Into the Archive

Jan Joordaan (South Africa)

The first ever Bapchild Overseas Player, Jan had 2 spells at the club, in 1999 and 2002. Jan was a hard hitting, technically correct batsman, and also a talented wicketkeeper. Jan scored a stack of runs in his first spell at the club, including a quick fire 150 at Old Anchorians in only his second game for Bapchild. Jan was also a favourite with the local ladies during his stay.

Classic BCC moment

In 1999, Jan Joordaan invited his close friend from South Africa to play in an end of season friendly at Bapchild. Known only as ‘Charles’, the South African charged in down the hill at Radfield and bowled ‘seriously ‘quick’, resulting in the opposition batsman walking off and refusing to bat, and Glen Taylor being peppered behind the stumps.

Alistair Harold (New Zealand)

A rugged opening batsman who valued his wicket more than his life, Alistair scored 150 on league debut at Old Elthamians. A superb wicket-keeper, Alistair also opened the bowling on occasions with his left arm seam and could also bowl competent spin. Alistair has recently returned to the club for the odd appearance, entertaining the crowds with cameo batting performances and still superb wicket-keeping.

Scott Larsen (New Zealand)

Scott was an entertaining left handed batsman, who scored runs consistently without ever notching a club century. Scott took 5 wickets in his second team debut and was a definite favourite in the bar. Scott’s performances of the Hakka at club functions will live long in the memory.

Classic BCC moment

On the Bournemouth tour of 2004, Scott Larsen was hitting the post match drinks as hard as anyone in the party. The site in his and James Lincoln’s bedroom the morning after one particular session was not pleasant.

Robert Waller (Zimbabwe)

An overseas player who just turned up looking for a game of cricket turned out to be a very consistent and ‘mentally tough’ performer. Rob served his apprentice in the second team in 2002 while Joordaan filled the overseas role in the first team, Rob bowled with pace and bounce, and was a very competent batter who hit the ball hard and straight. Rob came into his own in 2003 when he debuted for the first team, hardly ever failing with the bat as he became the Bapchild ‘finisher’ in many run chases. Rob also formed an entertaining partnership in Murston with Matt Roche.

Jarred Cunningham (New Zealand)

A big turning off spinner, with big heart and big smile, Jarred scored 3 centuries towards the end of the 2005 season, to seal his place in Bapchild legend. Also legendary were Jarred’s dance floor moves and popularity with the ladies of Sittingbourne. Jarred discovered his long lost twin during his stay, but lost 10-1.

Matthew Lincoln

Matthew was a stylish batsman who scored stacks of runs in the strong K.V.L. teams of the early noughties. Also a useful bowler, Matthew will be remembered for bowling with real gas on the 2000 tour of Norfolk. Matthew can still be seen entertaining the locals with the bat at Mersham Le Hatch and Ashford Town Cricket Clubs.

Classic BCC Moment

During the rise through the K.V.L., the Lincoln brothers were the mainstay of the Bapchild batting. In a partnership in excess of 300, Matthew Lincoln scored a sparkling 148, with shots to every part of the ground.

Ian Baldock

A very consistent batsman and excellent gloveman, Ian captained the K.V.L. side of the early noughties, while still being one of the most productive batsman in the Kent Premier League, and a housewives favourite at Bapchild.

Classic BCC Moment

In 2002, Stockbury were on a mission to win the Kent Village League Division 1, paying a host of Premier League and Overseas players to play for them. Missing star batsman James Lincoln through injury, the odds were stacked against Bapchild, but Captain Ian Baldock scored a classic match-winning century. Fittingly, former captain Neil James caught Stockbury captain Nigel Sharp to seal the win.

Neil James

‘Jamo’ was a stalwart of the club for more than 20 years, captaining the first team in the mid to late nineties. Neil was also captain of the Sunday team when it made the rise from division 5 to division 1 of the K.V.L., before handing over to Ian Baldock.

Classic BCC Moment

Arriving at a sodden Littlebourne for a K.V.L. game, Jamo strolled out for the toss and decided to have a bat on a flooded track. Bapchild were bowled out for 60.

