Words from the Chairman
As another season comes to an end, it has un-doubtably been a challenging season. Weather has cost us many games but it was good to see going into the last week of the season the 2nd had already been promoted and the 1st XI still had a shout of going up but results went against us. A large number of younger players have put in good performances in all sides this season. A tour to Eastbourne followed the end of the league games and it was enjoyed by all that went. If you want to know more about it see Nigel’s tour report on the Facebook page. I am sure I remember some silly talk of 2 members getting on their bikes to cycle to tour next year in aid of the club. As I was one of them I am pleased we are going to Oxford next year! You can join us or sponsor us in due course.
Now to the disappointing parts of the season. The 2nd XI finished bottom of the sportsmanship table. This will be looked into over the close season as we will look to improve this. I will also like to see some improvements by the league and will be outlining that to them in due course. A number of games have been cancelled due to the weather which leaves the club with a lot of issues relating to cash flow. Please ensure all your debts are paid ASAP as the club needs this money for next season.
Plans for next season and indeed the next 5 years will be looked at over the close season, mainly improving the clubhouse. Courses attended by various club officials and other items to ensure we are ready for the 2013 season. If you want to help your club you will never be turned away.
I wish you all well over the coming months and look forward to seeing you at nets in the new year.
2012 Season Reviews
1st XI by Dan Fullarton
A frustrating season in the end with us just missing out on promotion on the final day. The weather playing a big part in us dropping points but to be honest inconsistent performances earlier in the season costs us vital points.
However all in all a good effort through out the campaign by all and also great to see the younger guys breaking through with Tom Byford, Billy Morrant, George Huckstepp, Chris Harp, Luke Harp and Connor Poulain all making appearances and having a good impact.
There were some fine performances throughout the season mainly with the ball but with the bat we saw 5 fifties in all, with Steve Huckstepp hitting 87 v Stock, George Huckstepp hitting a quick fire 62 no v Havering, Jamie Sanford 56 v Springfield, Sean Worrall 51 no v Woodham Mortimer and Stuart Coussins getting 2 fifties and ending top of the batting averages. With the ball we were dangerous throughout the season with impressive spells from Richard Ackery, Billy Morrant and Phill Bartlett. There were also some stand out performances from Sean Worrall 7-22 v Tillingham, Dan Fullarton 6-39 v Springfield and Alaric Wade 5-49 v Springfield.
Looking forward to see some of the younger players settle into their 2nd season next year and can see a real push for the title. Have a good winter break and here's to 2013
2nd XI by Paul Heath
Another League season complete with the 2's getting the promotion from Division 8 we deserved, despite using no less then 40 players throughout the season! In fact we only had 4 players who played 9 games or more.
Having lost only 2 games and tied 1, we eventually finished runners up to Marconi by 9 points (only 4 if you take off my administration error!) and can probably look back at a few moments during the season that cost us the title. Notably the tie against SOSEMT where we spilled 3 chances to take their last wicket and the loss against Great Wakering. On the plus side, it means we don't have to attend the League presentation evening, a somewhat sober affair.
Of the "regulars", there were however some notable performances throughout the season. The hard work and dedication of the youth system coming to fruition with the Harp trio, Connor Poulain and Ryan Creasey bowling well and looking good as future 1st team players. The old guard of Kev, Old Man, Boycie, Man up Dineen, Nirmal and yours truly also coming up trumps when required proving that there's life in the old dogs yet. Well done fellas, here's looking forward to the same again next season however a little more consistency in selection will be required if we are to gain successive promotions.
3rd XI by Dave Howe
An interesting and enjoyable first year as captain for me and a respectable mid table finish winning 6 games, losing 8 and having 4 rained off.
We started well winning 4 of our first 5 completed games but after that we struggled for consistency. We used almost 40 different players and this of course didn’t help where consistency of team performance was concerned. However, apart from the two games against Rainham all other defeats were in closely contested games which with a bit of luck could have resulted in a few more wins.
