Denis Maddams - Cricket

Our next person that we 're going to interview is Mr Denis Maddams a well known cricket person who played for the first team in Rushden, Denis, what are your earliest recollections of being a sportsman in Rushden?
Probably when I was about four or five years old, living quite close to the cricket ground and going up there and running about and making a nuisance of myself after the ball and so on.
Did you have any one particular person who was instrumental in helping you and encouraging you?
Not really, so many of the players I got to know and various ones helped me a lot.
Yes.
In my younger days.
Where you encouraged at school?
At school? Yes I played all sports at school, football and cricket.
And who was the headmaster at the time?
At Intermediate, Mr Perkins, Leonard Perkins. Before that I went to Newton Road junior school.
And I suppose you made a lot of friends.
Absolutely yes, still meeting them on the bowling green.
Ah, we've heard from one or two people today who've transferred from cricket to bowls. Now you actually became the captain, now was this a natural progression, did it take a long time to become a captain?
It was no, after the war I came back and Bob Whiteman was captain and perhaps two or three years later I was vice captain and took over from him when he retired.
Right, why were you chosen to be vice captain do you think?
Possibly as a future captain, maybe a bit of ability.
You're very modest.
It's one of those things I suppose.
Now what were you, a batsman?
When I first came back out of the army I was wicket keeper-batsman but after a time of so many years as captain I relinquished the wicket keeping and just took it as the captaincy.
I suppose in a way the wicket keeper can control the whole game can't he?
He can, up to a point yes.
He can see what's going on.
Yes, he can see what's going on but on the other hand it's sometimes difficult to judge between, you know, who's bowling and who might be effective you're concentrating so much on your own job.
Who are some of the characters who are outstanding in your memory about the game of cricket?
Well, probably the biggest one in local cricket was Charlie May who was unofficially known as Mr Rushden as regards cricket. I mean he did everything on the ground you know from playing, groundsman, secretary and he used to organise all the County cricket matches at Rushden, get various celebrities to come and present the trophies when they had the factory knock out competitions, such as John Arlott and H. E. Bates, people like that.
Can you remember any of the international team members that played in Rushden?
Oh, absolutely Alec Bedser and Frank Tyson, lots of internationals over the years.
Did any international teams play here, like the Australians or anyone like that?
No.
It was just County games.
Just County games, usually one game a year.
And what was the fastest bowler you ever stood up against as a wicket keeper?
Well, when I was in Egypt, in Cairo, I was playing for the regional team and a member of one of the opposing sides was Charlie Grove who after the war was Warwickshire's opening bowler for several seasons and he was a bit quick.
A fearsome man eh?
He was, yes and after that I played in the same side as him in Cairo and so I was keeping wicket to him and he used to come into your gloves a bit quick.
What was the secret of being a really good wicket keeper?
Well, I found concentration and not moving too quickly, not sort of anticipating the stroke you've got to wait until it's actually made before you can make your move. But it's an absolute split second between the moment that ball passes the batsman and then it comes to you. It is, it is, yes.
Well, it must be instinct.
Well, I suppose there's a certain amount of natural ability and sort of quick thinking and so on.
But you enjoyed your time in cricket.
Absolutely, yes and football too.
Oh, we haven't talked about that.
Yes, played for Rushden, Rushden Town.
Yes, well I suppose that's a natural thing a winter and a summer game?
Well, it was more so then I mean it's not so much now because they play football all the year round.
Almost all the year round.
Almost, yes but then it was two seasons. As far as I was concerned, cricket for the summer and football for the winter so they didn't overlap.
I used to play a bit of cricket myself and I remember the teas afterwards, halfway through the game, the sumptuous teas that many of these ladies would put on for us and sometimes if you overindulged you'd hardly be able to move afterwards. It was a family occasion wasn 't it, the women would get involved as well providing teas for the opposing team when they visited.
Yes, my wife helped with the teas for several years when I was playing, yes.
And do you have children?
Yes, I've got one son and a daughter.
Was he ever involved in sport?
No, no.
That's extraordinary isn't it? A father who's so capable and yet ...
He's interested without taking too much, he's more interested in music.
Yes, do you have grandchildren?
Yes.
And are they interested in sport?
I've got a great-great-grandson who's looking a bit promising, he's about ten now, nine or ten.
Often these things jump the generations and what sort of advice would you give him?
Enjoy it mainly. I feel now that a lot of sportsmen don't really enjoy it because money's come into it that much and they're doing more as a job than an enjoyment. I mean to my way of thinking if you don't enjoy the game it's not worth playing.
No, and sadly a lot of village cricket teams have disappeared haven’t they?
Absolutely.
Yes, that's rather a shame. Anyway, thank you very much indeed for sharing some of your memories with us and we do appreciate it.
Thank you.

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Sports Personalities Interviewed 2003