Classic BCC Moment

Bapchild were batting first during a timed match, and seeing that the local church clock read 5 o’ clock, Neil James declared with Neil Ranger on 49. ‘Jamo’ was informed at tea that the clock had not worked for years and that it was in fact half past three, leaving the opposition 4 hours to chase 140.

Steve Botting

Steve recently retired after realising that his bowling arm had got so low after 234,005 overs for the club that he was practically bowling underarm. A quick scoring batsman, Steve was also a useful fielder in his day, during more than 20 years service at the club. Steve can still be seen in a spectator role at the club every Saturday and Sunday.

Classic BCC Moment

At the dinner and dance of 2007, Steve Botting was having an animated discussion with the girlfriend of another player about the merits of vegetarianism. On hearing that Steve exclusively eats meat, the girlfriend replied ‘at least I can sleep easy at night’, to which Steve replied, ‘so can I, in my seal skin rug’.

Wayne Mitchell

Wayne was a burly fast bowler and could ‘hit a long ball’. Part of the first Bapchild Kent League team in the mid nineties, stories of ‘my Wayne’ can still be heard at the club to this day.

Classic BCC Moment

Surely everyone has heard about the time Wayne Mitchell hit Alex Tait for 6?

Chris Holman

Chris was an excellent all-rounder for the club, scoring runs in the middle order and bowling with gas in the Kent League and Kent Village League. Chris was also a big player in club social events and team bonding sessions.

Classic BCC Moment

Bapchild made the journey to Dover on a gloomy day in 2001. Chris Holman went onto record the club’s best ever Kent League figures of 8 for 48, despite Lee Cogger dropping a simple catch off his bowling at mid-on.
Bapchild Cricket Club Profiles

Roy Lincoln (Chairman)

Roy has served the club for more than 20 years, as opening bowler, secretary and club chairman. Roy’s input and effort has been invaluable, and the club are now benefiting from the fruits of his labour. If you are very lucky, you can occasionally catch a glimpse of Roy doing jumping head butts and the splits to band music at club functions.

Barry Wood

Barry has been at Bapchild man and boy, following in the traditions of a long line of Woods at the club. Barry has been a consistent bowler for all of those years, as well as performing the role of vice chairman during his time, and is currently doing an excellent job as head groundsman.

Classic BCC Moment

Barry Wood was fielding on the long-on boundary, with his daughters watching him adoringly, sat just behind him in front of the garage. Suddenly, a high catch was hit towards Barry, who turned round and said ‘stand back girls’ before taking the catch comfortably in his huge mits.

Ben Fulton (New Zealand)

Ben is in his second year as club captain and has proved to be a very consistent run-scorer and dodgy leg-spin bowler. Ben was an integral part of the promotion winning team of 2007 and was the leading run scorer last season in the Kent League.

Lee Cogger

Lee is Second Team captain, Sunday captain and coach of the Bapchild Bulldogs. Lee has been with the club for 14 years and has mixed fortunes with the bat. A highlight of Lee’s Bapchild career was taking 6-27 at Tonbridge in 2008, sealing him the club bowling award, much to the bemusement of Matthew Roche and Barry Wood.

Classic BCC Moment

Lee Cogger was on his way to play a second team fixture at Bobbing Court when he received a phone call from Barry Wood to inform him that he ‘had left the scorebook on top of his car and now Barry was picking up its remains off of the A2’. A couple of years later, Lee also had a car related incident at the club when his Corsa was torched while parked outside. A further car related incident occurred the following year, when Lee drove over his kit bag outside the pavilion, crushing his Mazuri helmet.

Matthew Roche

Matthew is a consistent left arm orthodox bowler and has chipped in with useful runs at various positions in the batting order. Matthew is a whole-hearted player who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Classic BCC Moment

Matthew Roche was in the middle of a particularly fiery spell when the opposition batsman hit the ball down the ground off his bowling. Matthew dived to stop the ball, but missed it. Realising that the batsman was turning for a second at the non-strikers end, Matthew, still on the ground, rugby tackled the batsman, holding on until the player had joined him on the turf.

Adam Larking

Adam is the true all round Bapchild Cricketer, performing a role as a batsman anywhere in the top order, an effective right arm over bowler, and useful fielder or wicketkeeper. Adam is also renowned for his role in social events and team bonding, as well as being the Bapchild website administrator.

