Devon Tour 2011 - No Cricket !
A tour with no cricket ...is like a pub with no beer.
Discuss.
Well, actually no. You can’t have much fun in a pub with no beer, but you can an awful lot of fun on a tour with no cricket, albeit not of the elevated sort which cricket provides.
So it was this year revisiting Devon for the second year running. The week before we toured, the the climes were balmy and pleasant. The week after was the hottest since records began in 1766. But the likes of the monsoon which engulfed our chosen weekend has been witnessed only once before, and that was by Noah and his crew.
OK there were a few sunny patches. Just enough for a game of car-park cricket to see two balls flying into the river Yeo, a tributary of the Taw in Barnstaple where we were lodging. This was the cue for Pertie Pie to career down a slipway straight into the gloopiest accretion of duck poo I have ever set eyes on. The balls were not retrieved but the sight of Perts covered in poo was enough to clear the hangovers of all but the Chairman, whose hangover from the Friday night lasted the whole of the weekend. For Tom Humpty, the spectacle was a gauntlet thrown down, for within minutes he had (more deftly) entered the river and successfully retrieved another ball and then celebrated his success by attaching a pantomime chicken-head to the rear end of poor John B’s venerable dog, Dougal. No dignity then for the poor son of a bitch as he enters the age of contemplation and sagacity. (Be quiet, I mean Dougal not John.)
The evening before, the boys had hit the town, taken on board a surprisingly good Chinky (washed down with ample shots – sticky fluorescent chemical concoctions probably manufactured in metal drums on a Shanghai back-street) and then struck lucky with the local talent in an equally surprisingly good bar, catering for both pool and cherchez la femme. The local girls were all good fun (our legendary jackets worked their magic yet again), though I do fear a new acronym needed to be coined for the ladies in question. They were not so much MILFs as MIPWNLTFs (work it out for yourselves).
As the rain set in on the Saturday afternoon, the boys decided that go-karting was the only sensible option. A really good track was found (Damon Hill had raced there with his kids not long before) and battle commenced. John B proved that age was no bar to success and was the first to go through to the final (flinging the kart around like he does the Z4). The two Toms (H+W) soon won their heats and just as the final commenced, the heavens opened again and with no time for a tyre change the cars were spinning all over the shop. Tom Humphrey emerged triumphant and we all repaired to the warmth & alcohol-availability of ten pin bowling. I can’t remember who won (sorry!) ... all I know is that it wasn’t me.
Thence to the Thatch at Croyde. After checking in, God played a little trick on us by clearing the skies enough to entice us into the half mile walk to the beach for a game of beach cricket. Play commenced just as an ominous black cloud bubbled up on the horizon. Within twenty minutes it was upon us accompanied by a gale of biblical proportions and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Humphrey took the sensible view that if he was going to get wet, he might as well do the job properly and stripped off (not all the way, thank God) and doused himself in the briney. We may as well all have joined him, for by the time we arrived back at the pub no one had a stitch of dry clothing.
The rest of the evening was a blur of Jägerbombs, top nosh and more cross-pollination with the local Lolitas (a better standard here – mostly surf chicks). Twas a pity that in our cups we didn’t put the tour virgins –Dick Mountain (who had driven all the way for one match only), Rob Hyndman (Rocket Scientist turned Red Arrow pilot), Stuart Davidson (Scots co-explorer of Cuba), Tom Humphrey and John B through their paces (not a yard of ale or stupid game in sight).
Never mind, there is always next year on the Isle of Wight. I heard ( ...or perhaps I just made it up) that if you don’t drink a yard of ale on your first tour, then you have to drink two on your second and so on until you have finally cleared your drinking debt to the world.
See you in Ventnor!
Stevie Hyde
Tough times for Neville in Christchurch NZ
Feb 2011
Many will remember Neville Bamford who scored over 2000 runs for the Vagabonds before returning to his home town of Christchurch, New Zealand. Here is an email updating us with his story following the terrible earthquake they had there (the second in six months). Our thoughts are with him & his family:
We are safe but a little traumatised to be honest. Life is very different from here on unfortunately and our beautiful ChCh will never be the same. Our family and friends are all alive but we all know at least one of the dead. I was 12 floors up in our building and saw some terrible things during and after. The PGC building across the river came down as I was holding on to a door frame and that image will stay with me forever. The devastation is much,much worse than what you can see on TV. There is no chance the RWC will be hosted in ChCh either as most hotels are damaged and infrastructure is shot. We are in Kaikoura which is about 2.5 hours north of ChCh and enjoying time away from the aftershocks and daily challenges without power and water. Karen's family have lost homes (dad and sister) but ours is liveable. Our home was pretty much the epicentre of the quake so the area is widely damaged and many families have been evacuated due to ongoing rockfall issues and structural problems. Problem is we don't want to live in our house now so at this stage I'd say we will be moving to the North Island over the coming months.
