Name: Michael Woodwards Role at Club: Cricket Secretary and Groundsman. Nickname(s): Custer – due to my long blond hair (yes really!!), silly hat and unsuccessful “last stand” batting 11 for the 1stXI at Harrow Town in 1973. Years at the club: 55 years, I first played at Harefield in 1966 aged 11 for the Harefield Primary School Team (which also included Barrie Knife and Phil Evans. We were coached by Geoff Cox our teacher who was Harefield CC`s 1stXI Captain. In senior cricket I played my first game for 2ndXI in 1968 and final game for 4thXI in 2016. Fact no one will know about you: I once dated the first woman to be appointed Controller of BBC One 1. What was your first off-field role at Harefield and when? I was elected as Team Secretary in 1972 and have been on the Committee in various roles ever since. 2. How many roles have you had in total at Harefield?Team Secretary, Cricket Secretary, Vice Chairman, 2ndXI Captain (1982-1988), Level 2 Cricket Coach, Groundsman and S.O.C. (older members will know what that means!!) 3. What other roles do you have related to cricket? I have been on the Thames Valley League Management Committee since 2012 as Chairman of the Player Eligibility Sub-Committee. 4. What’s your most memorable Harefield moment?- Personally, scoring my one and only century, for the 2ndXI v Northwood in September 1990. - As a team player, keeping wicket for the 1stXI in our promotion winning season of 1994 that got us up to Division 1 of the Thames Valley League. - End of Season celebrations at HCC after clinching promotion in 1994 featuring Macca dressing up in random Club kit & equipment and then bursting through doors into the Bar and collapsing in a dishevelled heap. 5. What is the one thing in cricket you want to either achieve, watch or do?My cricket activities are limited to watching now, my playing days are long gone. I have seen England win the Ashes at the Oval in 2005 and in Sydney, Australia in 2011 so not much can beat that. I still want to watch England play Test Cricket in the Caribbean and New Zealand and I intend to as soon as possible. 6. What one thing would you change about cricket? Player behaviour -a return to times when umpires decisions were respected and players “walked” when they knew they were out. Harefield U11s in 1966 (Left of back row, Custer : second from right, Barrie
Knife : front row right Phil Evans)
6 Comments
Chas
12/15/2020 07:47:39 pm
I would just like to point out that I knew that Custer was dating Lorraine Heggesey (BBC Controller). I also knew when he stopped dating her. As I was driving the car when they had a ‘slight barney’ in the back seat, which caused said relationship to end.
Reply
Custer
12/16/2020 07:19:44 pm
I just knew you would make that very point!!!
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Marian Wilson (nee Woodwards)
12/16/2020 02:47:58 pm
I have a very similar photo of Mike at that age.
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Dozy (me; Dave Cox)
12/16/2020 05:39:54 pm
Recognise all of the faces in the 1966 photo,though not all the names.
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Custer
12/16/2020 07:24:36 pm
Hi Dozy...........U11s 1966 are:- back row L to R, Custer, Derek Eames, David Simmonds, Barrie Knife, Malcolm Evans. front row L to R, Mark Horton, Steve Brownlow, Mike West, Phil Evans.
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Richard Baker
11/4/2022 03:36:55 pm
I think you should add the match at Newlands in Cape Town where you and I watched all 5 days when England beat SA for the first time in a series in SA for 50+ years. It was superb.
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