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Tasmania University Cricket Club

Latest News (10th. May 2007)


Grubby & Shambles - The Dirty, Disorganised Duo.

Nick Grubb (a.k.a. Grubby) and former T.U.C.C. English import, George Campbell (a.k.a. Shambles) will soon be working together as a team in Switzerland; that immaculately clean and remarkably efficient European country! The paradox is tantalising! Only joking!

George now works as the Sports Master at Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz; an exclusive Swiss International Boarding school. We featured an article on George's arduous employment and mundane cricketing scenery three years ago - it can be seen here

George emailed us a couple of years ago looking for an assistant in the teaching of cricket, as the numbers involved were growing so fast. After a few hassles with visas and so on Chris Morrison finally made his way into the Alps. Chris' experiences (on and off the field/in and out of school) made for compelling reading and some made their way onto the website!

This amazing offer was advertised within the T.U.C.C. again last season and Nick had no hestitation in accepting it. He flies out tomorrow.

Nick will arrive in England next week and start his coaching duties in Switzerland around the 28th of May and stay till the 6th of October. During the holidays he will be travelling with his girlfriend taking in the sights around Europe.

We wish Nick all the best in Switzerland and thank George for his initiative in establishing this rapport. We hope this association will continue into the future and provide our younger players such an amazing opportunity for many years to come.

We also expect Grubby to turn his hand to 'blogging' for the Uni. website. Keep his Uni. (and Lauderdale footy) mates up to date. This page will be updated with relevant ('G' classified) reports as we receive them.


(25.5.07) G'day all,

Well I'm finally in Switzerland; it took a while but I'm here after having to stop in Sri Lanka for a night (with the soldiers and machine guns).

George and I arrived on Sunday together at the school. It is quite an exspensive place to live considering the train ride itself cost me 77 francs which is about 90 austrailian dollars.

The views here are breathtaking - I look out my window and see mountains with snow all around.

The kids here a so disgustingly rich its not funny, it costs them 75,000 francs a term to come here - about 2 years salary for most at home.

George is well and he sends his love to all. I will send a more in-depth email when I get settled in a bit better.

Grubby



(6.7.07) Gday,

It's been a while since my last update so I think I owe everyone a long one. Since my last email I have been to Italy playing cricket, been to France to coach cricket and won a cricket festival. I will start with the trip to Italy.

The team jumped on the bus at around 8am and we ventured to a place called Lodi, which is around an hour from Milan. On the way we passed through on of The most beautiful places I have seen called Lake Majestic a very exclusive residential area (George Clooney Lives there among other names) it was amazing. Anyway after about three hours on the bus we finally arrived at hour destination, a glorified cow paddock which smelt like absolute... You can work out the rest!!! Thankfully the cows had been locked up for this event. I met the Lodi team and the majority of them were Italian which was great apart from four or so Sri Lankans. We won the toss and Ettiene (our skipper) decided to bat first (after instructed by Shambles) We got off to a good start with the opening pair putting on around fifty until one of the guys was bowled and then in came yours truly. It was eventful to say the least! They had a sort of off spinner and second ball he throws me a full toss. I get down the track and try and chip it to deep midwicket and get a top edge and it just fell short of cover.... By this time Shambles who was umpiring was almost rolling around on the ground in hysterics, I wasn't so amused. Anyway I decided to knuckle down and the other opener and I put on 70 odd until he got out for 38. I then went on to hit 84 when told by shambles to take a few risks because we still had plenty in the sheds to come (Literally Cow Sheds) so next ball I was stupid walking at a left hander. The team eventually finished the innings at around 220. In to bat comes the Lodi team. First ball I was at mid off and our opening bowler comes in and this Sri Lankan guy smashes one low and hard towards me I took a diving attempt and snagged a good catch. Welcome to Swiss cricket Nick Grubb. We ended up rolling them for about 150 I took a lazy 2 for bowling extreme pace.

That night we all ventured in to the city and over dinner we were talking about legal drinking drinking ages. I then stupidly asked what the drinking age was in Holland and then what the drinking age was in Amsterdam? The table went silent and everybody erupted in hysterics. I then realised what I had said and I felt like an idiot. The next day I was awarded the on tour "Dick of the Day" Shirt which is a tiny pink top with a set of piglet ears so naturally I wore them with pride.

