Hello everyone,
I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself in my capacity as the newly elected Chairman for the club following the AGM in November. I’m Ian Cox, and I have been an active member of the club for 23 years and I have previously held various roles, some of which I will continue to support. I have been a team captain at various levels, ran the Under 18 team for several years, been a member of the committee and more recently have taken up roles as the fixtures secretary and the Designated Premises Supervisor (licensee for those old school folks among you). Writing this, my first Chairman’s update, has been a challenge following what has certainly been one of the most difficult years in living memory for me and so many others, especially following the recent loss of Alan Waters.
Alan sadly passed away just over a week after standing down having spent 14 years at the helm of the club. Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge what a fantastic job Alan did during his tenure. He did everything around the club with enthusiasm and a smile on his face. He was always extremely welcoming to members, supporters and opposition alike. He worked with juniors and seniors alike and was always around to pass on his wisdom to anyone who required it, nothing was ever too much trouble. He also contributed so much off the field as part of the club committee. I certainly have enormous shoes to fill in attempting to carry on and progress his great work. Alan truly was a local cricketing institution.
The AGM saw several other significant changes to the club management structure, we saw the departure of another two long-standing committee men - Colin McPherson and Mike Rodgers. Colin and Mike had been involved in various roles between them ranging from secretary, president, chairman, bar treasurer and club treasurer. They also enjoyed successful playing careers for the club spanning several decades. Their experience and knowledge will be sorely missed, although I’m sure they will still be happy to advise should we need to call upon them at some point, as they still hold the club interests in high regard.
As a committee we have Stephen Horn taking up the reigns as club secretary and David Williamson taking over as treasurer. We also have Mark Dixon, Nathan Smith and John Stokoe joining the committee going forward to assist us with the running of the club, something which is done entirely on a voluntary basis. I appreciate the time given up by all of the members who do their bit to keep the club running in the best interests of everyone. Details of who does what within the club can be found on the website by visiting the officials section on the menu on the home page.
Going forward we hope to do our best to carry on the good work done by our previous members, and I hope to oversee some exciting projects that will benefit the club in the long term. We are delighted to retain the services of 1st X1 captain Stuart Graham, who despite interest from elsewhere, has committed to his boyhood club. We are also very pleased to be able to welcome the permanent signing of youngster Jack Murray who joins from Leadgate and provides a strong 1st X1 bowling option as well as useful lower order batting which he demonstrated during his guest spell in 2020. Also joining our ranks for 2020 is Indian professional Azim Kazi, a left arm spinner and top order batsman, he will certainly add strength to our side. See the news section of the website for a more detailed report of Azim’s credentials.
All in all 2020 has been a hard year both on and off the field. The playing side was cut to only a third of our usual games with cup competitions all suspended and we as a club failed to turn out strong sides at times. We can take heart though, our Sunday Academicals side lead by Mark Roe and Stephen Horn, reached the play-off finals of the HLSCL, suffering a narrow defeat in the final at Blackfyne. Some strong performances in our 2nd X1, especially from youngster Will Marshall shows that the future is bright. Hopefully we will one day see him follow in the footsteps on his father Steven and represent the 1st X1 in future. We must also thank those who guested for the club over the shortened season - Jack Murray, Lewis Fletcher, Adam Golightly and Alex Manning who allowed us to fulfil all but one fixture in challenging times.
Disappointingly our social calendar was decimated, some of our regular features such as Ladies Day, Summer Spectacular and Conny Bongo Bingo could not go ahead and some one off events we had planned also had to be shelved. The bar was however, well supported during the short time we have been permitted to open this year and I would like to thank those who did so.
The clubhouse remains closed for the foreseeable future due to our region being placed under Tier 3 restrictions at the start of December. We will of course be monitoring the progress of this and seeing how we can again adapt to being able to open. Unfortunately, as a ‘wet pub’, we are only able to do so once the region reaches Tier 1, so it may be quite a while yet before we are able to welcome you all back. We will of course be looking to plan ahead for the summer and deliver a range of social events, something which not only sees new faces come to the club but goes a long way toward securing the financial viability of the club as the bar is our main source of revenue.
Under Tier 3, organised sport is allowed to take place. Bearing this in mind, we are planning for a full fixture list to take place starting from April. All being well we will be in a much lower Tier by then, if at all so will be able to welcome families and supporters back to watch the sport we all love come the start of the season.
