The Club was formed in 1947 from a social club set up by Arthur Peachey at the end of the Second World War which met regularly at the Celbic Hall in Lancaster Road ,Enfield Town. It was a suggestion of Ralph Alsford, P.A. "Jack" Younie and Arthur Peachey, who were great lovers of cricket.
The "Octopus" got its name as the Social Club at Celbic Hall played eight different sports.
Although the Club (originally just known as "The Octopus Club") had years where it has been unbeaten with wonderful cricket being played, as a general rule, very rarely has the Club ever been "outplayed" in the bar after the game."
Directions to home ground
On foot from Highgate tube (Northern Line): Take the Priory Gardens exit and follow Priory gardens until its end, taking a left onto Shepherds Hill. Take the first right into Stanhope road, then first left into Hurst Avenue and the ground is on the right. Should take approx 10 minutes
From the A1 North: After Highgate Tube, Take the first left at the traffic lights onto Shepherds Hill. Take the second right into Stanhope road, then first left into Hurst Avenue and the ground is on the right
From the A1 South: After Archway follow the A1 up the hill. Take a right into Shepherds hill at the 3rd set of lights (just after The Boogaloo pub). Take the second right into Stanhope road, then first left into Hurst Avenue and the ground is on the right.
Subs and match fees
Subs remained unchanged for 2010. £8 per game plus £40 annual subs.
- Annual subs are payable after three games.
- £10 “cash-back” on annual subs for those playing 8 games or more.
The Octopus tea making guide.
What you need.
Sandwich or Roll?
Rolls are easier 2 rolls per head = 44 plus a few spare if you want to go for sandwiches. 4 loafs is enough.
Traditional fillings are a safe bet so go for a mixture of:
· Cheese and Tomato
· Egg Mayo
· Tuna and Sweet corn
· Ham and cucumber
Scour a Super Market for buy 1 get one FREE on...
Crisps
Pork Pies
Sausage rolls and other savoury snacks.
Choc Bars, Cakes, Biscuits
Drinks:
Tea bags / Coffee. Check this is needed as we often have them.
2 pints milk.
1 big bottle orange squash (2ltr / 4ltr)
Check we have some plastic cups & paper plates. If not a near by pound shop is a good bet.
We charge £35 quid for the tea, which you get back.
Production
If the weather is set fair, boil the eggs the day before (6), grate the cheese and mix the tuna sweetcorn. Saves time the next day. Production line is best bet, so get flat mate / long suffering Mrs to help. Takes a good hour – certainly a bit longer for the first time. Best to keep the hangover to a minimum.
Octopus Poetry
A Long Way Out
It's a long way out to the middle
For the man with no runs to his name.
Will this be the day he gets off the mark
And avoids the hall of shame?
It's a long way out to the middle
When your bat is heavy with dread.
What do you do when you're nervous,
But you've no more nerves to shred?
It's a very long run-up for the bowler,
Which is always a sign of doom,
And when he arrives at the crease to deliver the blow
You just know it'll be over soon….
It's a long way back from the middle
For the man with no runs to his name.
And all for the want of one lusty hit
To need never feel the same.
Duck after duck after duck after duck,
Will the victims recover or crack?
One hopes for the best, but it's never good
When even your nightmares go quack.
PH '09
Cricket
For some, it's a new delight,
For others, a more seasoned eye.
Sometimes it's the taking part,
At others the battle cry.
For some, it's a chance to recover
From Saturday night's excess.
For others, a chance to ponder
On life's rich and varied quest.
For some, a chance to exercise,
For others, to be part of a team.
For some, a Sunday off,
For all a chance to dream.
For those in form the sun is shining,
For the rest it seems to rain,
But for all a love of cricket,
That quintessential English game.
