Diamond Jubilee

2013 was the Diamond Jubilee of ERCUSA. The Association was founded in 1953, the same year as ACUS, by Eric Whitton and other stalwarts. In 2003 we held several functions to celebrate the Golden Jubilee; notably a dinner and a cricket match against a Hull Zingari XI. We also had a Jubilee tie.

Jubilee Events

• A charity cricket match was staged against an EYC Alliance team at Hull C C on Sunday 14th July - 30 overs per side followed by a tea, and a tombola.

• A lunch was held on Sunday 15th September at the Kingston Theatre Hotel.

• An exhibition was held at the Hull History Centre:

• An 84 page book about the history of the Association, written by Michael Free and containing biographies of colleagues past and present as well as seven colour, and several black and white, photographs.

The Association's Diamond Jubilee lapel badge which is available, free, to all members.

Match Day Arrangements

Malcolm Ripley organised two teams for the match in July and a aprogramme of events for the day. There was a souvenir combined match day programme and scorecard.

Teams

ERCUSA XII:

K Blagg (Capt), K Hulland (v capt), R Bullock (wk), R Abba, K Featherston, M Forbes, C Robertson, R Johnson, R Perry, I Sanderson, D Silvester, D Thorpe.

EYCA XII:

A Kirby (capt), B Young (v capt), A Guy (wk), D Craker, A Johnson, H Kingdom, M Linwood, A McConnell, A Mould, S Pickering, R Rosindale,T Scott.

Umpires: M Foster, M Jones, G Prescott, M Ripley and K Smith.

Scorers: E Coles and M Free.

After the match various presentations were be made.

ERCUSA Team wins big match

The ERCUSA v EYCA Diamond Jubilee Charity Match was played at Hull CC on Chanterlands Avenue, Hull on Sunday (14th July 2013) afternoon in glorious summer weather. The ERCUSA team scored a thrilling, and unexpected, success over the Alliance with a stunning last over victory.Guest player, Rob Johnson, was man of the match taking 2-18 and scoring 77 not out.

The Alliance batted first and scored 195-6; in reply the officials' team scored 197--5 with skipper Keith Blagg crashing the third ball of the final over to the mid on boundary for four. After Richard Perry had struck twice in his opening four overs, clean bowling Dave Craker and pinning Andy McConnell LBW, the Alliance fought back with opener, Andy Mould stroking an entertaining 40 before retiring and Howard Kingdom playing a fluent innings of 39 before being stumped off Rob Johnson. Mike Linwood hit his way to fifteen including the first boundary of his cricketing life and then, in the final third of the innings, Andy Guy (31*) and Terry Scott (21*) smashed the officials' attack to all parts in a unbeaten partnership of 54. Rob Johnson took 2-18 and Richard Perry 2-22 with Richard Abba and Keith Hulland also picking up a wicket apiece.

In response the officials' team got off to a slow start and found themselves on 14-2 with Barry Young (in Glen McGrath mode) bowling his first three overs without conceding a run. When Dave Craker came on to bowl he quickly took three wickets (3-13) but then the young Rob Johnson put on a partnership of seventy with Ray Bullock (11) who was given out LBW, to the amazement of the sizeable crowd, by veteran umpire Malcolm Ripley. Rob Johnson (who hit two sixes and nine fours in his innings) and Keith Blagg (19) then took the officials to a victory with an unbeaten partnership of 82. Terry Scott and Neville Reed were the other wicket takers for the Alliance. It must be admitted that the officials side had a secret weapon to assist their total in that, under Malcolm Ripley's idiosyncratic match rules, wides were worth two in the Alliance innings and with several additional runs being taken off the thirty odd wide deliveries their value added up to 72 runs. The Alliance had also benefited from over twenty wides in their innings.

After the match commemorative medallions were awarded to all the participants by Vice President Ken Lake and former Chairman, Vice President and ICC umpire Keith Smith, who had travelled from Northern Ireland to attend the match. The Malcolm Ripley man of the match trophy was presented by the man himself to Rob Johnson. A total of £90 was raised for Dove House Hospice and the Children's Society whilst a Paul Collingwood bat also brought in a sum of £50 for Dove House.

The day ended with a sumptuous feast and many tired bodies. No doubt there will be many aches and pains being felt this morning by players from both teams, many of whom are more used to raising index fingers than bats, and several of whom had not lifted a bat or delivered a ball in a good number of years.

EYCA 195-6 (A Mould 40, H Kingdom 39, A Guy 31, T Scott 21, R Johnson 2-18, R Perry 2-22).

ERCUSA 197-5 ( R Johnson 77*, K Blagg 19, D Craker 3-13).

Photograph by D Thorpe

ERCUSA XII: K Blagg (c), R Abba, R Bullock, K Featherston, M Forbes, K Hulland, R Johnson, R Perry, C Robertson, I Sanderson, D Silvester, D Thorpe.

EYCA XII: T Kirby (c), D Craker, A Guy, A Johnson, H Kingdom, M Linwood, A McConnell, A Mould, S Pickering , N Reed, T Scott, B Young.

Umpires: M Foster, M Jones, G Prescott, M Ripley.

Scorers: E Coles, M Free

ERCUSA Diamond Jubilee Exhibition

The three Mike's (Jones, Foster & Free) at Hull History Centre for the official opening of the exhibition on the History of the Association.

We are grateful to the following for assisting in the staging of this match:

EAST YORKSHIRE CRICKET ALLIANCE

GREENCORE

HULL CRICKET CLUB

HULL ZINGARI CC

TONY KIRBY

KEN LAKE

MALCOLM RIPLEY