So it was a lovely sunny Sunday morning and I was decked out in the pink gear ready to play another game against Lodi. We lost the toss and bowled first. We bowled well and rolled them for about 150 again. In we went to bat, George put me down the order this time and we started poorly. I was batting at 8 and I was in when the score was at around 70. so me doing the team thing hit a ball straight down someones throat for 5. I don't think Shambles spoke to me for about an hour except for the serve he gave me when I was walking off the ground. We were eventually bowled out for around 90 and back on the bus we hopped me having to wear this pink top all the way home. On the way home we stopped at Maccas and you should have seen the looks I was getting when we strolled in a fat guy in a pink tight top with pig ears, the boys especially Shamble found it very funny.

Anyway our next trip was to Geneva on the other side of Switzerland. I was our navigator and I managed to get us lost and we ended up in France - what a cock up but at least I could say I had been to France if only for a few minutes!!!! So again I was a massive candidate for dick of the day but I was just pipped by George himself. He didn't read the paperwork properly and it turned out our first game was in France and he didn't instruct any of us to bring our passports so George awarded himself the pink shirt. As this tournament was an U\16 thing I was forced to umpire and some of the kids had never played a game of cricket before, so it was quite entertaining. We ended up coming second out of 3 teams so it was pretty good.

The next event on the calendar was the cricket festival - the big one!!! This is the only event where George plays so I was quite excited to play with the Uni legend. Our first game we drew out of the hat was against the Swiss under 19 team. which was pretty much full of 17 year olds so George and I were rubbing our hands together licking our lips. We won the toss and we batted first. Our two openers got us of to a great start putting on 70 before one kept low and our left-hander Felix was bowled for 40 odd. Then I arrive at the crease. Second ball I get I shit half volley and I try to smash it over the bowler's head and the guy at mid on made a valiant effort and got a hand to it dropped second ball.... (still went to the fence though) I then decided to put my head down and bat sensibly. The other cricket assistant and I were batting well before I ran the guy out off a miss field there was an easy two he was just too fat though... oh well he was gone for 47. Then a young guy came in to bat with me he batted really well working the strike and running well before he played across the line and missed one and middle stump was dislodged from the ground. Then in came our skipper we put on about five before I pulled a ball, broke my bat and was caught at mid wicket! By the way this was my new bat which was used by me for the first time in a game so I was a bit unhappy. So I was on my way for 84 yet again. We batted out the last five overs and got 230 of 30 overs so it was a good total. So out to field we went with George opening the bowling. Second ball the batsman knicked one to third slip (an absolute dolly) and it went through one of the other teachers legs and George was not happy!!!!!! If Looks Could Kill!!!! But thankfully he bowled the same guy 2 balls later so all was forgiven. We won that game easily and I wasn't even required to bowl!!!!

Our next game of the festival was against the schools archrivals who have eliminated us out of the tournament the last 2 years in a row so it was a big game. We again batted first and our openers did a great job again putting on a good score of around 50 when our ageing our left-hander got out while pulling a ball straight to square leg. I walk out a bit nervously knowing this game was pretty big. My first ball I get a short one and I work it off my hip for four. Not a bad start. I then went on to hit 41 with a big 6 over square leg form a short delivery before missing a yorker and being bowled. In came George he batted very well and hit 60 odd not out to take us to 196. They got off to a good start and George had no impact with the new ball (surprise, surprise) so he decided to throw me the ball. At that time the run rate was at 8 an over after 5 overs Sebi (another teacher) and I had got it back down to two with a wonderful tight spell of bowling. George made a wise decision in keeping me on for the death but we will get to that in a minute. We finally got our first wicket when their opener skied a ball and I caught it at deep cover almost standing on the line never the less a great catch. By this time the kids and Sebi had dropped five catches. So they were one down going ok until the last 5 overs. On come the Fearless duo of George Campbell and Nick Grubb to bowl out the innings. we bowled well until the second last over when George got hit for 14 including a six over third man. The pressure was on me after that erratic over - they needed 7 of six deliveries. First ball a slower ball, which clean rips their number 3 batter the crowd went wild (All Six of Them). Next ball was a dot then a single to fine leg they tried to turn for two the throw came in the keeper missed it and I was backing up, I threw down the stumps at the bowlers end and what a celebration this guy was out by a metre and I really thought George was going to kiss me!!!! The next two balls were dots and a single of the last so we won by 3 runs. It was a really good win and the team went berserk and we had progressed to the final against no other than Lodi.

