The following is a letter from Michael Spratt our then President writing in 1997 to the club.
Dear Ancient Mariners,
When as Secretary, I sent out my first club circular in March 1955 I wrote:
“…snow is falling outside, and the villages, whose names for all mariners are redolent of summer and the summer game, are icebound….” a literary tone I quite failed to sustain; now we enjoy the succinct Home office Mandarin-speak of our current long serving and admirable Secretary.
I think that what I was trying to express all those years ago was my sense of the continuity of cricket, of the quintessential Englishness of the game and of the delightful places where we played it. Characteristic too, is our organisation; mercifully unpretentious, haphazard perhaps, but never quite falling apart. Our Founders, David Brown and James Irvjne, cannot have imagined that as a result of their initiative, which has given so much pleasure to so many people we would today be confidently anticipating our next half-century.
My mind goes back to our first President, Leslie White, father of three brothers, one of whom famously broke a leg falling down after the first dinner. Mr White (he will always be ‘Mister’ to our generation) nicely blended authority with informality; a respected influence on our beginnings. He did not attend many matches but was always present when Mariners took to their natural element, paddling their dongolas annually at the Wargrave regatta, each raggedly splashing blade causing confusion and rage as we collided with opponents who took it all too seriously.
I think too, of his successor, Sidney Francis, who admonished his son “David if you drink beer, you’ll think beer”, and he has (and so have I) ever since. We were supported also in those early days, by a splendid body of mothers and aunts, who among other things, made our now tattered flag. Where is it? Perhaps a bevy of Mermaids should convene to create a new one.
Of the members, too numerous to mention individually (so please may no one feel slighted) who have contributed notably to the success of the Club, one stands out especially; John Harvey, who was captain for nearly half of our fifty years (1952-1975, but sharing the job in the later years). Mariner Cricket was his weekend way- of-life from late April to late September. He was effective himself in every department of the game and concerned that everyone should have an opportunity to make a contribution. How else should l have crept into the bowling averages?
He particularly enjoyed encouraging the next generation of Mariners, and Richard Francis and Graham Lea were two who eventually shared the captaincy with him. He also ran the very successful Mariner hockey team and Won the golf cup three times in spite of efforts to handicap him out of competition. John was cruelly disabled by a stroke some fifteen years ago but still takes a keen interest, making a great effort to get to matches where he can park his car. We salute you John.
How many clubs can boast a Treasurer who has just presented his l think forty-first balance sheet! And we have been so lucky in the many families who have sustained the continuity of the Club; Irvines, Browns, Booths, Francises, Nixons, Leas, Mittons, Hooks and O’Mearas and more recently, Goldmans; others probably as well, and perhaps I may include my own family. l think not only of players, but of the wives and daughters who have supported us catered for us, waited up for us (l failed to return home one night). And among these none is more notable than the Holmeses to whom we owe our thanks for this and all previous volumes of the Club records. They have provided two captains; probably the best wicket-keeper we have had; two elegant and effective batsmen; and a bowler of greater hostility than most village batsmen would wish to meet. On the distaff side, a charming and efficient scorer, while at home Sue has nourished with unfailing kindness Hundreds of hungry Committee members. With such dedication it is not surprising that we have reached fifty.
What of the future! At the end of the last dinner, backing impulse with resolution, Marc Dudman rose (fairly steadily) to his feet and declared very positively that the Mariners is a good thing and should go on for ever. I really have nothing to add to that.
Good luck to you all.
Michael Spratt
President 27.12.1997