put a couple of updates on here.
Sunny future for Isambard
Following Dermot Steedman's resignation as captain, Sunny Munn has now taken over the reins as skipper. Munn's presence should produce a noiser season in 2008, as well as ensuring that the 'suicidal mid-on' position is filled more regularly. Isambard's vice-captain will be Adam Malin, with the 2nd XI captain and vice-captain positions now having been abolished.
As well as the above changes, Paul Bailey and Dave Bywater have joined the Isambard Committee. We welcome all of the above into their new roles.
Awards Day
The Isambard 2007 Awards take place this afternoon, in Canary Wharf's prestigious Play On Sports indoor venue. The day kicks off at 3.00pm with an indoor game against a Warne Stars side, with awards and copious chilled lager thereafter. Details of the winners, and the extravaganza itself, to follow.
Congratulations (again)...
...to Dermot and Michelle (again), who are expecting their first child in March. We would have included this news with our nuptuial congratulations (see below), but alas Dermot (whose short-term memory loss is such that he occasionally forgets about the match he's just played in) omitted to tell your webmaster...
We look forward to Steedmans snr. and jnr. taking the field together in 2019 or so.
15 October
Congratulations…
…to skipper Dermot Steedman and girlfriend Michelle, who tied the knot in a lavish Las Vegas wedding recently. Reports that Elvis carried out the ceremony are as yet unconfirmed.
Anglers and Woodlawn: all the news that's fit to print
A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), a motley crew of players came together under the good name Isambard to take on Melbourne's Abbotsford Anglers in a pre-Christmas thriller. Dermot promised to write a report. Despite having spent most of the past ten months sharpening up his Groom's speech (see above), he has finally done so. Details of the 'bard's agonising one-wicket defeat can be found here, or via the '2006 Fixtures' page in the Archive.
Slightly more recently, Sir Rich led this year's team to a heroic draw at Woodlawn. Many people promised to write reports, and failed. However, Paul Bailey, Isambard's very own slow-left-arm jihad bowler, has (finally) delivered some lines of shining wit about the great day.
Primary Club
The last Isambard AGM agreed to fund membership of the Primary Club to whoever 'achieved' Isambard's first golden duck of the 2007 season. This had almost been forgotten, possibly due to the webmaster not having faced this year. However, Ray Collins came good in the final fixture, attempting to replicate his ton at Edmonton but instead holing out first ball. Raymond therefore receives Primary Club membership and a nice tie to spill soup down.
26 September
Conference Clash to curtail cricket season?
Tension mounts as Isambard are in the mix for a Conference fixture on Sunday 30 to round off the 2007 season. A team containing seven spinners and nine debutants (well, nearly in both cases) are waiting for the killer e-mail from Secretary Keith Williams to confirm there will be a match. Alas, our only offers thus far have been in the middle of nowhere, so Williams is playing the waiting game in the hope that the Conference will find somewhere vaguely accessible. Stay tuned...
Isambard win in Essex...but it's Ardleigh easy
An Isambard side with five debutants triumphed by three wickets against a young Ardleigh Green side on Sunday (23rd). Paul Bailey was the pick of the bowlers, whilst runs from new boy Xavier Davis and the Sunny Munn saw Isambard home from a precarious 39-5. Adam has written a match report, sadly totally bereft of Essex popular cultural references. It's in the usual place.
Congratulations Scotty
A brace of wickets in the above match ensured that left-arm seamer Scott O'Brien now holds the record for most wickets in a season outright. Scott's record of 24 would doubtless be even larger had it not rained most of the summer. Congratulations Scotty!
Malins battle for milestone
Dave Malin and son Adam have always had similar batting records for the club. The question was who would be first to the 'thousand career runs' milestone. Both were on 974 runs, before Malin Snr.'s 24 not out at Totteridge earlier this month took him to 998. (Agonisingly, it should have been 26 not out, thus giving him a milestone, as a hit for two was fielded behind the boundary).
Adam then had the chance to overtake Dad by opening the batting at Edmonton, but bottom-edged onto his stumps for one, so leaving him on 975. Disco had the chance to pass the target on Sunday at Ardleigh Green, but a rare duck leaves him still two short of his target. Ad meanwhile played his part in saving the match with 17, so elevating him to 992 runs.
Both Malins are available this Sunday, and Adam is captaining. Who will be first to the milestone?