Apologies for lengthy update, however I will endeavour to provide regular updates for everyone as to what is happening within the club, and by doing so regularly, I should be able to keep them as brief as possible.
Don’t forget to keep an eye on our website and socials for updates for all things Consett CC.
If you feel at any point that you are able to contribute toward the club in any way, don’t hesitate to get in touch. As a wise man once said to us, “Don’t ask what your club can do for you, but what you can do for your club.” It’s your club, not mine. All ideas and suggestions are always welcome.
I will sign off by wishing you all the very best over the festive period. One which will be unlike any you’ve experienced before. I will be back to provide an update in the New Year and hopefully I might get the chance to start seeing some of you in person once again. Take care of yourselves in the meantime.
Best wishes everyone, Ian.
Chairman’s Report for May 2018
Yes I have found time to do a chairman’s report this month!!
Finally the early season bad weather has abated and we have played some cricket. With the 2nd league game at Ashington being postponed the Firsts finally got going at home to Stocksfield which resulted in a comprehensive win for us in spite of some rain doing its best to disrupt the game. This was followed by a more demanding league win at Lintz knocking off 227 with just under 5 overs to spare. A look at the scores on the site will show a very good start by Andy Stokoe who amassed 109 runs in two knocks with one not out. Keep the average up Andy.
The Seconds have had a difficult start with losses to Annfield Plain, Stocksfield and Lintz. After bowling the Plain out for 50 with Daniel Pyke starring with 7 for 8 we failed by 10 runs. The Stocksfield game was rain affected when were were batting well and we lost 10 overs of batting because of it. Pykey continued his good start of the season by getting an unbeaten half century. Stockfield won by 4 wkts. Against Lintz we batted first and achieved 161 for 9 in the 45 overs. Unfortunately Marcus Peart (dropped from their firsts) scored 80 in 40 odd balls to secure the win hitting the chairman for 28 in his first over (OUCH). I will discuss this further at the end of my report.
The Thirds have only played the one so far losing to Shotley by 7 wkts. One notable feature of the game being another century for Jamie Bradley.Well done.
With new captain Ian Atkinson at the helm the Academicals have won their first two games against Ryton and Littletown. Ian securing 66 with the bat at Ryton to secure 212 in 45 overs with good support from Phil Hunter, Neil Williamson, Stephen Talbot and Harry Davison. Ryton were bowled out for 120 with wickets for Davey Southern, Mark Roe, Ian Atkinson, Harry Davison and yours truly.
They defeated Littletown by 25 runs defending 148 with major contributions from Ellis Moore with his first senior 50 and Davey Southern making 35.With Harry Davison taking 4 for 11 and Mark Roe and Ellis taking two each the victory was secured.
FINALLY:- It is with great sadness I announce my retirement from ALL cricket as of now. After playing for the seconds on Saturday I have had severe issues again with the back and realise it is time to bow out. 37 years is a good innings and I can’t emphasise how much I have enjoyed it. From batting no 11 and fielding Gully to captaining the seconds and opening the bowling it has been a great time of my life. My thanks to all my team mates especially Colin McPherson for the time when we won the League all those years ago. Special thanks to Susan for putting up with all the times I was missing from home.
My last wicket was the above mentioned Marcus Peart. I would like to say it swung and nipped back but I think he just missed a straight one!!!
My only plea to all our captains. DON’T ASK ME TO PLAY.
CHEERS.
Chairman’s Report (April 2018)
I have been prompted by Ian Cox to produce my pre- season report so here goes. As I write this report it is exactly 2 weeks to the start of the season. I was at the ground this morning and there was snow on parts and the rest was under water!! It is looking highly doubtful cricket will be played on 14th April but you never know.
Our first team has been strengthened for the campaign this year and we hope that we can maybe achieve our best season since our return to the top division. Kamran Mansoor returns to maybe surpass his efforts of last year. On his day Kamran must be the most exciting batsman in the League. Even our ground is not big enough for some of his expansive shots. I would like to welcome a new face to the club. Hassan Raza arrives from Ponteland to enhance our batting and bowling. Good Luck to him.
In addition we welcome another “new” face in Stuart Graham who makes the short trip from Shotley Bridge. Stuart rose through our junior ranks many years ago and has plied his trade with various clubs in the division. He is a great competitor as well as an accomplished cricketer and I wish him all the best on his return.
