Blog Entries for Mike Ridgeway

The Last Supper

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

I recently went to Royal Berks to check out a ‘floater’ in my eye. I naively thought floaters were something the Dawkins nervously did before a match, but no. I had to suffer drops to dilute the pupils and walked out of the hospital like Mr Burns in the Simpson’s Halloween Special. But it didn’t open my eyes to how we can make Club Supper less of a hassle and persuade more people that it is a good night out to thank people and support the club. We saw 33 committed souls gather on Saturday at Bir [...]

Fading 2011

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

What a depressing end to the 1XI league season. I think I have just about got over the missed opportunity against Little Kingshill and the selling of Mikel Arteta. A much improved squad (Hurley not Everton) with the additions of Dean, Clemons, Varun and a rapidly improving Ross finished the season only 2 points and one win better than 2010. Not even Ringworm’s BBQ and a few beers after our limp display against Little Kingshill or some racey pics on…, better not say whose phone could lift my mood [...]

Christmas Alights

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0100

I’m getting sad again. Only 3 league games to go just as the 1XI have got going. Last Saturday was almost perfect, a stonking win, opposition in disarray, doughnuts for tea and Ross looking a very classy bat. At Littlewick we worshiped the zero, is ‘nothing’ sacred? I am sure Howard Siliconchip can correct me but the 1XI have used 27 players so far this season. I think this is both a strength in our membership and a weakness in availability, 8 players were probably under 25, the average number o [...]

More Walnuts

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0100

I have been changing my mind about where we are as a club faster than Shane Warne has had a make over, and both of us have had a Hurley to heart. Mind you, his has more bumps than our outfield. Stonking maximum pointers for the 1XI against the hated Hammersham Mill and the new boys of Pinkneys has fired expectations, but dented by the 2XI falling off the pace. It just shows that with a few absentees we are down to bare bones and I don’t mean the skeletal form of Onmytodd. Of course the burgeonin [...]

Its still raining

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0100

I have to say that the quality of writing, my efforts excepted, on this website is impressive. From the Hurley Lions colts reports to the Sunday 2XI guest reporters it is all very entertaining. I wonder if brown envelopes changed hands to entice Vicky Pollard and Bill Oddie to report, and maybe a pie or two for Lardy. Mind you, anyone watching any of the games a couple of weeks ago would have been treated to a weekend that saw 3 one wicket/run results. Sadly only one was in our favour.

Ra [...]

It's like well good

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Was it Morrissey that said ‘Heaven knows I’m miserable now’? Just who is Humbug these days and why have I got so much competition? There are two outstanding competitors for my title, Stevie Sailor and Dave Walnut. Now don’t get me wrong, both are really nice chaps but there just is no room for three of us. It is my handle and I jealously guard it. I wonder if it is a co-incidence that we are all long-suffering members of Hurley with about 90 years service between us. Maybe curmudgeons need to ma [...]

Achtung Spitfire

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Oh well, better try to get a couple of blogs in this month so as not to disappoint my reader. As I gazed on the Spitfire doing loops over the Thames a couple of Saturdays ago and dwelled on the few, WW2 pilots that is, not Hurley regulars, I thought about all the noble acts that go unrecognised or just forgotten. Well, it distracted me temporarily from the clichés and jive coming from Hamersham Mill. While I am talking of selfless acts could a few more people offer to buy Val a drink after games [...]

Rogan Josh

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Obama Bin President decided not to show the too horrific pictures of Phil’s bloodied face last week after he tried to take a bite out of the ball, but as compensation, he is hoping to get a bumper pay out from the tooth fairy. Unfortunately it was the only ball of the day to spit, much like Phil was doing copiously until ushered off the square. The rather macabre sight of people looking for his missing tooth on a length after the match was made all the more amusing had we known that A&E had foun [...]

The Blind leading the Blind

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Despite transfer rumours over the winter, Hurley have not secured the services of a host of banned Asian players or Ricky Ponting looking to regain respectability after an Ashes humiliation, but instead have been in the greenhouse growing their own. Careful nurturing by Ringo, Lardy and Veggy is maturing budding talent, so is the Cola too expensive?

Blog #2 of the year and I am becoming prolific; is it a renewed enthusiasm or brought on by enforced retirement and time on my hands? Cricket [...]

Martin Tetlow

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Thanks to Kevin Clement who reminded me of my long absence from this page, it appears he still keeps in touch with what is going on through our website. I now have two readers!

Back in the days when flares were first fashionable, a mobile phone was a smashed up red booth, and music was about to embark on it’s greatest decade ignited by the cleansing influence of punk, I followed Phil down to Hurley in my ripped jeans. Having just finished University and not knowing what to do having got u [...]

