Mallard’s 1995 form continued against the familiar set of opponents. With three games cancelled, of the 16 played, just three wins and a tie were achieved, with 10 losses and one match result unknown (incomplete scorebook). There was no real shortage of runs from the Mallards’ batters, with the level almost the same (in total and per match) as in the successful 1993 season (1219), but the 73 wickets¹ taken (4.5 per innings) was well short of the 95 in 1993.

Tony Crosby was narrowly the top-scorer (208 off 15 innings), just ahead of acting skipper, Phil Holmes (203 off 14). However, Ian Morgan (191 runs from 12 completed innings) returned the highest average (15.92). Useful run totals were accumulated by several other players: Trevor Wood (114 in 9 matches, 7 times out), Dave Milan (100, 12, 11) and Nick Hayward (75, 11, 8). Gareth Taylor’s batting average resumed its upward trend; his 25 stylish runs computing at 4.17. It was pointed out at the annual dinner that, at the present rate of progress, his average would reach 50 in 2043.

Holmes not only put in sterling performances with the willow but was just a light-roller short of being the top wicket-taker. His 28 overs of beguiling loopers yielded 10 wickets for 209 runs, just behind Dave Milan’s 12-173 off 29, whose average of 14.4 was the best among the regular bowlers. Stone contributed fewer wickets than usual (6-148), largely derived from one match against Bainbridge, when he took 3-4 with the ball, top-scored with 27, and added a couple of catches. In general, however, it was he and Simon Hayes who tended to keep the runs down (3.6 runs per over). Chris Gibbins (7), Geoff Davis and Simon Hayes (6) and Dick Buswell (5) were the other main wicket-takers, with Cleaver’s frequent absence restricting his contribution (4-69 off 13 overs).

The club captain’s speech that year, delivered by your humble chronicler – amidst jokes about Geoffrey Boycott² – addressed the ‘rumblings’ of discontent within the ranks over the poor results. He mused whether the past season’s informal experiment of operating with several ‘deputy captains’ setting the field was a practically useful model. He noted that the system was not, in any case, effective in relation to Gareth Taylor (aka ‘Coiled Spring’), who tended to field each ball from wherever he found himself standing. In fact, Gareth subsequently appointed himself one of the field-placing deputies… Awards at the annual dinner, held at the Chinese restaurant, up the stairs alongside the Hotspur, went to: George Heritage (Cross-Bat), Dave Millan (Mallard Ball), Dick Buswell (Swoop Fielding)