Robbie Winn will return after missing the second half of last season through injury and maybe another familiar face may return to the first team. A strong first team can only have a beneficial effect on the second team who will be under the new stewardship of Stephen Turnbull as captain. Our two third teams will continue to develop our younger element with Ian Cox taking charge of the Thirds and Ian Atkinson captaining the Academicals.
Unfortunately I must report that we have serious issues with our junior structure this season. We will only be turning out an u18 team this year. Numbers are very limited due to various issues and we are unable to field U11,U13 or U15 teams. On the plus side Gary Hunter is running the ECB All Stars Initiative for under 9 players and has had a very good take up so far. Hopefully we can build back up our junior ranks through this.
Off the field we have had a good winter. Thanks to Ian Cox and Stephen Turnbull we have had some good social nights with a variety of bands entertaining our club members. A look at our website shows further bands
on their way over the coming season. Our club is in good shape but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.
We are looking for sponsorship again this year, though the bricks and game sponsorship. If you know anybody who can help please contact a club committee member. We have already had a significant donation from Joan Topham for the 2018 season and my thanks and gratitude goes to her.
Finally a massive thanks to you all who helped us being successful in the Tesco Bags for Help scheme. All the blue discs placed in our box ensured we achieved First Place to secure the £3,600 for our planned practice facilities. A great effort
Chairman’s Report 2017 Season
2017 was a good year on the field for the club with special mention to our First Team who had their best year since our return to the top division.
On a more sombre note, in May Ian McKinnell succumbed to the cancer he had been suffering with for a number of years and in the last week we lost Billy Wilkinson both great supporters of the club. Just a few days after Billy we heard that ex player John Handy died after a period of illness. Our condolences go to their families.
My thanks goes to my Committee who again have given me great support throughout the year. It is vital that we have a strong committee. These days it is very difficult to encourage people to take on responsibilities with all the pressures that modern life produces. We have a good mix of ages and skills. This year Janine Jackson joined our group so Lesley is no longer alone. Yes at times the monthly meetings can last nearly two hours to test everyone but we usually achieve good outcomes.
Ian Cox and Stephen Turnbull have ensured a series of good social nights throughout the year which have been great fund raising events. Stephen’s band will be playing again in the clubhouse for the Christmas Party on December 15th.
The Summer Spectacular in August was another good fundraiser for the club as was the Ladies Day whose takings were enhanced by the First team beating the team down the road on the same day. Thanks for the hard work done on both events to ensure successful days.
My thanks yet again to Keith Horn, David Graham, John Hopps and Gordon Hunter for maintaining the whole site from our magnificent square and outfield to the grass surrounding the field. After reseeding this year it looks as though the square will be in fine nick again.
The players on the field often receive the plaudits but our scorers provide a vital contribution to the club. None more than our first team scorer as if we don’t have one for any game, league rules insist a 5 point deduction. Thanks to Phil Hunter for his sterling work this year.
2018 will no doubt provide more challenges for the club both on and off the field but I have no doubt we will meet these head on no matter what they might be. A stronger first team can only percolate through to hopefully a stronger 2nd team.
Chairman’s Report (April 2017)
The season will soon be here and I have been prompted by our Clubman of the Year(Ian Cox) to produce a report. No excuses, I have been very tardy in producing these rare reports but as I soon will be partially retired I will hopefully have some spare time to produce more regular messages.
Over the last few years our club has gone from strength to strength both on and off the field. This does not just happen and I am delighted to see the effort that has been put in by my Committee members who have certainly taken a very hands on approach which has resulted in myself taken a bit of a back seat. (I am very happy to do so as well.)
Ian Cox and Stephen Turnbull have been very proactive in booking bands to perform in the clubhouse. A full list has been planned for the 2017 season to cater for all tastes. A sound system has been installed to make everything a little bit easier for the bands to setup. Glastonbury look out!!!!!
Thanks to Colin’s skill in securing funding we will soon have an upgraded kitchen to again assist in providing food for functions in the clubhouse and obviously for the teas on a matchday. David Wilkinson and David Dixon have been busy with their paintbrushes again sprucing up the bar area, Gents and Ladies toilets.
On the field 2017 could be another eventful year. We hope to have a couple of additions to the first team squad. The Seconds will have a new test as members of the B1 division, Ian’s third team will also play in the First Division of the Hetton Lyons Sunday League. The Academicals will hope to cement their good first year in the Second Division of the League with another solid year.
