Archive | 2011

Presentation Evening

I’m racking my brains trying to think of my first presentation evening. It’s a struggle. I do remember it was held at Roman Way which is at the back of what is now the BMW plant. It was in the largest of the rooms the Emperor room I believe. The trophies were presented first and then there was a band, from memory they were a good band, from the picture I look like I’m having a good time and surely that’s what counts. I do remember that I got very drunk and fell asleep on the bathroom floor (at home) and very nearly didn’t make my paper round.

The Emperor room held around 500 people and it was full to bursting. In those days it was a real family evening out. Me, Mum, Dad, friends of the family who didn’t even play Aunt Sally went, they just knew it was going to be a great night.

Times have changed now though. We now hold it at Abingdon UTD football club. We don’t have as many people buy tickets. Those that do turn up leave shortly after collecting their trophies. It’s a shame that we are not able to entertain the numbers we once did.

Looking around it seems to have affected all areas. Pubs and Clubs are struggling unless they offer food. It could be the recession People generally have less disposable income to spend. When you’re paying less than £10 for crate of beer at the supermarket why bother to go out. I remember when it was cheaper to buy beer in a club than a pub. Now though the gap isn’t so wide. Still it’s as bad if you’re not drinking. I recently had a pint of Orange Juice and Lemonade and it was £3!! I had my first visit to the College Oak at Peachcroft after the refurb where a Guinness extra cold was £3.10 I’ll be back!

For all my moaning team registration has stayed reasonably static. We always seem to get the same number of team’s together year on year and the reasons I gave above are a fact of life and here to stay. For me personally I still enjoy finals night but for different reasons. It gives me a chance to catch up with people I’ve either not seen since last year or possibly seen twice on match day.

An enormous amount of time and effort go into both organising and setting up presentation night. Terry Downes mopping all those trophies that teams have ‘forgotten’ to bring back. Getting all the trophies to the engraver on time (spelt correctly). Setting all the new ones up on the table at the front.

This year presentation night tickets will be for sale from the 16^th October from the Secretary Graham Brown or you can get them on Wednesday evening during the Winter League at Abingdon UTD.

I’ll see you all on the 28^th October at Abingdon UTD.

Anchorman

Interview with Martin Sheridan

I’ve been writing another post but this really makes much more sense. After a thrilling singles final between Mick Phillips (Spread Eagle, previously Cumnor CC) and Martin Sheridan (Fox Steventon) on Wednesday night I thought I would run with this interview from Martin.

An absolutely superb player. If we had had a hall of fame He would be in it.

1- When did you first begin playing and who was it for?

1964, Duke Of York, Oxpens, Oxford.

2 – Can you give me a short biography of the teams/pubs you have played for?

1964 to 1967 – Duke of York

1967 to 1970 – Lucy’s, Walton St, Oxford

1970 to 1974 — Edward VII, Lake St, Oxford

1974 to 1976— Red, White & Blue, Cowley Rd, Oxford 1976 to 1980 — Crown, Harwell

1980 to 2004 — Kings Arms, Steventon

2004 to present — Fox Inn, Steventon

3 – What made you start playing and who would have been your influences when you first began?

My Dad played for the Duke of York, and I was his number one fan! On one occasion, they were a player short, and I was asked to play (I am not sure that I was signed on). It’s a bit vague, but I do believe I scored a 2-2-1. I was then hooked on ‘Aunt Sally’. The great Monty Greenaway was a big influence on me, for his sheer tenacity… He seemed invincible.

4 – You have obviously been involved with some very successful teams, The Fox for example have been a very dominant force. Are there any that stand out for you?

When I played for the Edward Vii, the team we had were majestic! Bill Bates, Ron Parker, Norman Nuttall, Waggle Green, Neville Crook, Salcie Heritage, Laurie Woods (who I witnessed score 7 consecutive sixes in practice) and little old me.

The Red, White & Blue were another great team. Jack Greenough, Maurice Baker, Ray Clarke, Mick Surrage and Trevor Cook.

My time in Steventon both currently with the Fox, and previously with the now-defunct Kings Arms has been memorable. We’ve won the lot! Teams like the Penlon and the Cumnor Cricket Club conjure up some of the greatest memories. I’ve played with the great Dave Dix, Barrington Parker (who in my opinion is the best anchorman in Abingdon), Robin Greetham, Richard Butler, Colin Smith, Nigel Weston, Rodney Prior.., the list is endless.

The new kids on the block are the Spread Eagle, Abingdon, who play with some of the Old Cumnor Cricket Club team. We’ve played against them in the Eights final, the Tom Simmons and the Red Drive, and they have won on every occasion. One guy, John Simmons, who plays for the Spread Eagle… How he’s not won the Abingdon Singles baffles me! He is a great player and his time must come soon.

5 – Your throw. Have you always thrown like that or has it developed. Did anyone help you initially with your throw? E.g. give advice etc.

