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CHRIS PERRY
Left Arm Orthodox / Lower Middle Order Bat Chris is the First Eleven slow left arm spinner and made his County Second Eleven Debut in 2006. He has taken 212 First Eleven wickets at an average of around 14.50. A handy late to lower order batsmen with the potential to move up the order and one day make the “Best All-Rounder” list. Is a Community
Sports Coach that runs the Wollaston ‘Chance to Shine’ Scheme, in Primary
Schools around the Wollaston catchment area. He has also represented the Northamptonshire Cricket League and played for every Northamptonshire Young Cricketer age group - predominately as captain. Son of Head Coach Neal and brother to all-rounder Jamie
2006 BRINGS A CALL FROM THE COUNTY FOR CHRIS After bowling in front of Kepler Wessels at the nets and
not getting any reward in way of appearances in the Second Eleven up until the
end of July I was losing all confidence in whether I would ever play at that
level. But I then had one aim, to enjoy every minute of the season with
Wollaston and help us win the league with my close mates. It was time now for me
to step up and show what I can do, get people taking notice of the dangerous
spinner for Wollaston Chris Perry. It is the 7th August and I’m at home just getting ready to meet some team mates after work, when the phone rings. At the other end of the phone is David Ripley who says the words I have been waiting to hear “Pezza, 2nd team Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Stratford upon Avon against Warwick’s, meet at County Ground 8am sharp Wednesday morning.” Luckily I am able to clear everything with work, and prepare for my time with the seconds. We meet at the ground on the Wednesday morning at 8am and I
have honestly seen better organised Sunday games, this when we only have ten men
and half the team turn up with a hang over because we have been out in
Northampton the night before! It was a shambles, the scorer was 40 minutes late
and our loose cannon opening quick, West Indian Javon Searles has turned up
looking like he was just on a morning walk round the ground when he remembered
he was playing. We arrive at the ground at 10.15 ready for a 11.15am start. Ian Butcher had taken over the Second Team Coach’s role
since Capel and Ripley moved up one job following the departure of what seemed
at the game a distant memory of former the coach. He gives us a very stern
telling off and put us through a vigorous warm up. Oblivious to what Warwickshire are doing I get my head down
and work hard to prove that I can just step and at the very least look like I
belong at this level. Warm ups went ok and I found that I could speak to most of
the lads having known some from my junior days. Warm ups over and we are batting. As both sides are playing
with 12 men with one not batting, my work was been done and I step into the
pavilion where most of the Warwickshire lads are. Interested to see who I am up
against I look at them to see if I could spot a big name or two, maybe a player
coming back from injury or one out of form. In there side were ex-England and
Scotland international Dougie Brown, recent ODI player Jim Troughton, first team
keeper Tony Frost, as well as Daggett, Ali, Poonia, Shantry and Gronewald. After
looking at them and walking past Umpire Vanburn Holder, I was determined to
prove that I belonged there. I was up and down as much as the cricket in the first
session, carrying drinks on for the not out batsmen and we were all out just
after lunch for 130 odd. The main destroyer Tim Gronewald who took 7 for not
many. Looking at their team I expected a fair amount of time in the field!! I was waiting in the field all day for a bowl, tea had
gone, 60 overs ticked and it was not until we entered the last four overs of the
day that Paul Coverdale the captain gave me my first opportunity. I bowled two
overs 1 maiden 0 wkts 8 Runs against Dougie Brown. At night most of the group go out for meals then a few
drinks. Most lads are in bed fairly early as we prepare for a big day in the
field. I was nervous the next day as I was told to expect a longer
bowl but upbeat as some of the Wolly lads are coming to watch. Despite Matt
being desperate for a pub lunch for some reason, they arrive in time to see me
bowl. Jonesey had to be content with a £2.99 sandwich from a shell garage and
Simon spends £7 on his roll. I was feeling more confident with the lads sitting
on the boundary and after 5 overs, I took the wicket of fellow left arm spinner
Nick James, neatly taken at slip. Buoyed by this, I bowled tightly and an edge
