Epping Cricket Club

Season 2002 started promisingly for Epping 1^st XI with a competitive if ultimately unsuccessful League Cup encounter. Promise was everywhere with players seemingly in form and ready for the league contest. A trouncing followed at Southend despite the unbelievably unlucky bowling of Si Weightman and Jon Everett. Yes Epping got no luck going: being inserted on at least six damp tracks and getting skittled for less than 100, but there was no real excuse. Lack of availability, commitment and quality players were the reasons for Epping not recording a win in the first half of the campaign. Their main run scorers in 2001 had a very poor time of it, and only Marc Webb had an encouraging season with the bat, hitting over 350 runs.

The second half of the season was a great improvement and when Epping did record 200 batting first they always made the opposition struggle. The team bowled out Buckhurst Hill – top of the table at the time - for 178 on a top batting wicket. There was also a good win over Stanford le Hope – another side challenging for promotion. When Epping put things together and with their best side on the field of play, they were capable of making any side struggle. 1^st XI player of the year for the third time was Dave “Bonkers” Bickley. He led the bowling department with 34 league wickets and chipped in with useful runs with the bat. His 8-45 destroyed Buckhurst Hill.

The 2^nd XI had a rollercoaster season, 8 wins and 6 defeats betraying a lack of consistency. The side had the ability to beat most of the other teams in the division, but picked up too few points from the bad weeks to maintain a promotion challenge that looked on the cards mid-season. Highpoints were provided by player of the season Richard Fulham with consistent runs, wickets and effort, Tim Adams with the only 5-for at Basildon, and Richard Crone with an unbeaten hundred at Buckhurst Hill.

Tim Bamforth-White’s 3^rd XI mirrored the seconds in many ways, with 6 wins and 6 draws. This was however a much improved team over the previous season, led by the captain with 423 runs and 5 other batsmen scoring 250+ in the season. Four players made their top scores for the club, TB-W with 103, Matt Harrison 112 not out, Tebraiz Shahzad 96 and Mike Edwards-Smith 91. Add this to the 5 bowlers who took over 10 wickets, and there’s obvious ability and potential. Matt Harrison proved leading bowler with 18 wickets in just 7 matches, and the teenies Matthew Everett, Matthew Barrett and Terry Preston (5-28 at Old Parkonians) all made major contributions. A final 4^th place was just reward for the best team in the club in 2002.