Bapchild Folklore

It has become tradition for the departing overseas player to challenge Adam Larking to a ‘boat race’. Adam has only been defeated once, by Jarred Cunningham. The members wait excitedly for the eventual Fulton vs. Larking dual.

John Heatley

John performs an occasional role as fixture secretary, but his finest hour came as captain of the 2007 promotion winning team. John is a rugged opening or number 6 batsman, and has also kept wicket when the need has arisen.

Classic BBC Moment

John Heatley led the B.C.C. first team to their watershed promotion in 2007. John’s leadership often bewildered some, but his methods were proven to be justified in the end. John’s tenure was also punctuated with bouts of panic and irrational behaviour, but none more so that on the final day of the season. Needing 30 to win from 10 overs with 6 wickets in hand, to clinch the league, Heatley phoned Lee Cogger to say ‘we’ve blown it; we’ve gone and blown it!’

Alan Hampton

Alan succeeded Neil James as club captain in the late nineties, before passing the reigns to Heatley in 2007. Alan has been a consistent run scorer and wicket taker for the club for 12 years. Stories of Alan alienating players from the club are greatly exaggerated!!

Classic BCC Moment

A youthful Alan Hampton made his Bapchild debut in the second team against Bobbing Court in 1997, opening with Glen Taylor. After 8 overs, the score was on 32, when the heavens opened, Alan had scored 32.

Ricky Dale

Ricky has come through the youth ranks at Bapchild, to become a very handy opening batsman in both the Saturday first team and Sunday team. Ricky also bowls occasional filthy off-spin and has a fine pair of hands at slip.

Classic BCC Moment

As a 13 year old colt, Ricky Dale played in his debut Chairman vs. Vice Presidents fixture. After fielding, Ricky enjoyed a hearty lunch and a couple of glasses of wine (it was a special occasion!). Enjoying the tipple, Ricky did not like to see the rest of the wine go to waste and suitably polished it off on the quiet. Ricky did not manage to come out and bat in the second innings, instead retiring to a sun lounger with his irate mother frowning at him and the rest of the players.

Lincoln Bryden

Lincoln joined Bapchild straight from the Ghetto and has illuminated the first team batting with his hard hitting and wristy stroke play, calling on all his high cricketing pedigree. Lincoln can also bowl seam up and leg-spin, and swallows anything that comes near him at slip.

Bapchild CC Star

Lincoln Bryden was a star on ‘The Big Breakfast’ and his dance displays can still be viewed on YouTube – ‘let’s speed it up’! Additionally, Lincoln represented Essex at cricket at various levels, although when he turned up for his debut, the other players were all ‘suited and booted’, while Lincoln had arrived in his ‘Ghetto clothing’.

Lee Taylor

Lee is a stylish batman and tidy gloveman, whose stroke play often excites the Bapchild faithful. Lee has served the club for many years, but is now demonstrating a greater maturity in his batting which has been attributed to settling down and having children.

Step Back in Time

In his younger days, under the title of groundsman, Lee Taylor could be seen orchestrating ground equipment races, using the mowers and the roller. Although this activity was frowned on by the committee at the time, Matthew Roche attributed this miss-use of ground preparation time to his stacks of wickets in the early noughties.

James Lincoln

James is without doubt the most consistent performer in B.C.C. history with bat and ball, his performances culminating in leading the side to the great K.V.L. Division 1 league title win in 2005, after being the star performer in the club’s rise from division 5.

Classic BCC moment

Knowing that nothing less than a win will do in the final game of the 2005 season to win the league, James Lincoln and John Heatley went out to open the batting. After running Heatley out and scoring 12 of the first 20 overs, Lincoln smashed 174 runs off the final 20 overs of the innings, in the most astonishing innings seen by a Bapchild player. A score well in excess of 300 was set and Bapchild clinched the league title.

Neil Ranger

Neil is a productive middle order batsman, who still produces the goods, despite not playing every week, and the claims of some observers that ‘he doesn’t cover drive the ball like he used to’. Neil also plays drums in Marylebone Jelly, a band that have played numerous gigs at Radfield Hill and wow the crowds at the annual dinner and dance.