On the junior side, again with funding secured by Colin, we are making efforts to enhance the already excellent coaching supplied by the club. Plans are in place to employ a coach to go into local schools in an effort to attract a new intake of juniors into the club.
2017 will be a year of change for the club. We must embrace this change as it can only ensure that the club will be vibrant for many years to come.
I WILL return in May!!!!!
Early Season Chairman's Report
Yes, another report for our First Team Captain!!!
The season is well under way with mixed fortunes for our senior teams. The first seven games for the firsts have resulted in three wins, two defeats and two no results. Amazingly enough the two defeats came in games where we scored over two hundred runs. A very frustrating day at Tynedale resulted in a one run loss chasing 228 this weekend. Overall we are fifth but only 2 points behind Ashington in second. Having won the first two games in the A1 league cup, another victory in the last round robin game would guarantee a semi final spot. Looking good.
The seconds have had availability issues which have resulted in mixed fortunes. A six wicket win v Benwell and Walbottle and a concession by Alnwick have supplied 40 points with two defeats and three falling foul of the elements.
I am in a good position to report on the thirds as I have the first three games was not a good start with the main problem being not able to bat for 45 overs. However in the fourth game we chased down 189 with one wicket to spare. Matt Kerswell taking 4 wickets for 25 and Andy Remmer with 2 for 24. Nick Cook hit a good 40 and Andy Remmer secured the win with a very responsible 36 not out. Onwards and upwards!!!
The club seems to be in a great place at the minute both on and off the field. Our sponsorship has been very successful again, the pavilion and scorebox is benefitting from the painting efforts of Davids Dixon and Wilkinson and the field is looking pristine thanks to the efforts of our voluntary groundsman.
Let’s hope that the weather warms up soon and we can play the game with the sun on our backs.
I will be back soon.
New Season
A new season is upon us and I am finally motivated to compose my report after the usual criticism from the first team captain.
I must start with the change in first team personnel for the 2015 season. Gareth Breese and David Anderson have gone to pastures new and our best wishes go with them. We have three incoming faces, two who are new to the club and one familiar face.
Kamran Mansoor, an all rounder has arrived from Easington CC, Daniel Milligan, a bowler who comes from further afield has arrived from Taunton Deane CC in Somerset and finally Andrew Waters has returned after a year with Marton CC.
A pre season run out against Burnopfield resulted in a win and we start our 2015 campaign away to Annfield Plain. Optimism is high that we can achieve our best season since our return to A1 in 2013.
Hopefully a strong and stable first team will have a beneficial effect on our second team. We need them to be challenging for promotion from B2 and with a mix of experienced players together with some of our younger players let’s hope this is the case.
The third team will represent the club on a Sunday and if we can I would like that the 11 who play will not have had a game on Saturday. I know this may not be possible every week but we need to have players who make the most of their playing opportunities when they get them and not take any place in any team for granted.
I feel that the club both on and off the field is on an upward curve and that 2015 could be a great year for us.
Finally I would just like to congratulate Rosie and Lily Grant who are our latest juniors who have been asked to represent Durham this year. A great achievement.
I WILL SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN SOON!!!( for John Chapman)
CHAIRMAN’S AGM REPORT 2014.
As Mike will be concentrating on the playing side of the club for 2014 in his report I will report off the field events.
As you will see from Colin’s Treasurer’s Report it has been a very successful year financially. Club sponsorship has reached an all time high through both individual match sponsors and also company sponsorship. All the first team home games were sponsored, some second team home games and all the third team games were sponsored by Hope Street Garage. My thanks goes to all our individual sponsors but I must give a special mention to Joan Topham who has been our most prolific sponsor this year. She has given her support in many ways. This has included the inauguration of the Eric Topham six a side competition, purchase of a memorial bench and a number of game sponsorships as well. She has assured me that she will continue this support into next year as well.
The Funday this year proved to be our best yet. May be significant that I wasn’t present this year at all. We had new blood on the Funday Committee which gave us extra impetus and perhaps some new ideas. My thanks to them all and to Colin who actually gave blood to the cause when posting the advertising leaflets!!!! A high spot of the year.
Joking apart Colin has yet again done sterling work in the fund raising department with two further grants this year. We have a new set of covers thanks to his efforts and a new wicket cutter will arrive prior to the start of the 2015 season. As I speak he is formulating his next grant application which could be his biggest achievement yet.
