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James Walter Chaloner is a Kentish lad who attended Tonbridge School with former England international Mark Ealham.  If only things had been different, JWC could have been playing for Kent and England whilst Ealham could have been playing at West Chiltington.  The son of a vicar, Old Jimbo is a thoughtful lad and his strategic brain has helped him climb the ranks at IBM where he now really is an important chap.

There are two things you should know about Sir James. 

Firstly he’s best friends with that old washer woman come rogue hoops supporter, Sir Malcolm of Fitz and second that he can be a "little down" on himself / the team when things are going badly or even when things are going well.

“Good day today James?  eight wickets!” “Should have got ten” is usually the response.  When we are spiralling towards yet another 1^st XI batting collapse or when Malcy the spinner bores more batsmen into submission, Walter can often be heard chuntering away to himself about “typical”, “no aptitude” etc.  Half full or half empty?  There was never anything in the glass in the first place.  The nickname Eeyore is a good one because if the brook next to the pavilion flowed any faster, Walter would be lying in it on his back floating downstream having been pushed in by some wag saying: “why does it always happen to me?”

Despite all these self-inflicted crosses that he bears with remarkable fortitude, James W Chaloner is yet another individual who has given his all to both West Chiltington and now the merged club for many years.  Unlike the majority of the chaps in the adult sides, he has actually lived in the village for some considerable time too.  First in his batchelor pad at the top of the hill near the Di Marino garage and now in his family passion pad beyond the croquet ground.  The passion with wife Judy has yielded young Benjamin.  Despite the fact that he’s right-handed (which unsurprisingly James wasn’t happy about), young Ben looks to have enough about him to be playing cricket for WC&T very soon.

So what does Walter actually do for the Club then, I hear you ask?  Well he’s captained the 1sts and been vice captain on numerous occasions.  He’s been on the committee telling us what should be happening and has played Sundays from time to time.  However above all he’s been a decent Saturday bat (96 at Horsham proves that) but more crucially for us, a phenomenal bowler.  A rhythmic left-arm swinger (err I mean swing bowler) who is the club leading wicket taker.  His economy of just over 3 is remarkable when you consider he’s bowled more than 1200 overs in league & friendly games.  He’s secured a quarter of the wickets when he plays too.

So let’s salute the softy-spoken Kentish boy who continues to show the rest of us what to do with that cherry in his hand.

Granted legend status for services to club and the Kent county as well as putting up with endless ribbing from all parties.

James Chaloner – Green & Gold Statistics

Batting: 110 innings for the merged club; 2140 runs at an average of 24.88.  8.77% of the team’s runs in the games he’s played.  Nine fifties.  Number 4 overall at the end of 2009

High Score: 96 for the 1^st XI in the friendly defeat at Horsham in September 2007

Bowling: 1255.3 overs, 277 maidens, 252 wickets @ 15.92.  Economy: 3.19

Best: a club record 8-17 in the 1^st XI win against Ocean in 2002.  A record nine 5-wicket hauls. Number one bowler on the all time list at the end of 2009.  A remarkable quarter of the wickets every time he plays.

Fielding: 14 catches & one run out

Game results:  Has been on the winning side in 53.38% of the games he’s played in

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