Difficult times ahead but grateful to be alive for sure.
Keep in touch guys - pass onto others whom I may have missed.
Cheers,
Nev
Many will remember Neville Bamford who scored over 2000 runs for the Vagabonds before returning to his home town of Christchurch, New Zealand. Here is an email updating us with his story following the terrible earthquake they had there (the second in six months). Our thoughts are with him & his family:
We are safe but a little traumatised to be honest. Life is very different from here on unfortunately and our beautiful ChCh will never be the same. Our family and friends are all alive but we all know at least one of the dead. I was 12 floors up in our building and saw some terrible things during and after. The PGC building across the river came down as I was holding on to a door frame and that image will stay with me forever. The devastation is much,much worse than what you can see on TV. There is no chance the RWC will be hosted in ChCh either as most hotels are damaged and infrastructure is shot. We are in Kaikoura which is about 2.5 hours north of ChCh and enjoying time away from the aftershocks and daily challenges without power and water. Karen's family have lost homes (dad and sister) but ours is liveable. Our home was pretty much the epicentre of the quake so the area is widely damaged and many families have been evacuated due to ongoing rockfall issues and structural problems. Problem is we don't want to live in our house now so at this stage I'd say we will be moving to the North Island over the coming months.
Difficult times ahead but grateful to be alive for sure.
Keep in touch guys - pass onto others whom I may have missed.
Cheers,
Nev
Get well Sally Too !!
Some of you may know that Sally too has been through the wars having been diagnosed with cancer. As I write (Feb 2011) she is about half way through a course of chemotherapy and has lost all her lovely hair. However, once she has been through this grim ordeal, the prognosis is very good, so stick with it Sal & we look forward to seeing you in the summer, back with a full head of hair and full of your usual vim & vigour !
Get well soon Barrie !!
It will be known to all Vagabonds that our esteemed founder, Barrie Walshe, has been suffering from a muscle wasting disease in his legs.
This is a completely maddening condition preventing him from watching the Vags & even ambling to the local pub ...and this all happening to a youngster in his early seventies !
So we wish you our very best Barrie. Get well soon & hasten down to Bentworth to the Sun first (Mary has been missing you) and then on to cricket pitch !
Vags Devon Tour 2010
The 2010 Vags tour to North Devon was hit by lack of numbers but with a fantastic reception by the two host sides plus an awesome reaction to the Vags' jackets at The Thatch in Croyde, a pub more used to the damp neoprene of surfers than the elegant flannel of the Vagabonds, we managed to have a superb tour.
Barnstaple and Pilton CC were tremendous hosts and with the help of Yaz, one of their young players who volunteered to play for the Vags we were treated to a nail-biting last-over win. It has to be admitted, however that Barnstaple were fielding a 12 year old (albeit the Devon captain for his age group) and that Steve Hyde failed to give a stumping as he was unsighted at square leg umpire owing to the fact that he was too busy taking a photo. Unfortunately, the picture in question failed to give a satisfactory 'third umpire' decision.
Newton Tracey CC had an easier task on the Sunday as the Vagabonds' backbone had been severely compromised by a rollicking night at the Thatch. They didn't need this help, however, as they are a strong side & despite the help of a father & son combo, the Vags spirited performance came to nothing as we failed to make the challenging total set by our hosts
All in all, a cracking tour ! Many thanks to both our hosts.
Michael Hopkins awarded his Vagabonds Cap
After what seemed like an age of waiting, young Michael Hopkins carries on the cricketing tradition of Vagabond founder Barrie Walshe (his grand-father) being awarded his Vagabond cap by 'Chairman Jim" in June 2009
Vagabond Simon Baker In Manchester University Challenge Winning Team
That's right ...young Vagabond Simon Baker represented Manchester on University Challenge and eventually went on to win the competition after the Corpus Christi team were found to have broken the rules in the final. An outstanding achievement.
Magnanimously the Manchester captain said "While we accept the decision of the University Challenge judges, we are saddened to have been awarded the trophy under such circumstances. As far as Simon, Henry, Reuben and I are concerned the final was a great experience and we believe Corpus Christi College were outstanding opponents."
But as the Vagabonds (don't??) know ... a win's a win !! So well done Simon
Magnanimously the Manchester captain said "While we accept the decision of the University Challenge judges, we are saddened to have been awarded the trophy under such circumstances. As far as Simon, Henry, Reuben and I are concerned the final was a great experience and we believe Corpus Christi College were outstanding opponents."