In the final we won the toss and batted yet again. We started badly with our cricket assistant getting caught slogging in the third over. So out I trotted. The other opener and I put on 20 odd before he was bowled by a good delivery. In came our skipper. He didn't last long because he was crapping himself and was stepping away to everything. He eventually missed a full toss and was bowled. George waddled out to bat and they put the field straight back so we milked the ones and hit the boundaries and was going at 10 an over before George got one of the worst umpiring decisions ever adjudged LBW so we were 5 down for about 160. in comes Leroy. Leroy is a guy from the Caribbean who is a slogger. First 3 balls he swings and misses so I get down the track to him and tell him to work the singles so he did then I started to have a go. There were 3 overs left so I got a ball which pitched on off so I tried to slog sweep and was bowled for 98. I was a little bit angry because one of the kids yelled out that I was on 98 and of course next ball I got out. oh well. Leroy then proceeded to hit 44 of about 20 balls to get us to 220, which was a good score.



I then donned the gloves as our keeper could not play due to exams. We bowled really well with George bowling quick and scaring the crap out them. I then snagged a catch of the bowling of Leroy and it was all over we had bowled so tight that they needed 14 and over off about 20 over to win. so George bought on our 14 year old to bowl. Took 2 wickets in 3 overs and his older brother took two as well. we ended up rolling them for 120 and the festival cup was coming home to the school.

Well I hope uenjoyed that read. I will send some more frequent updates now in the not too distant future. I'm back off to England with George for the holidays where I have got a job renovating houses so I should be able to save some money.

cheers, Grubby



(1.9.07) Well it has been some time since my last report yet again but I do have an excuse this time I did have very limited internet usage in England but we will get to that in a minute. Where do I begin?

I will start with the car ride back to England with shambles. We departed Zuoz at around 8 am and we knew we were in for a long drive but we had no idea how long it would actually take!!!!!! George said it should take us around 14 hours and that he had booked the ferry over the English channel for 8.50 pm. I thought that's not too bad I will be able to get some shuteye on the way. So we were off. It started well leaving Switzerland and venturing into Austria, When we left Austria and arrived in Germany that's when the problems started to occur!!!!

I got us lost at one stage and we went into a town that we had no idea about and George has just looked at me and gone what have you done grubby!!!!! But luckily George had a look at the map and he got us unlost rather quickly thank you George. Just a bit further down the Highway we hit another stumbling block they had closed the motorway so it was left to me to find a way around this was probably a mistake considering George and I have now successfully seen most of the German countryside thanks to me!!!!! It took us a bit over an hour to find our way back onto the German motorway. All was going well then traffic came to a complete stop for miles and George and I have just looked at each other and gone great!!!! So we used this halt to swap seats and finally I was in the drivers seat on a German motorway with an unlimited speed limit!!!!!! Needless to say I was a bit excited!!!! Soon after we had swapped traffic started moving at around the same pace I bowl very slowly!! I must add that this was the 1st time I had ever driven a left hand drive car and it was probably luck we had 3hours of slow moving traffic so I could get used the car. So in the end we drove past the hold up. It was a truck that had just burst into flames in the middle of the highway quite exciting really.

Believe it or not after that it was pretty smooth sailing this may have been because George was in control of the map. We then swapped back after a further 3 hours or so and I was again in charge of the map as we headed into Belgium. This time I produced the goods and safely got us to our destination at around 10:30 pm almost 2 hours after we were supposed to be there. So we arrived at the check in showed our passports and then the stupid Englishman (No Offence Rem) had forgotten the ticket for us to get onto to the ferry. I couldn't help but laugh but luckily George's gift of the gab came through for us and we only had to pay another 30 Euros to get onto the next ferry at 11:50 pm. so in the end it wasn't too bad we hoped on the ferry and arrived in England at around 1 am remembering we had to put or watches back an extra hour. I was buggered but we were finally there on a Tuesday.

