A look ahead…
Stats. Some players love them, some couldn’t care less. We love to acknowledge when players achieve milestones and have taken a look at some possible moments coming up later this year for some of our current players:
Games
Our chairman Peter Barker looks set to take the field for the 1000th time for Nazeing Common since 1991. Featuring in 993 matches since then, Barks has over 1600 club wickets and has scored in excess of 12,000 runs – a truly staggering record. Our complete scorecard data only goes as far back as the 1991 season, but Pete was proudly playing at the Common before then so is likely to have already featured in over 1000 games, but it feels right to acknowledge this special achievement!
The 2021 season also looks set to be a notable one for Mark Sturdy, who enters his 30th season with the club and Ross Edwards, who is just 5 away from an impressive 500 games for NCCC! Josh Stevens and Josh Eke are also into testimonial territory as they both enter their 10th seasons with NCCC.
Batting
Only one player has passed 20,000 club runs since 1991, but Paul Johnson, is less than 400 runs away from joining Aidan Crowley in achieving that incredible milestone. Johners, who is another to have played for the club prior to 1991, is again likely to have already surpassed this milestone for the club, but we feel it is right to acknowledge what is a brilliant achievement. Closely behind Johners is Mark Sturdy, who is just 122 runs away from 18,000. Daniel Reese needs another 413 runs to reach 15,000, and is only three more half centuries from 100 fifties for NCCC (to go with 26 centuries). Rob Mackie, who will be into his 23rd season at the club needs less than 500 runs to pass 5,000 club runs.
Bowling
In terms of bowling milestones, Darren Dack needs just 16 more wickets to become the 4th NCCC player to pass 600 club wickets since 1991. Michael Blair, who will pass 2000 overs for NCCC with his first legal delivery of the season, needs just 10 wickets to reach 400. Lee Walker is 21 wickets away from 300 NCCC wickets and we look forward to Luke Rivers and Ani Shukla taking their 100th club wickets as they need just 9 and 12 more wickets respectively. Ed Taylor, who has 442 club wickets, is just 3 maidens away from completing an impressive 400 for the club.
Fielding
Amongst the impressive stats already mentioned, Peter Barker is just 5 more catches away from 500 since 1991 with Michael Blair needing 9 more catches to reach 200.
Good luck to all that take the field this season - we look forward to celebrating all achievements from those milestone moments to those first games, runs and wickets for the club. See you all soon at the Common.
The Author, Paul Quinn, is the 1st XI’s leading spin bowler and NCCC Team Secretary