But as the Vagabonds (don't??) know ... a win's a win !! So well done Simon
2008 Tour to the Isle of Man
The Vagabonds tour to the Isle of Man to play their namesakes The IOM Vagabonds turned out to be a matter of quality not quantity. Comprising just nine plus the pulchritudinous Penny as scorer (look it up!) the Vags took the island by storm.
Beach cricket, late night bars, a comprehensive victory in our match at the charming and bucolic ground of St Johns all made the tour a roaring success along with a fantastic welcome from the IOM Vagabonds. And how did we repay them? By smacking a ball at full speed into the nose of their captain Louis Van de Westhuizen bringing forth copious amounts of blood. He bravely recovered to finish the match & entertain us royally in the bar.
More late night bars and even a little romance (no names no pack-drill ) & then the games resumed but this time golf, bowls and tennis...
Click on the above picture for tour photos.
Aardvark Memorial Cricket Match at Cheam School 10 June 2008
Question: What could entice Ziggy back from Taiwan, Shins from Madrid plus a whole panoply of existing & former Vagabond stars (and others) to descend on a charming Berkshire prep school on a given Thursday in July? Answer: to play a cricket match to celebrate the life of surely the most loved, most missed & most quintessential of Vagabonds, Andrew Geach.
And so it was that assorted Vagabonds and others assembled at the beautiful grounds of Aardvark’s former prep school Cheam to lacerate a leather ball and raise many a glass in his honour. Lachie who had so splendidly organised the affair in conjunction with Vark’s sister Helen led out the Aardvark team in to the field which soon were reminded of the natural talents of Tim Richman (26), James Harding (28) Donny (18 not out) and Richard Shinner (25) who surprised himself, probably, as well as others by hitting two enormous sixes having not played a game of cricket for five years or so! For the Aardvark side Keith Barker bowled a very tidy spell gaining 6 for 24 and a certain Tim Henman (who hadn’t played cricket since the age of eleven eschewing it for a much easier sport) took a hat trick as Will Perton, Luke Harding & young Bertie Kennedy all were dazzled in the glare of the tennis star’s headlights. It was noted that a few dollies were dropped, notably by Henman, Lachie & Stuart Tristram.
Lunch saw the Vagabond side happily munching their hog-roast with a satisfactory score of 147 all-out. Fruit of the vine and the hop were taken and thus handicapped/enhanced the Aardvark team came in to bat. Good progress was made with the help of Tim Henman (who retired on 32 not out as it was looking as though his first game should have been cricket after all) Hugo de Salis (28) and Oliver Lane (23). As showers gave way to a golden evening Steve Hyde tripped himself up and took an accidental catch at full stretch and the finely-poised match drew to a close shortly afterwards with the Aardvark’s still needing 8 runs and no more time to do it.
So a win for the Vags in the inaugural Vark Memorial game -largely thanks to the generous Lachie gesture with the retiring of Henners. After the game Tony & Anne Geach presented a fitting and super trophy to the winners ...a half yard which was immediately filled with ale & quaffed on the spot.
Some superb prizes were raffled and a tidy sum raised for the Netpatient Foundation. Sadly Cathy (Andrew’s fiancee) was unable to be there but many of his friends and family made the trip & a big thank you and congratulations is extended to all who made this game possible. I’m sure Aardvark was cocking his head on one side, winking and raising a glass up in heaven.
Click on photo above for more photos kindly provided by Rona Hunniset & Andrew Kennedy
Remember you can always donate or run a marathon or something to raise money for the NET Patient Foundation
www.netpatientfoundation.com
2007 Devon Tour
The Vagabonds celebrated in style in Devon by losing both their matches ( Spreyton CC & Dartington and Totnes CC ) in Devon.
This is in stark contrast to the 2002 tour where they embarrassingly won both their matches ....surely an indication that not enough beer was drunk.
Click on the above picture for tour photos.
2007 Vice Captains Game
Another good 'social' game between the vice captains on Sat Sept 1st with two equally balanced teams (!) fighting another close game.... on this occasion the' Reds', led by Luke Jackson, exacting revenge, for last years defeat, against Steve Hyde's 'Pinks.' In the event 229 defeated 213 though it has to be said that the 'Reds' had 5 more overs batting time.
Unfortunately the pitch groundsman forget to tell the outfield cutter that we were playing on Saturday, not Sunday, so the outfield was very very slow, scores would have been greater otherwise.
The first Andy Geach 'Champagne Moment' went to Pete Bowden for his somewhat balletic, and unusually hurried, catch to dismiss...........sorry I can't remember, but one of several good catches on the day which were a welcome sight after the last few games fielding endeavours !
