Chairman’s Blog
There can be no summer in this land without cricket – Neville Cardus
2020 will forever be the season of Covid-19, a virus, possibly originating from a Chinese bat, that turned the world upside down. No cricket was played in a glorious English April and May, or in a very slightly damper June. The season finally came to life in...
Guy Yerburgh, 2nd Baron Alvingham
Guy Yerburgh, Lord Alvingham passed away on 29th March at the age of 93, the oldest surviving Straggler. He had been encouraged by Wyndham Fletcher to play Straggler cricket, while serving at the Small Arms School in Hythe shortly after the founding of the Club. In...
The ethics of walking in cricket: from Socrates to Nietzsche
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/the-nightwatchman/2019/dec/04/ethics-walking-cricket-socrates-nietzsche-aristotle-plato-kant To walk or not to walk, that is the question. What would Aristotle, Plato and Kant have done had they felt a nick? By Anthony McGowan for The...
Straggler awards presentation at the 2020 virtual Pre-season Drinks Party
My old school had a tradition of some wonderful school songs, one of which was entitled “Giants” - you can relax, I am not going to burst into song. The thesis of the song was that the giants of yesteryear were more capable, more athletic and in many other ways...
RG Nadkarni, Patch Clews and keeping it tight
Stragglers of advancing years may recall an Indian slow bowler from the 1960s - one RG “Bayu” Nadkarni. His obituary published earlier in the year included an unusual record, and one which has strange similarities with that well-known Straggler coach and spiritual...
2019 Season of Records
2019 proved to be a season of remarkable Straggler performances – 14 victories equalled the previous best in 1952; 12 centuries scored by Stragglers, the most in a season eclipsing 8 scored in 2017 (and the highest score by an opposing batter all season a modest 90*);...