What is the most recognised honour in cricket today? As everybody knows it is the famous baggy red and black cap that signifies you are a fully fledged member of ACC4.
Today we welcomed the oldest member to receive this most illustrious prize and also the youngest member. The criteria that need to be fulfilled to qualify for this most sought after of cricket regalia are strict and somewhat shrouded in mystery. One has to have completed various tasks which may include wearing the team “duck” and running out Duncan McNab. One also has to have completed at least one of the mystical ACC4 tours, whether this was swimming with the hens in the now infamous Brighton tour or taking a turn in the commentary box alongside the irrepressible Richard Matchett in the recent Oxford tours.

One also needs a “nickname” these are assigned by secret ballot and are only revealed when the cap is presented. On the back of the cap the “nickname” is embroided by one of the secret ACC4 admirers whose name cannot be revealed but she is one of a growing band of female supporters that follow ACC4 up and down the country providing support and relief in almost equal measure.

So, onto the most recent recipients of the baggy red and black. Lodewijk Blom was a constant fixture in the fourth team a number of years ago but a slump in form led to some navel gazing and self-examination on a colossal scale and last year he considered hanging up his bat. A turn in fortunes started in the form a couple of close season nets and the return to form was completed on Sunday against HCC4 with Lodewijk scoring a veritable hat full of runs. Furthermore his cat like fielding in the covers belied his 50+ years living on the planet Earth. For those of you unfamiliar with Lodewijk’s history, he is not in fact a native of terra firma. Lodewijk’s cap name is Jaffa, the delivery of which only he is capable of. ACC4’s cap committee offers its heartfelt congratulations to Lodewijk upon receipt of crickets greatest honour.

The second recipient of the award and the youngest person ever to receive such an award is Sean Walsh. Now some of you may cry ‘foul’ given that Sean is the son of the ACC4 skipper no less than Old MacDonald himself. So let us examine this for one moment to determine whether we need to call in the IOC ethics committee to examine any claims that there is a ‘jobs for the boys’ or nepotistic element at work here. Sean came into bat when the innings was in tatters and his calming influence at the crease, surrounded by close fielders allowed himself and Duncan to bat out the overs and post a respectable score. Sean himself scored more runs than three of the top four batsmen as well as partnering Duncan for the 10^th wicket. He also took part in a little ACC4 history when stand in skipper Robert ‘Cuddles’ Wolfe deployed a double leg-spin attack of Duncan McNab and Sean Walsh to stem the tide of runs that HCC4 were amassing. Their miserly economy rate made ensured the match went to the last few overs. Sean’s cap name is ‘chip’ as in ‘chip off the old block’.

Just as an aside HCC4 won the match by seven wickets.

A member of the ACC4 secret admirers club.