IWPSC News

Coach trip to Man Utd all systems go

Just to let you all know that the coach trip to Manchester United is going ahead on the 4th of November. We will let all members that have said they want to go, know the pick up times in due course. If you haven't been told the pick up time closer to the date, please get in contact with us!

We do have space on the coach if you decide you want to come along with us but we have no match tickets as the club deadline for applications has long since passed. It is always worth giving the club a ring and seeing if they have any returns (they quite often do!). If you do want to come contact Alan Cousins on 565411, but don't ask him to buy your match tickets for you.

It should be a great day out for those of us that are going.

Winker !

LAST 2 MATCHES END WITH WIN AND A DEFEAT

On Tuesday July 11th we took on Island Bakeries CC at Porchfield. On a warm, pleasant evening we batted first but found runs difficult to come by. Kev March and Lawrence Matthews both reached double figures, but the main contributors were Mark Grafham and Bill Maidment with some hard hitting to get our total past the 100 mark. We bowled and fielded well to make the Bakers work hard for their runs, Bill Maidment bowling 3 overs for just 4 runs, but we didn’t quite have enough and suffered our first loss of the season.

We finished our season with a game at Shanklin’s Westhill ground against their Evergreens side. For the first time we had to bowl first, but Pete Wilby took 2 early wickets and Tony Cook had another caught behind by Mark Grafham to reduce the home side to 24-3. The consistent Pete Lambourne soon got going though for Shanklin and hit some lusty blows to boost their total to 170-5 from their 20 overs, Lambourne finished 79 not out. Tom Wilby took a wicket caught by his dad, and Glen Jones slowed the scoring rate by perfecting the ball that reaches the batsman on the second (or third) bounce!!!!!!! For the first time Tony Cook opened the innings with Lewis Turnbull and they set off in hot pursuit of the 8.5 runs per over required. We brought up the 100 after 12 overs and then Lewis was out for 38. Kev March came in at no.3 and helped to keep the score moving before falling for 10, bringing in Mark Grafham, who hit his first ball for 4. With 3 overs left we needed 28 and had a good over with 15 off it. At the start of the last over we needed 6 and the second ball disappeared over some trees on the short boundary side to complete an excellent victory, Tony Cook finished 95 not out.

This season we have played 4 matches and it’s been good fun, we shall look to keep the matches against Wootton, Binstead, Bakeries and Shanklin for next season and maybe add another 1 or 2 against Ryde and another club (any preferences anyone??). Thanks to the 15 players who have played at some stage: Bill, Liz, Pete, Tom, Tony, Brian, Glen, Kev M, Kev T, Lewis, Graf, Lawrence, Mick, Duncan and Luke. Anyone else who fancies a go is more than welcome. Also thanks to Chris Hougham for umpiring when he could make it, and to all our supporters, well Kev Barsdell and Nicky Cook anyway!!!!

Tony Cook.

IWPSC Cricket team

New Membership Secretary

At the AGM last month I was elected to take over as Membership Secretary from Tony Cook who stepped down from the IWPSC Committee after 24 years service. Hopefully lots of you will know who I am. I’m always at home games with my husband, Bill (except when we go away to Australia) and we go to quite a few away games as well.

Enclosed with this newsletter you should find a new membership form. As you will see, it was decided at the AGM to keep the adult membership at the unbelievably good value of £5. Juniors (16 or under) are still only £1 and it was decided to re-introduce the OAP (65 or over) rate at £1. Cheques should be made payable to IWPSC.

For your membership fee you receive a (reasonably) regular newsletter with news and views of the Pompey supporters from the Island, as well as notification of social and fund-raising events. We will also keep you informed of any away trips we are running coaches to or when you need to contact us if you’re interested in getting away tickets. We can also sometimes obtain home tickets for those members who are not season ticket holders.

So please get the form back to me with your membership money. You can always pass money to me whenever you see me, but to help me remember who gives me money, please include the membership form!

Here’s to another season in the Premiership.

Play up Pompey

Liz Maidment
Membership Secretary

IWPSC Cricketers on winning streak

Match 1

On a beautiful sunny evening the IWPSC cricket team played their first game of the season, an 18 overs a side contest at Wootton. The action may not have matched that of messrs. Trescothick, Cook and Pietersen at Lords earlier in the day, but young Lewis Turnbull opened up brightly with some good shots in his 22. Wickets fell quickly but Tony Cook with 23 kept the scoreboard moving, before Mark Grafham and Bill Maidment added a few lusty blows, both finishing unbeaten on 19, as we posted a respectable 103-7.

Wootton started well but 15 year old Tom Wilby bowled an excellent spell, taking 3-10 from his 4 overs. Pete Wilby and Lawrence Matthews also kept it tight as Wootton reached the last over, bowled by Mick Souter, needing 12 to win. The first 3 balls, all fielded by Duncan Fleming, produced 3 singles, the fourth saw a run out. The new batsman hit the next for four, which left 5 required off the last ball, but a good full length delivery produced no runs and we won a close game by 4 runs, much to the delight of our support!!!!

