Tour presentations, Ramblers v Reigate Pilgrims, Richard Jefferson, Mike White, Bill Lander, Gerry Cogger, Ramblers hockey
TOUR PRESENTATIONS
Below are photos of pennants, plaques and trophies received on tours over the years
GIBRALTAR 1992, 1995, 2007
CANADA 1996
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 2002
NETHERLANDS 2013 AND 2019 – BLOEMENDAAL AND SGS
CORFU 2015
ITALY 2017 – SPILAMBERTO AND PIANORO
SARK 2018
HAMPSHIRE WAYFARERS
RAMBLERS v REIGATE PILGRIMS
This fixture is one of the Ramblers oldest, the first match being in 1948, and has continued – albeit with one long interruption ever since. This year (2018) marked the 32nd match.
1948 WON 3 wkts 73-7 72(-8)
1949 WON 110 runs 191-5d 81
1950 LOST 10 runs 74 84 Parker 5-21
1951 WON 2 wkts 70-8 69 Gethen 5-15
1952 WON 175 runs 263-6d 88(-11) L Wood 100*,Porter 8-37
1953 WON 6 wkts 85-4 82 Porter 6-36
1954 DRAW 135-7 172-7d
1955 LOST 129 runs 74 203
1956 LOST 27 runs 185 212-8d
1957 LOST 100 runs 123 223-6d
1958 LOST 44 runs 79 123 Lander 6-41
1959 LOST 5 wkts 232-9d 233-5
1960 WON 3 wkts 237-7 233-8d
1961 LOST 79 runs 100 179-9d Perrin 6-36
1962 CANCELLED (?)
1963 WON 102 runs 132 30 Terry 7-3
1964 DRAW (ab) 83-2 140-8d Cogger 6-53
1965 DRAW 228-7 153-6
1966 WON 79 runs 161 82
1967 –
1968 WON 38 runs 204-6d 166 Barnes 7-58
1969 WON 38 runs 151 113 Barnes 7-57
1970 WON 8 wkts 139-2 138
1971 –
1972 DRAW 160 81-5
1973 WON 16 runs 156 140 Hart 6-40
1974 WON 8 wkts 120-2 118 Terry 6-51
1975-2005 No matches (34 year gap)
2006 DRAW 182-7 218-6d
2007 DRAW 179-7 201-9d
2008 DRAW 163-9d 103-9
2009 CANCELLED
2010 DRAW 255-6d 220-8
2011 CANCELLED
2012 CANCELLED
2013 LOST 6 wkts 151-9d 152-4
2014 WON 110 runs 176-6d 66
2015 WON 52 runs 156(-9) 104
2016 CANCELLED
2017 DRAW 225-7d 121-5
2018 LOST 5 wkts 136 137-5
2019 LOST 2 wkts 114(-9) 115-8
2020 CANCELLED (coronavirus)
2021 ”
2022 CANCELLED
2023 CANCELLED
P 33 W 15 D 9 L 9 C 7
RICHARD JEFFERSON – THE RAMBLINGS OF AN IRREGULAR SYDENHURST RAMBLER
Nearly twenty years (1955-73) playing for the Ramblers is an impressive record, but one brought down to earth when I own up to representing the club in fewer than thirty matches.
In my summer school holidays in the 1950s Brook and the Ramblers were synonymous to me; many players turned out for Brook on Saturdays and the Ramblers on Sundays. I owe so much to the experience of playing matches for the two clubs during August and September, and helping my cricket development enormously. A number of us owe a great deal to Mike Gauntlett for his encouragement and help, and for giving us the opportunity.
I certainly played in one Ramblers side at the County Ground, Southampton against Hampshire Club and Ground – too young to really appreciate such a fixture, but amazing now to think that the Ramblers were there for many years…on merit.
Well remembered are the Saturday night winter evenings in the early to middle to middle 1960s when Sydenhurst Ramblers cricketers would meet up at the current late night hostelry and knock back Remy Martin cognac into the small hours
Finally, to the 11th August 1972 on Mitcham Green, my penultimate match for the Ramblers. The Club batting record was broken (315-5)….in an afternoon game ! The hugely delayed declaration ruined a game of cricket, and was a most un-Ramblers like episode.
November 2001
MIKE WHITE – HOW I JOINED SYDENHURST RAMBLERS
After we had moved in 1969 to Haslemere, I went out early in 1970 to watch some cricket – I had been told that Brook was by far the best venue in the area.
Anne told me not to ‘bang on’ about my own cricket. So I was watching the play, leaning against the hedge behind the trees at the bottom of the ground, when a big six was hit over the trees. Without thanking, I put up my hand and the ball plopped in, without my moving at all.
A loud shout from the middle – ‘Christ, the old bugger’s caught it ! (I learned later it was that great character Mike Bacon)
Soon the impressive figure of ‘Big Mike’ Gauntlett appeared and introduced himself.. He then said ‘the old bugger must be a cricketer – would you like o join our Club ?’
