Malvern Cricket Club

Fossils XI

2016 Fixtures at The Ramblers are available here

One of the regular guests of Malvern Cricket Club is the Fossils, a team founded over 15 years ago to provide a home for cricketers of a certain age.

Remarkably the Fossils' story began with a single conversation at the West Malvern Cricket Club dinner in 1994. Concerned that the pressures of leagure cricket were cutting their careers short a few good men developed the idea of a friendly team for the over 50's. Given that the conversation happened in the Winter of '94 the idea very quickly snowballed and under the guidance of John Reynolds, who remains the club's only officer even today, the Fossils entered their first season in 1995.

What once began as an idea to play 5-10 friendly matches a has grown into a full fixture list of 30-40 games per season. It has also created a local cultural icon - the Fossils' Draw.

With matches played firstly for enjoyment, secondly for the glorious teas and finally to win, the club now specialises in the limited over's draw. The only competitive exceptions to this being the Acorns challenge matches. Since 2010 the club has adopted the Acorns childrens' hospice playing a number of matches in support of this local charity and contributing well over £1,000 per year to the operation of the hospice itself. In an Acorns challenge there has to be a winner!

The club has established itself  a player base of 40 mature cricketers and a further 20 who play when required. It has an annual tour and is a regular fixture for the many touring sides that visit Worcestershire during the season. Just as important has been the club's contribution to the development of the Worcestershire County sides for over-50's, over-60's and most recently over-70's; almost all of the players in these county sides are also members of the Fossils team.

Malvern Cricket Club is one of three "home" grounds for the club the others being West Malvern and Birlingham. At all three grounds the club has been made to feel very welcome in part because of the reputation the club's ladies have for some of the best cricket teas on the curcuit but also because of the way the club plays the game and supports cricket in the county.

 

Further History and Contribution from John Reynolds

Founded in 1995 by John Reynolds after he suggested to his cousin Darkie Reynolds that it would be a good idea to form an over fifties team as league cricket was ruling the older players out. This was at the Wells CC Dinner in 1994.

Several older players asked John when he was going to start a team and they would love to play. The idea was to have six games a year. In the first year "The Fossils" played 12 games and it has grown from there. In 2005 we played over 50 games and The Fossils soon caught on in Worcestershire.

With a pool of over 50 players it was a matter of who to leave out, rather than put in the team.

So far we have been on tour to Somerset, Cornwall, The Isle of Wight and Norfolk. We play on Thursdays and Sundays but sometimes play as many as three games a week. We have regular players from Stourbridge, Henley in Arden and Penkridge. As of 2011, we have six old Ramblers (Malvern) players who are regulars.

The object of The Fossils is to give any older players who like to play cricket in the old fashioned was for relaxation and fun - a game. The Fossils are expected to behave as gentlemen and respect the umpire at all times.

We are always looking for new players as a lot of us are now around 70 years of age!!

John Reynolds
Founder, The Fossils