That’s Life, That’s Anson, and That’s That (for another year) – Robert McTaggart

The curtain has drawn on my 25th year as a part of Anson St George.

My first true love and to be fair the only chance I had at love because at 17-years-old as I was an ugly bugger.

It started with a piss up

It all started when Greg asked me if I wanted to come along to a karaoke fundraising night for Anson at Upminster Tennis Club. I don’t recall the subtext being ‘come and meet the lads and see if you want to join’. It was just a piss up and I was guaranteed to get served which apart from Knights Snooker Hall was a rarity.

You see I hadn’t played competitive cricket for three years. Prior to that weekend in 1999 my last meaningful moment on a cricket pitch was playing in an early round of Gaynes School’s route to the final of the Essex Schools Cup. I took a high catch in the persistent rain against Shoeburyness. My reward? Rightly dropped for non-cricketers who could at least hit the ball some distance or proper-cricketers in the year below. Jim and I did get another reward of such. We scored the final. I say we although I don’t recall Jim doing much of the scoring. Sitting next to me was Andrew McGarry’s mum who was scoring for the opposition. McGarry would later represent Essex and take a first class 5for. Suffice to say he was too good for Gaynes that day and his mum was a better scorer than me.

Three of the members of the loosing finalists would go on to make a sizeable difference to the history of Anson St George. Greg recalled in his excellent blog how his career with Anson started. Paul and Steve are still writing their chapters.

Let’s be Frank

I’m unsure who I met that night but I distinctly remember my first interaction with Hugh Henry. The big man was compering the karaoke. He looked at my slip of paper and said, “It’s a bit old for you.” Twenty-five years of knowing me, I’m sure Hugh would agree, ‘That’s Life’ by Frank Sinatra, was not too old for me. I’m sure he’d say lots of other things first though. I don’t think I butchered the song too badly that night but would go on to well and truly murder it from Bognor to (Chinese) Buffets.

Birth of a legend

Anson must have been short (a familiar story) and the following day – the 20th June 1999 v Upminster Catholic – was my first ever game. I recall very little from the game but Play Cricket tells me I got their number 4 bat out for 1 caught Lee who was keeping wicket. I’d like to believe it was a ‘proper wicket’ with an away swinger squaring the batsman up. I took so few of those in my career it probably wasn’t but it says out in the book.

Let me dissect the scorecard a little from that game. Anson won the toss and elected to bowl. That was very Anson I would later understand. It was a time game where we only bowled 37 overs and the opposition made 151/7 declared. Greg opened the bowling with Ian and got through 8 overs for little runs and no wickets. One of Anson’s all time great bowlers hadn’t yet got the knack of bowling the wicket taking line needed at our level. But it would come. Alf got a wicket though, caught by Ian. No doubt shouting “get under it, get right under it.”

A picture of things to come

Lee opened and would see his four partners get very few (Gary Wilson 1, Jim 0, Alf 2, Hugh 2). The last man out there was run out. Lee ran out Hugh. Boy I wish I could remember that. “You Dam Rass!” 31/4

Michael Rowe would then change the complexion of the game. In 26 balls faced he hit 30 runs. A man of the match performance after his 2/13 in their innings. 76/5

Lee was finally out lbw for 39. I don’t need to remember it. I’m sure he was batting well outside his crease and it was never hitting the stumps. 123/6

Who got most of the runs I hear you cry. It was captain for the day, Ian Attridge. He scored a very typical (I would learn and witness) 58 off 59 balls including 7 fours and 2 sixes.

Watching mostly in the later stages of the innings from the other end was Dave ‘Psycho’ Wright who contributed five including a four. In the words of Alf “he won the game.”

Up and running…badly

The three new boys (Paul, Greg and I) didn’t bat. I wouldn’t bat in any of the next 4 games I played. I did get a bat in my 6th Anson game. Being the last out for a 0 in a collapse at May and Baker. Anson went from 81/3 to 110 all out. I got a not out 0 in the next game, another defeat to Mallards.

I finally scored my first Anson run in a defeat against Plessey. Shame I didn’t run fast enough as I was run out for one.

In 11 games I batted five times, got one run and collected three ducks. I took four wickets in the 19 overs I bowled. I had not bowled a maiden over though, I did say I was an ugly bugger.

I’d caught the bug and one catch.

And the rest as they say is history. 25 years on I couldn’t be more prouder of the current Anson crop. With 2023 club captain travelling Asia for the majority of the 2024 season it was set to be a very challenging year. Sam took up the mantle as captain and has worked miracles to help get 11 players out most weeks, helped by match secretary Jim and others. Here’s to the next 25 years of Anson, playing in the traditions we hold dear. Enjoying one another’s company, building life long friendships and winning the odd game or two. I hope some of the lads who joined in recent seasons have years of happiness at Anson St George like the club have given me.