2003 annual dinner

This year's dinner was held on Saturday, November 29 at Kami's restaurant on Hills Road. Once again about thirty Remnants remained sober and sensible despite being plied with excellent food and wine.

Mike Sneyd and Les Collings.

Mike Sneyd and Les Collings tuck into some fairly daunting lamb shanks.

Anton Garrett.

Having played himself in, Anton Garrett settles down for a big innings. (Ignore the unidentified flying penne in the foreground.)

Les Collings and Sally Hales.

Les Collings thanks Sally Hales for autographing his otherwise very tasteful shirt.

With everyone sated (well almost -- there was soon a steady flow of half-empty plates in Anton's direction) Geoff began the evening's formalities by awarding the season's Champagne Moment. This ran a little differently this year: firstly, due to budgetary restrictions, it was actually an Asti Spumante moment; secondly there were also several honourable mentions:

In the end the winner was none of the above; instead the award went to Mike Scanlon for his spectacular catches and debut stumping in his first season as a wicket-keeper. (Sadly it might also be his last, at least for Remnants, as he's moved to London as part of the wave of defections that may also have seen Paul Henderson, Rich Savage and Phil Marshall play their final matches for the club.)

Colin Anderson and Mike Scanlon.

Colin Anderson congratulates Mike Scanlon on receiving the Champagne Moment award.

Les Collings, Colin Anderson, Mike Scanlon, John Young and 
  Daniel Mortlock.

Les Collings and Daniel Mortlock attempt to console a tearful Colin Anderson whilst Mike Scanlon and John Young take pleasure in another man's misfortune.

Rob Harvey.

Rob Harvey blissfully consumes his third G'n'T.

John Gull.

John Gull reacts unfavourably to suggestions that his top is worse than Les's shirt.

Next, of course, came the quiz.

Remnants quiz 2003

Geoff Hales mastering ceremonies.

Geoff Hales steadies himself as he gives us the answers to the quiz.

(To see the answers simply highlight the region below the questions with your mouse by dragging the cursor across the screen with the left button held down.)

    Openers (one run each)

  1. Who subbed for Romsey in the fist match, dropped three catches for them, but made up for it with one for us?

    Rob Harvey, in one of the almost Spumante moments mentioned above.

  2. Who took the first wicket of the season?

    Colin Anderson.

  3. Who got the first duck?

    Russell Woolf, and served him right, too, for playing for Romsey instead of us.

  4. Who got his first ever stumping?

    Mike Scanlon (albeit not in the Romsey game), and a profitable one it was too, not only removing one of the opposition's best batsmen, but also netting him a bottle of bubbly.

    Russell Woolf et al..

    Russell Woolf (or what's left of him), scorer of the season's first duck, receives a warm round of indifference from the assembled throng.

    Colin Anderson.

    Colin Anderson seeks divine inspiration.

    Who said it? (two runs each)

  5. ``I'll hobble in a corset.''

    Nick Clarke, when bravely batting with a bad back.

  6. ``Ten women have looked at my groin this week. And that's not a record.''

    Tony Malik, of course, when he'd pulled a ``muscle'' and had been fussed over by hordes of adoring nurses at Addenbrookes (``We need more nurses to hold him to one side'' was Les's suggestion).

  7. ``I'm not falling for that old trick.'' (And who tried to play it on him?)

    Chris Woolley was not going to be fooled when Ev Fox, having whipped off the bails in a final over thriller against The Beehive, appealed incredulously for a second time after the first was turned down.

  8. ``Not if I don't put my arms out.''

    Geoff Hales, responding to the batsman's assertion that the final ball of the UCLES game (which we won by a single run) was a wide.

    Tony Malik.

    The grin of a man who's made it into double figures.

    Opponents (one run each)

  9. Who stuffed us as usual?

    The Cavendish Laboratory (i.e. the physics department) was the intended answer, but such were our mixed fortunes this season that Cambridge Granta was also an acceptable answer.

  10. Who wanted retirement at 25 and were all out for 64?

    The City Council were the culprits here: their captain informed us that ``we have a few batsmen who'll bat forever if they get in''; I guess none of them did.

  11. Who doubled us for the first time?

    The Computer Laboratory, our perennial whipping boys, managed not only this thrashing, but also defended a low total later in the season.

  12. Who conceded 51 extras to lose by 35?

    It was The CB XI who kindly provided a barrage of bowlers who were too fast for their 'keeper (and their fine leg).

    Thanks, take a breather? (two runs each)

    Whose bowling analyses were these?

  13. 3-0-51-0 (vs. The Computer Laboratory)

    Mike Jones (one of many to suffer that day).

