Pannell’s Reds Retain the Trophy in a Seven-a-Side of Skullduggery and Sixes
Chaos on the Courts: Seacourt Racqueteers Cricket season draws to a close
The lawn tennis courts at Seacourt were pressed into distinctly unorthodox service on Saturday as the annual Racqueteers Cricket 6-a-side tournament – expanded this year to seven – produced its usual blend of genuine competition, rule-book gymnastics and pure farce, bringing a full regular season of cricket to a close in characteristic style.
Four teams, captained by Ian Collier, defending champions Mark Pannell, Freddie Steele and Charlie Danby, contested a full round-robin set of games in which every player was required to bowl one over each per game. The scoring was as idiosyncratic as the setting: 1s for hitting the fence, 2s for a fence a bit further away, 4s and 6s counted, while every wicket – including any ball that left the confines of the tennis courts – cost the batting side five runs. With the plastic cricket ball remaining live at all times, the afternoon quickly became a study in opportunistic fielding, optimistic appeals and the occasional piece of pure gamesmanship that left umpires and spectators equally bewildered.
Boundaries that weren’t boundaries, catches that weren’t quite catches, and a succession of batsmen stranded mid-pitch while the ball pinged around the fencing all contributed to a running total of controversial moments that more than matched the comedy. By the time the final pair of matches arrived, the standings had resolved into a straight shoot-out between Pannell’s Reds and Collier’s Whites.
Red prevailed in a closely fought final, thereby retaining the trophy for the 3rd time and ensuring that Mark Pannell’s side will again enter next year’s event as the team to beat. The result was greeted with the mixture of applause, mock protest and relieved laughter that has become the hallmark of Racqueteers days.
The evening moved indoors for the annual presentation dinner, attended by a strong contingent of founding members from the team’s 1980s origins, there to celebrate not only the season just ended and the 10 years since its reforming, but also to reflect on bygone days of Racqueteers Cricket and all the colourful characters who wore the badge. After an excellent meal served by the Seacourt kitchen, the speeches struck the usual blend of warmth and self-deprecation. Alan Fine spoke movingly of the early days and of those Seacourt players no longer with us. Alex Patterson, CEO of Sussex Cricket, delivered an amusing account of the day-to-day tribulations of running a county club. Captain Ian Collier offered a few well-chosen anecdotes from the season just ended, before James Grant stepped up to present the awards.
- Season Awards
- Players’ Player of the Season and Best Batsman: Freddie Steele
- Pay Ayres Trophy (most amusing match report): Garry Maloney
- JK Cup (most improved player): Chris Hayward
- Best Bowler: Joe Matthews
- Best Player of the 7-a-side Tournament: Alice Dibley
- Racqueteer of the Year: Andrew Jameson
With the silverware distributed and the last stories of the afternoon’s more creative fielding still circulating, the 2026 Racqueteers season drew to a close. Red retain the trophy; the rest of the club retains the memories – and, one suspects, a few lingering grievances about decisions that will be re-litigated at length next season.