Chris Warboys
Simply the Best
Player Information
I guess that no one could argue that Warblers was the best wicket keeper batsmen in the club's history. Exceptionally fine keeper and a top batsman, scorer of league hundreds, always effective at getting under the skin of both opposition and his own team. As any fielder would testify who'd thrown in on the half-volley, the glare, the shake of the head, the abuse! Keeper sets the tone, keeps you on your toes... Warblers always did that. Even umpires at square leg felt it, a rapid stumping, umpire half asleep, wrong decision - muttered curses always just loud enough for the umpire to hear, but never loud enough for him to be sure that his parentage was being called into question.
We take perfection for granted sometimes, his keeping so good. Even after batting for forty overs on the hottest of days, you knew that after tea his performance would not be affected. So it was his batting that often stood out more, if for the only reason that it sometimes |(very rarely) showed a degree of fallibility. I was always intimidated on the few occasions I batted with him, once on an uncovered one against Banbury it was seaming a lot. A bowler giving it to the batsmen every time he beat the edge, he beat Chris three times in an over and hurled profanities at him. Last ball of the over, slightly over-pitched and it was smashed through the covers. Now here is the thing, to sledge properly it's all about timing and as the bowler went quiet Warblers shouted, "Now you can (expletive deleted) off down to third man."
So there we are, he came back after winning the war in Afghanistan and played for a few seasons, his glovework still immaculate, still the same dulcet tone, the same gentlemanly walk, never waiting for the umpire after he edged one. Oh, apart from Bledlow and he stood his ground and went on to win the game!