Team: Lewis Turnbull, Luke Doyle, Lawrence Matthews, Pete Wilby, Duncan Fleming, Tony Cook, Mark Grafham, Tom Wilby, Bill Maidment, Brian Cook, Mick Souter, Liz Maidment, Chris Hougham (Umpire).

Match 2

The IWPSC Cricket side took to the field for their second match of the season on Wenesday, taking on Binstead CC in a 20 0ver match at Brading.

We won the toss and batted first, but runs were difficult to come by on a “sporting” wicket. Mark Grafham played some nice shots and finished with 30 not out. Bill Maidment also retired after reaching 25, and a little cameo from Kevin “I’ll only play if you’re short” Turnbull at the end boosted our total into 3 figures as we finished on 104-8.

Pete Wilby took an early wicket when we bowled as did his son Tom. Glen “Slasher” Jones bowled a fine spell to finish with 3 wickets and Lawrence Matthews claimed 2 fine catches. Safe hands were also displayed by Liz Maidment, Kevin March and Slasher. Lewis Turnbull bowled the last over with 16 runs needed, but this was never on and Binstead finished 11 runs short.

Our next match is on Tuesday 11th July against Island Bakeries CC, at Porchfield.

Team: Lewis Turnbull, Kevin March, Mark Grafham, Pete Wilby, Tom Wilby, Glen Jones, Tony Cook, Lawrence Matthews, Bill Maidment, Liz Maidment, Kevin Turnbull.

Away Support: 1

IWPSC Cricket team

IWPSC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

The IWPSC Player of the Year is Gary O’Neil by the proverbial country mile.

Gary will be presented with our trophy prior to final home game of the season against Liverpool.

In the last few weeks every player used by Harry deserves some special recognition but Gary O’Neil has shown an astonishing level of consistency and commitment throughout a long and very difficult season which eventually saw us triumph by maintaining our Premiership status.

He has now developed into one of the best midfield players in the country and if England were not blessed with undoubted talents of people like Lampard and Gerrard he could have been taking a short flight to Germany. He has also played through the pain barrier, sometimes out of position and along with the likes of Matty Taylor he has shown how much he cares about Pompey….just watch any of our goal celebrations this season!

Thanks Gary. Enjoy the break and we’ll see you in August (I hope)

O'Neil recieves award from Robbie and Luke Rideout

HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR HUMBLE PIE

There aren’t many Pompey supporters who, for one reason or another, won’t be enjoying a slice or two of humble pie over the next few days.

I did warn you in the last newsletter that a large order had been placed with local bakeries in the unlikely event of us achieving the impossible dream.

 Like me, virtually all of you thought it was all over months ago, so we will all be getting a slice. As for those of the anti-Redknapp persuasion you should get a whole pie in one sitting and then made to sit with your heads in shame until the start of the 2006/07 season! The man is a hero and a legend.

HARRY REDKNAPPS’ BLUE AND WHITE ARMY !!

Harry 'Houdini' magics up some pie !

MAY 2006 - WE ARE STAYING UP! - Fans, at last, salute the great Harry Redknapp

April 29th 2006 will live in the memory of every loyal Pompey fan for the rest of their lives and will be passed on in terms of our history from father to son for decades to come along with the day at Northampton when we won promotion from the old Division.4 in 1980; winning the Division.3 Championship in 1983 at Plymouth; celebrating promotion back to the top flight for the first time in 1987; the two FA Cup semi-finals in 1992; two other ‘great escapes’ at Bradford and Huddersfield in the ‘90’s and winning the Championship in 2003.

I’m so glad to say ‘I was there’ and how proud I am to be a Pompey supporter -  support envied by every other club in the Premiership.

Don’t underestimate the size of this particular achievement; everyone thought we were dead and buried a few months ago; we had signed our own death warrant with twelve months of total mismanagement of an almost unprecedented degree that threatened the very future of this great club. But then Milan (god bless him) finally saw the light and started listening to the people who understand the game and really cared. He knew how big a mistake he had made and the scale of the carnage he was presiding over. The anonymous and utterly useless Zajec jumped overboard (allegedly) and the hapless Perrin was pushed shortly afterwards; but was it too late, surely nobody could save us from relegation?

Those people who live on the dark side of the moon may have been surprised when Harry came back to run the gauntlet with sceptics and the utterly astonishing level of bigotry towards a man whose only crime was to get us into the Premiership (and keep us there) and get Scummers relegated. He persevered and the January transfer window coincided with the arrival of a man who actually did ‘cough up’….not unfulfilled promises… but hard cash. Still we struggled to get results but there was growing confidence about Redknapp and his reshaped squad and the type of commitment, rarely seen nowadays, from the likes of O’Neil, Taylor (don’t sell either of ‘em Harry)and Stefanovic,  players who knew and believed in Redknapp, and the developing impact of the new players particularly Mendes, Keily, D’Alessandro (sign him, quick) and Benjani.

We had some luck, for sure, but we have still achieved the unimaginable and as fans we are indebted to the Chairman and Mr.Gaydamak, but most of all Harry Redknapp and the 15 or 16 players who put together this fantastic run over the last few weeks and now really understand what it means to be part of this club and backed by the best supporters in the country.

I can get some sleep now!

PLAY UP POMPEY

Chris Hougham, Chairman.