So I had eight years of most enjoyable cricket before we moved to Guernsey in 1978
October 2001
BILL LANDER
Bill Lander was on the Notts staff for two years, playing for Notts II and the Club and Ground. At Trent Bridge he had learned the craft of preparing wickets for three day matches and could not have had a better training ground. I doubt if many local clubs and certainly not schools had a groundsman of his calibre
After leaving Notts, he played as a professional for British Ropes in the Bassetlaw League in the Sheffield area of South Yorkshire, before he took up the appointment of head groundsman/cricket coach at King Edward’s School Witley. He was interviewed for the job by Bill Reynolds, then teaching at the school.
Bill was a steely competitive player, an asset to any club side, bowling slow left arm with the occasional chinaman. His accuracy tied most competent club batsmen down, whilst he frequently ran through the lesser mortals. He normally batted at 7 or lower, but was seldom required to make runs.
The wickets he prepared for King Edwards were superb and it was difficult for a quick bowler to get the ball above stump height. As he used to remark ‘well it’s had the same preparation as the wickets for a county game at Trent Bridge’.
Bill left KES for Sherborne School, whose squares had deteriorated badly and he was not required to undertake any coaching. It is possible at this time that he played Minor Counties cricket for Dorset.
Edited from an original, author and date not known.
GERRY COGGER
Gerry Cogger came to KES Witley from Sussex CCC where he had assayed to be a quick bowler, sacrificing tight line and length for speed. He played 7 matches for the 1st XI, but could not command a regular place during the eight years he was at Hove. He was a fine batsman, making hundreds for Sussex Club and Ground.
By the time he came to KES his bowling had moderated in pace to brisk medium but gained immeasurably in accuracy, cutting the ball and putting it on a sixpence. Good club batsmen found him difficult to score off, for he rarely bowled a loose ball – and there was never any danger if a fielder in his leg trap was told to move up a pace. His batting – the carrying through of the bat and the studied execution of a shot, was a model for boys, particularly his cover driving. In the field he was like a piece of elastic, again a model for the way he swooped on the ball and in the same movement delivered it in to the keeper’s gloves. He was of course a nimble runner between the wickets and his footwork when batting indicated the coordination of a real ball-player – he had after all played a number of games for Sussex AFC, gaining county caps, playing for such clubs such as Arundel FC in the Sussex League.
Gerry went on from KES to play for APV at Crawley, where he was also groundsman, and latterly played for Sussex over 50s XI. Gerry passed away in 2019. BD
Edited from an original, author and date not known
SYDENHURST RAMBLERS HOCKEY 1962/3 – 1994/5 by Chris Terry
It would be a very great shame if a period of Ramblers history, spanning nearly 30 years and over many matches, were to pass into oblivion without permanent record.
Long periods of Ramblers cricketing history are well documented but not so its winter activities. At various times, Sydenhurst have played soccer, golf and hockey. Irregular soccer matches were played in the 1960s on an axis between Crawley and Gurdons (King Edward’s School Witley). Brook/Ramblers golf was regularly played at the West Surrey Golf Club. In 1962, it was decided to organise regular winter exercise at cricketing venues, in the form of Sunday men’s hockey. Hockey, like cricket, requires good timing and good footwork and seemed an ideal way of keeping the club fit and social in the winter.
In 1962, money was tight. Most people earned around £10 per week. One could buy 16 litres of petrol for just under £1 and cigarettes were 22p for 20 (4/6d). So, things had to be done the hard way. Each Rambler surrendered a white cricket shirt, which was dyed bottle green, in a cauldron, in Gerry Cogger’s garden. Ramblers’ roses and silver tankards were cut out of curtain material and hand sewn on to the shirts
The first match ever was arranged against Cranleigh CC at Cranleigh, courtesy of Bob Atwell, a Cranleigh pharmacist and CCC secretary. Bob was trying to do exactly the same as the Ramblers planned to do and was equally successful. The Ramblers first ever side contained two ex Welsh internationals – Bill Reynolds, Sunday captain of Brook CC and Stanley Morgan, a Guildford solicitor. The side also included two people who had never played hockey in their lives – namely, Gerry Cogger (inside left) and Roy Hardy (right wing). Hardy scored the Ramblers’ first ever goal and Sydenhurst duly won their first match.
(Here’s a flavour; results from the 1979/80 season :
14th October v Cranleigh LOST 1-3
28th October v Middleton LOST 3-5 2nd December v Charterhouse WON 4-0
9th December v Horsley LOST 0-2
30th December v Cheam DRAW 1-1
27th January v Horsham LOST 1-3
10th February v Charterhouse DRAW 0-0
17th February v Cranleigh LOST 2-3
9th March v Hawks DRAW 2-2
30th March v Infantry LOST 2-3
BD)
NETHERLANDS 2013 AND 2019 – BLOEMENDAAL AND SGS
HAMPSHIRE WAYFARERS