Chairman’s AGM Report 2024 - 12^th December 2024

 

This is my report for 2024 involving the on and off field activities of the club. As seems to be the case of the broken record – some of it is positive, some of it not quite as positive as originally hoped for.

 

I will start with playing matters. 

Once again, winter recruitment was not easy. The club identified and spoke with numerous targets during the 2023/24 close season based upon the departure of 2023 captain Chris, and Stuart’s decision to move to a less binding playing role. As is often the case, these conversation bore no fruit, but the side which was to be lead by Lee Whitfield looked reasonable and would see Ewan rewarded and handed a permanent role in the 1^st X1. Eventually, the club were able to identify an overseas amateur from Australia who would come and play for the club on a Youth Mobility Visa. Alex Corver came over to build his cricketing experience and offer the club some much needed assistance with junior coaching. It’s safe to say that Alex was a pleasure to have around the club, he never missed any games or training sessions as well as contributing 697 runs, 8 wickets and even a couple of games with the gloves on. I would certainly wish Alex all the best going forward and would think that it would be an echoed sentiment to say that he would always be welcome to return if the opportunity were to arise in future. I also thank Aron and Claire for accommodating Alex while he was in the UK and imagine that Claire is now much happier looking after only 1 child instead of 2.

The season was a mixed bag in all honesty which saw the club finish 6^th in Division 1. A higher finish had looked likely but a sticky period of a few weeks of unexpected defeats, didn’t quite do justice to the talent the team possessed. Some eye catching and very high scoring wins did mean that batters from the team featured at the top end of the league charts. John Meadows amassed 1034 runs for the season in all competitions, which saw him finish second in the league run scoring behind former Durham professional Luke Doneathy as well as being voted the Division 1 player of the year by fellow Division 1 clubs. Aron again had a strong season in scoring 757 runs at 36.05, Alex weighed in with 697 runs at 31.68 and Lee Whitfield contributed 426 at 38.73. 

Jimmy would finish as the leading bowler as he picked up 36 wickets at 22.19, John added 33 wickets at 19.61 to add to his runs, while Ewan picked up 28 scalps at 19.61 to justify his rise to the 1^st X1. 

Availability for cup games saw very inexperienced sides take to the field, with our own Eric Trophy being the only competition where significant progress was made before a chastening 10 wicket defeat in the final at Blackfyne.

Alex has returned to Australia, John has sought the opportunity of NEPL cricket at Lanchester and Lee has returned to former club Burnopfield to do the same. I wish the three of them all the best and thank them for their contributions while at Blackfyne.

 

The 2^nd X1 were hoping to be at the correct end of the league for the second year running as they started a fresh challenge in Division 4. They would eventually just run out of steam in the final weeks of the season as they finished third, narrowly missing out on back to back promotions. Two games called off due to unfit grounds still leave a bad taste in the mouth, as those games could well have provided the requisite points totals to ensure a second place finish behind eventual champions Greenside but it wasn’t to bed. Run scoring for the 2s wasn’t at the same level as the 1s. Their strength very much lay in their ability to bowl teams out. Stuart with 42 wickets at 5.43, Fos 21 at 14.24, Nathan 18 at 15.56 and Jack with 17 at 8.65 (a shame he didn’t play more often) meant that the side were often able to defend or chase much more modest totals.

Run scoring was lead by Stuart who had 506 at 72.29, Will who had an excellent all round season as he made 231 at 15s, Ste Gray making 195 and Fletch who made 179. 

The team did use a heck of a lot of players. This shows strength in depth but also the nature of being unable to field the same team two weeks running due to numerous factors. The more consistent the team selections, the more consistent the performances and results, allegedly.

 

The Academicals had a good season overall. They made the Quarter-Finals of both cups before losing out by narrow margins to teams in higher divisions and competed very well in the league. They didn’t quite achieve promotion this season which would have been a fitting reward for the performances shown by the junior members of the side. Will would finish as one of the highest run scorers across the entire league set up and won the Division 4 player of the year after scoring 503 runs at 83.83, although his league average of 150 was mind blowing. Speedy made 228 runs at a shade over 25 with contributions from Harry and Hayden with the bat too.

With the ball, Oscar lead the way as he claimed 21 wickets at 12.29, while Harry again featured with 17 at 13.47, Ellis with 14 at 12.14 and Ryan taking 11 at 20.18.

It is imperative that the Sunday team continues to show strongly for the development of the club. A lot of our Under 15 players have played regularly this season, with many of them also going on to play for the 2^nd X1 and some even turning out for the 1^st X1. Well done to all of them for turning up whenever asked and doing themselves proud and showing that the hard work done by our junior coaches and manages is worth it’s weight in gold for the future of the club.

Unfortunately for the team, Mark and Speedy have both now retired and due to a knee operation, Will is unlikely to play any part in 2025 either, big shoes to fill for sure and a huge miss in terms of experience for the side.

 

Our junior section, headed by Stuart and the team have had an excellent season all round. The club fielded U15, U13, U11, U9 and U11 girls teams this season. While this looks good on paper, it provides quite the headache for all of those involved in coaching, taking teams to games and ground availability for cup ties and rescheduled games too. Simon will end up as grey as me but must be commended for his ability to juggle games and get them to take place at all.

I must thank our Under 15 players who have been an absolute pleasure around the club all season, have fit in well when being called up to senior cricket and have all been helping out at all stars on a Friday night, I hope that they continue to show this level of enthusiasm going forward and the lure of exterior distractions doesn’t ruin them before they are of senior age...

 

Off the field activities are not always the parts that people would necessarily recognise when they first think of a cricket club. A lot of people will judge a club based solely upon 1^st X1 performances. While the 1^st X1 would be considered the flagship of any club, the work done behind the scenes cannot be overlooked. 

