DID YOU KNOW?
TWENTY THINGS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT GREENHEATH CRICKET CLUB
1. Greenheath was founded in the vestry of Christ Church (left) in Trafalgar Road, Greenwich. The name Greenheath being a hybrid of Greenwich and Blackheath where players lived and suggested by one of the founder members, Ron Chambers. 2. Greenheath has only ever tied 4 matches. Boro Poly 1959, Grindlays Bank 1982, Old Brockleians 1989 and Ryde Caveliers 1999. 3. Roy Thompson (pictured right) is the only player to take all ten wickets in a match. He must have been a Labour man as he took 10 for 6 against the Young Conservatives in 1953. He still has the much treasured match ball.
4. Actor Ronald Lacey, star of TV sitcoms Porridge (Horrible Harris), Blackadder (Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells) and Films Zulu Dawn and Raiders of the Lost Ark (pictured left) played
2 games for Greenheath in 1978. 		5. Greenheath’s lowest ever score was 17 all out against Thames Board Mill in 1978. Not surprisingly we were never invited to return. 6. It is believed that the founder members of Greenheath (right) broke away from Christ Church as the then Reverend at the church was not happy about cricket being played on Sunday.
7. Family ties. Paul Cant (left) saw his first match aged 2 months and inevitably played for the Club. So too his dad Barry, uncles Richard Phillips, John Phillips and Brian Cant, as well as second cousins Frank Saberi, Ted Saberi and Mark Houghton. 8. In 1994, in his only game of the season, trendsetter Dave Embleton became the first player to take the field sporting a pony tail. 9. At 6' 7" Doug Hursey is the tallest man ever to play for the club and according to Zed in his book, Playing Away, possibly the ugliest too as he bore an uncanny resemblance to Bond villain Jaws. If you’re reading this Doug, it’s not my opinion. (Ed)
10. Many sets of brothers and fathers and sons have represented the Club, none more so than the Clays Peter, John, Mark and Andy (pictured left). Although not all four ever managed to play in the same game. 11. Gary Shepherd, Club Secretary appeared on Sky’s Soccer AM and according to his wife ‘regularly watches the video’ of the show. 12. The Davis family had all the left/right batting and bowling variations. Eddie Snr (pictured right) Bats Rt/Bowls Rt, of his sons; Eddie Jnr Bats Rt/ Bowls Lft, Mark Bats Lft/Bowls Rt and Alan who Bats Lft/Bowls Lft completes the set.
13. The highest individual score is 135 in 1984 by S. Curley against Eynesford. 14. The most runs from one ball is 9 (yes nine) at the huge boundary of Newport off the bowling of A. Williamson. Fielder G. Allen saw the batsmen were going for a fifth run and kicked it over the rope. The umpire signalled 4 plus 5 penalty runs. 15. At Britannic House in 1985 Greenheath managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory needing 117 were 115-5 and still lost. 16. However, at Alexander Howden in 1991 after having been bowled out themselves for a paltry 97, Greenheath took the last 5 wickets for just
4 runs dismissing their startled hosts one short of victory for 96.		 17. The trophy Aotearoa Cup (below) is cleary not a cup but a figurine.
18. Greenheath sponsors Elmcrest were more than happy when an employee reported one of their sporsored shirts was spotted in Amsterdam. Not so pleased though to learn its wearer was seen going into a dodgy bar. Cheers Alex (pictured left). 19. Former Greenheath Captain Steve Vale played International volley-ball
for Wales. 		20. Right-hand bat S. Williams toured Somerset with us in 1995 and batted left-handed at no.11 hitting 4, 6, 4 off the 3 balls he faced. That year he played in the C&G Trophy for Cambridgeshire against Derbyshire wearing a Greenheath shirt.
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