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Rupert is a chap who is cut from the countryside.  He likes playing around with chain saws and was the original Diet Coke chap you see on telly which the ladies are ogling at in their tea breaks.  For many years, he would sell his landscaping services at Annual Dinners and many of the people who paid vast sums for his time often forgot to claim their prizes!  A really decent bloke too, he lived with Sir Michael of Ford before they both got loved up, married etc.  Unlike Fordy who still turns out, Rupes vanished at the end of 2007 and now only turns out for us at errrr occasional curry nights.  For those of you who have never met this strapping lad, imagine Mellors out of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and that’s what most ladies think of when they see Rupes strutting around their garden with his big chopper (no more chopper jokes: Ed)

Enough nonsense, Rupert Cleaver like his chums Fordy and Walter, had been playing cricket for West Chilt for many years before those Thakeham types came over and suggested a merger.  His trademark always was express pace for both WC and WC&T on a run up which seemed to go on forever (possibly from the boundary but I can’t really remember).  Either way he played for the 1sts for many years, and very occasionally on Sunday, charging in for the team and terrorising opposition batsmen.  Of course like many fast bowlers, Rupes really couldn’t be bothered with batting although one scorecard shows him opening making his top score of 40.  However he could be mainly found at eight, nine or ten coming in for a big heave-ho.

Awarded Legend status for his tireless spells of fast bowling and keeping the ladies interested at successive annual dinners.

Rupert Cleaver – Green & Gold Statistics

Seasons at West Chilt & Thakeham: Seven (2001 - 2007); 52 games

Batting – 29 Innings, 146 runs @ 7.3; 1.72% of the team’s runs.  High Score: 40 for the 1^st XI at Findon against their  3^rd XI on 25^th September 2004.

Bowling – 379.1 overs, 65 maidens, 79 wickets @ 17.82.  Economy 3.71. 20.47% of team’s wickets (20.87% of the 1st XI wickets).  Best: 5-17 at St Matthias for the 1^st XI on the 3^rd May 2003.

Fielding: Seven catches

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