As always my sincere thanks go to all the members of the committee from Chris Bainbridge, Jack Marshall, Dan Pyke and Dan Burlinson who took over the running of the U-15 and U-18 teams, Davey Bridge for the junior coaching, David and Lesley Wilkinson for their work on the bar, Colin for his Financial acumen and all the rest who have each contributed to this successful year.
An extra special mention to my right hand man Mike Rogers who always has a lot of tasks thrust upon him during the year as Secretary and it is fair to say that this year he has been faced with more important issues to go along with everything.
Again this year we were asked to hold a Durham representative game and John Windows from Durham CCC was overflowing in his praise for the wicket,outfield and general organisation of the day. We are very lucky to have our voluntary groundstaff who do all the work in maintaining our wonderful ground. My thanks to them all.
An upbeat report this year and we are very close to signing a new 25 year lease with Durham County Council which will give us the stability to progress the club further.
Onward and upwards for 2015.
Chairman’s Report
May 2014
Well we are up and running with the new season and the weather has gone downhill accordingly. The senior teams have played one game each and the rest have been called off without a ball being bowled. The 18’s have lost one and had one called off, the 15’s have won both played and had one cancelled. The 13’s have won one and lost one with one cancelled and the 11’s have lost two. Phew that took some getting through!!!!
The Firsts played Lanchester at home and lost by 42 runs. We restricted them to 138 all out with Rob Hasan taking 4 for 19. Unfortunately we could only amass 96 all out with Adam Tams top scoring on 28.
The seconds pulled out a terrific win at Benwell & Walbottle. We were all out for 57 but amazingly bowled them out for 55. David Bridge took 5 for 28 and yours truly (YES!!!!) took 5 for 12. My knees are still hurting!!!!!
Gareth Breese is in his benefit season with Durham and is sharing it with Gordon Muchall. A contingent from Consett went down to Durham School ground on Friday night to see Durham Jets play the Durham Legends. A very enjoyable night aided by a few jars!!! Gareth will be hosting a couple of benefit nights at the club during the year and I ask that we give these our fullest support.
We also intend to go to the Gala Dinner on 18th June at Ramside Hall and a notice will soon be going up in the clubhouse for members to append their names if they want to go. Gareth is a great fella and has stayed loyal to the club when he has had plenty of suitors from other clubs. We are delighted to support his benefit year.
Going back to the junior sides it is great to see some of our younger committee members coming to the fore in running the u15 and u18 teams. Jack Marshall, Dan Pyke and Dan Burlinson are joint team managers of the 18s and Chris Bainbridge is managing the 15s with the help of Lewis Miller. It helps to take the pressure off when we have such willing volunteers.
My thanks to Davey Bridge who as always is having a busy time running the 11s and the 13s with me.
It’s early days but the 13s and 15s are showing early promise and look to be heading for good seasons.
Off the field we have faced challenges already this season with our rent issue with Durham County Council but thanks to Colin McPherson it looks as though this will be solved to our satisfaction.
See you next month.
April 2014
We are rapidly approaching April and before we know it we will be preparing for the first games of the 2014 season with the Firsts starting at Shotley Bridge and the Seconds a home game versus Alnwick. Both teams have differing targets this year, the firsts looking to be secure in the division with hopefully no flirtation with the bottom few places and the seconds hoping for an early return to the B1 division. Our most successful team from last year, the third team, will be hoping to continue their improvement in the higher division.
As Chairman my usual cry is for our members to give good support to the social events at the club. So I am happy to thank everyone who attended the Chinese Night at the club on Fri 21st March. A good night on the Bar was supplemented by the Bingo and Raffle!!! I would like to give a special mention to the squad of our younger members who turned up in force on the evening. We have never seen so many shorts drunk on an evening at the club and they seemed to enjoy the night and were there until early morning!!! My thanks to Ian Cox who manned the bar all night and won £40 on the bingo.
We are this year trying to get all our home league games sponsored for our 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams. Dave Wikinson suggested this at one of our recent Management meetings with different levels of sponsorship for each game. Ball sponsorship is set at £30 with umpire sponsorship set at £35 for each umpire. I am happy to report that so far we have 11 games covered and that each sponsor is to cover the costs for the full amount(£100).This is a great effort and my thanks to all our sponsors. Anybody willing to join this band or know anybody who may be interested please contact either myself or David Wilkinson. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.
