Newsletter. Chairman s Message Welcome to the new season!

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1 Stratford-upon-Avon Cricket Club Newsletter May 2015 Chairman s Message Welcome to the new season! I hope you have all wintered well and are ready for a great summer of cricket. These are exci ng mes for the Club as we look to build upon last year s successes, on and off the pitch. While the 1st XI narrowly missed out on promo on (by a mere 6 points!), the 2nd XI, led by Richard Sykes, won their final game and were promoted as Champions. They will play in Division One of the 2nd XI leagues this year along with Walsall, Shrewsbury and Old Hill, to name just three of the high quality clubs we ll be compe ng with this summer. The Bards consolidated their posi on in Cotswold Hills Division 5 last season, and the junior sec on of the Club enjoyed its fair share of successes, heightened by the fact that they were once again able to play many of their matches at Swans Nest Lane. The Commi ee were happy to report a balanced budget in 2014, delivering a fully accounted surplus on the financial year to end- September, and we are well on target to achieve the same this year. Of course, as a charitable organisa on we are significantly reliant on the generosity and support of members and local businesses, genera ng sufficient income to accommodate vital ac vi es like grounds maintenance and provision of training and playing equipment. To meet this recurring financial challenge a significant increase in sponsorship income is a key objec ve for Thanks in no small part to John Shurie, our new Director of Senior Cricket, who joins the Commi ee to oversee the Club s commercial and marke ng ac vi es, we have secured REPL Group as our new main sponsor. More on all our generous sponsors below; their generosity and support is very much appreciated. While overall membership numbers remained broadly in line with the previous year (up 5% to 160), we saw a very healthy increase in playing membership last year (up 21%), driven primarily by a 65% growth in senior membership. We will be working hard in the 1 coming months to grow membership in all categories, not least in the all-important Vice Presidents sec on where we have seen a decline in recent mes. On the playing side, we are delighted that Andy Flower has once again commi ed to coaching the senior teams. This naturally provides a huge boost to the Club, and a tremendous opportunity for players to learn from one of the most successful interna onal players and coaches of the modern era. Player recruitment has also been ac ve during the close season. Following on from the success of last year s overseas player from South Africa, top run scorer Abel Mokhuane, we are thrilled to welcome Ben Cooper as our overseas player for At 23, Ben is a rising talent in his home country of Australia, and a current Netherlands interna onal. Ben arrived at the beginning of last month and has already shown what he s capable of by hi ng 116 off 43 balls against Warwick University. Understandably we have high hopes for what he will bring as a player and a coach (see Ben s profile on page 3). One of the most rewarding things we ve seen over the last 12 months has been the commitment of players, members and friends of the Club to the social scene. My passion for sport has always extended beyond what happens on the pitch and training ground, to the wonderful friendships that can be formed off the pitch. A healthy club works hard and plays hard ; we all do what we do for pleasure, a er all. You will see in the fixture book that a number of dates have been set for social events and get togethers. I hope that all members of the Club will be familiar faces at Swans Nest Lane this spring and summer. Finally, and very importantly, I d like thank my fellow Commi ee members and all those who voluntarily give their me, insight, exper se and financial support to the Club. Simply put, without you we wouldn t have a club! We can never have too much support, of course, so if you re not involved today and feel you can lend a hand in any way, be it providing administra ve support to your son s team, or helping out with the endless grounds keeping jobs at Swans Nest Lane and Alscot Park, please get in touch steve_cootes@yahoo.com. Please also see our volunteer ar cle below, it would be great to have you on board! Have a great summer and hope to see you at the Club! Best Wishes Steve Cootes, Chairman

