The Passion of Jesus

While studying a photo of the Turin Shroud, which is alleged to show an imprinted image of the crucified Christ, I couldn’t help thinking how much of a facial resemblance there was to a well-known Rainham wicketkeeper. However, on reflection it was probably similar to a story run in the Sun newspaper several years ago of a Friesian cow that was said to have a spot on its side that resembled a profile of the ex BBC sports presenter Jimmy Hill – mere coincidence, or is there something more to it than meets the eye?

Steve Cooper joined Rainham in 1993 from Ightham, a small village near Sevenoaks. Quietly spoken but with a loud, piercing and shrill “HOWZAT?!”, serious and philosophical but with a unique and dry sense of humour, passive but with a strength unequalled when facing adversity and illness, the Rainham wicketkeeper and 2005 Sunday Second XI captain is far from being a dull character. Branded with the nickname ‘Jesus’ soon after joining the club due to his uncanny physical likeness to the holy one, he has remained a familiar figure behind the stumps for more than a decade. Indeed, when I look at my annual Christmas cards that show the representation of Christ, I often think of that Rainham wicketkeeper who can regularly be seen behind the stumps at Berengrove Park.

Looking the part when kitted out, Steve has faced controversy on the field of play. At times brilliant when standing up to all the bowlers and taking some exceptional stumpings in the process, he has also been on the wrong end of comments about the number of byes he can concede. However he has lasted the course, has remained immune to his critics and has crouched behind the stumps through sun, wind and rain on behalf of Rainham Cricket Club. Even after being carried off the field of play with injury and a period of serious illness when many thought he would never play again, the plucky and determined Messiah look-alike has returned to shock members with the miraculous speed at which he can remove the bails.

What is exceptional and unique about this wicketkeeper is that he has restricted sight in one eye after surgery resulting from his being struck in the face while ‘keeping for Ightham around 1990. This makes him even more remarkable compared with other conventional stumpers, as he possesses a narrower field of vision than most. Not since Ted Ballard (who played for Rainham in the 1940s with an artificial leg) has such a Rainham player graced the field of play. This doesn’t prevent him from using his cunning and often he has taken the ball and waited several seconds for the batsman to leave his crease or to fall forward after losing balance to whip off the bails in an instant, followed immediately by his characteristic piercing appeal and his skip towards the umpire. Many batsmen have fallen victim to this ploy.

As a double act with veteran spin bowler Geoff McCue Steve has captured many a stumping for the Second XI and the act continues.

As a batsman Steve has sometimes been underestimated but he has scored runs. His highest score for Rainham at the time of writing is 38 and he scored 21 in a solid innings to take the game away from Borden in 2003. He was originally an opening batsman with Ightham but these days he concentrates exclusively on wicket keeping. This has brought him success and (at the time of writing) he has taken 62 catches and 74 stumpings.

With a build like a matchstick Steve is not the most powerful hitter of a cricket ball. This has sometimes resulted in him leaving the field of play after being dismissed for a low score, exhausted from playing a whole repertoire of classical shots. His main problem comes from this lack of strength, as I have seen him play some classic cuts and drives with great effort and style only for fielders to lazily bend down to gather the ball close to the wicket. This has often resulted in a hard earned single figure score.

After twelve years at Rainham Steve has at last taken on responsibility by becoming the Sunday Second XI captain for 2005 and is determined to show the responsible side of his character. A great thinker and philosopher, the balding Steve possesses the essential elements of leadership, something he is keen to show during the forthcoming season.


David Wood 2005