Classic BCC Moment

The famous Under 16 league winning team of 1997 used to stare unashamedly and open mouthed at Neil’s ‘fit bird’. However, Neil’s greatest hour came at ‘Ed’s last gig’, where Neil played a stupendous drum solo that had the crowd in raptures.

Alex Ward

Alex is a promising opening bowler and stylish batsman, who won the K.V.L. division 1 bowling award in 2008.

Classic BCC Moment

Alex Ward took 4 wickets in an over to earn maximum bowling points at Chislet in 2008.

Matthew Lewis

Matthew has emerged through the youth ranks at Bapchild as a fast bowler and hard-hitting left hand batsman.

Classic BCC Moment

Matthew Lewis took a match winning 5 wickets at Macknade in 2008.

Joshua Hunt

Josh is a promising all-rounder who opens the bowling in the first team, opens the batting for the Sunday team and is captain of the Bapchild Bulldogs.

Step Back in Time

Joshua Hunt scored back to back match winning 50s in two crucial top of the table away clashes at Sheppey and Rodmersham in the middle of the 2009 season.

Matthew Barraclough

Matthew is a talented all-rounder who gives the ball a ‘fearful whack’ and swings the ball round corners. The second team have a good record with Matthew in the side.

Step Back in Time

Matthew was a member of the all-conquering Bapchild Under 16 team of 1997 that won the league title. Matthew took 240 wickets at the cost of 4000 runs, playing a key role despite a kidney operation and a complicated personal life.

Simon Harrison

Simon has served the club for almost 30 years, mainly as a hard hitting middle order batsman and often wicket-keeper or slip fielder. Simon has to be the all-time leading run scorer for the club within the Saturday squads.

Step Back in Time

Players from that 1997 Under 16 team used to watch in amazement as Simon Harrison would often blast the first ball of the innings over the tree at Bapchild when opening for the first team in the Kent League, with nothing more than a short arm jab.

Glen Kennet

Glen is the rock of the second team middle order and very reliable off-spin bowler who takes a stack of wickets every season.

Step Back in Time

Glen Kennet took the prestigious Bapchild bowling award in 2005

Robert Kennet

Robert is a promising opening batsman with a stylish array of shots and determined defence. Robert is also an excellent fielder.

Classic BCC Moment

Robert Kennet scored his maiden Bapchild 50 in a match winning innings against Hartley Country Club in 2009. Robert followed this up with an unbeaten 50 against Pembury in a 10 wicket win.

Craig Hunt

As well as a useful bowler and middle order batsman, Craig is club secretary. Craig’s greatest achievement is fathering the great Bapchild all round prospect Joshua Hunt.

Classic BCC Moment

Lorraine Hunt had a twinkle in her eye after a couple of glasses of white wine in late 1993....
But seriously, Craig Hunt took 5 wickets for only 30 runs in the historic 1 run win against Nonnington in 2009

Adam Rayner

Adam has progressed through the ranks to become the strike bowler for the second team, while scoring very useful runs at the end of the innings, usually at more than a run a ball. Adam is knocking on the door for a first team place.

Classic BCC Moment

Adam Rayner scored an unbeaten 30 in a 6th wicket partnership of 70 to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat against Blue Bell Hill in 2007.

Leigh Cotteril

Leigh is a dependable middle order batsman who was part of the famous 5th wicket partnership that secured the winning runs for the 2007 promotion, in spite of captain Heatley freaking out on the boundary. Leigh will always ‘wang one down’ for the captain if required.

Classic BCC Moment

Leigh Cotteril holds his nerve to put on the winning partnership with Ricky Dale in ‘that game’ that secured promotion in 2007, when lesser characters would have been affected by the panic attacks of captain Heatley.

Nick Page

Known for his vicious L.B.W. appeals, Nick Page is an effective first change bowler and lower order batsman, who also coaches the Bapchild Broncos.

Classic BCC Moment

Bapchild are being panned round the ground against Premier League opposition at Wingham. To the surprise and bemusement of the Wingham players, a feisty young Nick Page gives the batsmen some abuse.