The hall of fame is to honour those players who over the years have given great service to the club.

Steve Keen    Dave Hurrell   Carl Osborne   John Wills    Andy Hilyar  

Pete Bennet   Andy Lee    Jack Walton

 

 
Steve Keen

No one in recent times has had such a long and illustrious impact (particularly off the field) on Sway Cricket Club as Stephen Geoffrey Keen, with the creation of the Colts Section surely the highlight of his many contributions.   

It was at the start of the 1990's when a "young" Steve Keen was turning out in friendlies for the Hare and Hounds cricket team based at Pitmore Lane, that the notion of reforming Sway Cricket Club was first mooted. This not only puts this diminutive wicket keeper- batsman! right in at the beginning of this new venture which became a reality in 1992; but also makes him the most senior current member of the club.

Taking the first era 92-98 he was the regular wicket keeper and, batting in the style of Mike Steadman chipped in with some runs as well making a highest score of 62. In 1997 he took over from Pete Lawrence as friendly captain. He has always been a useful fielder and when Ray Gunn (now at Burley) joined in 1995 he switched to the outfield once taking 4 catches in one game (a club record share with the  Editor!)

Steve along with Rob Cooksey had the idea of starting a Colts side at Sway, and this became reality with the first matches taking place in 1998. This proved very successful with plenty of players coming through the system. With some of the parents showing an interest in playing cricket as well; in 1992 Steve helped set up a new adults team starting in 2000 with himself as Captain and also Secretary. Once again his versatility as a fielder saw him in that role as Russell Wade mostly kept wicket until he headed off to university.  His captaincy role continued for 6 seasons before John Wills took over in 2006, with Steve assisting as wicket keeper. Meanwhile he had pressed for a 2nd team which was formed in 2004 and he was also instrumental in the 3rd team being formed in 2008, which he captained to victory in their first game before rupturing an achilles tendon in a cup match. He still organised the team, however, alongside Andy Hillyar and became a competent scorer as well as later in the season doing some umpiring.

In 2012 Steve is likely to play a key role as wicketkeeper for the 2nd XI bringing his invaluable experience as well as gloves skills to the side. His playing record from 1996 to present sees a total of  259 appearances with a slightly misleading batting average of 9.78, 108 catches and 16 stumpings with remarkably 5 wickets taken with his dodgy leg breaks.   
Dave Hurrell

There is no consensus amongst archaeologists as to precisely when Dave made his debut for the club but he can recall the quality of teas still being affected by rationing. At as the start of the 2012 season, this  powerful right handed opening batsman has made a total of 305 appearances for the club scoring over 3,797 runs at a respectable average of 16.09. He is best known for his "hoik" - a powerful drive cum slog between mid-wicket and mid-on. He is also known for bowling some of the highest "moonballs" in club cricket - no doubt taking many batsmen by surprise to the extent that is bowling average is just 15.41. Dave is also an excellent fielder with a whopping 102 catches to his name  - aided by a particularly large pair of "bucket hands". Perhaps now a yard or two slower than before, it is hoped Dave will grace Jubilee Fields for many years to come. To this day, Dave still shares the records for the top 2 partnerships in the club's history. Hurrell acted as friendly captain for 6 years before retiring from the role at the end of 2009, however, he is still active in all areas of the club on and off the pitch and is currently club treasurer. In 2011 he was a key member of the 3rd XI promotion winning side and will no doubt feature for them again in 2012.
Carl Osborne

A more single-minded player you are unlikely to meet, Carl was a founder member of the reformed club. Despite coming to the game only in his 30s, Carl was a natural and genuinely quick bowler, with an easy action that was pleasant to the eye. Despite not playing regularly since 2006, Carl has still bowled more overs and taken more wickets than anyone else in the clubs history - 271 wickets at an average of just 11.05. He still holds the top 6 out of the top 7 bowling performances for the club  - his best being 7 wickets for just 8 runs in 1997. A fine fielder also, every season brings fresh hope that Carl can be coaxed out of retirement.

