From this week's Halstead Gazette
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LONG-SERVING Phil Toogood is celebrating a "full complement" of honours after being awarded honorary life membership of Halstead Cricket Club.
Toogood has been captain, chairman, vice-president and director of cricket during 35 years of service to the Star Stile outfit.
Now he can add life membership to that impressive list after having his decades of commitment recognised at the club's recent AGM.
Having joined Halstead in 1982, Toogood went on to be the club’s most successful cricketer in their 132-year history, amassing more than 18,000 runs and taking more than 850 wickets.
He also completed the "double" - scoring more than a thousand runs and taking more than 100 wickets - in both 1985 and 1989.
"This is a well-deserved honour and, as Phil said to the meeting in accepting his prestigious honour, he now has the full complement, having been club captain, club chairman, vice-president, director of cricket and now an honorary life member," said chairman Mark Surridge.
“I joined Halstead in 1988 and the following year played my first full season, when Phil was in amazing form, hammering big scores and scoring a shed-load of runs, bowling at fearsome pace off his trademark short run up and taking some sensational acrobatic catches in the gully.
"He was unstoppable that year, completing the double, and, to be honest, in most years after he proved a fearsome and combative club cricketer, as his incredible record shows.
"Certainly Phil was the best club cricketer I played with or against."
