2015 Remnants dinner

This year's Remnants annual dinner was held on Friday, November 14, at the Burleigh Arms pub on Newmarket Road, as it was last year. And, also just like last year, we had a great turn-out, with some thirty Remnants players, partners, supporters and legends (yes, legends) filling the pub's function room.

Les Collings on a break from Strictly Come Dancing.

The formalities began with the annual quiz:

Remnants quiz 2015

(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.)

    Quick singles (one run each)

  1. Who started his season with 4/19 for the opposition?

    Faruk Kara, playing for Romsey Town.

  2. Who began his season with a match-winning six, also for the opposition?

    Ferdi Rex, also playing for Romsey Town.

  3. Who began his season with three leg-side wides, this time for us?

    Naveen Chouksey.

  4. Who was out LBW three times in 14 balls?

    The unfortunate John Moore.

  5. Who got his first ever six for Remnants?

    Presumably several players who hadn't played much for us previously, but the intended answer was Richard Rex, who finally cleared the ropes in his 81st innings for the club.

  6. Who went past Paul Jordan to become the second-highest wicket-taker in Remnants history?

    Daniel Mortlock, who finished the season with 289 Remnants wickets, 7 ahead of Paul but a massive 76 behind Tony Malik.

    Coming back for two (two runs each)

  7. Which two Crusaders players turned out for Remnants?

    Jacob Pockney and Matt Samson.

  8. Which lady became the 392nd player to appear for Remnants?

    Sophia Pearson, in the mid-season Remnants vs. Remnants match.

  9. Who changed from bowling left arm to bowling right and got a wicket at once?

    Olly Rex.

  10. Who got his first ever five-for?

    Faruk Kara, playing for us this time.

  11. Who caught Dave Norman twice off the same ball?

    Andy Owen.

    Catherine Owen and Dave Norman react to the news that Andy caught him twice in one ball.

  12. Who missed getting a hat trick when the third ball pitched?

    Alec Armstrong, who'd started his spell with two wickets off full tosses.

    Twelve an over (two runs each)

  13. Who took 5/8 in 4.0 overs?

    Felix Serby.

  14. Who acknowledged that he never needs a long-on when batting?

    Dave Green.

  15. Who moved up to second on the all-time run-makers list?

    Dave Williams, who finished the season with 5713 runs, 176 ahead of Clarke Brunt but some 2853 short of - yes, you guessed it - Tony Malik.

  16. Who began an innings with 4 . 2 1 2 4 4 4 1 1 1 6 6 6?

    Mihir Chandraker.

  17. Who got the highest individual score of the season?

    Sam Serby . . .

  18. And how many (within 5)?

    . . . who scored 87* against the Academicals, an innings that received remarkable praise from report-writer Michael McCann (despite suffering from "pad rash").

    Two sixed wanted (six runs each)

  19. Which 'keeper conceded six byes off one ball?

    Matt Samson, who decided to atone for fumbling his take by going for a run out, with the result that there were four overthrows to go with the two byes already run.

  20. What is the Remnants connection with the Vatican?

    Regular Remnants opponents the St Radegund went on a tour to the Vatican this year, playing against the St Peter's XI.

    Andy Owen (and family) romped home with 37 out of a possible 42, meaning that the St Peter's Organic Ale made its way back to Brampton Road, some two doors down from where Geoff had been storing it in his place.

    Geoff Hales presents Andy Owen with the St Peter's Organic Ale as the quiz prize.

    The Champagine Moment Award went to Faruk Kara for his above-mentioned five-for.

    Geoff Hales hands over the Champagne Moment Award - a nice bottle of sparkling white wine - to Faruk Fara. Nice.

    The Les Collings pickled egg award went to John Moore for his run of LBWS - and not for inadvertently and unnecesarily inviting the entire club to the dinner this morning.

    John Moore hands over the pickled eggs to a surprisingly pleased John Moore while simultaneously employing his reiki techniques on the even more surprisingly pleased Michelle Kennedy.

    Michelle Kennedy makes a mistake that husband Grant will soon come to regret.

    Andy Owen, holder of the Phil Watson memorial grotesque, baffled the assembled throng with an allegedly logical deduction of why the thing had to be presented to a decidedly reluctant Paul Jordan.

    Paul Jordan regrets making it to the dinner this year.

    Russell Woolf and two things he didn't take home tonight.

    Its best angle.

    The most improved player, Grant Kennedy, was algorithmically destined to acquire the memorial Hart-McLeod silver salver once he i) played much more than he did last year and ii) batted brilliantly all year. (Grant also received a one-off award for having the pinkest shirt of the year - Toyah's Iyea LP, for reasons that are made clear by the below photo.)

    Grant Kennedy proudly displays the Most Improved Player trophy.

    Grant Kennedy less proudly displays his Pinkest Shirt trophy.

    That should have been that, but Les Collings had brought along a copy of the classic old cricket book The Captain as a raffle prize. This was duly acquired by Colin Anderson, whose winning bid of £25 (narrowly beating out Louisa Ellwood's £20) will go to club funds.

    Colin Anderson ponders his bed-time reading.

    Louisa Ellwood ponders what might have been.

    After the longest ever awards ceremony in club history - just as well there wasn't an award for that - there was just about time to try and finish our enormous deserts.

    Geoff Hales falls down exhausted after several hours of award-presenting.