PH '09
Octopus Club Constitution
Revised Rules proposed for Annual General Meeting 1971
1. The Club shall be known as the OCTOPUS CRICKET CLUB
2. The colours of the club shall be Dark Green and Black.
3. The club shall be managed by an Executive Committee comprising of the following:- Chairman, Hon.Secretary, Hon.Fixture
Secretary, Hon.Treasurer, Captain, Vice-Captain and shall have the power to co-opt members onto the Committee as required.
4. An Annual General Meeting shall be held within three months of the close of each season, for the presentation of a complete report by the Committee and the presentation of the Balance Sheet duly audited for that season and shall elect a Committee for next season.
5. A General Meeting shall be held prior to the season to ascertain fixtures, check equipment and remit subscriptions.
6. A Special General Meeting shall be held on request of 2/3 of the members.A quorum shall be 8 members.
7. An Auditor shall be elected each year from members other than Officials
8. Membership shall be open to past members of proved loyalty and new members only by approval and invitation of the Committee
9. The membership fee shall be £ 15.00 payable to the Hon.Treasurer by the Pre-Season meeting. Any extra revenue required to be proposed by the Committee and subject to acceptance by the members at a General Meeting. (Students £ 10.00) (Match Fees 50 p)
10. The signatories to the Bank Account to be the Hon.Treasurer, Secretary and Chairman
11. The Club reserves the right to suspend any member who breaks the club rules. Any member having cause for complaint ,in any respect, has right to request an interview with the Committee ,giving at least seven days notice to the Hon.Secretary.
12. White flannels will be worn by the members playing in matches.
13. Selection to play will be made by the current Captain and Vice-Captain. Any player unable to turn out will notify the Captain by the Wednesday preceding the match.
14. Any player not present at the time stated for the start of the match (i.e. The Toss) will lose his place for that match to the 12th man.
15. Practices will be held at times and places arranged by the Committee, and should be attended by all members.
16. Appropriate records of the Club’s business shall be kept by the Hon.Secretary and its finances by the Hon.Treasurer. The record of the Club’s performances will be kept by the Press and Records Officer. These records shall be open for inspection by any club member giving reasonable notice to the appropriate Official and at all business meetings.
17. Certain members will be made responsible for the maintenance and preservation of equipment at the pre-season Meeting and will report to the Committee at intervals as to its condition.
18. The Club’s reputation for good sportsmanship both on and off the field has been built to a high level since our formation in 1947 and all Members are expected to uphold this.
England Player Turns Out for Octopus
Phil's brother Stewart lived in Enfield when we were based there and played for the club from 1988 or 89 until around 2003 when persistent back trouble forced him to stop playing. Stewart was a talented batsman who was 1st or 2nd in the averages probably every year he played for us, 400 runs a season was about par for him, he was also a useful bowler and captained the side for the majority of his playing career. On several occasions there were "rumours" that Phil was going to join the honoured ranks of Octopi and also a couple of times that he was going to bring along county colleague Richard Illingworth (now an umpire). Sadly, it never quite happened due to County commitments etc., although Phil did come and watch bits of games two or three times, invariably prompting a rare duck or dropped catch from his brother.
In 2001 a tour was proposed, and Worcester was suggested as a likely venue by Stewart and our fixture secretary Simon Quartermaine, who'd been there a couple of times to watch Phil and Worcester, and found the town an excellent site for a drinking session. Arrangements were made for the tour to take place over the May bank holiday weekend with games on the Saturday and Monday, and a "rest" day on the Sunday.
Three tourists travelled up on the Friday evening, got spectacularly drunk and ended up being ejected from our B&B before the rest of us arrived on the Saturday (none are current players). When the rest of us arrived on the Saturday, poor Simon Q had to spend quite some time convincing the landlady that the rest of us could be trusted and financial reparations were made before we were allowed to stay. Not an auspicious start to the tour.