flew through the slips but as we looked to wrap the innings up, the pace men
came back. We dismissed them with 50 minutes left before tea on day two trailing
by 230 odd with Dougie Brown making a century for Warwickshire. Their other big
names did not perform to their potential. The Wolly lads left at tea and I was left listening to
music on my ipod while watching my team have another collapse at the end of the
day, leaving it poised at 124 – 5 some 100 runs behind with 5 wickets left. A
few showers were around the start was delayed but this gave me a chance to do
the admin work which I am not use to. I had to fill out my professional
cricketers form which will go in some sort of county magazine, as well as an
expenses form for my time away from home. I was struggling with a sore back
after a long 90 overs in the field and two nights in a hotel bed so I went to
see the physiotherapist. He worked his magic and I left feeling fresh and ready
to go for the warm up just in case we are made to take to the field again if we
overhaul the Warwickshire lead. We got a few runs but then another collapse
which is what I had got use to with this Northants team over the two innings’
and we are all out 270 odd leading by 40 odd just before lunch on day three. At
lunch they are 10 for none and we are not hopeful of pulling a Northants win out
the bag. I bowl 6 overs but no wickets, Troughton played very well cover driving
me for a few fours, but overall I am pleased with my performance. During this last session the link between Wollaston and
Northants stood out for me. If you can recall two years ago in the Presidents
day Simon ‘Romeo’ Driver was seen giving his girlfriend a hug mid over on
the cover boundary as a ball was drilled in his direction. A similar event
happened in the last overs of the game at Stratford, where we look to the
boundary where our opening batsman was mid argument with a girl he had met the
night before. We couldn’t hear every word but we did hear the words
lost….mobile……bed…….night. We got the general jist and it looks like
the County’s money has gone to providing a Pizza hut employee a hotel room for
the night! Overall I enjoyed the experience and it was good to play at
a higher level, despite the ups and downs which didn’t make the trip as
professional and as it could have been or as I’d imagined. I would like to
thank everyone for wishing me well as I received a lot of text messages and also
the Matt, Simon, Liam and Tim for braving the one way system and making the trip
to Stratford Upon Avon. Hopefully I did myself justice and gave a good account of
the club and the Northants Cricket League. I would recommend to any young player
or any player that gets a chance to play at that level to take the opportunity
and use it wisely.
2002
CHRIS FOLLOWING IN GRANDDAD'S FOOTSTEPS When Chris Perry reached the age of sixteen last
September it was approximately 90 years since his great grandfather, Ben
Bellamy, joined the professional staff at the County Ground. In the same year Mr
Bellamy also played for Wollaston in the Kettering & District League cup
final against Great Oakley. When he made his Northamptonshire debut in 1920 in a
truly remarkable match against Surrey, he was able to view - at very close
quarters - history in the making, as Percy Fender flayed a century in 35
minutes. By this time Ben had already claimed the first of
his 645 Northamptonshire victims, holding a catch to dismiss the immortal Jack
Hobbs off the bowling of another Wollaston product, Vernon Murdin.
He also went on to notch more than 9,000 runs before his retirement in
1937. Thus, Chris, who bowls slow left-arm, ensures that
the family cricketing links with the village and the county are perpetuated. He
captained the County’s under 15s during 2002 and also played for the Under 16s
including the Jersey Festival. Although Chris finished the season with 23 Premier
wickets under his belt he admits it wasn’t all plain sailing. “I found it
difficult at the start of the year, and all credit to Andy Luck our skipper –
he didn’t overbowl me and risk me getting hit around and possibly having my
confidence ruined. But as the season went on, he gave me more overs”.
So Chris, who was at the County Ground in 1999
when David Ripley went past Ben’s total of dismissals for Northamptonshire,
can be proud of his heritage and of the handsome tribute in Wisden paid by
Ben’s old captain, ‘Beau Brown: “
A dedicated professional cricketer, his impeccable conduct on and off the field
earned him the respect of all who knew him”. |
Matthew Nicholas
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