Of the thousands of sports clubs in the UK, on a general level, the majority are similar. In the major team games, whether cricket, football or rugby, these institutions remain highly “functional,” not just in terms of providing on-field sporting opportunities for members but also a local social establishment via the clubhouses, bars and events for the community. But a sporting society exists within the Old Hurst Johnian Cricket Club that really is unique. Founded in 1950, The OJ Duck Club is decidedly “non-functional,” through its status with no home, fixtures or facilities, solely its history and ever-growing membership. And it’s the membership that instils intrigue, in the sense that The Duck Club celebrates failure, in this case the achievement (or non-achievement) of being dismissed for a score of 0 in the OHJ Cricket Week.

Cricket Week at Hurstpierpoint College is a distinctive entity in itself, being the oldest week of its kind in the world, comprising 8 matches and having had only three Managers in its entirety. Many of today’s surviving cricket weeks tend to offer 5 midweek matches, sometimes not always all-day, and Hurst’s includes the equally distinctive features of family attendance and camping (not to mention the daily Sherry School by the Pavilion).

Another key feature is the Duck Club table, which hosts a range of Duck memorabilia, including the book detailing the history, rules and members of the Club. The book also reflects the introduction in 1956 of the “Duck Types” – the various categories of duck that OJs (and their sons/ daughters) can achieve during “The Week.” The Club’s original records consisted of a scoreboard tally under which members signed but due to the struggles of recognising OJ signatures (and an ever-increasing list) it was decided that a formal system was installed to mark each member and the year in which they achieved their various qualifying Ducks.

This article will not list the 10 qualifying and 2 non-qualifying Duck types, however amidst the common Duckling (Ordinary Simple Duck) and Adolescent (First-ball Duck) it should be documented that some qualifying types are yet to be achieved. These include the Broody (a Duckling Duck incubating over 30 minutes) and Prodigy (Carrying bat through innings for a Not-out Duck).

With Cricket Week only having had three Managers since its founding in 1920, the Duck Club has only had two Presidents, elected “for some outstanding feat of Duckmanship.” The Club’s first President, C. I’A. (Charlie) Carr, was inducted having been dismissed for nought facing the very first ball bowled to an OJ in The Week after the foundations for the Club had been “Laid.” The incumbent President, W.A.C. Baxter, who celebrated 25 years of his administration in 2022, was inaugurated after scoring three successive first-ball ducks across The Weeks of 1984 and 1985. Truly outstanding Duckmanship from both.

There is another notable institution that mirrors the concept of celebrating failure, The Shuttlecock Club. Membership is open to those that have crashed at Shuttlecock Corner, one of the most treacherous bends on the famous Cresta Run, and survived. Whilst joining the Duck Club is a relatively safer affair, it too shares similar features to the Shuttlecock Club, particularly the fact that both have Club ties. The Duck Club tie is, as Rule II states, the badge of membership and consists of a “dark blue ground surmounted at regular intervals by the Crest of a “Nought-balancing, Pavilion-walking Duck, facing West.””

And it is the ceremony by which these ties are presented (and avoided) that becomes a thing of real significance during each day of The Week. Pre-match, it’s always important to check the OJ XI for candidates (sometimes the opposition too) and the Manager of the Week (currently Mr T Moulton, OJ) often marks candidates on the teamsheet for full Duck clarity for spectators.

Once play is underway, candidates that do manage to get off the mark are typically met with applause and shouts of “well batted!” from the boundary, often to the confusion of the bowling side who must now evaluate why 1 not out deserves such praise!

For candidates that do not, the slow walk back to the Pavilion is accompanied by more applause but this time accompanied by shouts of “quack, quack, quack!” from spectators and players alike. The member is then presented with their Duck Club tie by the Manager, who by this stage has rung the Pavilion bell, and a photograph captured for posterity. It should be noted that Duck Club members are also required to wear their ties on the first and last days of the Week and, for complete clarity, Shuttlecock members must claim theirs from the Clubhouse shop; sadly, there are no OJ Managers on hand to present those on-site.

The Duck Club continues to portray its significance to OJ cricketers during the off-season, with the Club’s annual three-course dinner taking place in London on the first Friday of the February half-term, halfway between Cricket Weeks. Recent venues have included The Admiral Codrington, The Naval Club and The Union Jack Club. Members must attend in their Club ties and the main is, of course, duck.

Overall, the future of the Club looks in good order, with a President elect in R.E.L. Willsdon OJ now leading on the organisational aspects and the membership becoming an ever-broader collective. We look forward to welcoming the next group of candidates and members.

Omnibus Dux

Are you a Duck? Don't forget to register to attend the annual Duck Club Dinner on 13 February: Duck Club Dinner