It’s not a secret that I wasn’t happy with how some of our off-field shenanigans went in 2023 which resulted in me pretty much throwing the toys out of the pram at the 2023 AGM and stating my intention to step down from all senior positions at the club at this stage. 

I am extremely pleased to say that the pendulum has very much swung in a positive direction since then. Colin came back on board as treasurer (a big thank you to David for somehow keeping the books right alongside a demanding job and his family life), Charlotte has been like a woman possessed when it comes to fundraising activities, Prud has combined with Stuart to oversee the go-ahead for work to the club, some of which is not yet complete but should be done by the start of the 2025 season to make our Blackfyne home even more appealing than it is now. As you will have seen tonight, our worn out roof is finally being replaced! In January the hideous front of pavilion steps will be getting smashed out and re-modelled into a much more pleasant tiered terrace area. There are plans for other projects such as new screens, some decoration of areas of the club house and newer and more efficient lighting to be installed downstairs. 

Mark Roe has taken over as club licensee, something I was unable to keep within the legal framework of due to changing jobs, without him doing so, you wouldn’t be able to have a beer at the club! Charlotte has also combined with Mark to make sure that the bars are always stocked, the lines are clean and that someone is able to serve whenever games are on. Believe me, those tasks are not as easily carried out as they might sound. Our bar revenue is always our highest source of income across a financial year, something that Colin will point out when he gives an extremely positive review of the club finances. 

Sarah has done a very efficient job as secretary since taking over, keeping track of actions for the club as well as dealing with all correspondence with the minimum of fuss. 

Off the field, we saw the return of our family fun day which was hugely successful and is a fantastic way to engage the local community as well as raising revenue for the club. Charlotte also organised another successful Easter Egg Hunt and a halloween disco as well as our junior coaches organising FIFA nights at the club to encourage both our juniors and their parents to come along and socialise away from games themselves. The club has also seen an increase in use for private functions, something that can sometimes prove difficult given the limited space available in our clubhouse bar. 

 

The overall conduct of the club has been vastly improved compared with 2023. No one has had to be disciplined for on field behaviour and the atmosphere on match days is significantly improved, meaning that the club is a pleasant place for both fans of the game and those who just wish to come along and enjoy some refreshment in our pleasant surroundings.

 

My thanks once again go to the three wise men – Geoff, Gordon and Keith who do a great job of keeping our facilities in good order for players and spectators alike. They often work in difficult conditions, wet weather, howling winds and not always the warmest conditions. They have been given a treat lately, a long overdue one at that. We have finally been in a position to get them a much newer outfield cutter than the relic that they have been using for many years, hopefully this will lighten the load and man hours required to keep us playing on such splendid facilities.

 

Both myself and the club are eternally grateful to all of our sponsors. Their support unlocks many opportunities for the club to invest in facilities and most importantly our junior set up. We have been able to send people on coaching courses, buy new training aids and shared equipment for junior members to be able to take part in the sport we love, after all, expecting a newcomer to invest hundreds of pounds into a sport that they may not follow through with is quite an ask, so whatever the club can do to assist participation is always a massive help to attracting new faces as well as providing sport for all where possible.

 

Looking ahead to 2025, you’ll all be disappointed to know that i’ve been persuaded to stay on as chair of the club. The nomination sheet doesn’t show anyone else as having put their hand up, although given the significant improvement at the club of behaviour, volunteering and overall feel, the toys are firmly back in the pram.

Off the field the new season will see the club with a new roof, new seating area, new groundwork machinery and ideas to engage our local community further. Charlotte and Ste T are already discussing plans for social events, fun days and much more for the season ahead. I ask that if you are able, that you come along and show your support on these days once dates are finalised and details shared. There will hopefully be other continued improvements to the facilities, although these will of course depend upon fundraising and viability of projects too.

On the field, the 1^st X1 will have a new captain for 2025, the 2^nd X1 will again be lead by Ste G and Harry will again take the reins for the Academicals. 

As yet, no signings have been announced, although the club is working hard to bring in new faces or maybe even some familiar ones to help us to be as competitive as possible for the season ahead. We are aware of the need to replace those players who have departed the club and will be looking to bring in an overseas player to add strength, experience and expertise to both the team and development of our junior section. Conversations are ongoing and once we have good news, it will be shared, although we hope that there will be some truth in the rumours that may have been circulating. The one thing that will continue to irritate us all, is that once again, providing teas was voted to remain part of Saturday fixtures. I do wonder if those who attended the league AGM understand the issues that some clubs have when having to provide these and if they even understood that the proposal wasn’t to abolish the tea break, it was simply to align with other local leagues and see players bring their own food. A narrow win means that we will pursue this as a rule change again next year in an attempt to make the lives of our volunteers easier going forward.

 

It is my hope that the club can push on and realise it’s potential, look to secure some promotions and/or silverware and that our very promising juniors can continue to grow into roles in senior cricket, whether that be scoring runs, taking wickets or even marking the scorebook. 

I wish all of our volunteers the very best for the year ahead and that they don’t fall into the same trap as I did previously whereby they sicken themselves and end up resenting taking on the roles that they have.

I hope that we can continue to have good relations with our sponsors, players and those in the local community and can welcome more new faces to the club in 2025.

 

Please keep an eye on our websites and social media channels as well as your emails for updates about winter training, social events and anything else relating to the club. Your continued support is both welcomed and very much required to help the club continue to grow. I hope that you all winter well, have a great Christmas and New Year and that we will see most of you before the first fixtures take place on Saturday 19^th April.

 

Ian Cox – Club Chair