  14. 3-0-9-3 (vs. Hart-McLeod)

    Paul Jordan (one of several to profit that day).

  15. 3-0-49-1 (vs. Cambridge Granta)

    Daniel Mortlock. (Move along; nothing to see here.)

  16. 3-0-15-3 (vs. UCLES)

    Les Collings (and he was on a hat-trick, too).

  17. 4-0-22-4 (vs. The Globe)

    Russell Woolf (although it would have been the first Remnants five-for in at least four years if we could catch a little better).

  18. 3-2-7-1 (vs. The Globe)

    George Speller. (But lest you get the idea that The Globe had a weak batting line-up, they scored at about ten-an-over against us later in the season.)

    Les Collings eats a pickled egg.

    Les Collings eats one of his well-earned pickled eggs.

    Daniel Mortlock.

    Daniel Mortlock congratulates George Speller for his superior bowling figures by inserting his thumb into the latter's nose.

    Man of the match (one run each)

  19. Who got 111* and took 4-2-4-1?

    That would be Dave Norman, single-handedly ensuring a Remnants victory against a very strong Fathers And Sons team.

  20. Who helped him with 1* in a partnership of 34?

    Ev Fox was the accomplice in question.

  21. Who got to his 50 off the last ball of the (different) match?

    It was Mike Sneyd who left it all to the last possible moment, although there was some suggestion of collusion as Martin Law -- it was an internal match -- appeared to help the ball over the boundary.

  22. Who was out 48 short of his second-ever Remnants half century?

    Les Collings was robbed . . . but, by way of compensation, he was presented with a jar of J Sainsbury's pickled eggs to dull the pain.

    Bizarre or what? (two runs each)

  23. Who hit his wicket?

    Rob Harvey destroyed his wicket in an over-enthusiastic attempt to smash a Phil Watson lob across the line.

  24. Who is Tom's bunny?

    The Tom in question is Paul Jordan's son, and he managed to dismiss a rampant Nick Clarke when everyone else had failed. To commemorate this achievement Mike Sneyd presented Tom with the inaugural Junior Achievement Award.

  25. Who shouted ``Nev's ball'' and who disagreed?

    Neville Fidler -- somewhat predictably -- made the call, but Rich Savage begged to differ, the inevitable result being that yet another catch went to ground.

  26. Who shouted ``Mike's ball'' and what happened next?

    Mike Jones made this confident call in his Remnants debut, but experience and height won out as Geoff Hales held his ground, body-checked the eager young pup, and held onto the second chance Phil Watson had offered in three balls.

  27. Who took a catch off his son's bowling and saved himself a lot of ear-ache?

    Rupert Brown held his nerve and the ball after his son, Alex, had induced a rash shot from an opposition batsman.

    Nick Clarke's young tormentor, Tom Jordan, alongside mum Deb and dad Paul (or is that a Terminator that has taken on Paul's form?).

    Hello and goodbye (one run each)

  28. Who made a comeback after ten years?

    No, not Mike Sneyd -- he made his comeback last year. Instead it was Martin Law, who straight away found his form with both bat and ball.

  29. Who got a wicket with what we thought was his last ball for us?

    Paul Henderson seemed to have ensured the perfect exit, but ruined it all by subbing for Phil Marshall on a flying visit a few months later. (Incidentally, I'd had lunch with Paul earlier in the day and, whilst disappointed that he couldn't make the dinner, his main concern appeared to be that he mightn't get a mention in the quiz . . .)

  30. Who was out for 14 and left for Brighton?

    Rich Savage headed off on this slightly less spectacular note (but maybe will get a chance to craft a more appropriate farewell on some future visit to Cambridge).

  31. And who bowled him and emigrated?

    Phil Marshall had the last laugh in the duel of the astrophysics students in the season's final internal match, but almost immediately scarpered off to California for reasons best known only to himself.

  32. Who hit the last ball of the season for a match-winning four again?

    Andy Owen managed to finish things off in style once again, even if there were a few balls to spare this time around.

After some confusion (mainly stemming from Colin providing his age instead of his score on the quiz) it was determined that the winners were Mike Scanlon, John Young and George Speller, with a highly creditable 36/50. For their efforts they received two superb cricket books, kindly provided by G Davids Antique Bookshop.

George Speller.

George Speller captured making a hasty exit (presumably off for a hot date with some shaving cream).

The evening's formalities ended with a big thank-you to our absent leaders, Daves Rowson and Williams, our scorer Sally Hales and, finally, the man without whom none of this would ever happen, Geoff Hales.