Success relies on consistency, application and desire with a team spirit that promotes trust in each other, ahead of any individual performances. However our squad of players have it all, and as such thoroughly deserve the accolade of being crowned Champions for 2014.

We have had some great results this season and some games have been very close. But throughout the season there has been a quiet resilience and determination to bring home the wins for each other one game at a time. I am so proud of all the players in the squad who all played their part, but there have been a few guys who I would like to just mention:

Firstly, Reedy…..he has led the attack and set the standard and always been a handful for the opposition openers. He swings it both ways and bowled countless jaffer’s which went without reward. There have been times when I have stood at 1st slip and thought to myself, thank God I play for Stortford and don’t have to face him during the year!

Reedy was supported by Ollie, bowling his quick left arm seam, swinging it late and hitting the stumps and pads with ease, as well as giving out your fair share of bruises to the body. He often cleaned up the tail and ran in hard every time I threw him the ball.

Then there is Thomo, if there was anyone I would pick to bowl straight to save my life, it would be him. Whether he opens up, bowls in the middle, or came on for a second spell, I knew I could rely on him to bowl in the right areas. His enthusiasm, consistency and humor has been a big part of our success.

In the early part of the season, we saw other bowlers show their class. Dodders, Wacker and Deano demonstrated that age was no boundary, (well to be fair apart from when they showed it was!) and made a huge contribution to our seam attack with excellent economy rates, frustrating the opposition and taking valuable wickets in the middle order. As a Captain you are always looking around the field for who you think is up for a challenge at key points in the game, and these three were never far from my thoughts.

Then there were the spin twins, in Donner’s and Palms who turned it sideways and offered something very different. Both of them contributed to us bowling out sides on flat wickets when there was nothing left in the pitch for our seamers. They bowled aggressively and to a plan and this drew out big shots and big wickets. No pic of Donner’s unfortunately as he shot off to Australia, but I guess nobody’s that worried about seeing his ugly mug!! Just kidding! :0)

I must also mention the youngest regular member of our side….Austin. He has been an absolute pleasure to have in the side, doing everything a young player should do. He has grown in confidence and this has shown in his performance all year. He will continue to progress next year, that I have no doubt, and has been a delight to have in the side, always happy to copy up the scorebook, or help in anyway he can. It’s attitude like this, which makes him a very popular player and someone who I am sure will go on and be a big part of the first team in years to come.

There are a number of younger players who are showing great promise at the Club this year and I will be keen to try and give some of these players an opportunity to progress next season in the team and will be looking at their performances very closely. We are now in division 3B following our promotion and this step up in quality will be an exciting challenge for the side, one which will require us all to up our game to successfully compete once again.

In terms of overall performance, our bowlers were the key to our success in 2014. The stats show that we took 164 out of a possible 170 wickets, bowling out 14 of 17 teams. This is a record I suspect which few will have achieved if any, and tells you all you need to know about consistency, having a plan and seeing it through to the end. Only Rickmansworth passed 200 runs against our bowlers (212-9 with their overseas player scoring 138 of those!) followed by Datchworth and Langleybury scoring 174 a piece.

Turning to our batting, well we were lucky enough to have Si McConnell for a good part of the season to open up and take it to the opposition bowlers. His application and consistency set the tone at the top of the order. But that doesn’t really tell the whole story. He is a man for motivating the dressing room, on the field of play and as a captain in my absence for a couple of weeks. He is a born leader with his own style and someone I respect entirely. He was a big influence on our team and never stopped giving and talking out the opposition! He is now off to Hong Kong with work and I'm sure the players will join me in wishing him well for the future.

Somehow I just managed to lead the runs tally this year which meant that all 4 captains of the Club were the leading run scorers in their respective sides for the season! My congratulation to Eddie Ballard, Harry Barrett and Fred Hussain for their achievements and leading their teams by example.

Confidence and team morale is key in any dressing room and another person I want to just mention is Stew Smith. Stew, by his own standards did not have the best season individually, but here’s the thing, it’s your contribution to the team effort which can be just as important in keeping spirits high by making people laugh and always being there to encourage others in the field, that makes a team function successfully. His reliable banter and story’s, on and off the field have kept the team smiling and this contribution can not be under estimated. Even though the pretty boy looks like a convict in his photo!!

