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Green & Gold Living Legend #18 - James Gee

The last in our series is a true grafter of the club.  The man who truly bleeds Green & Gold when he’s manicuring another strip for us or rolling the wicket.

James "Jeronimo" Gee barks like a dog, has the strength of an ox and the “good” nature of a bad tempered old goat.  He’s a bowler, a barman, a lover not a fighter (are you sure? Ed), an umpire in the ilk of Dickie Bird but above all one of the best and most dedicated groundsmen in West Sussex if not the country.  The track we have at the Rec. is as quick as any in our league (and it’s therefore no surprise to tell our younger readers that Jim used to be a quick bowler himself).  This is certainly not the case everywhere as we travel around the county to find that the majority of tracks on Saturdays or Sundays are slow and soft.  In life, what you put into things usually generates what you get out of them.  Fortunately for us we have Sir James to look after his second garden and keep an eye on it 365 days a year.  If you walk your dog up at the Rec. in December or January, chances are Jim’s out there with his nail scissors (or trowel removing some dog stuff).

Jim’s from Yorkshire originally – well if he isn’t “he bloody well should be”.  He’s got time for people who support the club in any way.  Be it Bob or Peter Jones or Neil or Mark Aylward.  But you’ve got to earn your respect with Jim.  You can’t just rock up like some Johnny Come Lately and expect him to embrace you with open arms.  Oh no.  You need to make a well crafted ton (and not too slowly either, mind), take a michelle or a blinding catch.  Perhaps you need to race around the boundary and stop a certain four.  If you’re a young whippersnapper who thinks he’s a flash harry, Gee will soon thrash that out of you unless you’re prepared to do a three hour stint behind the bar for no reward.  Yes Jim’s no fan of the youth.  He doesn’t trust ‘em especially around his third home, the pavilion bar.  He also pursues walkers in the summer who use the Rec. and try and ignore the cricket.  Jim chases them demanding that they buy a beer.

James used to work for Horsham District Council as a typist because he had the best legs and short hands.  (That’s enough cobblers. Ed).  However last year at the start of the cricket season, he was ousted in a bloodless coup and was told they didn’t need his skills any longer  So HDC’s loss was our gain as he became our full time barman and even fuller time groundsman.  Great news for us but not so good for the poor colts who want a bag of crisps on a Tuesday night and claim they’ll “owe him the money”.

Away from the Rec., Jim and his lovely wife Sue like walking and gardening.  In fact Sue’s got him sorted clearly – he’s never at home!  She says she’s read some of the nonsense written about him being a rottweiler and cannot understand it because he’s so soft and fluffy when he’s at home.  What a smoothy.

Jim’s also been known to expose the hairy legs in games of tennis at the WC Tennis Club.  Like many of us, he’s supports a lousy football side living off past FA Cup glories and the odd spell in the old Second Division.  Shrewsbury Town is not in Yorkshire but Jim lived there for many years and you can vision him at the old Gay Meadow, berating the Town’s back four for not working hard enough.

Above all, Jim likes cricket and cricket likes Jim of course and if it doesn’t, Jim’ll just ‘ave a word and sort it.  He always does.

1. being not slow at coming forward,
2. the extravagent umpire growling
3. being pretty useful in his whites,
4. being a sensational bar manager and
5. of course for being the greatest living groundsman. 

 Can I have a free pint now then?

Jim Gee – Green & Gold Statistics

Batting:  60 innings for the merged club; 335 runs at an average of 10.47.

High Score:  46* for the 1^st XI in a WSL game at Crawley Eagles in June 2001.

Bowling:  944.3 overs, 191 maidens, 145 wickets @ 21.41. Economy: 3.29

Best: 10-5-12-4 for the 2nds at Rustington in the WSICL in May 2008.

Number 5 bowler on the all time list of wicket takers at the end of 2009.  14.19% of the wickets every time he plays.

Fielding: 11 catches we know about.

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