#BridgeMoments

This article was originally written for disleycc.co.uk to celebrate one of its most celebrated former players, Tom Bridge. Tom’s retirement from local Saturday football led to an outpouring of shared memories on twitter, and the locally trending hashtag #BridgeMoments.

Very much a folk hero of the early to mid noughties – and still a fixture on Saturday’s (albeit watching with his kids) – Tom Bridge troubled batsman throughout Disley’s time in the Cheshire Cricket Alliance with his swinging left arm bowling. While not always given the chance to shine, Bridgey still made a name for himself on the field, his devastating spell of 6-12 at Wilmslow Wayfarers now the stuff of legend. Eager and willing to contribute, Bridge also put on a show with the bat once or twice during his 10+ year Disley career, including THAT cover drive at Poynton for the U18s and a strike rate of 300% (12 runs, 4b 3×4 0x6) at Stalybridge St Pauls.

Despite retiring from Saturday cricket 5 years ago, it has taken the announcement of his retirement from Saturday football for Poynton FC to set the Twittersphere alight in celebration of one of the most unique characters in the area.

#BridgeMoments captured the imagination of tens of users of the popular micro blogging service and brought many a great memory to the fore. It is for that reason we have collected the best cricket related ones for your enjoyment here – with a little context thrown in:

Practice. I’m talking about practice, not the game. Nets is where Bridgey, the self styled “Pace Ace”, would put batsmen young and old through the ringer. On one particular Wednesday night session Bridgey’s blood was up and he was bowling some serious wheels on the hard, bouncy, synthetic surface. At the crease was an elder statesman and great servant of the club, Bridgey however let up for no man and zinged in a bouncer that Douglas Jardine would have approved of right into the batsman’s shoulder. “What’re you trying to prove!” came the anguished cry, the batsman clearly frustrated with Bridgey practicing deliveries that would be of no use whatsoever on a Saturday.

You’d think that bouncing a pensioner in nets would be a lesson to Tom, but no… whilst playing away at Saughall, Bridgey claimed a wicket from the home side’s lower order and was delighted, perhaps overly so. His shout of “Yeah, get out!” was met with the outgoing batsman stopping his walk to the pavilion, turning to Bridge, and pointedly admonishing him with a timely “Manners maketh man.” Bridge’s u-turn from aggressor to meekly apologetic was faster than any delivery he ever bowled.

Many amateur athletes will attest to the power of the magic sponge in the first aid kit, but the sheer arrogance of stopping the game to demand spray – in an attempt to hide from the ignominy of dropping the catch – is quite frankly something else.

One thing you could always bank on from Bridgey was 100% total effort. This exertion came at a cost however, as his one and only cricket shirt – apparently made of a fine muslin or linen – instantly became a see through cloth when mixed with sweat. Truly a dreadful sight.

Many English cricketers have been known to fly halfway across the globe to be with their wives/girlfriends when the birth of a child is near. Bridgey however was playing for the 1st XI when expecting his firstborn, and duly went out to bat with his mobile, just in case his wife went into labour and he had to dash.

It wasn’t just on the field that Bridgey made a name for himself. His exploits outside the boundary ropes also captured the imaginations of the Disley Cricket community. One such time when he donned a suit and promised his father he was off to a very important job interview, but somehow found his way to a day at the cricket with the lads, his old man non the wiser.

This one is truly the stuff of legend. In the midst of arguably the greatest Ashes series of all time, a band of Disley cricketers set off in the early morning to see if they could witness history on Day 5 at Old Trafford. Bridgey had put his hand up when it came to agreeing to go the night before, but despite the best efforts of Clarke & co, they could not rouse him from his sleep and had to go to catch the train without him. Bridgey eventually made it to OT but was on the outside looking in as Australia hung on for a thrilling draw.

Since retiring from playing Bridge has become the 1st XI’s number one fan, regularly attending home fixtures. One constant throughout his transition from player to fan has been his ability to shout the wrong thing from the boundary edge. This example is merely one from a catalogue of gaffes.

Where do you even start with this one. No-one knows how, but somewhere along the line Bridgey had incorrectly got it in his head that former Disley player Derek Stocker had sadly passed on. You can only imagine his shock when the alive and well Mr. Stocker came up to the DASC to watch the 1st XI one Saturday.

“Bridgey, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

His face sheet white, his mouth agape. Just another day in the life of a local character.

Congratulations Bridgey, keep up the good work – see you on tour for more nonsense like this. We’ll make a Social XI left arm spinner of you yet.