BLAST FROM THE PAST – MIKE RUTLEDGE

Over the weekend of 13^th/14^th May the Club was delighted to welcome ex Byfleetian Mike Rutledge and his wife Teeny. Now resident in Newport, Monmouthshire and now in his 80^th year Mike was last at the Club back in 1971. We can detail his playing records from 1962 onwards (although earlier scorebooks are available to inspect at the Surrey History Centre) but Mike assures us he joined the Club’s junior section in the 1950s. His early cricket education at the Salesian school in Chertsey was supplemented by coaching at Byfleet under the tutelage of Colonel and Mrs Jackman who were instrumental in developing the Byfleet Falcons where one of Mike’s team mates was a certain Robin Jackman. As we know, Robin subsequently rose to the levels of Surrey and England. Mike makes no claims to reaching such levels but as a wicketkeeper many of his victims would have been off the bowling of Robin.

Following his marriage to Teeny Mike last played for Byfleet in 1971 when, in the search for more affordable property, the couple moved to Yateley and for a couple of seasons Eversley became Mike’s home club. A work move then took them to South Wales where they have lived ever since.

The picture shows Mike proudly holding the Club’s catching trophy awarded to him in 1964. Unlike today, when trophies are returned to the Club for the winners’ names to be engraved, the trophy was individually prepared for the winner to keep and Mike is proud to have it on display in his Newport home. He is quick to emphasise that in those days for a wicketkeeper to win the catching trophy he had to take twice as many catches as the best individual fielder. One of his finest is detailed in the press report of a local derby against Westfield.

The Club would like to thank Mike and Teeny for remaining in touch and for making the journey from South Wales to revisit the place, in his words, “where it all began”.

Mike’s Byfleet career record from 1962 onwards can be seen at the following link to the Career Records section of the Club’s website.  https://byfleetcricketclub.co.uk/adults/career-records/