In the last week we have had a display cabinet put up on the wall in the clubhouse. My thanks to John Hopps for doing the assembly and fitting to the wall itself and to Joan Topham who bought the cabinet. It has now been filled with various memorabilia including Phil Williamson's pint pot, the ball used in the match at the opening of the clubhouse in 1900 and various trophies from Eric Topham's cricket career. A great addition to the club's photographs which adorn the rest of the clubhouse.
My report will return in May!!!!!!
February 2014
Yes, I'm still here!!! After being severely reprimanded by my committee at February's meeting, here is a long overdue Chairman's Report.
It was great to see the club full for the 2013 Presentation Night. My congratulations to all the recipients with a special mention to the Third team members who had a great 2013 with a League and Cup double. It was also a night that had the first presentation of the Phil Williamson Memorial Trophy. Neil and David will decide upon the recipient each year and I was very touched to see Andrew win it for the first time. In some ways his batting style is very similar to Phil's with his innings' having a large percentage of boundaries. Well done son!!!
Other awards included 3 centurions, David Anderson, Neil Burdon and Darren Anderson, 1st team POY Calum Barnes, 2nd team POY David Bridge and 3rd team POY Simon Wilkinson. Calum also received the Leedham trophy for 50 league wickets. Calum is moving to Tynedale for the 2014 season and our best wishes go with him. As I said on the night, we hope he will return to us sooner rather than later.
The Gus Robinson Trophy for clubman of the year went to Colin McPherson. As I said on the night Colin did a magnificent job when taking over the Treasurer's job after the loss of Phil. A fully merited award.
2014 could be a big year for the club on the field. The firsts will be looking to secure their position in A1 with no relegation worries, the seconds to bounce back to B1 and the thirds to also maintain their place in their new division. Although we have lost Andrew Waters to Marten and Calum to Tynedale we have already secured three new players,namely John and Andrew Stokoe and Andrew Tams. We are still hopeful of perhaps a couple more new faces which will strengthen the club so we can achieve our objectives for 2014.
It is also a big year for our professional Gareth Breese. He is sharing a benefit year at Durham with Gordon Muchall. He is currently planning two events which will be held at the club. Keep an eye on the website for the details!! Gareth is a great guy and I hope we will all support his benefit year.
Again my apologies for my tardiness in producing my supposedly monthly reports. I will endeavour to ensure they are more regular in future.
CHAIRMAN'S MID SEASON REPORT
My apologies for the delay in producing my latest report. My tardiness is only the result of one thing, the cricket season!!!!! Once it begins there never seems to be anytime to sit down and compose the monthly report. I can now hear the many groans of sympathy from you all which I know are heartfelt!!!!
I will now do my best to review the season so far. For once I will not start with the first team but the thirds. They have only lost one league game so far and are currently 46 points clear of Backworth in second. A great effort so far with captain Ian Cox running a tight ship. The scorecard for his team are accompanied on the club website by very informative match reports from the skipper himself. A repeat of this first half in the remainder of the season will surely guarantee promotion.
The Second Team have had a difficult first half with the David Bridge's resources often been depleted by the demands of the first team. There have been wins against Percy Main and Lintz which have raised spirits and in the last couple of weeks performances are improving. Like the first team, 4 wins in the second half of the season should keep them up. A century from Darren Atkinson against Lintz has been the highlight of the season with Bridgey having probably his best time with the bat in recent seasons already amassing 241 league runs at an average of 30 and another 108 runs in cup ties.
Now the first team. There is no doubt that events have contrived to work against the first team so far this season.
Kevin Hopps and Mark Dixon have been unavailable all year,the injury to Gareth Breese and now Andy Forster's injury has severely dented our early optimism, that we could hold our own in the division.
However the defeat to Swalwell aside, we have competed well in most games. The highlight of the season being the win at Tynedale, who at the time were second in the division. A number of close games have been lost narrowly. We can only hope that during the second half the luck turns and we secure enough wins to keep us up.
Off the field and as a result of the better weather, bar takings are significantly up and with the bar-b-q on 13th July and the Durham Academy game v Shotley Bridge to follow on the Sunday let's hope this continues. I know I'm like a broken record but it takes an awful lot of money to keep the club going so please keep supporting the functions we arrange.
My thanks to all who helped with the Fun Day in June and in spite of the weather it was a successful day. Dominic Quin and his helpers did very well in organising the event and I am happy to announce he has secured another bag packing day in Morrisons at the beginning of September. Well done Dom.
Here's to my next report hopefully next month!!!!!!