2 Stratford-upon-Avon Cricket Club announces new main sponsor for 2015 Hello to everyone at Stra ord-upon-avon Cricket Club, On behalf of REPL Group, can I start by saying how delighted we are to be on board as the new main sponsor. Our strong impression is of a club brimming with enthusiasm, energy and op mism for the season ahead; and when I had the opportunity to meet with a number of you at the Annual Dinner in April I was also extremely impressed with the shared commitment here to junior cricket and local community engagement. These values energy, op mism, community are all important themes in REPL s own story. For those of you who don t know us, REPL is a company which specialises in technology, process and management change for clients in the retail, supply chain and manufacturing sectors. We provide solu ons across some of the key ba legrounds for modern business advantage: from workforce management, warehouse management and back office systems to mul -channel retail strategy, ecommerce and the in-store digital experience. From a small business start-up in 2007 we have grown rapidly into one of the leaders in our field, and we now work globally with some of the world s biggest companies and brands. Although we have staff all over the world, we are strongly rooted in and around Stra ord District, with our headquarters in Henley-in-Arden and many members of staff including myself living in Stra ord. Many, like me, are big fans of sport and cricket in par cular. Others have yet to be properly introduced to the joy of this magnificent game, but rest assured we will be working on them over the course of the coming season. As to how many of them play the game, we hope to find out with a combined Panthers & Bards XI vs REPL XI charity game in the not-toodistant future. I suspect with many of us firmly in the former player category we may need some considerable help when that day comes! Although Stra ord-upon-avon Cricket Club has been through some difficult mes in recent years, your turnaround over the last 18 months or so has been nothing short of inspira onal. Mike (centre, wearing club e) cha ng with members at the Annual Dinner held in April. From your sustained focus on grassroots local talent and the growing strength of your junior sec on to some exci ng overseas and coaching signings, the club s new management has really focused on ge ng it right both on and off the pitch. The fact that former England team director and current ECB technical director of elite cricket coaching Andy Flower has become involved along with other high profile names speaks volumes for the energy and the vision at the club. That is something we want to support. On behalf of everyone at REPL I wish the teams at every level and age group the very best of luck for the season ahead. I look forward to seeing many of you around the club soon. Mike Callender, CEO of REPL Group Sponsors Update As profiled, we are delighted that REPL Group have become the Main Sponsor of the Club for This is a great boost to the Club and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial rela onship between a successful local business and one of the Town s front line sports clubs. Sponsorship is a key element to the Club s future and we would also like to express our gra tude to the following sponsors for maintaining their support this year and the addi on of 2 new sponsors for 2015 Tudor Physiotherapy and Carter Landscapes. We shall be looking to further develop our sponsorship ac vi es and offerings going forward. For sponsorship opportuni es please contact John Shurie Director of Senior Cricket john.shurie@hotmail.com. 2

3 Sponsors Directory tford-upon-avon-estate-agents/ Players News New Overseas Player Ben Cooper The club is delighted to announce the arrival of Ben Cooper, our new overseas player. Ben (23) is a bighi ng le -handed batsman and current Netherlands interna onal with 15 appearances. He s had a successful season down under playing in Australian Grade cricket for Adelaide University CC (394 runs average 49.25). Ben is also a Level 3 qualified coach. We welcome him to Stra ord, and look forward to a big season for him, hopefully providing a significant contribu on towards a 1st XI promo on. Captains for 2015 our line-up... Our senior captains have been appointed for 2015 (from le ): Richard Sykes (2nd XI), Mike Brown (1st XI), John Paton (The Bards). We wish them the best of luck for the season looking very smart in our new club kit! 3

4 President s Day (incorpora ng the SuACC Past Players Associa on) match Sunday July 26th Following on from last year s highly successful VIPs Day run by Colin Davis, we have decided to establish an annual event. It will be called President s Day with the centre piece being a match between a President s XI vs Past Players XI. Ali Troughton, our flamboyant and energe c President, will select the team from Stra ord and support Colin Davis and Ed Cunynghame in organising what will be an engaging and enjoyable day providing an opportunity for past players to catch up and compare notes on the good ol days of cricket. Andy Flower is rumoured to be playing for the President s XI this year, an occasion that will surely bring local journalists and photographers