And so another decade is drawing to a close. And what a decade for the club! It seems more like a century ago that we dragged together ten players for the first game back in the league after a season without an adults’ team (and the following week we could only muster nine). Crucially, 2000 was our second year with an under 11 side (one of whom would even feature in that year’s adult side) but even so, who would have thought that ten years on we would be fielding a fourth team!

As one of only two players who remain from that year’s adult side (although I’m sure Terry S, the junior who helped out that year, will once again mislead us into thinking he will return from B*shley next summer!) I thought it would be interesting to put together my “Team of the Decade”. Hopefully Dave Hurrell will also take up the challenge.

Many of my team were easy picks, but there were many players who I left out reluctantly, but this was a team picked on performances, not sentimentality, and as a consequence stalwarts such as Steve Hannibal, Andy Lee, Mike Steadman and Andy Hillyar, all of who would be first picks in any Sunday side, didn’t quite make it.

Also I was determined only to pick players who turned out regularly over the course of a few seasons, so prima donnas such as Lux Gunasekera and Mark Grosvenor would not even be considered. Nilantha Attapattu will no doubt make it into the pick for the next ten years.

And so here goes, with me breaking one of my own rules for selection with the first player picked:

1        JIM LOWE:  Big Jim only played for us for one year, but as it was the first year (which we would never have survived without his immense presence both on and off the field) he gets the nod as the first opener. Had Norman Wilkie’s best form of his first spell with us been replicated in his second spell (and had he showed a similar philanthropic attitude to Jim) he would have got in, but Jim’s 48-ball hundred at Pitmore Lane is good enough on its own. Oh, and he could bowl a bit too.

2        DAVE HURRELL:  An easy pick really. Ten years’ service, and although the old bat might be letting him down of late he’s still one of the safest fielders we have and his figures over the years don’t lie (except maybe that league five-for with the ball). Adam Clark, one who wisely did leave the Bash, may soon be knocking at the Shelborne door for his spot though.

3        ALEX HALL:  One of only two specialist batsmen picked (no Alex, you’re not a real bowler either), he’s clubbed his way into this spot with consistent heavy run scoring over recent years. The first of three picks to have come all the way through from the first under 11 side in 1999 (in 2000 he bullied the rest of the team into electing him as captain). Until a couple of years ago Chris Baughan may well have claimed this spot thanks to his combination of explosive hitting, proper spin bowling, and probably the highest catch ratio of any outfield player.

4        JON GRASHAM:  GI Jon joined us from Hordle, and they’ve been in steady decline ever since! Whilst his batting arguably suffered last season with the pressure of captaincy he had previously been just about the most reliable run scorer for the team. Of course he bowls OK as well, and can field a bit, so just squeezes in. Actually one of only three players in the list for whom I can find no obvious candidates as a replacement.

5        DAVE MARSHALL:  One of two positions I had most difficulty selecting. Joe Rodway’s arrogant, elegant batting and athletic fielding might have got him a place if I could rely on him actually turning up, and I thought long and hard about giving this spot to one of the How brothers (Steve, Rick or Freddie). They can all score as many as Dave (although perhaps not as quickly), but I think his bowling is highly under-rated and I doubt we have ever had a better fielder in the 18 years I have been here. Plus of course if there is one person who can be guaranteed to totally get on the oppositions tits . . .

6        JACK WALTON:  Former colt number two, easy pick number two, and selected at number six because until very recently his batting was at least equal to his excellent bowling. The fact that he is now one of the best bowlers in the area helps make him such an easy pick.

7        TERRY STEADMAN:  Ooh, controversial!! OK, so Terry has deserted us for them down the road. OK, so he bowled the biggest plate of pies ever when “guesting” for us last year. But prior to all that he was consistently a high-scoring batsman, and unlikely as it may seem, a top quality leg-spinner. He of course was the under 11 who played for the adults in 2000, picking up eleven wickets at about ten apiece. Another exceptional fielder. Five, six and seven can be played in any order you like really.

8        STEVE KEEN:  Yeah, yeah, OK. But it’s my team and I’ll pick who I like. And anyway, I sort of think that over the years I have been the most consistent keeper in the club. But if you’d rather put Adam Clark in here then I would fully understand.

9        JOHN WILLS:  With three quick bowlers, a spinner and a couple of occasional “how the hell are we going to get this bloke out” fill-in bowlers I also wanted to pick a couple of steady medium pacers, and John’s was the first name out of the hat. Consistent, reliable, capable of getting some useful runs. And handy if you want any leftover teas polished off. His selection is dependant on his perennial prediction of imminent death proving unfounded as usual.

10    CARL OSBORNE:  Fast, straight, without doubt the best bowler we’ve ever had. Handy to have in the field because once his bowling is finished he has little interest in proceedings and will happily field on the boundary and amuse himself in childish ways. That said, he’s a bloody awesome fielder and can whack it a bit too. All this despite not starting playing until his late twenties and by his own admission having only the vaguest idea of what it is he’s meant to be doing. (All written in the present tense because one day I WILL tempt him out of retirement).

11    MATT BREARLEY:  The last bowling spot was the hardest to pick. Colin Hampton very nearly made it in, but would have complained too much about batting at eleven. Steve Thistleton wasn’t far behind, but it is only in the last year or so he’s really fulfilled his promise. So Matt gets the last place. A nagging medium bowler who can bat and field, and could well turn up with an interesting raffle prize or two.

So that’s that. Not too bad a team I don’t think, even if it does include me.

And the next ten years? Of course that’s very hard to predict, but if things stay as they are I would expect to see Nil, Robert Steadman, Bramwell, FJ and several of the current school-age players to be in there. In fact, if the colts “experiment” of 1999 is to be proven completely successful then the Team of the Decade in 2019 should have no one in it over the age of thirty. Except the wicket keeper, of course . . . [and the big hitting number 5 - Ed.!]