  Osborne Grasham Walton
Overs 1,099.5 955.3 904.5
Maidens 269 217 134
Runs 2,831 2,592 3,165
Wickets 258 224 187
Average 10.97 11.57 16.93
Strike Rate 25.57 25.59 29.02
Economy 2.57 2.71 3.50
John Wills

A legend in his own lunchtime, Willsy represented an early introduction of class into the Club at a time when standards were at best moderate. John made his debut for the Club way back in 2004 when he turned out for the seconds against Bransgore II. He must have wondered what he was getting himself into as the club tumbled to one of the heaviest defeats in its history. Bransgore racked up 267-4 before skittling Sway out for just 47 with not a single Sway batsman making double figures. There were signs of promise to come however as Willsy's bowling figures were the most economical by a long stretch. John's experience, ability and empathy with the youngsters soon made him a key person in the Club and he skippered the 1st XI in 2005 & 2006 - a key period in which today's stars such as Grasham, Walton and Hall were establishing themselves. Willsy led by example during his 1st team career, taking 79 1st team wickets between 2005 and 2008. The highlight was coming second in the divisional bowling averages in Marshall's promotion winning side of 2007 - taking 25 wickets at an impressive 9.58 average. Willsy is the kind of bowler that every skipper would want - bowls with his head not his heart with guille and cunning and as tight as a knat's chuff! Not to be underestimated with the bat either, Willsy has made many an important knock for the club, his top score being 60 smashed in a 20/20 game v Mudeford back in 2005. John is his own biggest critic and his belief that he was not able to bowl as well as in previous years lay behind his original intention to retire at the end of 2010. Perhaps however the greatest tribute to John, however, is that no pre-season net in April would be complete with rumours about whether the great man can be tempted out of retirement for one more bash! Willsy 2013 - don't bet against it!
Andy Hillyar

Almost every member of the Club today will not remember a time when Andy was not a key member of the Club. Andy in fact debuted back in 1998 and was one of the original "Pitmore **** Shovellers" that kept the Club going in it's darkest days. As debut's went, it was not the greatest. Against touring side Egham Rose, he started with the bat as he meant to go on - with a duck....then was not called into action to bowl! By the new millennium however Hillyar was soon a key member of the first team, taking 21 wickets in 2000. In the intervening years, Andy has racked up 200 wickets of which 79 were for the 1st XI, 26 2nd, 35 3rd and 27 for the 4th. Whilst Andy is infamous for his unfeasibly low batting averages (the lowlight being 0.44 in 2000), he is most definitely not to be underestimated as a bowler. Many a cocky youngster has had to return to the pavilion after been done over by Hillyar's clever use of flight and pace change. Andy must also take a great deal of credit for being one the instigators of Sway's 4th team which is very much regarded as the Club's academy for the future, with Andy skippering the side for its first two seasons. Despite his notoriously bad diet, love of nicotine and Ringwood Best; Andy appears almost ageless and it as fit as a butcher's dog. Still playing competitive football late into his 40's for the great side that was Forest Heath FC, and despite having now packed away his football boots , it is expected that Andy will be turning out for Sway CC for decades to come!

Pete Bennet

Despite being a relative newcomer to the Club, only joining in 2006 no one has contributed more to Sway CC in every sense of the word. As a player Pete has made over 200 appearances and scored over 2,000 runs. Unlike the norm, Pete is getting better as he gets older and was the top run scorer for the Club in 2013 with a mammoth 733 runs - lord knows how many runs he would have amassed if his legs worked better! Behind the stumps Pete has taken 112 catches and 45 stumpings. Still on the pitch Pete skippered the 2nd XI to back-to-back promotions in 2011 and 2010. In 2012 and 2013 Pete skippered the friendly side, an eclectic mixture of young and old and became famous forest-wide for his mouth watering strawberry meringues and unsurpassable coronation chicken sarnies! In 2013 Pete was also vice-captain of the 4th XI in their best season to date. Off the pitch Pete has been even more vital to the Club. He has run the U17s, umpired, operated BBQs, driven kids to games, sat on the Committee and the without generosity of his company Groveley Precision Engineering, the Club would not have most of the equipment and facilities it has been able to purchase in recent years. Finally, Pete has been a first class example and role model to a whole generation of Sway youngsters in terms of behaviour on and off the pitch, sportsmanship and lastly but not least on how to handle your ale!
Andy Lee