flocking! Tickets are 10 and include a buffet lunch. For informa on please contact colin.davis@talktalk.net Junior Cricket Update We have had a tremendous membership uptake this summer for our Junior sec on with just under 100 players a ending two registra on events. Seven sides will be compe ng this summer at U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U15 and U16 with training on Mondays (6:30-8:30pm) and Wednesdays (6:00-8:00pm) at Swans Nest Lane. Duncan Fearnley Cricket also became our official supplier for junior kit for 2015, joining the seniors. For further details contact Colin Davis Director of Junior Cricket colin.davis@talktalk.net Big Hit Challenge Regional Swans Nest Lane Thursday May 14th Registra on from 530pm 600pm Start In associa on with the Birmingham Bears, Swans Nest Lane will be hos ng a regional qualifying event for the new Big Hit Challenge compe on being run by Warwickshire County Cricket Club and sponsored by Selco. Batsman will have the chance to show off their T20-skills and hit the ball out of the ground in the search of the biggest hi ng batsmen in the district! Regional winners will compete in a final to be held during the interval of a Birmingham Bears NatWest T20 Blast match at Edgbaston. What s more, the winner of the Selco Big Hit Challenge will get the chance to sit in the dugout with the Birmingham Bears squad for their final NatWest T20 Blast group game on July 22nd against the Northamptonshire Steelbacks. The winner will also receive a pair of ckets to NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day and a shirt signed by New Zealand Captain and T20 star Brendon McCullum, who joins the Bears this summer. We are also hoping that Andy Flower will be in a endance to cast his eye over proceedings and perhaps discover England s answer to Brendon McCullum! The event takes place on Thursday May 14th at 6:00pm, and all aspiring compe tors (juniors, seniors, walk-up players and other club players) are asked to register from 5:30pm. Please invite your friends and family so we can create a great atmosphere on the evening! We are planning to have an Outdoor Bar and BBQ open on the day to help fans and players enjoy the event. For further informa on visit our website at stra ordcricketclub.com #stra ordcric #youbears Enquiries to John Shurie Director of SeniorCricket john.shurie@hotmail.com

5 Grounds and Facilities Pitch Update It s been a busy off-season for Brian Webby Webb as he gets our grounds ready for the season. A lot of work has taken place over the autumn and winter to improve the squares at both Swans Nest Lane and Alscot Park, ensuring we have high quality pitches throughout the season. Brian contributes a great deal of his me during the off-season and is par cularly busy preparing pitches on Wednesdays and Fridays during the season. While he has a small band of highly valued volunteers, he s looking for addi onal help to cover holidays and gaps in our match calendar. Could you help with mowing, rolling or pitch prepara on? If so, please contact Brian at brianwwebb@hotmail.com Full safety training will be given, and this is a great way to support your club behind the scenes! Clubhouse Update The clubhouse has a new bar menu courtesy of Carl s Kitchen, and members can enjoy Sky Sports at Swans Next Lane on the new HD projector. On selected match days we plan to host a post-match BBQ for members and players. It is hoped that proceedings from these social events will help fund the mul tude of projects wai ng for funding, e.g. replacement of the grounds equipment storage container at Swans Nest Lane which leaks as effec vely as any sieve! The pavilion steps (le ) will also be re-modelled during May to provide be er access alongside the nets. Natwest CricketForce - Saturday 28th March Many thanks to all 21 volunteers who rolled up their sleeves for the NatWest CricketForce event at Swans Nest Lane in late March. Members and players joined in as part of the na onal ECB campaign to get 2,200 cricket grounds ready for the start of the season and have some fun at the same me! Both Swans Nest Lane and Alscot Park need con nual maintenance and we will be holding further events throughout the year to make our grounds and pitches great places to play and watch cricket. Please look out for further announcements and help the Club out if you can. Your Club Needs You! Volunteers Apply Here The Club is totally reliant on players, members and friends of the Club who generously volunteer their me to support ac vi es on and off the pitch. Could you help us please? We are looking for support in the following areas, and are always open to help where you think we could do with it! Grounds work at Swans Nest Lane and Alscot Park could you help with grass cu ng of our cricket ou ields, pitch prepara on and pitch marking ready for match day? Full