Maldon Cricket Club

Words by Ross Walpole.

– 2023 Division 2 Champions 

– Oldn’s Warm up football champions

– Coker beats Frogbox in a last game thriller at Drapers

After a tricky 2022 campaign it could have been easy for us to slip back into Division 2 and stay here for a couple of years, the team who finished above us last year ended up finishing 5th, showing that the league had plenty to compete for. In order toachieve the goal of winning the league we knew that we had to do it together and continue that love for the game and the club. Being able to welcome Chris back to the club, whilst also bringing Connah over from New Zealand were huge bonuses. I’d also like to thank Badger for his 3 years as captain, leading the club through a COVID affected year in his first season, and then having to handle a tough season of availability in 2022. Throughout all 3 years, regardless of the situation he managed to keep our spirits as high as possible and kept us together as a team, thank you Toby. 

I will attempt to cover as much as possible here without saying too many words (which is going to be  tough for me..)

Game 1, ball 1, full toss to our Vice Captain and 2022 batsman of the year, Max. Max decides that this is the perfect opportunity to see how many people in the dressing room he can give heart attacks too by almost middling it down fine legs throat. Luckilyhe survived and got our season up and running. Jamie Brown was to be the star of the innings at Bury St Edmunds, putting behind him an unfortunate run up (which I’m sure Connah will not let him forget..) he played a mature knock which anchored the innings and well and truly announced himself into the season. With the ball, Badger started the season as he intended to continue it, creating reliability and a perfect balance to our bowling attack. 2 hatrick ball opportunities and 1 completed, finishing with figures of 6-32 and playing a key role in getting us our first 20 points of the season. 

Games 2 & 3, couldn’t have seen a bigger mix. Game 2 vs a competent and newly promoted Woolpit side saw us play on a tricky surface. Connah took his first Maldon wicket and ended with figures of 4-44 on a pitch which was slow and didn’t necessarily suit him. It’s not often that an overseas player can come in and settle as quickly as he managed and this game is proof of that. With the bat, Max provided a hard fought 65 not out on one of the toughest pitches of the season, a knock full of class. Fast Forward to game 3- Bucharest / Little Bardfieldaway. After 2 games of not being captain, Badger stepped back up to the plate, but this time captaining a side which saw 6 regulars missing due to them watching a Jimmy Ainscough concert in Bucharest’s finest karaoke establishment, whilst Chris realised that he never wanted to hear the words ‘shoey’ ever again. Momentum at this stage of the season was massive and for a much changed side to walk away with a win goes to show the depth that we possess as a club, a massive thank you to Badger for leading this side and for all of the lads who played this one. 

Game 4..Welcome back Chris Harris, fresh off of the back of Bucharest away, we welcomed Haverhill to Drapers on a rain affected day. A 25 over game which saw Chris (128*), Max (49) and Jimmy (44*) make a truly astonishing 233 runs in 150 balls, an innings where we hit a boundary on average every 4 balls. A rushed through bowling effort saw us win this shortened game by 124 runs. 4 games played, 4 games won, top of the league and the statement had been made. 

The next 3 games are arguably the games which set us apart from the rest of the league, playing Kesgrave (who came down with us in 2022), Witham (who finished runners up), and Dunmow (who lost out on the last day to Witham in the fight for promotion). These were the weeks that saw each individual of the squad step up with everyone playing their part. Chris goes back to back, Jimmy & Coppen put on a 4th wicket partnership of 75 runs in 47 balls, and Connah knocks half the Witham team out then bowls them next ball finishing with 3-40. Kesgrave beat us twice in 2022, so we knew we had a fight on our hands, Martyn walked away with 4-16 in 6 overs with the ball, whilst everyone chipped in with the bat in order to get us over the line, notably Jimmy, Wildo, Granty and Connah. 6 from 6 and we went against Dunmow, Elmo (64* off 58) and Connah (25 off 12) got us to a competitive score of 270. Eventhough Elmo has only been able to play half the games over the last couple of seasons he has stepped up on numerous occasions and has often been a great support for myself and Max, it has been brilliant to see him achieve a debut for Essex over 50’s and show them that he is the best in their side, top work mate. In the field against Dunmow we knew we needed a quick start and what better way to do it than Fin taking a diving catch close to the bat in the first over. The game went down to the last over with Elmo and Coker partnering perfectly to get us over the line. 7 games down, 7 wins, every player contributing  and what we had perceived as our hardest games at the start of the season, all completed. 

Game 8 was no time for us to stop breaking records as we became the first Maldon 1st XI to bowl a side out with an all seam attack in 20 years. With the bat Jimmy and Max put on 125 together and both flew past 50, Jimmy hitting 12 boundaries in his 85 off 73 balls. Beating an opposition by 234 runs was a true measure of how we were performing as a side. Max and Chris shared the game at Elmstead, one taking 6-40 whilst the other scored 82* and carried his bat through yet another Vice Captains knock. Coppen, came to show that his chest day 4 times a week was paying off as he scored 40* at better than a run a ball. 

When we’ve beaten teams by over 200 runs, bowled sides out for 70, gone unbeaten for 9 games, got 4 players in the top 10 batting and 4 players in the top 10 bowling of the league, you wonder how any of that can be topped. 25 4s, 16 6’s, 155 balls and 263 unbeaten runs later, Chris Harris set the Maldon and the divisions highest ever individual score record. I never thought I would witness anyone break the clubs highest score, and I certainly didn’t think I would see it in a 1st XI match. To put this into perspective, if this was a team score, excluding our scores, this would’ve been the 15th highest team total of the Division 2 season.This innings saw us finish on 390-2, leaving Jim Gregory & Badger to take 3 each and wrap up the game. 

