Psycho
With a perpetual and radiant smiling face he has a receding hairline that has been receding for as long as I can remember. This unique Rainham cricketer has a reputation of being a little out of the ordinary, .especially as he sometimes displays a white beard which he maintains is cotton wool but I believe he forgets to shave after putting shaving cream on his face. This apparent madness does run in the family as his grandmother’s black cat also had a streak of insanity and after many wild acts eventually did its nut by attacking a passing lorry in Tufton Road and ended up with an amputated tail that caused it to periodically fall over. Jim Sherhod hasn’t reached that stage yet, at least I don’t think he has, but he can get a little excited. This became clear when he had a run in with a hooligan at a night club several years ago leaving him with panda like eyes. More recently he had an incident with a smelly vagrant on the Victoria to Rainham train. Jim said the unfortunate tramp had the aroma of l’ eau de badgers pooper. It may have been a fellow Rainham cricketer posing to wind him up but it has caused a recent talking point in Jim’s life and seems to have affected him more than the present World Financial Crisis.
A product of the club youth scheme, Jim Sherhod seems to fear nobody on the field of play and this became visible when he scored his first century for the club against Wilmington in 1999. Going into bat with the side needing over 192 to win, Jim smashed the home bowlers to every corner of the ground with nonchalant ease, allowing the team fielding six colts and me to marvel at this outstanding performance. Soon after this Jim disappeared into obscurity for a while, some say he was kidnapped by gypsies, others that he had a secret girlfriend in Bulgaria. Jim maintains it was due to the pressure of work but like all good Rainham men he re-appeared several years later more mature and wiser than previously and gradually eased himself back into form. Like a balding phoenix that has risen from the ashes, Jim has periodically shown his batting prowess and still shows moments of brilliance, that is, when he isn’t talking. He still tends to bat aggressively without moving his feet but he has an effective hit to mid wicket and straight hit over the bowler’s head.
Some older members may recall a Sherhod of earlier times when Kevin Sherhod, uncle of Jim, threw everything at the bowler except the kitchen sink after a mammoth run up to bowl. He scared the life out of many Second XI opponents with his bouncers, full tosses and lightning deliveries. He still holds the record for the longest over of no balls and wides and had to turn to fishing in order to calm down but Jim perseveres and we may not have seen the best of him yet.
As a bowler Jim has the run up and look of Simon Jones of Worctershire and England but his facial expression sends fear running through opposing batsmen as he snorts and displays a twisted expression as he comes in to bowl. Nobody is more serious than Jim when bowling proven by the fact that he stops talking when going through the motions. On occasions he has been known to pass his opinions about an umpiring decision that has gone the wrong way.
In private life Jim has a twin brother but as a relief to members of Rainham Cricket Club his lookalike doesn’t talk much and doesn’t wear a white beard so the cry of ‘Oh no, there aren’t two of them’, hasn’t yet been heard. If members don’t recall the tailless, wild black Sherhod cat of Tufton Road they will certainly remember ‘Psycho’ Sherhod in years to come.
