Badger Profiles - Legends - Ray Smithson

Name?

Ray Smithson

Nicknames?

Red, Stoner

Age?

Old enough to start getting something back out of this country!

Previous Clubs?

Fairham Cavaliers, Wilsons

How Did You Become a Badger?

Got married to a villager. In them days it was the only way to get selected.

Favourite Food?

A Berni Steak from 30 years ago

Favourite Drink?

Tea

Favourite Sporting Team?

Nottingham Forest

Your Dream 5 Dinner Party Guests?

A night with the legends:
Brian Clough
Stuart Pearce
Joe Baker
Ian Storey Moore
Duncan McKenzie

Mark Priestley can do the potwashing. Then he''ll learn the meaning of the word legend

YOU AS A CRICKETER

Batting Position?

Top Order

Bowling Description?

6 overs in 45 years ? Says it all really

Favourite Fielding Position?

Third Man so I could put my earpiece in and listen to the football

Any Cricketing Superstitions?

None

Cricketing Idol?

Bob Pick, repairs the roof, cuts the square and then goes out and scores a ton. Modern day cricketers are wimps.

T20 Walk Out Music?

How Great Thou Art - Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill or Titanium by Perpetuum Jazzile

Favourite Cricket Supplier?

Any

TEAMMATES

Funniest TCC Player & Why?

There's some old legends over the years that have been entertaining and a few up and coming ones in the future. Bucket Bensley tops the lot really or Mr Crabtree Steve Pepper is up there, traditional cricketers.

Dressing Room Buddy?

Any clubman

Biggest Moaner?

There's people who moan about the state of the wicket and never ever got their hands dirty, so the biggest moaner is me moaning about them.

Quickest Between The Stumps?

Me at 18

Slowest Between The Stumps?

Me at 56

Least Intelligent?

Those who moan about volunteers.

Worst Fielder?

Probably the whole team after 7 pints and a curry as a friday pre match meal.

Worst Dress Sense?

Not sure I've never eyed up another fella.

Who's The Longest In The Shower?

Have you tried a shower in the barn years ago or used a Chemical toilet

Greatest Teammate Of All Time?

Got to give a bit of respect to all the fully pedigree Thrumpton villager players who have put in hours of graft to put the club in the position it is now

THE PAST & THE FUTURE

Favourite Cricket Ground?

Caldbeck comes close a real village ground, locally Thurgarton

Least Favourite Ground?

Grounds with poor sportsmen who've been watching and listening to Sky Sports and try to imitate the actions. Its a bit embarrassing being sledged by an overweight beer bellied brute or a 13 year old whose balls haven't yet dropped

Worst Moment As A Badger?

Falling over and running myself out in the higher 90s

Favourite Cricketing Moment?

Nice one was a partnership of 129 with Martin Weightman aged 13 and me aged 56, 43 years difference.

Chasing 193 and opening with Bill Litchfield against East Leake and not losing a wicket winning by 10 wickets. Trouble was listening to Bill in the Cuckoo moaning all night that the scorers had cocked up the scoring and he got to 3 figures and not me.

Favourite Thrumpton Moment?

Scoring a ton with the legendary Bob Pick umpiring

Personal Aim For 2015?

To find more missing scorebooks, they are out there somewhere or a picture of the old ground!