1     Dominic Beer

 
Right-Hand Bat and Wicket-Keeper
M        I           R      NO     HS       AVG    C(WK/out)        Stumpings
206   187   3419   36     101     24.66       64/53           21

Right-Arm Swing
W       R         O           M       AVG      Best
78   1457   416.5     71     18.68   4 for 21 v Compton Dundon, 1988

Batting head-gear: None

Tours: 29
Tour Joker: 1990
Hon. Secretary: 1987-1996

Debut: 21.05.1977  House: Grove  At LP: 1969-1974

Yes, much to Arthur's chagrin: No. 1 . Dominic's powers of concentration, defensive technique, and immunity to boredom made him the obvious choice as the very first person to see action as an OLCC member of the modern era. I'm sure he didn't know what he was starting when he walked out to bat on that famous May day in 1977.

Dominic's forward defense is truely iconic. Bat ram-rod straight and wedged to the ground, head directly over the ball. Dominic is extremely meticulous about playing himself in, but once he is firmly established the runs will start to flow and with some rapidity, often carving the ball through the off side with a series of flamboyant and powerful cuts and drives. He once batted for an hour without scoring before going on to make his only OLCC century.

A true all-rounder, he vies with Charlie Allan for the unofficial title of the club's best ever keeper. His keeping duties prevented him from more often deploying his dangerous and prodiguous outswing bowling. He has the daunting bowling average of 18.68 . achieved from 416 overs, so it can't be dimissed as a freak statistic. Dominic is probably - to paraphrase the biography of a Reading F.C. legend - "The Best OLCC Bowler You Never Saw".

Behind his inscrutable exterior the cogs are always churning away, thinking of new ways to surprise and intrigue Graham Carter; most notably in 1990 when he decided to swap his family's dignity for joker points. Making full use of the fact that Naomi was heavily pregnant - and at home - during a West Country tour. The jovial hoax was that junior Beer No.1 - Frederick Ian Beer - had arrived early. The Tour party sent flowers and sincerely heart felt congratulations, only for Naomi to arrive on Tour the next day, still pregnant. The gamble paid off. He did win the Tour Joker award, and Charlie Beer arrived safe and well a few weeks later. RCNP

desert island discs
1) Beautiful Day - U2
2) The Messiah - Handel
3) History Maker - Delirious
4) Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
5) Ninth Symphony - Beethoven
6) Once Again - Matt Redman
7) Sing - Travis
8) Angel Eyes - Abba

Book: Wisden

Luxury Item: Case of Vintage Bordeaux Wine

Three films
1) Return of the Pink Panther
2) Ben Hur
3) War and Peace


Favourite Graham Carter nick-name: Arthur

Cheese or Chocolate: Chocolate
Beer or Wine: Wine
Tea or Coffee: Tea
Boys or Girls: Boys
Greenland or Ibiza: Ibiza
Wet Shave or Dry Shave: Dry


W.G. or Bradman: W.G.
Botham or Sobers: Botham
Pietersen or Boycott: Pietersen
Marshall or McGrath: McGrath
Read or Jones: Jones
Warne or Murali: Warne
Hair or Bowden: Bowden


For Room 101...
1) People hooting behind me at a busy junction
2) Traveling on the London Underground in summer
3) Being served reheated food a week old