Gareth & Emma, with the help of Mary's chips, provided a warming lunch of Chips,beans,sausages,rolls and a cuppa 'Rosy Lee' whilst some provided generous quantities of ale and tinnies of lager (ugh !) for those with nackered taste buds.
The evening dinner was, as usual, a cracker, with Mary providing a host of mouthwatering dishes, and some of us actually got to 1:30am before finally departing, being roundly entertained for the last couple of hours by a rampant Stuart Tristram whose main subject matter seemed to concern the sexual deviations of a certain chef - was it Gordon Ramsbottom ? or maybe a similar name ?
Anyway another great day in the Vagabonds CC history, with social endeavor,perhaps,with a couple of exceptions, featuring above cricketing skills ...but that would be what this day is largely about.
Baz
Unfortunately the pitch groundsman forget to tell the outfield cutter that we were playing on Saturday, not Sunday, so the outfield was very very slow, scores would have been greater otherwise.
The first Andy Geach 'Champagne Moment' went to Pete Bowden for his somewhat balletic, and unusually hurried, catch to dismiss...........sorry I can't remember, but one of several good catches on the day which were a welcome sight after the last few games fielding endeavours !
Gareth & Emma, with the help of Mary's chips, provided a warming lunch of Chips,beans,sausages,rolls and a cuppa 'Rosy Lee' whilst some provided generous quantities of ale and tinnies of lager (ugh !) for those with nackered taste buds.
The evening dinner was, as usual, a cracker, with Mary providing a host of mouthwatering dishes, and some of us actually got to 1:30am before finally departing, being roundly entertained for the last couple of hours by a rampant Stuart Tristram whose main subject matter seemed to concern the sexual deviations of a certain chef - was it Gordon Ramsbottom ? or maybe a similar name ?
Anyway another great day in the Vagabonds CC history, with social endeavor,perhaps,with a couple of exceptions, featuring above cricketing skills ...but that would be what this day is largely about.
Baz
Sad News
We are very sad to announce the death of Geachy after a battle with the neuroendrocine cancer which he eventually succumbed to. An obituary to this most wonderful of Vagabonds will follow.
Please give generously to the charity which he took a great part in
Net Patient Foundation Just Giving Page
http://www.netpatientfoundation.com
Barrie's 70th
!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAZZA !!!
19th December 2006
Congratulations on reaching 70 not out !
Not bad for someone who has had a lifetime of debauchery
...must be the good influence of your lovely wife Sally
Letter from Neville
Then ...
G'day from afar Barrie,
Long time no e-speak and timely I guess with the Ashes returning
down-under. Simply outclassed and outplayed is all you can say really.
Pride will dictate if it's to be 5 zip but England are better than that.
So what's news with you? Hope the family are all well, not to mention
your good self too of course. Are you still heading off to Cyprus or
wherever it is for a few months during the year? I don't recall hearing
much about the Vags season this past year but hopefully it was another
successful one. I was down in Queenstown in November on the annual NZ
Corkscrews Golf Club tour and caught up with Gavin again. He's married
(to Nat a lovely English lass) with a baby Ben these days. One of the
new Corkscrews members that I hadn't met before is Michael Allan and we
got chatting over a few coldies and he actually played for Follies Farm
Old Spots for a number of years. He thinks I might have played against
him in the very first fixture we had there. Amazingly small world isn't
it sometimes.
Life here is good - just moved house again last weekend for the 5th time
in 5 years!! Madness but there is a grand plan at the end of it all, I
think! Karen and Blake are both well - he's off to school next year
which is quite unbelievable really. A couple of pics attached with him
and his Daniel Carter hairstyle!
I won't mention the AB's and the 2007 World Cup but there does seem to
be some very good momentum there, unlike some other teams we could
mention!
Anyway, drop me a line when you get a chance.
Merry Xmas to you and yours Barrie and I'll try and give you a call soon
for a proper catch up. Same numbers of old?
Cheers,
Neville Bamford
...and now
Letter from Caroline Flynn
I've just come back from South Africa where I was spending time with my
father. As a result I'm very behind with my Christmas cards this year ! Forgive
my not writing to you individually !
Johnny,Lillie, and I are all well and busy.
Johnny is doing a production of Tweth Night and The Taming of the Shrew at
The Old Vic and then touring…….Lillie has two more terms at drama school &
I'm still doing B & B and pottery when time allows.
We have 18 members of the Flynn family gathering for Christmas this year so
a busy week ahead !
We wish you a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and joyful 2007
Caroline Flynn.