As the 2003 Club Diary arrives Peter Bowler's bat goes to a good home

Website regular Phil Hogarth was a very happy man when he called in at the County Ground to collect the items that he had successfully bid for in the recent Junior Sabres website auction.

Phil, who lives at Hinton Blewitt in North Somerset bid for several items in the auction and was successful with his bids for Peter Bowler's bat and Keith Dutch's batting gloves.

When he was collecting his items he told me: "I am really delighted to have got Peter Bowler's bat and Keith Dutch's batting gloves. The website auction was a great idea because it's not very often you get the chance to own genuine items like this."

Phil told me that he is a Somerset member and his son James, who would be rather envious of his dad when he appeared with his `new toys', is a Junior Sabre so would benefit from the money that was raised by the auction.

The items that he purchased will not however be kept in a show cabinet. Phil is a right handed batsman who plays for Harptree in the Bristol League and has every intention of using his new pieces of cricketing equipment.

He told me: "The bat seems to have a good middle on it and feels just right for me. I shall be using next season and if it scores as many runs for me in the rest of my playing days as it did for Peter Bowler last season then I shall be more than happy!"

Meanwhile the club has just taken delivery of the new 2003 Club Diary, which is a mine of information and a must for all Cidermen fans.

The diary is available from the club office (01823 272946) in the Colin Atkinson Pavilion and is priced £7.50.