WI local: Durham meet Dover's delight

Piton Dover Cricket Club is more than a cricket club.

Club president Adrian Donovan, in his message in a tour brochure for Dover's second trip to England emphasised what the club is all about.

"The Dover club prides itself on having an entertaining group of players, both on and off the field of play, Donovan said.

"Although we are from Barbados, the name Dover has been part of English history. The Dover Port in Kent was Caesar's first point of attack in Britain.

"Let it be known that the Dover men will be coming to invade the City of Durham during the month of August whether it may be on the cricket field on in the pubs."

Minister of Sports Rudolph Greenidge said the club was one of the better organised, administered and disciplined clubs in Barbados.

"I can state openly that the members of Dover Club have always been excellent ambassadors for Barbados, Greenidge said.

"They have won numerous friends for our country and their friendliness and charm have actually influenced many visitors to return to our shores."

As far as Dover are concerned, therefore, the social side of things are just as important as cricket and one of the ways in which the club builds on the social element is the consistent undertaking of overseas tours.

Their latest and, to date, biggest tour is in progress.

The club left the island last week for the Durham International Festival seeking to maintain the tradition it has always set in terms of its high-quality cricket and its upbeat social nature.

"We try to mix both sides. We don't just see it as cricket," tour manager Charles Vaughan said before departure. "We play the role as ambassadors. On our overseas tours, we try to encourage others."

Costs for tours like these can be high, but Dover had a major fundraising drive in which money came in by way to advertisements in the tour brochure, a cruise, barbecue and support from corporate Barbados and members of the public.

"We tried to accumulate as much funds as possible from those type of events to eliminate costs and it worked well for us," Vaughan said.

The touring party includes many of the club's top players, including captain Vibert Greene, hard-hitting batsman Wilbur Bruce and allrounderJerry Kirton.

It's a line-up which Vaughan and public relations officer Vincent Lashley is confident can improve on its third-place finish in the 1997 tournament.

"We are hoping to have a good tour and we are going with the inspiration to win," Lashley said.

"Dover is a serious club. We don't normally play cricket for sport. We play to win at all times."

Lashley's name has been synonymous with Dover since 1966 and there is a reason why he has never parted with the St. Lawrence-based club.

"I am a village man and a home boy. I will not leave. I am a Dover man throughout."

The team has enjoyed a satisfying start to their tour of England, winning four of their first five matches. Their only defeat was in a match in which the opponents' target was reduced after a stoppage for rain.

Captain Vibert Greene has performed outstandingly with both bat and ball and there have also been useful contributions from Jerry Kirton, Louis Lynch and Wilbur Bruce.

v Alnwick: Dover 146 in 31.3 overs (J. Kirton 55, M. Harris 26, D. Harris 13; D. Simpson 3-38, L. Richards 3-41). Alnwick 120 in 37.4 overs (M. Wintrop 49, I. Thompson 26; G. Griffith 4-36, V. Greene 2-8). Dover won by 26 runs.

v Bishop Auckland: Dover 208 in 34.3 overs (L. Kirton 38, W. Bruce 35, V. Greene 34; G. Blenman 2-29, G. Longham 2-34). Bishop Auckland 107-3 in 17 overs (C. Heron 44 not out, G. Wigham 33 not out). Bishop Auckland won by seven wickets after target was reduced because of a stoppage for rain.

v Alphen Horns: Dover 267-7 in 40 overs (L. Lynch 79, V. Greene 45, L. Kirton 34, M. Harris 25, J. Kirton 18; R. Sharma 4-49, A. Shaw 2-21). Alphen Horns 73 in 28.3 overs (S. Inza 29 not out, J. Osbourne 12; B. Chase 3-8, G. Griffith 2-16, J. Kirton 2-25). Dover won by 194 runs.

vs Mayor of Durham XI: Mayor's XI 104 in 40 overs (J. Thinsdale 66 not out; J. Kirton 4-13, V. Greene 3-31). Dover 107-4 in 24.5 overs (Lit. Kirton 37 not out, L. Lynch 23 not out, B. Chase 14; M. Tale 3-28). Dover won by six wickets.

v Cosmos (USA): Cosmos 79 in 31.5 overs (R. Balful 15, S. Ali 12; C. Vaughn 4-28, V. Greene 2-8). Dover 80-1 (W. Bruce 37, V. Greene 33 not out). Dover won by nine wickets.