In the 13 seasons that Andy has been with the Club, he has probably spent more time at the crease than any other player......ok not actually with bat in hand but in his capacity as goundsman who without this work no cricket would be possible. Andy has gradually transformed the Jubilee Field field square into the excellent facility it is now overseeing several major projects including the rotating and the re-laying of the pitch. Under Andy's careful guidance, the new square will continue to improve over the next few seasons and should reach Southern League standard. Clad in shorts 365 days of the year and out in all weathers, Andy seems often to resemble Willie Nelson on a miserable British caravanning holiday - but of course a certain eccentricity is part of the job description of every groundsman - feared, loved and respected at the same time by generations of Sway colts! Andy made his Sway debut way back in 2001 and is one of the Club's most capped players, making 235 appearances to date. He has scored 1,300 runs and taken 97 wickets at a respectable average of 25. Andy has helped nurture the Sway careers of many of Sway's current stars - players like Jon Grasham, Terry Steadman and Jack Walton all cut their teeth during Andy's time in the mid 2000s as second team captain. Andy has retained his connection with the colts and in 2013 greatly assisted with the running of Sway's youngest team, the U9s.

Jack Walton

Like so many of today's Sway stars Jack started in our colts.....the difference being he was a star of our very first colts team way back in the year 2000!

Making his Sway debut on 28th April 2002 in a friendly at Milford on Sea. Jack was the most economical bowler that day, setting the tone for his Sway career and picked up two wickets. Jack's Hampshire League debut aged 13 followed a few weeks later on the 18th May as v Ellingham III at Picket Post. A "not out" with the bat and tidy bowling figures again were a sign of things to come.

By 2004, Sway now fielded two league sides and Jack became a regular in an up and coming 1st XI that by the end of the season featured other youngsters - John Grasham, Terry Steadman and Alex Hall that would soon begin to propel Sway rapidly up through the leagues. Perhaps, unwittingly, Jack's miserly economy and Jimmy Anderson-esque  bowling action  meant that he became a skippers first choice go to pace bowler and this perhaps sowed the seeds for injury problems down the line.

 In 2007 the Walton/Grasham pairing took a whopping 53 wickets for the 1st XI and then an incredible 73 wickets in 2008

It was in 2008, however, that Jack first started to feel some discomfort in his back - mis-diagnosed as a "slight hamstring niggle"  By the end of the 2008 season,  Jack was getting through games only with the help of cans  of Red Bull and lots of painkillers.

Many fine bowling performances followed but on an artificial strip at Bashley in 2010, Jack produced arguably the finest ever bowling performance for Sway - a spell of pace, swing and accuracy - 10 overs, 8 maidens, 3 wickets for just 3 runs.

A broken leg in 2010 cut short his season and that winter he got a proper diagnosis - a prolapsed and ruptured disc in his lower back. The disc had split open causing a large amount of fluid to spill out and consequently agonisingly strangle his sciatic nerve running down the whole of his right leg.

After his operation, Jack faced a lengthy lay up from cricket, missing the entire 2011 season, but returning in 2012 primarily as a batsman, but also bowling a very tidy bit of spin.

Wit the bat Jack is Sway's answer to David Gower - graceful effortless run accumulation & stroke play.  Despite racking up over 3,000 runs for the Club, a century eluded Walton but this wait was finally over in one of the most important innings for the Club by any Sway player.

For the final game of the 2017 season, Jack along with two other 1st teamers, dropped down to the seconds to try and get a relegation-avoiding win against a strong Pylewell Park. Like a BMW eight-speed automatic gearbox, Jack went seamlessly through the gears, recording an unbeaten 141 runs helped the Club to the win they desperately needed.

By the end of the 2019 season, Jack's  stats for Sway stood as follows:

Batting

Appearances Inns No Runs Average
225 190 50 3,737 26.69

Bowling

Overs Mdns Runs Wkt Econ Av
1,530 212 5,433 327 3.55 16.61

Catches - 56