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Background

In 2009, we took another major step to improve our standing as a Club both locally and in Sussex as a whole by recruiting an overseas player. Well actually two. The Committee held it’s breath at the start of the season and waited. Despite any apprehensions, the decision turned out to be an outstanding success.

Dave’s season wearing the Green and Gold

On Weekend One of the season as Fordy was crashing a ton in the first Sunday game against new opponents West Sussex Wanderers, our overseas boys arrived dazed and confused at Heathrow from their last stop, Istanbul. Their only club contact until this point had been Big Bird who had promised to pick them up but Mick had lost his phone and was unable to communicate that they’d be arriving four hours early… English Chambers & BB haired up the motorway, scooped them up and took them straight to a pub for a warm beer which they err drank slowly.

Mick will be afforded many paragraphs elsewhere but it slowly became clear that as much as Mick was focused, his mate was laid back and had a way with those ladies. Off the pitch, Dave like sleeping and Mick liked activity & organising his next move. What also became clear was that whilst they were total opposites in character, they both loved cricket and wanted to play. Dave, we were told, could bat and keep wicket. By the end of the season that seemed pretty accurate although he ended up bowling as much as keeping wicket! He’d smashed over 1100 runs at an average of over 81 and scored four tons - including a crucial one at league leaders Brighton Insurance to help the 1sts clinch a draw – as well as five fifties. Old Sleeps scored nearly 25% of the team’s runs when he played which is remarkable (but worrying for next year if he doesn’t return!) Dave was almost singlehandedly responsible for our first win at Midhurst for years when he smashed 171*. He was apparently hungover and no doubt lacking his usual 12+ hours sleep! The unbeaten 171, and 161 at Selsey, are the second & third highest individual scores ever for our merged club behind fellow Aussie “English” Chambers’ pyrotechnics at home to Brighton Insurance. (Interestingly, all ten of the high scores for this club by the end of the 2009 season had been scored by Australians… or a Welshman).

We were always forced to rotate Dave and Mick as the league would only allow one overseas player per team. I’ve no idea on occasion if Dave played when we wanted a bowler or Mick played when we really needed Dave to play. Either way we’ll never know and both of them didn’t care, they just wanted to play and to do their best for their adopted home club. Dave kept wicket when required too but being the laid back chap he is, he was always keen for protégés like Matt Goring to stand in especially on Sundays which was the one day him and Mick could play together! He bowled nearly 100 overs, with those big beefy shoulders of his, terrorising the odd batsman and even collected a “Michelle” (five-for) at home to his favourite opponents Selsey after scoring big in the away game. Mick wanted to play cricket, Dave wanted to play cricket too but err his bed and the sofa was also good places to be. You got the impression that Dave never planned anything, it just sort of happened! Several Sunday games were missed when he established we may have enough players without him. Often he was too hungover (e.g. Ansty) or just as important to Dave, he wanted others at the club especially colts to get a chance.

Trigger Happy

His English mother, Tracey, looked after him and his mate all summer for which we should all be eternally grateful. Without the Glovers's kindness, both boys would have spent more on rent and therefore less on beer at the Club! I think secretly Dave probably owes Mick for getting him over here because he’d still have been in bed during this English summer if Mick hadn’t nagged him! Whatever the story, both have made a huge impression on our adults, colts and many parents. Mick has stayed on and we’ll tell his tale very soon but Dave has returned home to a top job in Victoria. We wish him well and hope he makes good on his promise to return – if not in 2010, then perhaps the year after or the year after that. Thanks for the memories, big man!

Sleepy Robinson

Dave “Sleepy” Robinson – Green & Gold Statistics

Seasons at West Chilt & Thakeham: One (2009)

Batting – 24 games, 22 innings, 1137 runs @ 81.21; four hundreds, four fifties. 24.5% of the team’s runs. High Score 171* for the Sunday side at Midhurst on 23^rd August 2009

Bowling – 91.1 overs, 26 maidens, 17 wickets @ 15.35. Economy 2.86. 14.05% of team’s wickets. Best: 5-18 at home to Selsey for the 2^nd XI on the 8^th August 2009

Fielding: 12 catches

Game results: He won 62.5% of games he played in (including 60% of the 1^st XI)

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Green & Gold Legends #1 - David Robinson