New Season Message
Here we go for a new season. This is now a different experience for me in my cricket retirement. No nets to attend (even though this year practice has been restricted both by the weather and problem with attendance at the indoor sessions). No early problems with aching limbs after the early nets!!!
It cannot be underestimated what a big season this is for the club. With first and second teams in the top divisions, both teams will be severely tested in the months to come. I welcome our two new additions to the first team squad, David Anderson and Dan Stewart, who from my early meeting with them, are both very focused in helping the club secure our place in A1 for 2014.
Both David and Dan are very capable bowlers so hopefully they will strengthen our attack. David will open the batting as well.
The second led by Davey Bridge will have a mixture of youth and experience with Wayne Greenwell,Neil Burdon and Colin McPherson adding the experience.
We can only hope that the inclement weather will begin to relent to allow Keith and Davey to prepare sufficiently for the first game on the 20th April.
As always my final message is for all our players and supporters to do their best in helping the club to progress both on and off the field in 2013. As we see at other clubs in our League it is becoming harder and harder to keep clubs afloat due to the current economic pressures. Please do your utmost to support club fund raising events. All the best for the coming season.
Chairman’s Christmas Message.
This is the time of year where it is customary to look back on the old year and look forward to the new one. So here goes!!
2012 has been a great year on the field. After the narrow failure in 2011 the first team achieved promotion to A1 with the win against Newcastle City in the penultimate game of the season. After a shocking start to the season with the weather, the first six games being cancelled, we actually lost the first league game completed against Seaton Burn. Our first win was not achieved until the 2nd June!!
Subsequently we won 10 out of 11 completed games to secure promotion with the only loss against Backworth. My congratulations to all the team with a special mention to leading wicket taker Callum Barnes and leading runscorer Gary Hunter. It may be a bit unfair to single out these two as overall it has been a great team effort with everyone at sometime contributing to the winning of the games.
Next year will be a major challenge in the new division but the Committee have already taken strides to strengthen the team for 2013. I am happy to announce that Daniel Stewart from Chopwell and David Anderson from Shotley Bridge will join us for the new campaign.
In the last few weeks our second team have also secured promotion to B1. There has some upheaval in the League with some clubs dropping down by choice into B2 and subsequently our 2nds have been invited to join B1 as we finished third this year. We are very happy to accept this invitation. Both teams will eagerly await the fixtures for 2013 which have been delayed a while due to this uncertainty within the League.
I am sure there will be a lot of very interesting games to see as the vast majority of both leagues comprise mainly of local teams so travelling will be down to a minimum. We will be keen to renew our friendly rivalry with Shotley Bridge in both divisions and hope that both games are played in a good spirit.
A few social events have been planned during the Christmas period so I ask you to support whichever of these you can. We have a Christmas Party Night on Friday 28th December, the New Years Eve Night on Monday 31st December and at the beginning of the year the Senior Presentation Night on Friday 18th January. Financially 2012 was a difficult year with the atrocious weather affecting the bar takings so it is even more vital that we have successful social events during 2013. Please do your best to give your support.
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
Chairman’s Report for September.
Three games to go and according to my calculations the first team need 42 points from them to guarantee promotion to A1. After the disappointing finish to last season we can only hope we get over the final hurdle this time. Two of the last three games are at home so we should have some control if the weather continues to misbehave. Drying implements at the ready!!!
The second team should still have third place in their sights if they have a good finish in the last three weeks. The third team have also been severely hampered by the weather as well but have won a significant number when they have played.
On the social front we have a busy end to the season with Neil and Gemma Williamson celebrating their wedding on Sat 1st September in the clubhouse, a Curry Night on Friday 7th September and Gareth Bresse’s Carribean Night on the last day of the season(15th Sept). As always please support these events. The wedding party is by invitation only but tickets are already on sale for the curry night and we will soon be issuing tickets for (hopefully) the celebratory carribean night.
Congratulations to Kevin and Angela Hopps on the birth of their first child Ava on Monday 27th August. A few sleepless nights on the way Kev unless you get a good sleeper!!!!
On a more solemn note I was very sad to hear the death of John Stokoe a few days ago. Although he played the vast majority of his cricket with our near neighbours Shotley Bridge he did play a couple of seasons with us at Consett. During that time he was a major influence in the second team when we won both the League and League cup in 1997. He will be sorely missed. My condolences go to his family.
My next report in October will hopefully be a happy one with talk of plans for next season.