Runs were hard to come by all year partly due to bowler friendly pitches but also due to a shortage of batsmen throughout the club. On the flip side I seemed to be blessed with plenty of bowling options each week.
Of those that played most regularly, Rhys Tomlin opened the bowling with plenty of pace and although he lost a bit of confidence in second half of the season proved a good foil for Phil Sams at the other end who was both economical and a regular wicket taker. Ryan Creasey bowled very well all year and deservedly took the most wickets, he will undoubtedly be in a higher team next season. George Howe bowled well when called upon with a good strike rate from overs bowled. Batting wise Dave Howe and Ian Roake were the main contributors but as above batting was our Achilles heel. Alex Cunningham kept well all season and provided the necessary encouragement (just ask Ryan).
All in all an enjoyable season with the team having a good mix of youth and old gits!!
During the wettest drought on record we have amazingly only had one game cancelled. Having lost the first game we then went on a 4 game winning run before losing the last 2 games to leave us in 3rd place.
Runs have been at a premium in bowler friendly conditions with only myself and Roakey passing 100 in total for the season so far. The league table confirms that all teams have struggled to make runs, only Galleywood (13 points) have made double figures in batting points whereas 6 sides boast more than 30 bowling points.
On the bowling front Ryan Creasey (13 wickets) and Phil Sams (10 wickets) lead the way. Rhys Tomlin has opened the bowling with pace and accuracy and Rhys Ruffell is the only bowler to have taken 5 in a match.
All in all a good start with all the junior players contributing and hopefully learning about the game from us old gits in the team.
4th XI by Ashley Long
As I'm sure your sick of hearing about the weather I'll skip that part. The 4's had a good season, with some encouraging performances from the younger guys. We had a number of close games which on another day could of gone our way and I feel we was unlucky to finish the season with only one win on the field. After a poor finish to the season, and a few weeks of struggling to get a team together, we slipped from 6th to 8th in the league, with 3 "wins" and 5 No Results out of our 18 games.
Stand out performances from the year include Alex Bailey and Micheal Stirrups consistent and often unrewarded opening bowling, JD's magnificent 80 at home against Rayleigh, Alex Baileys 50 away to Rayleigh and two explosive 40's from Jan, including a match winning knock against little baddow. Other Mentions go to Toby Howe, Matt Nelson, Andy Creasey, Matt Howe and John Harmon who all put in some vital performances with the bat and ball through out the season.
Finally we also performed really well in the fair play league, finishing 2nd out of 109 team, with an average mark of 8.22 out of 10.
Congratulations to everyone who played for the 4's. its a well deserved award which shows we are playing the game with the right attitude through out the season.
2012 Final Tables
Mid Essex Div. 3
1. Stock II 295 Pts
2. Havering-Atte-Bower 252
3 Eastwood 244
4 Springfield II 203
5 Woodham Mortimer 166
6 Southend EMT 131
7 Sth Woodham Ferrers 124
8 Tillingham 122
9 Boreham 14
Hockley Ist withdrew from League
Mid Essex Div. 8
1 Marconi 297 Pts
2 Eastwood 288
3 Woodham Mortimer II 255
4 Great Wakering 228
5 Stock III 183
6 Burnham II 179
7 O C’s III 170
8 Southend EMT V 149
9 Sth Woodham Ferrers II 144
10 Broomfield II 133
Mid Essex Div. 10
1.Springfield IV 340 Pts
2 Rainham II 279
3 Great Baddow III 267
4 Wickham 237
5 Galleywood II 206
6 Eastwood III 188
7 St Andrews 163
8. Havering–Atte-Bower III 126
9.Billericay St Johns II 97
10. OC’s IV 78
Mid Essex Div. 11
1.Thurrock III 316 Pts
2. Rayleigh V 285
3. Little Baddow III 274
4. Sth Woodham F III 248
5. Rayne II 205
6. Bentley IV 135
7. Wickham II 113
8. Eastwood IV 85
9 Hullbridge II 60
10.Stock IV -30
Treasurer Report
As we all know the weather has played a massive part in the cricket this season and we lost a large number of games to Mother Nature, I’m sure you don’t need reminding. Something which probably doesn’t cross your mind quite so readily when you’re sitting watching the rain fall on yet another ‘summer’ Saturday while wishing you were out on the pitch is the impact on the club’s finances of a rained off game.
