It's just not cricket
Ian Blair
The earliest manifestation of the DUA cricket team, was played out not ‘on the playing fields of Eton’ but ‘on the concrete roadway at Trig Lane’ in 1978 - using a pickaxe handle as a bat and an upturned bin for the wicket.
Most of our balls, were lost due to top edges over the adjoining river walkway into the Thames – which may well be the reason why we eventually looked for a wider, greener space to play in. Our earliest knockabouts were in Regents Park – with the craggy hills of the Mappin Terrace at London Zoo as a backdrop and an assortment of bemused Ibex and polar bears looking on (the Terraces were closed in 1985).
Some of cricket team members
Left to right: Standing - Patrick Allen, Dominic Perring, Mark Burch, Mike Lee, Simon O'Conner-Thompson, John Burke-Easton, Ian Blair, John Maloney. Sitting - Peter Cardiff, Kevin Flude and Dave Stevens - Photo from Mike Lee.
Over the first season or two most of us ended up managing to add a bit more white to our kits – which was probably a good thing as the ‘drag factor’ on flared denim jeans (see photo) was only serving to slow us down in the field. Thinking about it, my first pair of cricket whites, was in fact one of Kevin’s cast offs - which I believe he had grown out of.
Steve Roskams and John Schofield - Photo from Gill Scarlett (Gill Craddock)
Only a few of us had played cricket at school, but we made up for this by having boundless enthusiasm and being fit from digging on site all day, which ultimately led to us winning more games than we lost. But in truth, winning - though nice, was secondary to having a good day out, a large tea at the interval, and a few pints with the opposition in the bar or pub after the game.
Kevin Flude preparing for battle - Photo from Kevin
Although Kevin has succinctly summarised the general make-up of the team – I would just like to add that Simon OCT was our wicketkeeper (who I recall stopped far more balls with his pads then with his big pair of gloves) and that Dave Stevens was never knowingly out ‘to a bad ball’ as in: ‘ did you see that, it must have swung at least a metre and a half through the air to take out my middle stump’ : -) funny, happy days..
Ian Blair
Mike Lee and John Maloney - Photo from Gill Scarlett (Craddock)
Mike Lee bowling - Photo from Gill Scarlett (Craddock)
Steve Roskams making a run for it - Photo from Gill Scarlett (Craddock)
John Maloney, Dave Stevens and Steve Roskams.
Photo from Gill Scarlett (Gill Craddock)
A Game against Birkbeck at Greenford
John Burke-Easton, John Maloney, Dave Stevens, Alison Balfour-Lynn, ?Peter Cardiff, ?John Cardiff, Dominic Perring, Merry Morgan-Mier. - Photo from Alison Balfour-Lynn.
John Burke-Easton, Peter Cardiff and Dominic Perring - Photo from Alison Balfour-Lynn
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