Dodgy goings on

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Visiting Hurley on Saturday for the annual fixture against Nally’s XI (Hampton Hill), I received a tip off that we would score 150. So I placed all my loose change down the bookies with Mo Ne Launda and sat back in full expectation of a future life of leisure. Imagine the shock and awe when Rita calculated 151 and I had lost everything. Surely Mike ‘the mask’ had acquired an extra run, but no, a 24 ball duck disputed that theory. I did not dare challenge the red headed statistician who was brood [...]

Grinding Gears

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The sun shines brighter, Val’s scones are fruitier, and the beer is more bitter/sweet when we win in the League. The 1XI climbed to 4th and the 2XI climbed to 3rd so things are looking good like Cameron (Diaz not David). I do blanch a little at the excitement in the weekly round up about the prospect of the 2XI getting promotion as there are several individuals lingering there who should be playing 1XI on merit. This rather makes a mockery of a 1st and 2nds, and will it be sustainable next year. [...]

Whitch is worse?

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I have not been blogging recently, too busy filling in my World Cup wall chart and sticking pins into my Fabio Coppello doll. Having watched England nervously stutter into the last 16 I am comforted that it could be worse, we could be French.

Having recently enjoyed visits to Little Marlow and Englefield I do get some perspective on where we are as a club. What a good do at the Club for the England vs USA World Cup opener, beer festival and loads of new faces and colts. The game however [...]

Beam me up Scotty

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

What a game the other week! I went over to Hurley fully expecting to see fours a plenty but instead it was wall to wall four by fours. I could not park and had to go down the road and sneek into the Old Bell car park. It was the first under 11s game and our boys were taking on the might of Royal Ascot. Set 112 to win in 20 overs, our brave lads set off at a terrific pace (fuelled by coke and fruit pastilles) and as the runs flowed (admittedly mostly in wides) so the bar did a roaring trade. The [...]

World Champions England

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I have been a bit slow posting my blog, blame the arctic conditions, volcanic ash and concentrating my efforts on winning the pub fantasy football. I fully expect to get a free meal from the chef Sean as I ‘battered' him in the final couple of weeks. Somehow I think I had better not touch the hollandaise sauce or gentleman's relish with the free chips.

And so onto cricket and what an inspiring weekend. It was great [...]

Here we go again........

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

As a cloud of volcanic ash settles over Berkshire, the new season is clouded in uncertainty. Where will the 1XI get a middle order from and will youth fill the gap before the burgeoning over 50's finally call it a day and retire to the Berkshire Over 50's cricket. Mother Hurley is trying to give birth to a new generation of colts to keep the club alive and I am not sure if Ringo is father or midwife. To make another analogy, the excellent CricketForce weekend at Hurley wa [...]

Another Summer

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100

And so finally the league season has come to a close with the final match for the 1XI at Little Kingshill. A red kite circled over the ground on the look out for a tasty morsel, Ross was on the menu for lunch. Maybe that was the incentive for him to keep moving and score a rapid and shockingly classy 36 for a 15 year old (or a 45 year old for that matter). Was that a whistling of wings, or the wheezing of Denis trying to keep up? Still, there is 40 years between them. T [...]

Watership Down

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Now, two readers of my match report last week commented that it sounded a little like ‘Watership Down' and now I cannot get the annoying theme tune out of my head. Somebody please shoot me! Next week's report will be based on ‘Titanic', ‘The Poseidon Adventure' or ‘Armageddon'. Just think of all the clichés I can employ (and have done - sunk with out trace, subsided etc) whilst describing our batting. I liked the little bunnies reference but I shall have to think of new [...]

Common Buddy

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Sometimes, when writing emails and even Blogs, it is worthwhile having a period of reflection before hitting that ‘send' button. I think I have waited long enough. There could not have been two more contrasting days of cricket over the past two weeks for the Saturday 1XI. Two weeks ago we played a team, lets call them Hammersham Mill to preserve their anonymity, and we had a thoroughly unpleasant afternoon. To be fair, we anticipated this having played them earlier in the season. The [...]

Love Australians

humbug@ridgers.wanadoo.co.uk — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

During the Sunday of the 3rd Test, my friend in Australia was texting the hell out of me with cliché comments about the weather here. He then tried to suggest that Jimmy Anderson had Australian roots (bleached blond?). I may have jeopardised my trip down under in 2010/11 by saying that I had made a search and could find no criminal record for Jimmy and therefore he did not qualify. The texts stopped.

Now, this little blog is not [...]