You may not be aware but the arrangement we have with the Council whereby we block book our pitches for the season gives us a good deal on the pitch rentals as opposed to booking all our pitches individually. Unfortunately this arrangement has a down side in that we don’t get any reduction if a game is cancelled for any reason, weather included, so we still end up effectively paying for the pitch. Thus the impact of a rained off fixture is a double-edged sword for the finances as not only do we lose the match fees from the cancelled match but we still have the cost of the pitch to cover and, even worse, if a game is rained off late, the purchase costs of the teas. This means that a rained off home game can actually cost the club dearly, there is also the loss of match fees when an away fixture is called off.
All of this will have an impact on the end of year balance sheet and therefore it is imperative that we recover all unpaid annual subscriptions and outstanding match fees for this season, and any outstanding from previous seasons. To this end any members who have any debts outstanding will be approached in the very near future, if not already, to notify them of the debt and to request payment.
This year, more than any other, it is essential that debts are minimised. I would take this opportunity to remind all members that if annual subscriptions have not been paid then under the Club Constitution you are not eligible to stand for any office in the Club or vote at the AGM. It is also within the Club’s power to refer a member to the Club Disciplinary Committee with regard to continually unpaid debts. The disciplinary committee does have the ultimate power to suspend a member from playing not only for the Club but for any Club affiliated to the ECB; which effectively means any club playing any League cricket. This is a sanction which the Club has used in the past but is always a last resort, however, the Club Committee will use it if necessary.
The Club appreciates that we live in hard times and will always be prepared to discuss payment of debts in a sympathetic way so if you feel in difficulty then please speak to me or any of the other Club Officers, obviously in total confidence.
If approached about any debts please make every effort to address the matter as soon as possible. Remember that any unpaid debts may end up impacting on what EVERY member ends up having to pay to play cricket in the future.
Trevor Harp – Treasurer
The End of Season Party and Presentation Evening.
The end of season party and presentation evening was held at the Tandoori Parlour Thundersley on Friday 28th September, organised by Neil Mason, Richard Ackery and Dan Fullerton, many thanks to them, the evening was a huge success with a fantastic turnout of 80 people enjoying the food and entertainment.
With the great success of the evening we will be making this an annual event so make room in your diary for the end of September 2013!
The award recipients were:-
1st XI
Batting Stuart Coussins
Bowling Alaric Wade
Player of the Year Sean Worrall
2nd XI
Batting John Harper
Bowling Ollie Harp
Player of the Year Nirmal Patel
3rd XI
Batting Ian Roake
Bowling Phil Sams
Player of the Year Ryan Creasey
4th XI
Batting Jan Ilby
Bowling Michael Stirrup
Player of the Year Alex Bailey
Evening League
Batting Henry Morrant
Bowling Billy Morrant
Player of the Year Keith Baker
Six a Side Competition
Winners: Montgomery C C
Senior Award
Kevin Robinson
Youth Teams
Under 13
Batting Matthew Jacobs
Bowling George Lovett
Player of the Year Will Mason
Under 15
Batting Archie Matthews
Bowling Ryan Creasey
Player of the Year George Howe
Congratulations to all award winners and again many thanks to all concerned in the organisation of a great evening and following the success of this evening hopefully all future club events will be as well supported.
Memories
As I stated in the last newsletter courtesy of Brian Burns I have a number of old newsletters dating back a number of years which were written on a weekly basis some by myself but mainly by Nigel Armitage who as no doubt as most of you are aware is now domiciled in the USA. Having read them I do have to say there are some classics which I think should be shared with the rest of the club via the Facebook page and I will endeavour to get this done shortly .