PCA Masters -v- RAF Charity T20 Cricket Match
by Baron Halpenny.
Date: 04 September 2014
A host of ex-International cricketers descended on to The Pavilion, London Road, Louth on Wednesday 3 September for the Professional Cricketers' Association Masters' v RAF Charity Cricket Match as the PCA Masters team fielded some great names in International cricket, which includes three players who have been awarded MBEs for their services to sport.
Though the match started at around 2pm, there was plenty going on throughout the day with the morning period allowing budding young cricketers to get expert coaching and advice from former International cricketers.
The Match itself was an enjoyable and light hearted affair between two teams that were in the spirit of the event and providing great entertainment for the crowd. Despite a valiant effort from the RAF Cricket Team, the former International cricketers showed why they were, well, International cricketers, and won the Match convincingly.
The Brackenborough Hotel were the lead sponsor with event partners being Onlincolnshire (who were very active at the event with the use of digital technologies), PCA Masters, Royal Air Force and the Royal British Legion.
Poignant
East Lindsey District Council’s Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Sport, Councillor Adam Grist, said: “This is another great coup for the District and follows on from last year’s Women’s International cricket match between England and Pakistan, which also took place at The Pavilion, London Road.
“The match – in which the RAF field a team, is particularly poignant this year as we mark 100 years since the First World War and 70 years since the D-Day landings during the Second World War.”
East Lindsey has many links to the RAF, including the operational base at RAF Coningsby – home to the Typhoon fighter jets as well as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight; and, the former airbase at East Kirkby which is now home to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.
Woodhall Spa boasts the former Officers’ Mess of the Dambusters (617) Squadron, famously known for their raids on German dams, – now the Petwood Hotel.
At the outset of the Second World War the bulk of all bombers took off from Lincolnshire leading to it becoming known as Bomber County.
PCA Masters Team List
Graham Thorpe
A great all-round batsman, Thorpe has the skill and mind to flourish in all forms of the game, and is now passing on his expertise as a part of England's coaching set-up.
Role: Batsman. Batting: Left. Bowling: Right, medium
Steve Harmison MBE
In his prime, Steve Harmison's success was attributed to his ability to extract bounce from any pitch and his ability to swing the ball while maintaining speeds of over 90 mph.
Role: Bowler. Batting: Right. Bowling: Right, fast
Neil Fairbrother
In 1998 Neil Fairbrother became the first man to play in ten Lord's one-day domestic cricket cup finals.
Role: Batsman. Batting: Left
Matthew Hoggard MBE
Matthew Hoggard's primary role was to utilise the shine on the new ball to test the technique of top-order batsmen against the swinging delivery. He was seen as the consistent bowler in the team.
Role: Bowler. Batting: Right. Bowling: Right, fast medium
Devon Malcolm
Oldest team member at 51, Devon Malcolm was one of England's few genuinely fast bowlers of the 1990s and is hailed as was one of the fastest bowlers in the world.
Role: Bowler. Batting: Right. Bowling: Right, fast
Paul Nixon
Paul Nixon made the reverse sweep his own and is one of the few keepers to leave the stumps and dive in front of the ball when opposing batsmen attempt this stroke.
Role: Wicket-keeper. Batting: Left
Darren Maddy
In Twenty20 cricket Darren Maddy was the first player to reach a 1,000 runs and is the second highest scorer in the competition's history.
Role: All-rounder. Batting: Right. Bowling: Right, medium
Dean Headley
Hailing from a famous cricketing family, Dean Headley is the son of Ron Headley and grandson of George Headley - both former International cricketers.
Role: Bowler. Batting: Right. Bowling: Right, fast-medium
Ali Brown
A prolific one day player with over 11,000 runs, Ali Brown holds the world-record List A score - 268. He is the only player in the history of List A cricket to make two double centuries.
Role: Top order batsman. Batting: Right. Bowling: Right, off-break
Chris Schofield
The youngest player at 35 and by just 17 days, Chris Schofield is one of the few leg-spinners to play Test cricket for England in recent times.
Role: Bowler. Bowling: Left. Batting: Right, leg-break
Dominic Cork
As a tall bowler who swung the ball late, England's selectors identified Cork early and drafted him into the Test squad at the age of 21.
Role: Bowler. Bowling: Right, fast-medium. Batting: Right
RAF Cricket Team
Flt Lt James Iago (Capt) - RAF Northolt
Role: RH Bat - Bottom Order, Right Arm Medium
Sqn Ldr Tim Adcock - RAF Waddington
Role: RH Bat - Top Order
Fg Off Adam Fisher - RAF Cranwell
Role: RH Bat - Top Order
Cpl Gary Binns - RAF Odiham
Role: RH Bat - Bottom Order, Right Arm Medium
Cpl Rob Magee - RAF Leeming
Role: RH Bat - Middle Order, Slow Right Arm
Cpl Keiran Pearce - RAF Honington
Role: All Rounder LH Bat - Top Order, Left Arm Medium
Cpl Ash Watson - RAF Honington
Role: All Rounder LH Bat - Middle Order, Slow Left Arm
SAC Mitchell Harris - RAF Brize Norton
Role: RH Bat - Bottom Order, Slow Right Arm
SAC Guy Hill - RAF Honington
Role: All Rounder RH Bat - Middle Order, Right Arm Medium
SAC John Iniff - RAF Honington
Role: RH Bat - Bottom Order, Right Arm Medium
SAC Andy McGeorge - RAF Honington
Role: RH Bat - Middle Order
SAC Dom Mirner - RAF Marham
Role: All Rounder RH Bat - Middle Order, Right Arm Medium
SAC(T) Joe Peatman - RAF Waddington
Role: RH Bat - Bottom Order, Right Arm Fast Medium
Team Manager:
Sqn Ldr Paul Knowler - RAF Benson
Coaches:
Sqn Ldr Sam Moss - HQ Air Command
Sqn Ldr Stu Bradford - MOD Boscombe Down
Sports Therapist:
Mr Paul Leppard - Headley Court
Facebook Picture Album
To see more pictures from the PCA Masters -v- RAF Charity T20 Cricket Match, visit the Album on our Facebook page HERE!
