To say that we have had a benign start to the season weather-wise might be a slight understatement as the first rustle of drought notices can be heard in the distance. What it has meant is the Rec looking an absolute picture with excellent wickets and fast outfields.
After a slow start to the league campaign, largely due to availability issues, I write this in the glow of back-to-back wins for the 1s and the cruel conversion of a win for the 2s into a tie courtesy of a last-ball six for the oppo. We are beginning to look competitive in most of our fixtures but whether we have found our level, time will tell. What I can say, from having seen a few games up at the Rec, is that the games have become more enjoyable again, which frankly is the most important element in determining ongoing availability.
One of the most encouraging sights has been the number of father and son combinations turning out for the 2s, with a highlight of four pairs in the game at Kilndown. With the honourable exception of the Roches, the others were all home-grown young cricketers bringing their dads along to see how it should be done!
The kind weather has been fantastic for the Junior Cricket section, with a continual stream of matches and coaching sessions on the Rec. I have been able to catch a few of the U13s games on Sunday mornings, and the quality of performances individually and collectively is a tribute to everyone involved.
Another recent highlight has been the first draw of the £5 Club, with the first winner being one of our club Vice Presidents and a stalwart of SCC, David ‘Bomber’ Harris, who scooped £55 as a return for his ongoing investment in the club. I would love to see the prize fund grow, which means more of our club members and supporters joining in. It’s a relatively low-impact contribution, but it will mean a great deal to the club finances over time and will allow the continued improvement in our facilities and what we can offer to all our members and supporters.
This weekend (Sunday 8 June) sees the Bernard Mills Memorial Day as a tribute to one of the true club legends. It will feature a senior T20 match in the afternoon, but beforehand two Intra-Club Junior Cricket Section matches will commence celebrations at 9am. If you didn’t get up in time for breakfast, the Bacon Station will be there for you from 10am and there will be a licensed bar to help the day along later.
Let’s make it a proper club day and tribute to a lovely man and great supporter of SCC. Quite often he was the One Man in the crowd when we couldn’t even persuade the Dog to come and watch!
Bernard would have been thrilled to see the continued growth in the Junior Cricket section, as evidenced by Francis’s latest report:
“We started the summer season a week before Easter and at the end of May we are 8 weeks into a 20-week season. The weather has been incredibly kind with only last Saturday’s coaching cancelled.
This year’s All Stars are as enthusiastic as ever. We have 66 players in Year 2 or below registered this year and 44 attended the first coaching session even though it was the first Saturday of half term.
In total, over Friday evening, 16 May and Saturday 17 May we coached over 120 young cricketers from 4 to 16, comfortably a record and a testimony to the willingness of parents to help with coaching, to varying degrees.
The Under 11 and Under 13 League seasons are in full swing, and we have been competitive in all the matches so far, which is a tribute to the young cricketers and their coaches.
We have reported elsewhere on the highly successful Penshurst Soft Ball Tournament on Bank Holiday Monday.
Looking forward, we have more league fixtures every week and two matches to kick off the Bernard Mills Memorial Day starting at 9.00. More details to follow.
The Second XI League team now regularly features between 4 and 6 Junior Cricket players, split evenly between parents and young cricketers. This is very encouraging in terms of looking to the future.”
— Francis Booth, Head of Junior Cricket
Finally, I hope those of you that use the pavilion regularly will have noticed the effort that is being put into keeping it a clean and pleasant environment for our members, opponents and supporters. This is particularly important with the number of young cricketers and their parents making use of the facilities. Allowing the pavilion to look like low-grade student accommodation is no longer an option.
This includes leaving kit strewn around the facilities and you will now know that the Table of Shame is an unforgiving custodian of your possessions. Look out for the weekly photo – it’s one of the President’s go-to viewing choices!
Regards
Mark
Speldhurst Cricket Club 