THE MIDWEEK SCOOP

ALL CREDIT TO THE SECOND TEAM SKIPPER

Everyone in the club was disappointed last Saturday when they heard the news that the Seconds had been beaten at Bashley.

If anyone looked at the message board yesterday, and I know it had 1600 hits, you would have noticed the feelings of Second team skipper Mike Bowman.

Mike said ' I've been to gutted to post on this board following saturdays choke. it was the worst I have been involved in and there have been some shockers!!

Hythe 1's Indoor Semi Final v Fawley'06
Hythe 2's Stone Cup Semi v Mudeford

Still I feel guilty for believing my own hype, being talked into a rash decision by an old head, dropping another catch etc maybe time to let someone else have a crack in the hotseat?'.

Let me tell you Mike when Bambi got off the phone on Saturday to Tim, for a few minutes all the First team lads forgot about their own win and their was a complete numbness around the place.

That has happened because of the club spirit that has been built up over the past few years by yourself, Dixie and everyone.

Its fair to say that had Wayne not rejoined the second team this year we would not be have been in this position anyway. It was a great coup by yourself to get him back playing.

Its been great during the last three weeks with everyone talking about how well the two sides are doing and the possibility of promotion.

The Second team lads know they blew it last week and I hope they will pull together now and finish the season off in style.

The success of the First team cannot happen unless their is support from below. The club in the ninties when the First XI slumped down the leagues the club went through ten second team captains in ten years. It wasn't till Billy Ogle reluctantly took on the position did we have a Second team skipper that did the job for two years running.

Mike Bowman then came along and has now done it for 4 and a half years since taking it over from Northy, as well as all the other things he does. The bond between Firsts and Seconds has never been stronger in my thirty years at the club.

I have not always seen eye to eye with the big fella but his committment to our club is unparallel. I recall during a season in the Cross Solent League I went over to see how the lads were doing at Calmore. Thanks to a great effort from Wrighty with the ball, we won which was a big result against a Southern League Club. Mike was skipper and turned round to me and said ' I bet you come over here to see us lose'. The way he said it was as if I wanted the team to lose and it bugged me for years but if I thought he had done so, then I would have walked away from the club and never come back.

When Mike came to play for us when Enichem packed up, I first questioned how he would get into our Sunday side. Since then I have seen him go onto make three centuries, several fivers, a hat trick and some great catches. I have also seen him grow into a excellent skipper with a strong eye for field placings and as with the Verwood game an eye for changing bowlers around to win games.

So I hope Mike your comments on the message board were said tongue in cheek. The club needs you as the Second XI skipper for many years to come in the hope that you will continues to feed the younger lads into the First team and County One.