Then the next day I was off to see my new boss. I really wasn't quite sure what to expect but she picked me up in a horse truck which was fitted out to be like a campervan and she said this is where here you will be living for the next 6 weeks and I remember thinking to my self it could be worse I could have to sleep with the horses. Anyway we arrived at my place of work which was three old chicken sheds being turned into a storage facility and met my new foreman Mick which it turns out he also lived on site in a caravan with his partner Karen. Anyway I got there met everyone and got my truck set up!!!

The first night I had no power because the owner of the truck had forgotten to bring the power connection and the battery in the truck was dead flat. The work there was ok I was mainly repairing roofs for 6 weeks and painting these sheds with some black crap which went everywhere.

Anyway that's boring lets move onto the cricket. The cricket system in England is different to Australia probably why they suck at cricket but that's another story. In England your team gets points if u bat 1st and wins, which is 20 pts. If you bat 2nd and win your team gets 16 pts. Hey have here a system where a team always gets more pts than the other. If your team bats 2nd and you fail to get the runs within your 5o overs it is called a losing draw and the team that batted first gets 4 pts and your team gets nothing. Also there are 100 hundred overs in a game but if Your tem bats 1st and you get rolled say in the 40th over the team batting second will get your remaining 10 overs on top of there 50 to chase down the runs. It's a bit confusing and I didn't understand it for the 1st few weeks but I still think it's a stupid system. They also don't play any 2 day cricket its all in that format.

The team I was playing for was a great club called Tenterden. They had a good little ground, which was kept in very good shape by their groundsman and old bloke called bill. He was a nice bloke but always spoke to himself in the 3rd person and is 60 odd and still lives with his parent's top bloke though. They also had a scorer by the name of Patrick who had a habit of wetting himself after a few whiskeys. Anyway in my 1st game was to be played against a team called the moat but due to the flooding the game was cancelled so my first cricketing action we played a team called Canterbury they were above us on the ladder and we put them in too bat 1st. They got off to a decent start at 0 for 50 then the captain threw the import the ball. My 1st three overs went for 15 but I soon go into a rhythm and got my first scalp for Tenterden caught 1st slip. I then jagged another away and had my second wicket again caught at 1st slip. By this time I was flying in and I got my last wicket bowled. I finished up with 13 overs 3 for 44 not too bad considering I haven't bowled on turf for a long while. During out innings we got off to a good start with our openers putting on 70 before both being adjudged LBW. I was sent in at 4 and we needing around 70 more runs to win. I got of the mark 2nd ball to an off spinner with a dance down the track and lifted him straight over his head the batsman at the other end simply replied welcome to the Tenterden cricket club Nick Grubb I then went on to make 38 and got caught 1st slip trying to guide one away. We ended up getting the runs easily and the 16 points were ours.

The next day I played in the George Campbell 11 against the Newenden cricket club where George played in their 1st team when he was 8. The team consisted of Georges brother Harry, his father Gerald, a former cricket assistant Dougey, Dougey's brother, Sebi a teacher at the school and a few others who I don't remember. George being George obviously thought he was just too good a player to play in his own match and I quote 'I don't want to make the teams unfair' modest bloke sent he. The Campbell 11 won the toss and batted 1st. I was batting at three and was in early when Sebi was run out without facing a ball. The track we played on was extremely soft I might add as I raced to 16 before skying one straight of the face of the bat and was caught and bowled. The look George gave me was funny and I don't think I will ever forget it. The team ended up making 180 with Harry top scoring with 60. Out we went to bowl and they started smacking us around. Even when I came onto bowl they took to me so I then changed my tactics and started bowling off spin. It didn't take long before this changed of tact pulled through when I clean ripped a guy with a bouncing turning delivery. I was excited and George couldn't believe it. I ended up bowling 15 overs straight and took my first 5 for ever. I ended up with figures of 15 overs 2 maidens 5 for 49. So naturally I was straight on the phone to Huddo tom let him know about it. Georges 11 ended up winning the match quite easily with some tight bowling from both Harry and I.