Things soon improved when we arrived at the venue for the first game against West Malvern (with our regular team, no PN). It was set in the grounds of some sort of Manor House or stately home (grounds which I seem to remember they had been granted free use of by a benevolent owner), the facilities were basic, but the surroundings were beautiful, the opposition friendly and the teas spectacular (I have memories of home made scones and jam with cream and two or three senior ladies fussing over our every need) and it was all prepared fresh on site. We had a close game and I honestly can't remember who won, but it was one of those occasions where it didn't really matter, cricket was the winner. Afterwards we retired to their local for an hour or two before heading back into Worcester for more beer/perry/cider and a curry.
On Sunday we played pitch and putt, watched football in the pub, drank gallons of beer/perry/cider and had another curry. We also bade farewell to Wayne and Danny who had to return home due to family commitments. Luckily we had two replacements available in the form of Phil Newport and his son (whose name eludes me) who was about 12 or 13 and therefore fitter and more talented than most of the team. Phil was by this time teaching sports (cricket) at a fee paying school and several of his proteges were to feature for the opposition, Worcester Nomads on Bank Holiday Monday.
The ground was again good quality, but not picturesque as the one on Saturday had been. Watching the opposition warm up we started to wonder if we might be a little out of our league. Sadly I don't have the details for either of the games, although SS may be able to help there. Suffice to say we lost, but made a decent fist of it, thanks to the Newports. Shakey kept wicket to Phil's bowling and he always says it was the easiest time he ever had behind the woodwork for Octopus. His palms may have stung a little, and he was standing about a pitch length back (and taking the ball comfortably at waist height), but after the first ball he knew pretty much exactly where every other ball was going - metronomic is the word ! I'm pretty sure Phil didn't take any wickets, the batting line-up of the opposition was high quality and I'm sure he wasn't bowling at the pace he would have in his county days. I remember his son either taking or just missing a spectacularly athletic catch. They got loads of runs. I opened the batting at No.2, I think Stewart Newport was No.1, but I'm not certain, whoever it was didn't last long and I was joined by Phil Newport (I honestly remember thinking "I'm batting with an England player !"). I got 2 off an outside edge and an over or two later was bowled by a ball I didn't even see. Phil Newport went on to make 70 or 80 something in fine style. For those who don't know he was a bowler, not an all rounder, but a bowler who could bat and particularly towards the end of his county career he got a lot of runs for Worcestershire. We lost by some margin, but not so many as to be embarrasing. Despite his impressive county career and brief time in the England set-up, Phil Newport was a thoroughly decent and down to earth bloke who encouraged all of us during the game regardless of the gulf in talent.
He wasn't given much of a chance for England, but his county record speaks for itself, he was consistently in the top 10 or so in the leading wicket takers. We can all be proud that he once turned out for Octopus.
Those I can remember being on tour :- Andy James, Stuart Satterley, Ian Hill, Stewart Newport, Jamie Whiteside, Danny Kemp, Wayne Smith, Eddie Sketchley, Chris Wright (who later brought us Harsh and Rocky), Simon Quartermaine, Stan Barker.
Andy James.
Lord of the Keys
The legend of the great set keys states:
In the beginning there was one set of keys. And those keys were the law.
The era of the one keys saw Ogilvie as the key keeper. Many coveted the keys but the key keeper did guard with zeal.
And lo, one year another set of keys did appear. These keys were a mere shadow of the original great set ( as legend saw them become). Ingram was the keeper, his coveting of the keys was less zealous.
All worked to plan for many a season until one day the lock master changed the locks! The great set was dutifully updated. The lesser set, remained an historical anachronism of the great set.
Trouble began.
The lock keepers then changed another lock. Neither the great or lesser set were updated.
The zealous coveting onece employed by the keeper of the great keys waned as his involvement reduced.
Taken from him the by an un-named undividual (probably Andy James) and passed around like a hot potato the exact whereabouts of the greater set is unknown.
Intrigue and rumour abound these mythical keys. Where are they? What do they un lock? Who is Graham? Where is the scoreboard? and am I the only one who finds petes vociforous key based denials suspicious?
The legend continues.....
S.O. 2011
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