Years in League: 1998-9 to date
Division 1: 1999-2000 to 2002-3; 2004-5 to 2005-6; 2007-8 to 2009-10; 2011-12, 2013-14
Division 2: 1998-9; 2003-4; 2006-7; 2010-11; 2012-13, 2014-18
Division 3: 2018-19 to date
Titles: Division 2 Champions 2003-4, 2006-7, 2012-13; Division 3 Champions 2022-23; All-London Cup (2) 1999, 2003
Former names: Barbican (1998-9 to 2005-6)
BARB(ICAN) - AN UNRELIABLE HISTORYIt all started, for the current team at least, as all good stories should - in a bar.
Erik Arthur had persuaded friend / employee
Roger Robinson to partake of a pint or two & a pub table quiz in the Rising Sun. Into that same pub, on that fateful night in late October 2001 came Donald Yule & Paul Spencer-Thompson. Roger vaguely recognised Donald as a fellow 15-1 veteran. "Are you here for the table quiz?" we asked. "No," they said "We’re playing with the big boys upstairs." Well, one thing led to another, and a fortnight later Roger played his first match for Barbican (as it was then).
That first season (2001-2) was reasonably successful, Barbican finished 3rd in Div 1 & runners-up in the Cup - and the team was away on fourteen years of riding the roller coaster with 9 promotions or relegations, 3 Div 2 Championships and a Cup victory thrown in for good measure.
The personnel changed too - with Tom Dineen and Tony Allen joining as regular squad members. At the end of the 2004-5 season PST, Tom & Tony left to form Aldersgate - leaving Donald & Roger with new recruits
Jane Teather & Jan Quinn to play the 2005-6 season in a new venue - the Hoop and Grapes.
Simon Bolland, an ex-work (& pub-quiz) colleague of Roger also joined the squad, but much preferred to read rather than play. This small squad survived for two seasons which included another change of venue to The One Tun - winning the Div 2 championship in the 2006-7 season during which we shortened our name officially to Barb. Jan then left on the flimsiest of excuses - her partner had got a job in Bermuda.
As luck would have it
Paul Hillman turned up at the summer barbeque at The Pineapple. Paul was another 15-1 veteran (but did better than Roger or Donald who both came 2nd, whereas Paul was a series winner) and he was recruited for the 2007-8 season. At the end of the 2008-9 season Donald left to form the Eclectics, and Jane introduced
Jonathan Warschauer as the 4th playing member for the 2009-10 season.
These 4 regular players - Roger, Jane, Paul & Jonathan supported by reader (& able substitute when needed) Simon formed one of the smallest squads in the league, but didn’t had to hire the services of T O’Lard for well over 4 seasons. Over the past few seasons all our averages have gradually increased and each season we all contributed over 20% of the points for the team.
Jane decided to up sticks & head for pastures new in York, so Erik offered to become a regular squad member for the 2014-5 season - after peripatetic reading duties for a few seasons. Also joining the squad, after sampling the delights of the summer league, is ex-patriate American
Ann Gavaghan.