Past players
The following is a few of the Grange CC past players. They are listed in alphabetical order. If you are one of these please get in touch we would love to hear from you. Contact us via info@grangecricketclub.com Any additional memories or reminiscences to add to the beneath would be welcome.
Howard Ashton
Howard played in the early years of the Grange CC and took on the role of vice-captain during the 1983 season. Principally a top order batsman, he was very athletic in the field and able to prevent the opposition from taking quick singles. He left England during the 1985 to emigrate to Australia. What effect the change made on his cricket career one can only guess.
Alan Charge
Alan was a well respected cricketer who obtained a friendly against Thundridge CC which we played for many years. A good coach he would give advice freely at the nets held at Hatfield Polytechnic to most others totally lacking in technique. Unfortunately a bad back put paid to the number of games he could play for the Grange CC and he retired to the West Country. His nephew Steve Charge and his son Michael followed Alan into the Grange CC and played during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Fred Crux
Fred was probably the founder of the Grange Cricket Club. He played in the very first game versus the Phonies on 15 May 1979 and opened the batting. Fred played numerous games during those early years including the match against The Friends of Epping Hospital where the lowest total by the Grange was recorded. The complete all-rounder Fred was known to bat, bowl and keep wicket as well as captain the side in those early days. He passed away in the mid 1980s.
Keith Darken
Keith was a larger than life character with hobbies involving Morris dancing and model aeroplane flying. He was the most successful wicket-keeper in the history of the Grange CC. His record of 32 victims during one season (1998) still stands today and is unlikely to be beaten. A solid batsman, not renowned for his speed between the wickets, he scored numerous vital runs on many occasions. Always accompanied to matches by his wife Grace he played for over 12 seasons before finally hanging up his boots after the 2000 season. He was invited to be a Life President of the Club in 1999.
Bob Elledge
Bob was one of the initial members of the Club. Distinctively dressed in a long stretched pullover he would adopt suicidal fielding positions yet somehow never got injured. Desperate to win a trophy the highlight of his cricketing career came when he won the catching cup in 1991. One of the few left-handers who played for the Grange, he mainly opened the batting and scored many runs. In all from 1979 until he stopped playing for the Grange in 1995, he featured in 296 matches. In 1987 he was awarded the golden duck jumper for not troubling the scorers too much! One of the characters of the Club, who is missed by many.
Rod Hawnt
Rod also featured in many of the Club’s early games. An opening batsman and fast right hand opening bowler the sight of Rod, known then as the ‘Honey Monster’ must have troubled many a batsman.
John Izzard
John played a total of 234 games for the games from 1984 until he hung up his boots at the end of the 2005 season. He still hold the record for the number of catches taken in a season (1992), this being 15. John was a hard hitting batsman able to score runs at a quick rate even right up to his final season. His retirement came as somewhat of a mystery to most of his team mates but perhaps he was the sensible one!
Dave James
Without doubt Dave was the most successful batsman in the history of the Grange. Also a complete all-rounder he amassed more runs and took more wickets than any other player. Many of the highest wicket stands for the Grange feature Dave as a member of the partnership and probably it was he who scored the lions share of the runs in that stand. The only player to have topped a thousand runs in one season he holds the highest ever score (160 not out), as well as the best bowling performance (8 wickets for 58 runs). He captained the side for 5 seasons and played a total of 255 games before disappearing off our radar in 2005.
Steve Kay
Steve was probably instrumental in organising the side to play more regularly at the weekends. He captained the side in 1982 and it was during this season that solid foundations of the Club were laid. A useful bowler and batsman with a sound knowledge of the art of captaincy, he moved to Cambridge and brought a team down to play the Grange in a friendly.
Alf Lowes
Alf featured in the first ever game for the Grange and top scored with 23 runs. A solid batsman and tricky spin bowler, Alf played for a number of years before his retirement. He was asked to be Life President of the Club in 1994. He introduced both his sons, Adrian and Andy, into the Grange and they in turn have done likewise with their sons Adam and Keiron. The Lowes legacy lives on!
Stuart Pankhurst
Stuart played many games for the Grange including the very first recorded fixture in 1979. Known as Spanky to his team mates his bowling made him one of the most successful in the history of the Grange. He held for many years the best bowling figures before he ceased playing for the Grange and joined Aspenden CC. As a result this became a regular fixture.
Phil Perkins
Nicknamed ‘Perky finger spin’ by the captain at the time, Phil was no mean slouch with the bat taking the annual award for best batting average during the 1984 season. Phil captained the side during the 1988 season.
Alan Smith
Alan was a stalwart of the side in the early years and top scored (with 3) in the Grange lowest ever score versus The Friends of Epping Hospital of 16 all out. Alan was a stylish opening batsman and good slip fielder and had the knack of raising the team’s morale even when the chips were down. He was invited to be a Life President of the Club in 1994.