When you need to call on experience and keep a cool head when times are getting a bit tough, there is no doubt that two players stand out with the bat in the middle order. Wacker and Deano. Are two guys who have been there and done it all, many times over, and in any successful team you need match winners who can steady the ship and get you over the line, it’s that simple. These two have both proved this year that there is no substitute for class. Contributing with both bat and ball, they have proved that their desire and commitment to the team is as strong as ever.

One guy though, had the highest individual score this season, that was Palms, scoring 97 in emphatic style. I was not fortunate enough to see it, but Deano was kind enough to give me almost ball by ball text coverage when I was sat on a sun bed in Portugal. I can’t tell you how pleased I was for him, reading how he was shaming 6’s to all parts of the ground, and feeling so gutted he didn’t get to three figures. Palms embraced the 2’s and having dropped down from the first team, after lacking in a bit of self belief, found his form quickly and showed the player he really is. He returned to the first team by the end of the season and showed the 2’s total respect and commitment whilst he was with us. For that, I have the upmost admiration for him and an example of a real Club man.

There were numerous moment of fantastic fielding and great catches this year which stick out in my mind. Wacker took a couple of good ones, so did Donner’s but there were two catches which stood out for me for different reasons. Dave Hardcastle took an amazing catch, diving one handed at second slip in the first over of the game against Stevenage, which was a joy to witness and you would do well to see a better catch at this level, let alone from someone of Dave’s…..…experience! But for me, my catch of the season was by Tom Makin in the last game at Langleybury. Standing at cover, he dived forward to take a catch an inch off the ground from a full blooded drive off a full toss. It’s one of those that can either break your fingers or you risk losing a few teeth. This catch meant a lot to us as a team as it started the collapse which lead to us gaining the points we needed to win the league. It had special significance to Tom as it followed a simple drop catch at the death against Rickmansworth, which ultimately lost us the game and unfortunately Tom took it very hard. I know for those of us who played in that game, it meant a lot to see him redeem himself in such style when it mattered.

During the season there have been 6 keepers in the 2’s. Cleavo, Vipes, Jukey, Donners, myself and Tommy B. Unfortunately, keeping wicket seems like a dangerous past time with one ageing part time keeper slipping a disc or two and another slightly younger one kept his eye on the bails at little bit too much! I am pleased to say that both seem to be recovering well! Although one has needed slightly more morphine than the other to remain standing and for one, it does not seem to have effected his good looks….but enough about me!

Speaking of injuries, we have had our fair share this year to cope with, Dodders did his hammy, Deano turned his ankle standing on the ball, Donner’s head butted a bouncer (in an unsanctioned game!) I slipped a disc or two, Reedy did his back and his ankle, Stew Smith crushed his fingers so I wouldn’t have to pick him, Thomo had to have surgery and as I said Tommy B almost lost an eye to a flying bail!

Somehow though, we made it to the end of the season with our fantastic squad of players who were always ready to play their part when the call came. I was very grateful to those players who gave their all, whether they came to us from the 1st team or the 3rd’s, and I look forward to building on this important aspect next year and making everyone who plays in the side feel welcome and involved.

Finally, my thanks goes to Peter Smith for umpiring for most of the season and to Peter Cluderay and Graeme Sumner for stepping in and unselfishly giving up a game of cricket for the benefit of the side. It has been really appreciated by the whole team and is an example of their commitment to the Club. A huge thanks to you guys.

On a personal level, the support I have received has been truly amazing and humbling. Being able to turn to your team mates for advice, and them give it to you so freely and unconditionally makes such a difference and has been a very significant aspect in winning the league. I was immensely proud to go and pick up the trophy at Saracens with a few of the guys and bringing back a cheque for £500 for the Club for our efforts, was a nice surprise!

To sum up, occasionally, and I mean occasionally, at whatever level you play, you might be lucky enough to be part of a team who are united, who gel and play hard, yet fairly, and laugh unconditionally. Together, we created a winning mentality, not through over-confidence or arrogance, but through genuine desire, trust and support we gave each other. That is what this team has been all about this year, you have been the 'Dream Team’, in every respect, and I have had the absolute privilege of being your captain. Thanks guys so much, it’s been an experience I will never forget.

Here’s to 2015!….who knows what we will achieve together! Let’s bring in on and find out!

Stuart Felstead
2nd XI Captain