Skip to main content

The Duck King

 


Prior to the start of the 2021 season, 168 different players had been dismissed without scoring for Offley & Stopsley C.C. 

Only five had achieved the feat of registering 30 blobs, the most recent addition to the elite ranks being Chairman Mark Tattersall who recorded a single duck in 2020.

However, while Tattersall now has every chance to make third spot his own in 2021 (his dismissal at Steppingley moved him into a tie with Mo Chaudry) he has little chance of catching the second-placed Colin Keeley (42) and no chance whatsoever of challenging the undisputed Duck King for his title.

For when it comes to distinguished duckery, Darren Lunney reigns supreme. 

Admittedly Lunney is the only man in club history to bat more than 500 times but even so 54 ducks seems a little excessive.

Actually in the wake of number 55 on Saturday - a full toss which was guided helpfully into the hands of a square leg fielder who couldn't believe his luck - perhaps it's not that surprising. 

While Keeley and Lunney jousted for years for the title of Duck King, Keeley's departure from the club left the pond open for Lunney to reign unchallenged.


The Top 10 Duck Enthusiasts (1998-2020)

1. Darren Lunney 54

2. Colin Keeley 42

3= Mark Tattersall 31

3= Mo Chaudry 31

5. Wayne Cutts 30

6= Richie Barker 28

6= Steve Bexfield 28

8. Phil Gourd 25

9= Nathan Brodie 24

9= Rizwan 24

Bubbling Under

Marc Ward 23

Matty Taylor 22

Josh Hook 17

Scott Boatwright 16




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The People's Champions

"We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat and dismay may be the preface to our successors' victory." A day out that was confidently expected to end around lunchtime eventually drew to a close in the early evening as heavy underdogs, Offley & Stopsley C.C., otherwise known as the People's Champions, took their leave of Knebworth Park having reached the club's first final since 2008. Unquestionably no one was more surprised at making it through to the final than the team themselves, the semi-final victory prompting a flurry of hastily rearranged plans. Ultimately they were not victorious on the pitch - not exactly a shock as they were up against a side six divisions above them in the Saracens League, a gap that will be confirmed as eight divisions once the tables are finalised on Saturday night. Yet at the end of a torrid season where the club flag has been subjected to shot and shell, it was heartening to know it still fluttered defiantly in the...

The Triangle of Triumph

OSCC, 116-6, beat Shillington, 115-9, by four wickets OSCC, 174-6, beat Harpenden, 166 all out, by eight runs OSCC, 245-6, beat Hexton, 152 all out, by 93 runs Having started the season by losing six out of six - and conceding a seventh to boot - Offley kicked the season into life with a three-game sweep of assorted opponents. The week that began with the unfortunate Bus Wanka saga ended with the victory beers overflowing. Captain Roger Piepenstock secured the first win of the season against Shillington, having been elected to the position on the grounds of his patrician bearing and the fact he was the only one with a coin (a golden guinea presumably) to toss up. Manouvering his fielders with a combination of frantic arm-waving and polite requests one that conjured images of a pissed up usher at a garden party, Captain Piepenstock ensured Shillington were restricted to 115-9.  Mark Kirkman and Shane Jones were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets apiece but there were also tw...

Wardy Still Hasn't Found What He's Looking For

OSCC, 128-9, lost to Royal Herts, 129-6, by four wickets Marc Ward returned to the side as Offley attempted to make it three wins on the spin in the Herts League. Unfortunately they ended up losing for the fourteenth time in a row under Wardy's illustirous leadership, slipping to a four-wicket defeat on a snot heap of a wicket. Ward won the toss and elected to bat before realising that his team did not necessarily contain a great deal of batting. The captain led the way with a valiant 30, an innings that ended to the last ball before drinks when he successfully steered a wide full toss gently into the hands of point, the dismissal ending a 39-run stand for the fourth wicket with Jamie Cummins. Ward reacted to his dismissal with a series of self-recriminations featuring bat throwing, helmet smashing and vocal flagellation, all worthy of the Old Testament. By that point Richie Barker (1), Marcus Townsend (6) and Ian Peterson (8) had already made the long walk back to the hutch. Resum...