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Imagine, if you will, the scene; The sun is shining from a deep blue sky with just enough of a breeze to keep the temperature reasonable. The clock in the church tower gently tolls one as, from the other end of the field, the sound of children playing happily mingles with the sound of polite applause for a shot well made. The batsmen waiting to join the fray stroll in the shade of the ancient oak trees conversing with the ladies in bright summer dresses. The afternoon draws drowisily on with the prospect of a fine tea in the two hundred year old pavillion and a few pints of foaming local ale at the local hostelry after the match. Ah, the classic Sunday cricket match.
This bears no relation to the first real match the Goodwill Wanderers ever played. The weather was poor (grey, misty with occasional sprinkles), the facilities were poor (no changing rooms and bring your own tea), the pitch was poor (uncut wet grass, unmarked pitch) and the opposition aggressive (their first team had no match and several of them joined our game). They batted first and scored 200 to which we managed to reply with 36. After several hours standing the the drizzle having been beaten by 163 runs we retired to the pub for which were named, the Goodwill To All Men in Harrow, Middlesex for a few pints of foaming ale. From that moment on we couldn't wait until the next match (in which we scored even fewer).
The Goodwill Wanderers were formed in 1991 when a bunch of friends decided that they wanted to do something on a Sunday except go to the pub and the fortunate discovery of some old equipment in a loft led to the decision that it should be cricket. Some early resistance was put up by a couple of the younger members who considered the game to be too "girlie" for them, but this dissapeared after a couple of games. After the depressing start described above we eventually drew a game and there was no stopping the enthusiasm. Why, we even won a game that first season (in fact we won the game and won the beer match, all before the scheduled tea time!).
Things have gone from strength to strength with the Goodwill. Despite the occasional shortage of players, the addition of Oliver Reed (yes, the actor chappie) as President of the Club boosted morale and winning seasons helped. The players there are all have immense enthusiasm and increasing skill. New players, of any skill level, are always welcome - if you are interested please e-mail me at mjallaway@yahoo.com with your details.
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