I have always been left handed, coming forward with my right leg, but always felt unbalanced. The transition to coming forward with my left leg was difficult. It was a mind game, and perseverance was the key! But I stuck with it, and my balance seems to be ok now!

The great Monty Greenaway advised me to throw the stick, rather than lob it, as it would make it more accurate.

6 – This for those just starting or new players. You are a very good player, particularly under pressure. How long would say it took from when you first took up Aunt Sally to when you were consistently getting 10 or more dolls per game.

About 5 years

7 – You’ve won the singles competition a total of 6 times now. Do you have any special moments in competition or league which you look back on with pride

The game I look back on with the most pleasure is when I played Ron Parker in the Singles semi-finals, at the White Hart in Harwell. The garden was thronging with people, and the alley was roped off. There was just the two of us on the oche, and the callers in the wood yard. Ron had a theory that if he won the toss, he would always put his opponent in first (he loved the chase), so every time the coin was tossed up, I would never look Ron in the eyes. I would simply pick up my sticks and throw regardless, Ron never challenged me.

The game was epic… six sticks, three sticks, one stick, back to six sticks. I eventually won 2-1. What an emotional night! It was the first time I’d beaten the mighty Ron Parker.

8 – Recently I’ve mentioned some potentially controversial subjects in the blog. How do you see the game going with regard to the number of players in the team, perhaps reducing, Is that something you would agree with?

Most definitely, with many pubs closing down, and few younger players coming through, it may be necessary for the team numbers to reduce for the leagues to survive.

9 – Do you agree with the handicap system in place at the moment?

It’s the only fair way to run the league, it gives all the teams a chance of winning the league.

10 – In this game with so many characters and so many different types of throw and approach. What do you think makes a good player and do you have any advice for those starting out? How do they get as good as you? Is it practice or ability?

Being consistent is key! To achieve this you need to practice. Try to be relaxed. Knocking off the doll in practice is ok, but the match is when it matters most. Things creep in like nerves, bad calls, or you simply miss… all this adds to the tension. You need to overcome these things to become a good player!

Interview with Graham Barguss

Some weeks I have no idea what I’m going to write about, others I have no trouble with. On one of the weeks I was struggling to think of something I was reading an interview with Jerry Burgess (Valentino Rossi’s Chief engineer) This gave me the idea to do something similar. I’ve sent the same set of questions to a couple of people to test the water and see how they go.

The first reply to arrive is from League Chairman Graham Barguss. If you don’t know who he is then this a golden opportunity. If it wasn’t for Graham Barguss or Graham Brown you would not be playing in the Abingdon Aunt Sally League at all. Such is the time and effort they put in.

1- When did you first begin playing and who was it for?

I started playing in 1974 for The Bystander B team in section D

2 – Can you give me a short biography of the teams/pubs you have played for and when you became chairman?

I played one season for the Bystander and then moved to the Flowing Well playing in the C section for a couple of seasons. I then went to RBL Wootton for a couple of years moving from there to the White Horse joining the team there which then moved as a team to the Crown Ock Street – when the Crown closed we moved as a team across the road to the Brewery Tap. I was then asked to join RBL Abingdon playing with them for 7 or 8 years during which time I was recruited onto the committee as Chairman by Basil Collins who came down to the shop to ask me to take the job on . As a player I returned then to RBL Wootton, the team then split up and I joined the team at the Saxton Arms moving on to Abingdon United after 3 seasons.

3 – What made you start playing and who would have been your influences when you first began?

At the time I first started to play I wasn’t of course, good enough to play in the A Team , they had the best team in the league, with Basil Collins, Phil Sallis, Sid Green, Tony Thompson, Frank Watson and Jimmy Dixey playing in the A team, adults I had known my whole life, and knew that they played, however I did not go to a game until I returned from the Army, so along with my brother John and Bob Wellman we started a B team at the Bystander .

My influences from day 1 were, in no particular order: Jimmy Dixey Sid Green and Ron Parker from Abingdon, Mickey Beane, Laurie Woods and Monty Greenaway from Oxford .

4 – You have obviously been involved with some very successful teams, The Abingdon Legion were a very dominant force as were Penlon. Are there any that stand out for you?

Abingdon RBL stands out above the rest for the number of trophies they won during my time with them. That team would have held its own against any of the era teams, Flowing Well 60-61, Bystander 70-74, Cross Keys 74-76 and the Fox 95-2004

5 – Your throw. Have you always thrown like that or has it developed. Did anyone help you initially with your throw? E.g. give advice etc.

My throw started feet apart, back to front holding 3 sticks, averaging 6 or 7 changing to left leg one step forward. Then developed slowly moving my hands further up the stick until a cross stick arrived without realising it. I have not always been confident of my throw changing and adjusting regularly. The one thing that has helped me is a good eye and being able to concentrate on my action.

