| WAYNE HOLTOM |
Name: Wayne
Holtom (AKA: Wayne-o,
Wine-o)
Cricket: LH Bat
Debut: 1990
Wayne has grown up with the club and the evidence is that he
hasn’t finished yet.
The third of four generations from the Holtom line to play for the club, Wayne is one of those rarities, a player who has resided in the village. Driving around Ipsden you don’t want to meet Wayne coming the other way in a tractor, now happily limited to the occasions when he’s mowing the outfield, back in his days on the pig farm more cautious driving was required when approaching a blind bend.
It is amusing to recall those early days with the pigs plus subsequent careers on the bins and painting road markings for the council, as he is now quite the jet-setter, with his cricketing availability restricted by assignments in Europe. He has certainly come a long way since the day he attempted to be rhetorical and asked “Is the Vicar a Catholic?”
As for his cricket, possessing a limited number of shots, a range further restricted by his expanding waistline, Wayne is usually found in the lower middle order. His batting evidences little patience, favouring an all or nothing approach and as his career has progressed we have sadly seen more of the latter. However on those rare occasions when everything does click, an entertaining twenty minutes are sure to follow usually comprising of several mighty swings to leg.
There’s no hiding from the fact that Wayne’s catching record is pretty miserable, just six catches in 159 appearances (up to 2005), senior players point to an incident at a charity match in the early 90’s, when Wayne took one between the eyes, bowling him backwards over the boundary and clean into the refreshment marquee. He emerged with an egg sized lump and a blow to his confidence which they say has never quite recovered.
For what Wayne lacks in natural ability, there’s no doubting his ground fielding, favouring the sliding tackle approach, he attacks the ball with a fervour that has left many a gaping divot. He also deploys a surprising turn of speed and none have been more shocked than Leigh, a former British junior athlete, who having challenged Wayne to a race on the 2000 tour was comprehensively beaten.
Wayne can also boast several appearances on Sky Sports even if it is ‘only’ when waving the chequered flag at Oxford Speedway meetings.
He decided to try his luck with Moulsford CC in 2002, but happily returned to his roots and is now also back living in the village.
