Although Tom Boore stepped down as Captain in 1972 he continued to serve the Club with some excellent all-round performances within a strong team now captained by Mike Edge who led the side during 1973 and 1974 seasons before handing over to Dave Jones (alias "SSSack") after which Mike Edge resumed the leadership in 1977 and 78 only to relinquish the captaincy once more to Dave Jones. Mike's resumption of the captaincy for the 1981 and 82 seasons meant that Mike and Dave had alternated captaincies at two year intervals over a total period of ten years (1973 to 1982 inclusive) which just goes to show how popular these two skillful players were.
Up until at least 1974 Tom Boore was still putting in good performances for the Club as the News and Journal Report of 11th July 1974 shows, this relating to the Gloucester League Division I match against Huntley. In a low scoring match Mike Edge top scored with 34 out of a total of 95 with Ricky Rickelton chipping in a useful seventeen. Henry Dallman's four wickets for 28 and Tom Boore's five wickets for 11 runs demolished Huntley with only two of their batsman reaching double figures.
Tom Boore's five wickets for 46 runs were not enough to avoid defeat in a subsequent league match against Ashchurch reported in the News and Journal of 1st August 1974. It was not long before the Club Second XI also entered the Gloucester League. During 1977 when Martin and Nigel Ruxton joined the Club around the same time as myself the Second XI was finding the going difficult and ended up close to or at the bottom of the Sixth Division. That was soon to change however in 1978 when Pete Cole (alias "the Corporal") demonstrated his excellent leadership qualities in bringing the best out of a reshapened side. Excellent bowling performances from Peter Underwood contributed significantly to Woodpeckers becoming runners-up to Highnam Court CC including a ten wicket haul against, I think, Stone CC which won him the "Woodpeckers Bowling Award".
Pete Cole continued to show his all-round cricketing abilities by using his sizeable hands to best effect in taking the Ronson's wicket-keeping award in 1981.
The later 70's were a time of transition for the Club as some more senior players gave way to younger fresh faces and although the First XI side slipped to the Third Division of the Gloucester League the success of the Second XI meant that the 1970's gave way to the 1980's with the Club having widened it's base and achieving a good deal of success overall.
