Captain
Cook and the Discovery of Success
He came to the
club as a colt, skippered the First XI to Mid Kent League glory
and Kent League entry, He helped them win promotion to Division
Two, took them within a whisker of Division One, assisted them in
a dramatic recovery to avoid relegation against the odds and is
looking to lead the side into the 2005 season.
Glen Cook, otherwise
known as Cookie, was a reserved and quiet boy when he first joined
the club as a colt, potentially a good batsman, useful slow medium
bowler and an acrobatic and reliable close fielder. He was also
a well known and capable local goalkeeper, went on to become an
equally well known football referee and continues to support Tottenham
Hotspur. After all, his father had played for Gillingham Reserves
during the late 1950s so football runs in the family.
A cricketer
named P. Cook had played for the club just before World War One
as an opening bowler and had some success. He was the only other
Cook to have played for Rainham so the modern Cookie was quite a
discovery.
In his early
years Rainham Cricket Club was passing through a poor period so
Cookie, a genuine club man, worked his way to the top from the colts
to the First XI in the early-mid 1980s.
His first taste
of league success came in 1987 when the First XI, under Mark Swaine,
won the Gravesend & Dartford League for the first time. He had
had other personal successes, the best being against Linton Park
in 1985 when he scored 86 and an impressive 64 against Gravesend
in 1986. However, in the championship season of 1987 he made many
valuable contributions but didn’t hit many big scores. His
highest was in the first match of the season when he hit 54 against
Bearsted. The same could be applied to his bowling and his fielding
while his catching remained reliable. However, he remained an integral
part of the 1987 championship winning side.
Throughout the
1990s Cookie played a part in the championship and cup successes
of those years, albeit not as captain. He made his biggest First
XI score with 118 against Sevenoaks Vine in 1999, 112 against Gore
Court in 1998, 93 against Bearsted in 1997 and he shared a stand
of 152 with John Mitchell against Gillingham in 1993. However, his
best innings during those years according to many players at the
time was his 52 against Bexleyheath in 1992 in a vital league game
that Rainham narrowly won by two wickets. Playing some graceful
shots, which included three consecutive fours in one over he made
batting look easy. It was several years earlier in 1989 against
the same unfortunate team that he obtained his best bowling performance
of 5-21.
Cookie has always
been the quiet and cool man of the side who learnt much about local
life in the public bar of The Crown pub in Upchurch during weekdays
and studied the art of cricket captaincy on the field of play at
weekends. This was in contrast to his physical appearance, that
of a shaven headed, wide framed bruiser with tattoos decorating
both arms. In fact, Cookie is a man who can easily be underestimated
and in reality is a passive, modest and peaceful individual, a great
thinker and innovator who has helped reform Rainham First XI into
a team worthy of its place in Division Two of the Kent County League.
Although Cookie
remained a regular first XI player throughout the 1990s his climax
was in 2000, the team winning the Mid Kent League under his successful
captaincy. During the league campaign Rainham were defeated on only
two occasions and Cookie led by inspiration. His defiance was demonstrated
against Tonbridge where he almost batted through the innings for
a dogged 39 to help his side gain a thrilling one wicket victory
and his latent aggression was shown against Sevenoaks Vine when
he hit 68 in a partnership worth 152 in only 17 overs with Adeel
Hussain 77. He regularly bowled in short bursts to make important
breakthroughs and captained the side immaculately.
Although very
different to the legendary R.M.Wakeley, T.G.Glazier and John Richardson
- all of which are well known, successful and flamboyant past captains
of Rainham, Cookie’s quiet and steady approach to captaincy
has given him the image of ‘Mr Cool’. Never flustered
or known to lose his temper on the field of play he is more akin
to a Brearley style captain, quietly studying the opposition, weighing
up his options then making calculated decisions. He has never disclosed
his secrets of successful captaincy but there is certainly more
to it than meets the eye.
Although far
from being controversial, Cookie has shown signs of a rebellious
streak, particularly during the 1990s when he regularly batted wearing
his cap back to front or a towel wrapped around his head soaked
in water, but his personality has remained unchanged. Success hasn’t
gone to his head, he still buys his round in the bar and still remains
friends with old mates who have gone as far afield as Kenya and
Canada.
Generally a
man’s man in his early adult years, he has settled down with
a decent job and appears to be a man happy with his lot, looking
forward to the discovery of further challenges in 2005.
David Wood 2005
