When he signed for Wegi a few months ago at the back end of last season, he knew he need 223 runs to make it to 10,000 runs for the Gip Alliance, having previously scored 9777 runs for the Gips.

He knew he’d have to do most of that with a stamina level rapidly dropping from mediocre, a body no longer on his side. It was a big ask. But he did it. He scored 271 runs, to become only the 10th player in the history of both clubs combined to make it to the magic five-figure total.

With his goal achieved at the end of this season, and his body now completely against him, it’s no wonder he found this the perfect time to call it a day. His 883 KGB runs also add to his prowess. (Had it been 983 KGB runs I’m sure he would have played this year just to try to eek out those final 17 runs.)

One of only 10 five-figure legends, welcome to an elite group, Sir* Dennis Blissett.

The full list is below:

1. D Lunt – 19016 (16067 Gips / 2049 Wegi)
2. A Appleton – 18779 (all Wegi)
3. V Fernandes – 16948 (all Gips)
4. N Balindela – 16834 (11071 / 5753)
5. G Hollis – 14262 (7480 / 6782)
6. S Burki – 13391 (all Gips)
7. A Zibi – 13078 (all Gips)
8. K Castle – 12491 (all Gips)
9. E Warner – 10503 (all Wegi)
10. D Blissett – 10048 (9777 / 271)

*Any player reaching 10,000 runs or 500 wickets automatically gets a Gip Knighthood! So, as well as the 10 above, Elmer Hoefakker (826 Wegi wickets) Denis Radford (399 + 298) and the youngest ever to be knighted, Greg Grewcock (568) are also on that esteemed list.

The players not to have reached either total that have also been awarded a Gips Knighthood are Kris Evans (falling just 88 runs short of the total despite playing the majority of his career before FC and BT20 came in to play), Stephen Hitchman (with 291 wickets, all in the pre-3-format era), Sufyan Beadle (with 129 wickets and 2817 runs in the pre-3-format era) and Hugh Haughton (167 pre-3-format era wickets and the Gips’ first true bowling legend).

So that’s 17 at present … I wonder if there’ll be any more come the end of our current ambitious project to take us to the top…?