Royston Cricket Club - The Home of the Crows

After every 1st XI match a 'Richard' (shorten the name as appropriate) of the Day will be chosen by the team, someone who has performed a particular act of stupidity, ignorance or who has caused Hilarity. After the team vote, the player will then wear the 'Richard' of the Day shirt to post- match celebrations.

Chris Hootton - was heard to summon a drink for the boundary as I quote, 'having a dry mouth affects his run-up'.

Matt Graham - wins the award for playin an array of unnecessary shots when walking out to be a runner... you never get a second chance as a batsman!

Chris Milton - wins the award this week for his extremely long overs usually involving 3 aborted runs and 4 kicked down stumps.

Richard Temple - left Martyn Leek stranded in the middle after he appeared anchored to the spot. Seeing as Martyn has the turning circle of a full oil tanker, and almost made it back after getting 3/4 of the way down and the fielder made his best effort of his 80 years there may just have been a single available. Dickie also melted his plastic plate to the bbq at the social on Friday night and got himself out plumb lbw (tongue firmly in cheek on the last comment!).

Ken Graham - drifted down the wicket to the first ball he faced against the offspinner having grafted away on a sodden wicket for 25. He also tried to tell eveyone we should call Naveed Tom-tom, as his name was like Sat Nav, terrible stuff.

Nick Hootton managed to top edge a golf ball into his top lip whilst playing cricket with a shovel! Now pick the bones out of that one!

Matt Graham - dropped a difficult chance and then a more straightforward effort at a crucial period for the 1st XI, which if either were held would probably have resulted in victory. Saving Matt Gillham for streaking far off into the lead, after his second golden duck of the season.

Matt Gillham - the skipper takes the outright lead in this week's race with an array of nominations, from the drop catch of his own-bowling which led to a painful incident to his huge solo lbw appeal that hit nothing but bat! Ashley Judge owes his captain one, as smashing his own windscreen with his Tom-Tom Sat Nav. just before departing on the notoriously long journey to March would surely have won most week's award.

John Bason- Despite being in the right (which he didn't actually know) John Bason wins the award this week for pleading with the opposition skipper not to be given out backing-up (or mankaded as it is known). The rule has changed and once the bowler is in his delivery stride he cannot attempt a runout and the batsman is perfectly within his rights to be backing up as far as he likes.

Ashley Judge - despite his faultless finishing display of the Royston innings, Mr Judge wins the award this week for the electric tape strangling his bat, the lycra shorts spotted during the warm down and his seemingly tiny pads. Some may wonder, how Mr Judge can turn this around and not win the award next week... watch this space...

Richard Temple can consider himself lucky that only 2 members of the team witnessed his totally ungraceful somersault up the pavilion steps which sent his kit flying everywhere.

Matt Gillham - finished off the middle collapse in kicking the ball onto his stumps for a golden duck. He was by no means alone as Matt Graham prodded one back to the bowler in the first over, bamboozled by what was clearly a slow wicket and Paul Miller danced down the wicket, had a waft and got bowled just as he and Ken Graham were getting on top of the bowling.

In a truly memorable week for the Crows, this is a particularly unprescedented first. There were absolutely no comical performances for the 1st XI this week in what was a truly perfect performance, long may it continue... but we will allow the odd comical moment in the future to fill this column, as long as the winning continues.

Andrew Sladen - In a sea of possible nominations the elder of the Sladen brothers stood head and shoulders above all others, in managing to not only drop a batsman on 99 (he ran through to complete his hundred), he dropped a catch off the last ball of the match to deny Richard Temple his five-for!!

Ken Graham - with the votes neck-and-neck between the new Chairman, for spooning a full toss in the air to get a duck, and the new 1st XI captain Matt Gillham, for dropping 1 and a half catches, the Chairman stitched himself up. He reminded the whole team that he had been wearing tights all game (to protect his stitches from an operation) and consequently sewed up the award.