PAUL REDHEAD MEMORIAL MATCH
Fun in the Sun @ KGV - A fitting tribute to our friend "Stain"
(Picture courtesy Graham Jackson - others available please contact Graham)
The glorious weather at the KGV on Saturday was the perfect backdrop to a day of reflection and, for many, re-unions too,as a large number of cricketers and spectators alike gathered to remember Paul Redhead.
Paul's popularity was there to be seen with such an enthusiastic turn out and with many of those who took to the field of play squeezing into their faded whites for the first time in a decade or longer.
The friendly banter between the two sides, Pilgrims and Taverners, was matched by the enjoyment of family and friends watching from the sidelines.
There was of course a good deal of reminiscing and plenty of laughter, be this from the action on the pitch or from the occasional bursts of appropriate backing music accompanying some of the older stagers....Surely, just as Paul would have liked it.
Cricket transends generations of course and it was special to see the coin toss and indeed the first delivery of the day competed for between Paul's father, Dave Redhead, and another past stalwart of these sides, Terry Gent. Indeed, Terry got so carried away with the moment that he decided to continue his innings and showed us all that he hasn't lost his ability with the bat....a typical flick off his legs for 4 raising special applause.
I guess the actual stats and result of the match were always gouing to be incidental but, for the record, Pilgrims posted a steady 129 for 12 wickets!! in their 30 overs, with Taverners using no less than 16 different bowlers (surely some sort of record). Again, many of the long-time retired players still hadn't lost their skills, as borne out by Roger Weston bowling two miserly maiden overs. Top scorer for Pilgrims was Andy Burkhardt with a brisk 22 towards the end of the innings.
The Taverners reply got off to a stuttering start with its longest serving past president, Phil Clark, being caught off the third ball of the innings. However, it was another member of the original line up of players from the Club's beginnings back in the late '60's who hit the winning boundary with just 5 balls remaining, as Taverners reached 130 for 10 wickets!! The top scorers were Colin de Mouilpied and George Smith, each with 18 not out, while Dave Piesing did his best to snatch an unlikely Pilgrims win taking 4 wickets..
When including all the "retirees" (for scoring 15 or more), Taverners used 16 batsmen too. No wonder the Pilgrim's skipper, Paul Wakeford, likened them to a tribe of "Zulu's", claiming there to be "thousands of 'em", as yet another figure strolled out to the middle. In keeping with the day, the player deemed to have done the most to achieve vistory for Taverners was in fact Pilgrims' Chris Lihou, by virtue of some "stictly come dancing" fielding in the gully area and for getting hit for two late boundaries off his bowling. The award was possibly a touch harsh after his runs for Pilgrims earlier in the day, but the humour of the moment at the presentations said everything about the day itself.
Appropriately, Lucette Redhead and son Max presented some bubbly to both Paul Wakeford and the jubilant Taverners captain, Steve Kail. Whats more, a sizeable sum was raised during the day for Help For Heroes, the chosen charity in memory of our friend "Stain".
But perhaps more than that even, especially in the context of what is happening to professional cricket at present, it was the handshakes, the hugs and re-kindled friendships on the sidelines that restored our faith in the game's ability to bring us all back together in memory of a very special person who, just like the day itself, will be remembered with such fondness and always with a broad smile.
p.s.
My thanks go to all of you who turned up and supported the event, whether on the field of play or from the sidelines. In particular, our thanks to Roy Skyrme and Mick Wakeford for umpiring out in the middle all day and to number one Pilgrims fan Karl Parkyn for working the scoreboard throughout.
The scorecard summary is duly attached. Mind you....I can't help thinking that those who got out to the bowling of Messrs Clark, Ashwell and Langlois must consider themselves either very unlucky or will currently be bowing their heads in shame!
Gordon Irish