6 – This for those just starting or new players. You are a very good player, particularly under pressure. How long would say it took from when you first took up Aunt Sally to when you were consistently getting 10 or more dolls per game.

About 5 years and playing the anchorman enabled me to handle the pressure

7 – You’ve won the singles competition and everything in-between. Do you have any special moments in competition or league which you look back on with pride?

I have won the singles competition once reached the finals 3 times and the semi finals twice Winning the league for the first time in section C with the Flowing Well the same for RBL Abingdon as Captain my sixes and man of the match award against the Oxford League, winning the Pairs Final with my son James, my highest dolls in any match 17 and getting 200 dolls in a season on only a few occasions .

8 – Recently I’ve mentioned some potentially controversial subjects in the blog. How do you see the game going with regard to the number of players in the team, perhaps reducing, Is that something you would agree with?

I would like to see the game continue in its original and present form of 8 in a team but the current financial climate may dictate otherwise. You only have to look at the number of pubs closing down every week to see the end of the pub as we know it. I think clubs are possibly the future they really appreciate the business midweek, because of this I can see, sooner rather than later, reducing the team member numbers. My ideal scenario would be name 8 players to play but only play 5 in a leg, playing maybe 5 legs but changing the lowest scorer each leg, your better players have a guaranteed 5 legs and the lesser one to 3 legs . Scoring would need some thought but would give all players and teams a chance every week.

9 – Do you agree with the handicap system in place at the moment?

I personally feel no handicap is necessary although the current system is working reasonably well. I would like to see a change to a handicap for individual players for example Captains would nominate their players , the opposing captain would check that player list against a list produced by the committee the idea being that the same average would apply – Team A have an average of 24 Team B an average of 20 a handicap of 4 dolls for Team B . If Team A have 2 players away bringing their average down to 21 they would only give one doll handicap this would cover holidays and weaker teams.

10 – In this game with so many characters and so many different types of throw and approach. What do you think makes a good player and do you have any advice for those starting out? How do they get as good as you? Is it practice or ability?

As you are aware the standard throw is standstill legs apart back and front to gain line and length, eye coordination is essential, some people can do it immediately others have no idea, you can liken it to learning to catch a tennis ball, some folk do it straight off others will never be able to achieve it. As your confidence grows your throw will change often as you experiment until you find something that suits and you are comfortable with. I never stop thinking what I can do to improve. You can see guys down in section C D and E who have played for 20-30 years and still throw the same as they did on day one, still getting the odd one or two but very pleased to be taking part in the game and socialising which really is the idea of the game.

Winter League

With our last few games of the summer season fast approaching I’ve seen that the Abingdon Winter Aunt Sally (WASL) sign on sheets are out and about.

Abingdon Winter Aunt Sally is extremely successful.

Run firstly by Brian Clapton and now by Tosh Wooloff it has 10 teams. Each team has 5 active players plus a few spare. The teams are split into A and B section with 5 teams in each. All the matches are indoors at the Abingdon United Football Club.

During the winter I play for a different team than I do in the summer and so do most of the other players. The teams are much more varied and the scores are much closer.

Playing begins at 19:45 SHARP!! With all 5 games lasting around 30 mins each.

Yes it’s pain being last on but that’s the price you pay for some good Aunt Sally.

I’d like to say that the winter league isn’t taken as seriously as the summer, but I’d be lying. It starts off that way. A bit of fun and a laugh, but as the season progresses that all changes and it’s just as competitive.

Is it better than summer? Well, it’s different. With only 5 players a bad leg is bad leg. Often you will see a good team only hitting 10 or 13. Without an 8 man team to raise that score everyone needs to be playing well. This keeps the league interesting right up the last game. For the last couple of years this has gone to the last game of the last night, gripping stuff if you like your Sally.

If you haven’t played perhaps you should consider coming down for our first practice session (I’m not sure when this is, keep an eye on the web site ED- there’s no friendly this year as the summer Wed Competitions had extended the season) A friendly between the teams. There are always spaces on teams and it gives you a chance to meet and play with different people.

There isn’t any practice though you can turn up before the 19:45 start time and have as many throws as you can get in.

Playing in the winter gives you the opportunity to modify your throw and get some practice in ready for summer. I can’t say this enough, the people there are super friendly and will help with advice on any part of your game.

Also there are a fair number of the summer committee playing there. Graham Barguss, Graham Brown, Terry Downes, James Barguss, John Simmonds and Paul Stone. This is a good time to approach (obviously not during the game) and discuss ideas or issues you may be having and give some advice as the best way to solve them.

The winter league doesn’t have a committee as such. Tosh runs it and what he says goes, although as teams we all vote on any decisions.

My next few blog posts I hope will be interviews with some of the better players within the league. Unless of course I don’t get any replies back!

Remember also we have finals night approaching (Wed 28th Sep) and ALL of the trophies need returning so that they can be engraved ready for presentation night (Fri 28th Oct).

Anchorman