27     Maurice Houghton

 
Right-Hand Bat
M   I    R    NO  HS  AVG
4   3   17   1   11   8.50

Slow Left Arm Orthodox
W    R         O     M    AVG      
3   100   31.0   6   33.33  

Batting head-gear: None

Tours : 2


Debut: 21.05.1978  House: Reckitt  At LP: 1954-1959

Maurice “Trigger” Houghton like Dickie Bird has become more famous as an umpire than as a player. This because of his early retirement due to considerable trouble with his knees followed by two operations.

Maurice was indeed a star player in his schoolboy days having captained the side at Crosfields and then stepped straight into the 1st XI at LPS in Summer 1955 and stayed there for all 5 years until 1959.

It was as a class spin bowler ( left arm round the wicket ) that Maurice was remembered for when years later in 1978 the OLCC played their first game in the Brewers’ Cup. With Houghton at one end and Brewer at the other, they tied up Douai Society and bowled them out for 80. Maurice played in just the Brewers’ Cup that year (2 appearances) and returned to the fold some years later as an umpire. He did play two more games standing at slip with knee restrictions on the West Country Tour of 1994.

So having played just the 4 games for the club, Maureeccee Van Houghton was elevated to umpire with a Dutch adjustment to add some additional class to his name in his more formative years. The highlight of his duties in the “white coat” was surely on 9th June 1996 at the special carnival game to celebrate the President’s 50th Birthday when nobody was supposed to be given out LBW. Maureeccee had other ideas and the first wicket of the long day went just that way, as he gave Richard Knox-Johnston out early in his innings – not only was it not in the spirit of the occasion, but the batsman (brother of the famous yachtsman) sulked until lunch, reading his newspaper and talking to nobody.
Maureeccee is now to be seen still “triggering”[ To be fair to Maurice, he's only given 1 LBW in the last 4 games he's umpired for us! Ed.] the occasional batsman and also using his famous left hand in the scorebox. He tells many a joke to the members as he mingles in the dressing room. GWVC

desert island discs
1) Handel's Water Music
2) Greig's Piano Concerto in A Minor
3) Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 - Elgar
4) Sailing
5) I do like to be beside the seaside
6) Midnight in Moscow
7) Holiday Rock
8) We gotta get out of this place

Book: Blue Horizon - Wilbur Smith

Luxury Item: Blue Ranger Helicopter


Three films
1) Monsieur's Hulot's Holiday
2) Dambusters
3) Carry On Camping


Favourite Graham Carter nick-name: Arthur

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


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) Sunday night T.V.
2) Pompous people
3) Inconsiderate drivers