Ryde cricket legend who loved a limerick and a laugh

He joined Ryde Cricket Club as a teenager — and played regularly until he was 60.

In winter, he spent 20 years with Oakfield Football Club.

Pete — or Scottie, as he is affectionately known — was a fierce competitor, but his enthusiasm and love of fun has endeared him to so many of his opponents.

Pete Scott recently.

There are so many amusing moments from his life. His limericks, particularly — delivered in his very best Island accent — are priceless.

Sadly, they wouldn’t get past the censors.

There was one legendary story of when a visitor turned up at Simeon Street Rec to watch Ryde Cricket Club play a fixture, fully 25 years after he had been there with a touring team.

He noticed the names of the two bowlers were Scott and Bishop, the same as 25 years earlier.

Pete Scott, centre, with cup at his feet, after Ryde Cricket Club’s six-a-side team won the Island competition in 1988.

When he inquired if they were the offspring of the previous bowlers, he was shocked to find it was the same two guys.

Rumours suggest Ken was still playing for the Gentleman of the New Forest, into his 70s.

When he was just nine, Pete was in the Wootton Primary football team, alongside their star winger, Eddie Walder. I wonder whatever happened to him?

Pete’s greatest schoolboy football memory was when Ryde Secondary beat their all-conquering neighbours Bishop Lovett 1-0, with only ten men.

Pete Scott, back, fifth left, with the Oakfield FC side of the mid-1970s.

Dubby Cole and co couldn’t believe it!

His earliest football clubs included Wootton, Ryde Youth Club and Ryde Reserves, before he moved to Seaview to help them win an Island League title and the Gold Cup.

When Roy Shiner left to manage Newport, Pete moved to Oakfield and never left.

On the old Oakfield tip, where tin cans and bottles used to be exposed on the playing surface, you always took on their feared team and supporters.

Pete can still remember the old ladies with their umbrellas tripping up visiting wingers on the small pitch.

There was no VAR in those days!

During his Oakfield years, they twice won promotion from Division 2 and won the Junior A and Ryde and District Cups.

Primarily, Pete was a central defender, but in one promotion season for ‘Oaker’, he played up front and scored 31 goals.

With all due respect to his long football career, he has always been obsessed with cricket.

At the age of 62, he even played a few games for Ryde seconds.

He loves the professional game and has taken more than 1,000 photographs of worldwide test match cricketers, including legends like Shane Warne, Ian Botham, Alan Border and current England skipper, Joe Root.

Former Aussie stars, the Chappell brothers, were not among his favourites and played hard to get.

When Scottie first joined Ryde Cricket Club, they played on the rubber wicket at Smallbrook.

He told me back in 1983: “I don’t like these players who keep moving around to play in the same class of cricket.

“I stay at Ryde to keep them on an even keel and help bring on the youngsters.”

Obviously, the club moved on to Simeon Street, then on to their posh new ground at Harding Shute.

During his long career for Ryde, he took 1,500 wickets with his medium pace seamers.

If he was hit for a lucky boundary, Pete could always produce a devastating next ball, which often took a wicket.

He could barely cope with mis-fields off his bowling.

In only his third game for Ryde seconds, he took 7-12 against Northwood seconds.

His best-ever figures were 9-26 against Arreton.

Not noted for his batting prowess, he did once hit 49, all in the same innings, against Shanklin!

He was robbed of a maiden 50 because Ken Bishop refused a run and Pete got run out.

During his many years in the Ryde first team, he helped them to success in the Hampshire League — very much a new venture for the club.

“I was against the idea of going into the mainland league set-up,” he said.

“But actually, it proved a great experience and gave me a new lease of life.

“They were often long days. Sometimes we left the Island at 8am and got back around midnight.

“There were trips to Wiltshire, Berkshire and West Sussex. We took our minibus and Dave Tolfrey and myself lived it up on the ferry back, with steak pie and a glass of wine.”

Early on, Ryde were much too strong. During one season Pete didn’t bat at all.

He put his box on twice and pads once.

He loved the mid-week era of touring sides and can remember playing against stars like Phil DeFreitas and Duncan Pauline.

The Ryde skipper always told the opposition he had a weak side and asked if the touring side could bat first.

That usually meant Ryde didn’t lose the game. A cunning move by Mr Bishop.

I love the story of when Pete and his wife Jackie eloped to the New Forest for a wedding. No it wasn’t their own!

They were sworn to secrecy and went with the bride and groom to act as witnesses for the marriage of Dave and Wendy Tolfrey.

Pete loves talking about eccentric characters he’s met on and off the field.

He also has such a fund of knowledge on cricket, football and pop music.

Newport Cricket Club legend, Keith Mitchell, never fails to tease Pete about the time he edged him for four at Simeon Street to obtain his incredible 1,000 runs for the season.