| PHIL HOUSEMAN |
Name:
Phil Houseman (AKA: Housey, The Fly, "I'm a Victim", Earl
Grey, Andy Caddick)
Cricket: RH Bat; LA Medium-Fast
Debut: 1983
Where do you begin with a man who has been such a pillar of the club for some 25 years?
Legend has it that in the early days of the reformed club, if the side was short the Captain merely had to poke his head around the door of the Whitehouse and shout “Anyone fancy a game?” Phil answered one of those calls and hasn’t looked back since, the clubs all-time leading run scorer, record catcher and second highest wicket taker.
Mind you, his game has come a long way from the debut of a young off-spinner and middle order cowboy, his batting technique took time to develop but became one more than capable of opening the batting and he has been a dominant fixture in our top four for the past fifteen years, while in 1995, he decided to ditch his spin and has subsequently become an awkward to play, left arm seamer who makes full use of his height.
His contributions on the pitch are only part of the story as since taking over responsibility for the square in 1993, he has mowed, rolled, preened and caressed it for countless hours. Usually the first to the ground on match days, invariably suffering from some form of Bacardi poisoning, he’ll spend the morning out in the middle wearing his tight black mincing shorts that seem to have been around as long as he has (indeed they’ve survived more than one attempt by Sally to throw them out).
It’s difficult to know what’s more important to Phil, the look of the square or his own appearance, always sporting a deep golden tan, you know if he goes missing in the pavilion for any length of time that you’ll find him behind the door in the changing rooms either preening himself or just gazing lovingly upon his reflection in the mirror. It’s not so much that he’s vain; it’s more that he’s a perfectionist.
That sense of perfection has been more productively channelled down the years; Phil was a well respected captain from 1991 to 1994, a very popular Tour Secretary 1996 to 2001 and has been voted Clubman of the Year on three separate occasions. His organisation of the Quiz Nights always ensures a successful event as in equal measure does the help and support he receives from the wife.
Sally, seemingly an ever present at matches now that Dan has come of age, is responsible for a lot of the hard work that goes on at fund raisers and behind the scenes, quick to rise from her chair to help with teas, albeit with a forlorn look if the sun was shining particularly pleasantly on her chair, she is also subject to bouts of spontaneous cleaning and tidying of the kitchen. Always quick to voice ‘concerns’, there is definitely a strong desire amongst those around her to get things done when Sally is on deck.
For all his bravado and outward confidence, at times the pressure to be perfect does get to Phil, “I’m a victim, I’m a victim” is a typical response to team mates taking the rise, a phrase incidentally that by some unspoken arrangement he took over from Bob Mullins.
He doesn’t help himself of course, a favourite story is one from a few years ago when on the heavy roller, putting it into reverse to go back up the pitch; he glanced back over his shoulder to see an offensive black mark on the pitch. Hopping down, he rushed to the spot fearing an oil leak, only to find his crushed and quite flat mobile phone; it had slipped out of his pocket and under the wheels of several tonnes of slow moving machinery. He was inconsolable.
There is not the room to tell all the stories however Phil would not be Phil without: his Franz Klammer dancing style, the season when his catching was worse than Wayne’s, the year he became known as ‘The Fly’ due to his blue reflective sunglasses, the occasion when he was refused admittance to a pub due to inappropriate dress, half climbing out of the passenger door of the tour mini-bus, in flying helmet and goggles, at 40mph in the dark, crying; “I’m a victim, I’m going to jump”, going over 60 consecutive innings without scoring a duck then promptly winning the Mallard Trophy, sat on the toilet on tour in the early 90’s, the door suddenly opened, something was chucked in followed by the door being slammed shut and then a loud bang, as the discharge from the confetti bomb settled, Phil reflected that he couldn’t have been seated in a more convenient place to deal with his immediate reaction.
(MH 2006)
|
BATTING |
FIELDING |
BOWLING |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
YEAR |
M |
I |
No |
Runs |
50 |
100 |
Best |
Avg |
4 | 6 |
Catches |
Balls |
O |
M |
R |
W |
Avg |
S/Rate |
Econ |
4wkt |
5wkt |
Best |
| 1983 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 49 | - | - | 24 | 9.8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 323 | 53.2 | 8 | 161 | 19 | 8.5 | 16.8 | 3.02 | 1 | 2 | 7-46 |
| 1984 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 47 | - | - | 21 | 4.7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 186 | 31.0 | 1 | 114 | 3 | 38.0 | 62.0 | 3.68 | - | - | 2-29 |
| 1985 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 95 | - | - | 23 | 13.6 | 13 | - | 2 | 325 | 54.1 | 7 | 234 | 13 | 18.0 | 25.0 | 4.32 | - | 1 | 5-35 |
