The Rainham League Championship Winning Team of 1987
During the first half of the 1980s Rainham continued to play friendly cricket and refused to compete in a league. This resulted in a downturn in the fortune of the club as many of their best players left to join league clubs. Everything changed when Rainham decided to join the Gravesend & Dartford League in 1986 and even more so when they won the championship in 1987. So who were the players who participated in this side? Although the team developed into a well balanced unit there was a mixture of good cricketers and characters in the team.
Paul Phipps and Mark Richards usually opened the batting in the first part of the season. Paul Phipps, previously with Orpington Cricket Club, was said to have eventually gone mad and joined the Chatham branch of the Hari Krishna movement. He scored lots of runs and was almost impossible to remove due to his almost impenetrable defensive style. He had an effective sweep shot that made him lots of runs. A deep thinking person who seemed to lose track of everything around him when he was batting, he became the master of consistency, scoring over 1,000 runs during the season. Sociable in the bar, Paul Phipps also lost track of the time he spent at the club. This caused marital conflict so he is believed to have joined the Chatham based Hari Krishna group and mysteriously departed without warning, never to be seen at Rainham Cricket Club again.
Mark Richards, a short man with streaked hair and an earring, chipped in with useful scores. He enjoyed telling people about his personal successes in sport and once had the misfortune of being chased on the field of play by aggressive bowler Nick Larkins after passing a comment about him in a match at Staplehurst.
Glen Cook, a huge man with short legs, usually came to the wicket at number three. A little inconsistent in batting, he sometimes played vital innings and bowled very useful slow medium seamers. ‘Cookie’ as he was known to the other players was unusually agile in the field, took good catches and made great stops, usually at gully. He was sometimes followed in the batting order by natural sportsman Roy Hales from Station Road who, as an elegant left handed batsman, was capable of great things but only played occasional matches and had to leave before the season finished due to football training. When he turned out Roy Hales played some great innings but his natural talent was wasted by his failure to be consistently available and his involvement with a girlfriend. Although his black framed glasses made him resemble a great academic he was the least academic person one could wish to meet. He went on to play football for Fisher Athletic and Welling United but injury forced him to retire prematurely.
Captain and hard hitter Mark Swaine had graduated from the colts to become the youngest ever Rainham cricketer to score a century for the First XI aged fifteen. ‘Swainie’ usually began an innings steadily before unleashing a succession of tremendous swipes which would send the ball soaring over the boundary, usually straight over the bowler’s head. Although a mild mannered person, his batting could be ferocious. A natural sportsman, he also excelled at football and once turned out for Gillingham against Watford in the professional football league.
During the second half of the season Alfie Fisher made a comeback and this strengthened the batting line up. Highly competitive, quiet and deep thinking, Alfie applied himself seriously to batting, scored lots of runs in the short term and once scored 2,000 runs in a season, the first Rainham player to achieve this. He played for Old Anchorians in the East Kent League for a while before returning to play league cricket for Rainham.
Keith Morris, one of the club’s greatest ever batsmen performed very little during the 1987 season and played little part in the league. Originally from South Africa he was an accomplished and technically correct batsman who scored a huge number of runs for the club before marrying a Thai girl and moving back to South Africa in 2007.
Wicket keeper David Wood performed consistently throughout the season, taking many vital catches and stumpings and chipped in with some useful scores. A long serving player from 1968 to 2001 he had two periods with the club and also served as fixture secretary.
The Rainham bowling succeeded during 1987 because of variety, accuracy and the ability of bowlers to tie sides down. This was enhanced by a wetter than usual summer which proved favourable for the seam bowlers. Of the opening bowlers Nick Larkins proved the most accurate. A huge powerful figure with short cropped light brown hair and beard, his aggressive booming voice dominated the area where he was present and he intimidated many batsmen. Feared by some club members but loved by others he caused many controversies but also bowled exceptionally well during the 1987 season and had many teams in trouble. His best bowling displays took place against Frindsbury when he took 8-10 in 12 overs and against Hayes when he took 6-14. Although he was forced to leave the club before the end of the season due to unacceptable behaviour and aggression on and off the field of play he made a big contribution with his bowling displays.
The other opening bowler, Ivan Willis, a tall thin man with glasses and green stained teeth bowled with pace but not always with accuracy. He had a good season and made periodic contributions with his bowling and could hit quick runs at the end of an innings. One of his most memorable displays took place against Rodmersham when he took a hat trick with the last three balls of the game to give Rainham victory by one run.
Paul Phipps performed as a regular bowler. He didn’t take a large number of wickets but bowled with great accuracy. His slow medium seamers tied many sides down in the league. He was used in short bursts and this proved effective in limiting the opposition score. Glen Cook was also used in similar fashion. Danny Letchford, performed as a medium pace bowler and took wickets but was not always penetrative. Alan Beale, a quiet person and left arm seamer, could be dangerous but he had days where he bowled inaccurately, usually down the leg side. His straight hitting could sometimes be effective in the league.
Pat Patel, the only spin bowler in the First XI squad, bowled occasionally in league matches. His high looping deliveries always proved tempting for the opposition batsmen but he wasn’t always consistent with line and length making him a high risk league bowler although he did have good days.
Overall, the Rainham championship team of 1987 proved successful because it performed well as a unit with a good combination of factors. Players were determined, everyone made a contribution and there was team spirit. Unfortunately, the team broke up at the end of the season due to different problems but for one season they were a highly successful team, deservedly won the championship and paved the way for further club successes during the 1990s.
