Ajaz said: “I’ve based it on players who I have played with and against and funnily enough I’ve played with everyone in my team apart from David Christmas. It’s not necessarily who I think are the best players but the ones who have performed brilliantly in local cricket over many years. That might explain why there’s no Nadeem or Saleem Mohammed for example. They ar two of the best players I’ve played with, but just didn’t play enough local cricket.”
Ajaz, a former Peterborough Town and Cambridgeshire captain, also nominated a coach, scorer and tea lady!
Coach: Neil Lowndes. “Transformed a sleepy Market Deeping on his arrival to the village into one of the team of the 90s. Hard, tough and never took a backward step..and that was just with his own team mates. Great company in the bar and would definitely keep this team in check and then buy them a beer in the bar!”
Scorer: Wilf Morgan. “The legendary Town batter and in his very late years Town’s scorer. Introduced coloured pencils in a black and white era and has to be in because he was the only one who knew the direction to every ground in the country! Would stand on the outfield and hold up the game until a fellow scorer arrived. RIP old boy.”
Tea Lady: Julia French- “Her legendary teas at Town in the noughties increased both the number of members at the club and their waste lines. Superb spread, strawberries, cakes, pasta you name it she made it! Her lad Callum was a decent player too, but a bit overweight for obvious reasons!”
5.
GARY FREEAR: “Gary is another great one-club man who has to get in on his talent alone. He plays every shot in the book and impossible to bowl at on his day. He never did his immense talent justice at Minor Counties level but has to be in this side. Gary’s flighty off-spinners in the latter part of his career would be useful to tempt batters when they were on the block.” Photo: Midlands
6.
LEWIS BRUCE: “Lewis has won four Northants Premier Division titles with Peterborough Town and boasts a good Minor Counties record for Cambridgseshire, and yet this talented lad probably still hasn’t peaked. That’s how good he is! Lewis bowls consistent round the wicket off-spinners and is an elegant batter. He has to be my all-rounder in this team.” | Johnston Press Photo: Midlands
7.
DAVID CHRISTMAS: “I first played against David in the first year at senior school and we had many subsequent tussles! David was calm, competitive and very consistent, both with the bat and ball throughout his long career. with Bourne. David also had a good Minor Counties record for Lincolnshire. He wasn’t the prettiest of batters, but he would definitely rescue this team if the Gillett, Freear, Bruce fraternity all got caught on the boundary! His calmness and superb cricket brain means he is the captain of my all-star team.”
8.
DAVID MCQUILLEN: "You may think this a surprise choice, but David was one of the best fielders I ever played with at Old Deaconians. He was also a powerful batter and more than useful off-spinner. If David hadn’t been so devoted to his old school side he would have done well playing at a higher level. David was a great team man too. He taught me all the great ethics of the game when I was very young. I totally ignored them all of course, but worth a go David!”