| 1986 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 45 | - | - | 23 | 11.3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 152 | 25.0 | 3 | 108 | 7 | 15.4 | 21.4 | 4.32 | - | - | 3-18 |
| 1987 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 39 | - | - | 15 | 13.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 138 | 23.0 | 1 | 89 | 4 | 22.3 | 34.5 | 3.87 | - | - | 3-8 |
| 1988 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 78 | - | - | 26 | 9.8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 17.4 | 2 | 101 | 4 | 25.3 | 26.5 | 5.72 | - | - | 2-11 |
| 1989 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 162 | 1 | - | 50 | 13.5 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 405 | 67.3 | 5 | 273 | 23 | 11.8 | 17.6 | 4.04 | 2 | - | 4-25 |
| 1990 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 219 | 1 | - | 90 | 19.9 | 31 | 6 | 8 | 363 | 60.3 | 6 | 281 | 17 | 16.5 | 21.4 | 4.64 | 1 | - | 4-13 |
| 1991 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 243 | 1 | - | 75 | 20.3 | 30 | 6 | 13 | 312 | 51.4 | 4 | 218 | 13 | 16.8 | 23.8 | 4.22 | - | 1 | 5-29 |
| 1992 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 383 | 1 | - | 52 | 25.5 | 37 | 10 | 12 | 562 | 93.4 | 16 | 329 | 19 | 17.3 | 29.6 | 3.51 | 1 | 1 | 5-37 |
| 1993 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 387 | 3 | - | 91 | 25.8 | 45 | 6 | 8 | 450 | 74.4 | 8 | 326 | 19 | 17.2 | 23.6 | 4.37 | - | 1 | 6-26 |
| 1994 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 454 | 2 | - | 89 | 25.2 | 60 | 6 | 8 | 253 | 42.1 | 6 | 211 | 11 | 19.2 | 23.0 | 5.00 | 1 | - | 4-49 |
| 1995 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 471 | 4 | - | 74 | 39.3 | 60 | 9 | 6 | 186 | 30.4 | 1 | 185 | 7 | 26.4 | 26.3 | 6.03 | - | - | 3-9 |
| 1996 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 422 | 2 | - | 88 | 35.2 | 51 | 11 | 4 | 384 | 64.0 | 5 | 319 | 13 | 24.5 | 29.5 | 4.98 | 1 | - | 4-33 |
| 1997 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 97 | 1 | - | 84* | 97.0 | 16 | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1998 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 418 | 3 | - | 98 | 38.0 | 55 | 6 | 5 | 210 | 35.0 | 1 | 162 | 3 | 54.0 | 70.0 | 4.63 | - | - | 1-9 |
| 1999 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 265 | 2 | - | 91 | 26.5 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 213 | 35.3 | 5 | 177 | 7 | 25.3 | 30.4 | 4.99 | - | - | 3-40 |
| 2000 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 381 | 2 | - | 71* | 31.8 | 55 | 4 | 10 | 305 | 50.5 | 6 | 250 | 10 | 25.0 | 30.5 | 4.92 | - | - | 3-36 |
| 2001 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 159 | - | - | 47* | 15.9 | 24 | 1 | 7 | 374 | 62.2 | 4 | 266 | 20 | 13.3 | 18.7 | 4.27 | - | - | 3-15 |
| 2002 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 489 | 5 | 1 | 119* | 44.5 | 59 | 2 | 6 | 721 | 120.1 | 14 | 549 | 24 | 22.9 | 30.0 | 4.57 | - | 1 | 5-49 |
| 2003 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 429 | 2 | - | 66 | 25.2 | 63 | 7 | 7 | 630 | 105.0 | 11 | 501 | 16 | 31.3 | 39.4 | 4.77 | - | - | 2-23 |
| 2004 | 19 | 18 | 0 | 344 | 1 | - | 58 | 19.1 | 46 | 4 | 7 | 581 | 96.5 | 8 | 504 | 13 | 38.8 | 44.7 | 5.20 | - | - | 2-15 |
| 2005 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 419 | 2 | - | 94* | 38.1 | 57 | 5 | 7 | 294 | 49.0 | 3 | 222 | 10 | 22.2 | 29.4 | 4.53 | - | - | 3-16 |
| 2006 | 16 | 16 | 4 |
425 |
2 | - |
65 |
35.4 | 49 | 5 | 2 |
511 |
85.1 |
15 |
336 |
17 |
19.8 |
30.1 |
3.95 |
- | - | 3-6 |
| 2007 | 11 | 9 | 3 |
237 |
1 | - |
64 |
39.5 | 28 | 4 | 3 |
434 |
72.2 |
11 |
348 |
12 |
29.0 |
36.2 |
4.81 |
- | - | 2-19 |
| 2008 | 12 | 9 | 1 |
113 |
- | - |
44* |
14.1 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 408 | 68.0 | 12 | 307 | 7 | 43.9 | 58.3 |
4.51 |
- | - | 2-19 |
| 2009 | 15 | 11 | 3 |
315 |
1 | 1 | 101* | 39.4 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 653 | 108.5 | 19 | 503 | 13 | 38.7 | 50.2 |
4.62 |
- | - | 3-45 |
| 2010 | 14 | 10 | 3 |
138 |
1 | - | 59 | 19.7 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 318 | 53.0 | 6 | 250 | 11 | 22.7 | 28.9 | 4.72 | - | - | 3-27 |
| 2011 | 9 | 8 | 2 |
53 |
- | - | 22 | 8.8 | 6 | - | 0 | 360 | 60.0 | 8 | 210 | 9 | 23.3 | 40.0 | 3.50 | - | - | 3-24 |
| 2012 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1 |
- | - | 1* | n/a | 0 | - | 1 | 30 | 5.0 | 1 | 22 | 0 | n/a | n/a | 4.40 | - | - | n/a |
| 2014 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2015 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2016 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2017 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2018 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2019 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2020 | - | - | - |
- |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
0 |
- | - | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | - | 0 | 18 | 3.0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 16.0 | 18.0 | 5.33 | - | - | 1-16 |
|
Total |
359 | 341 | 48 | 7,377 | 38 | 2 | 119* | 25.2 | 933 | 134 | 156 | 10,194 | 1699.0 | 197 | 7,572 | 345 | 21.9 | 29.5 | 4.46 | 7 | 7 | 7-46 |