Beaten 2 teams by over 200 runs in consecutive weeks, bowled sides out for 70, unbeaten in 10 games, 4 batters in the top 10, 4 bowlers in the top 10, fielder number 1 in the league, highest ever individual total, 2nd highest ever team score, you’d think there was nothing more to complete…Chris decided to go back to back double hundreds, only this time he done it at a strike rate of 200+, hit 21 6’s and 15 4’s, whilst also hitting 6 6’s in an over. We finished up 418-3, breaking the record for the highest team total by a Maldon side. If that wasn’t enough, Badger then took our best figures of the season with 7-67.

To the 4 people who are still reading this, don’t worry there was a lot of rain in the 2nd half of the season, so this report gets a lot shorter. 

The second half of the season saw rain offs, a team conceding against us, one of the longest bouts of cramp Drapers has ever seen and the Dons winning the league. 

We knew coming into the season that it wasn’t always going to be an easy ride and that we would be challenged in the 2nd round of fixtures especially as the holiday season started to kick in. But that wasn’t to be against Bury at home; after Matthew Anderson’s retirement had lasted all of 10 games it was great to have him back playing on the occasion in a Maldon shirt. At home to Bury he was unlucky not to get a 100, finishing the innings on a superb 99*. With the ball Matthew Wild and Connah had created a clinical new ball partnership throughout the season, and had showcased the perfect mix of pace and control. The 2 combined against Bury to bowl 15.4 overs, andtake 10 wickets for 46 runs. Wildo finishing with 4-22 and Connah 6-23 respectively. One of the most faultless fielding & bowling displays of the season. 

The challenge came in our next 2 full games, with rain frustrating us in between, we were unable to get over the line against both Witham and Woolpit. Regardless of the results there were still positives to take away with Max going past 50 in consecutive weeks and Elmo scoring an excellent 89 in tough conditions against one of the stronger attacks of the season. 

After a loss and another rain off, we turned up against 2nd in the league Dunmow with a depleted side and Max captaining his first 1st XI game. I watched on from Barcelona, as Connah knocked over Dunmows overseas, Angus took a great catch off Wildo and Badger (3-26)and Coker (4-22) teamed up to bowl 22 overs, 7-48, bowling Dunmow out for 145. In what was a great fielding performance and excellently captained by Max, a huge shout out must go to Mason Foakes who made his 1st XI debut and kept wicket in replacement of the injured Jimmy. Mason has shown a great dedication to training throughout the season and it was great to see him take his 1st, 1st XI catch with a sharp take up to the stumps off Coker. Chasing 145 was never going to be the easiest total but stand-in captain Max batted with a broken foot and top scored with 47 to lead us to victory and leave us needing only a handful of points to seal both promotion and the league title. 

ARISE SIR HARRY GRANT OF NEWHALL. With the league title up for grabs we slipped to 100-5, only for Harry & Elmo to partner together both going past 50 and bringing our total to 244. With us requiring 6 wickets to be promoted and 8 wickets to win the league, promotion was confirmed through the arm of Harry Grant as he ran one of their players out by more than half a pitch. The league title was sealed with Mason yet again taking a sharp catch this time off the bowling of Chris. We win by 51 runs, with all bowlers sharing the wickets around it was a fitting end to us winning the league. 

Over the next few weeks we were able to use the opportunity to give debuts to both Xavier and Josh Lawes. Both who have shown excellent progress in the U19s this season and have promising futures ahead of them, Xavier was also able to pick up 4-40, a more than impressive debut. It has been great to see the Under 19s involved in the side, Fin and Angus have both had injury struggles but have impressed with both ball and bat when their chances arrived. Ollie Hull and Mason Foakes also had opportunities this season and I’m sure there will be plenty more on the horizon with the positive attitudes and talent they both possess. 

Thank you’s…

To be able to captain a side that has 5 ex-1st team captains in it, is really something. So thank you to Badger, Chris, Coker, Jimmy, and Elmo for all of the support you have given me this season, every little bit of effort has helped, be it from Badger making the drinks before a game to Coker giving me regular updates on the required run rate. 

Connah, great first season as our overseas for the season. A well deserved player of the year. You’re hard work on he pitch has been easy to see but you have truly become a Don with the amount you’ve done it off, looking forward to you remaining part of the club for 2024. 

Thank you to Gibbo and Max for keeping me sane and being a top tier support network, congrats to Gibbo also, for ensuring the 2s stayed safe in Division 4. Max I look forward to having you as Vice as we take on Division 1 next year.

There is not a chance that Liv will have bothered to read all this, but on the off chance that she has…thank you for putting up with constant cricket phone calls and non-stop cricket chat every day of the week, looking forward to another year of no summer holidays – Dons Till Death! Also thank you to the Carpenters Arms for countless lock ins and our new found fan – John Walpole. Rumour has it Copford will charge us for having no pebbles left in their car park. 

Finally, thank you Brownie, a good tenure as Chairman, a job that I don’t envy. Thank you for supporting us with everything we have looked to achieve this season.

Up the Dons!

Ross