My next game was for Tenterden against Whitstable a team near the coast. We sent them into bat and this track was a road. I was bought into the attack early and got a break through in my second over but it was all a up hill battle from there I then finished with figures of 1 for 88 of 11 overs with one maiden it was safe to say that I was punished in my defence the ground was tiny. Whitstable finished on 6 for 260 after their 50 overs. We did pretty well considering they should have got 300 plus on that pitch. Our openers got off to a shaky start with our keeper being bowled for 6. Paul Brann then entered the arena and batted well with our other opener rat before the rat hauled out to long off for 49. I then entered the arena. I was off the mark with a boundary second ball through cover (glorious cover drive just quietly). I then raced to 55 and took somebody on for the second and was given out run out which I thought was way too close to call and when I got back in the pavilion 3 of my team mates had a perfect view one guy said I was in the next guy said it was too close to call and the last thought I was just out but oh well what can u do. Paul and myself put on a hundred and the team reached the target with 5 overs to go another 16 points to Tenterton.

Next game was at home to Bexley cricket club. Again we sent them into bat and they started well with their opener smashing 60 and an Indian youngster hit 66 definately the worst innings I have ever seen and I gave it to this guy. I was fielding at point and every ball I would walk in and give him a serve and tell him how good he was. He never spoke a word to me but as soon as our 15 year old keeper said a word this guy has turned around and said 'your dog s**t', it was then on the rat who was at first slip (I would use his first name but that's all I know him as) and I just absolutely peppered this guy with abuse. We gave him that much he actually got teary one of the funniest moments in the history of the game. Any way they made 220 on a flat track and we thought we were all over it but little did we know we were not. One of opening bats was gone for a duck. The rat hit a good 25 before playing a ball down onto his heel and it rolled back and just knocked off the bail for not many. I came to the crease I hadn't faced a ball and our number hit a hard low ball to one side of the Indian that cried and he took a good catch 3 for not many still. I then started facing an off spinner and with no protection tried to slog sweep a pie and missed it on your way son I was out for a duck. Our number 5 got 58 and batted really well and got us close but he ran out of partners so we batted out the day to a losing draw.

Next game and this was my last before I headed back to Switzerland and I wanted to score big runs. But yet again we fielded first and the skipper had final come to his senses and threw me the new ball!!!! The track was a bit green and I was moving the ball around a bit my first 2 overs where maidens and I was unlucky not to have a pole considering they played and missed 90 percent of the time. I then finally struck when I bounced out there opener and he top edged to square leg I couldn't believe it I was actually too quick for somebody get around me. My next wicket was next over and their number 3 received possibly the worst ball u have ever seen short wide crap and proceeded to hit cross bat straight to cover ill take it. I was taken off two overs later and on came our left arm orthodox spinner Tim Curtis. He took them apart just hitting a good length. He bowled a Shane Warne delivery, which I will remember forever. He was over the wicket to a right-hander he threw it up it pitched about a foot outside leg it spun around his legs and only just clipped off stump. It was amazing and I just stood there and didn't know what to say. After that their team tried to bat their overs so they bought their strike blower back on (that's me) and I yorked their number 8 on the 5th ball after my first 2 deliveries got smashed through backward point and through cover for four. I ended up with 10.5 overs 1 maiden 3 for 33. We had bowled the out in 38 overs and they made 142.

We started of well with the first two balls going for consecutive boundaries and we got to 50 odd before one opener fell for 12 and then 3 balls later our number 3 went for a duck I thought here we go again but it wasn't the case this time it took me about 2 overs to get off the mark and that was with a four through mid off. I raced to 55 which included 3 sixes one over cover one straight of the bowlers head and one over mid on to bring up my 55. We then only needed 2 runs to win and the rat hit them in the 30th over to put him on 80 not out. It was a good win and I enjoyed playing with these bunch of blokes. I wouldn't hesitate recommending this club to anybody they just made me feel so welcome and I would love to go back and play there again.

3 days later George and I were off back to Switzerland but yet again there was a hiccup I went to pick up my working visa in London on the Tuesday not knowing that my passport had to stay in the embassy for 24 hours. So George rang his brother and sorted me out a place to stay but it put us behind schedule yet again to return to Zouz. We were going to leave at 6 am on Wednesday but because of my visa we left at around 10. Because of this we ended up returning to Zuoz at 4 am the next day and we also had another in our car this time Sebi. With all the stuff in Georges little VW golf it was quite squishy. I drove for about three hours again through Germany and Austria but it was a lot easier being 1 am without the traffic.

Well today school just started today and my first lesson was in the rain. I will write another email before I leave to keep you guys informed of my progress.

Cheers Grubby


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