training given. Match-Day Assistants there are always many small jobs to be done on match day whether it be helping the grounds team or mee ng prospec ve new members on match days. All those with a can do a tude and a desire to get involved, please sign up here! Junior Team Assistants could you help junior team coaches with organising training sessions and other behind the scenes team admin? Contact us if you would like to get more involved. Junior Coaches calling all parents! Would you be interested in being trained to become a junior coach? The Club are looking to fund a couple of parents to be ECB trained and to then support junior coaching sessions. A great way to make an important contribu on rather than merely watching from the sidelines. Events Management as part of our growing social calendar we re looking for help with organising and managing events (e.g. the President s Day event on July 24th). For more informa on on how you could help the Club, please contact Steve Cootes at steve_cootes@yahoo.com 5

6 Fundraising Update & Social Calendar Special thanks go to Ali and David Troughton for their generous dona on of 2,500 from the proceeds of their wonderfully enjoyable and upli ing Holly and The Ivy Christmas performance. Indeed, a sincere Thank you! to all of our individual donors and supporters, including Des Jones (Nick Jones father) who has very kindly funded the purchase of a mobile scoreboard for Swans Nest Lane (picture right). 100 Club The 100 Club con nues to run and is a key contributor to the Club s funds. It only costs 5 a month and provides par cipants the opportunity win a cash prize each month (1st prize is currently 60!). The prize pot equates to 50% of the monthly Direct Debits contribu ng to the fund, with a monthly prize draw paying out a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize from the remaining 50%. We are hoping to grow the 100 Club membership from its current base of around 40 members. To par cipate, providing valuable support to the Club while also giving yourself a chance to win a nice cash prize, please contact steve_cootes@yahoo.com for details. Cash For Clubs in associa on with Birmingham Bears T20 In a new ini a ve with Birmingham Bears T20, our cricket club can earn 3 from every adult cket purchased online when you use the dropdown list and select Stra ord-upon-avon CC when making your purchases! Follow the Bears and support your local cricket club! Simply go to the Birmingham Bears homepage register and follow the Cash for Clubs scheme instruc ons below go to h p:// and register. Step 1: On the cket page when you have selected the game, please click the yellow text for Cash for Clubs. Step 2: This click will take you to the following page where you simply need to click on your club name Stra ord-upon-avon CC Step 3: Clicking your club will take you to your own unique page where you can select your fixture and complete the purchase. Please do not panic when you click on your club and it takes you back to the cke ng page, this is your clubs unique URL and allows Birmingham Bears to monitor how many ckets Stra ord upon Avon CC will receive cashback on. Events / Social Calendar 2015 Ed Cunynghame, our hard working Social Secretary, has planned a number of social events for 2015 including the recent and hugely successful Annual Club Dinner where 75 members and sponsors enjoyed themselves. Please con nue to give your full support to the Club and make every effort to a end these events as we look to build the social side going forward. For further details contact edward@cunynghame.org.uk Big Hit Challenge Thursday 14th May Registra on 5.30pm. Start 6pm. Club Social Night Saturday 16th May: 1sts v Astwood Bank (H) 2nds v Astwood Bank (A) Casino Night Friday 5 June Wellesbourne T20 inc BBQ & Social Wed 17th June Summer Sols ce Game Wed 24th June 10 overs in morning and 10 overs in evening Shipston T20 inc BBQ & Social Wed 8th July Club Social Night Sat 11th July: 1sts v Worcester (A) 2nds v Cov (H) Club Social Night Saturday 11th July: 1sts v Worcester (A) 2nds v Cov (H) Marshall Summer Party - Sunday 12 July Alex and Sue hos ng summer garden party in Clifford Chambers President s Day Old Players XI v President s XI Sunday 26 July Club Social Night Saturday 1st August: 1sts v Astwood Bank (A) 2nds v Astwood Bank (H) Club Social Night Saturday 8th August: 1sts v Streetly (H) 2nds v Kenilworth (A) Golf Day Sunday 9th August TBC Tri Club Tournament Sunday: Tournament between Cricket, Hockey and Rugby Clubs September: Junior Presenta on Evening and End of Season Dinner TBC October: Race Night TBC November: Wine & Cheese Evening TBC December: Christmas Drinks TBC Any Feedback? This is our first Newsle er for a while if you would like to contribute with ideas, news or ar cles please contact john.shurie@hotmail.com or Follow us on our website stra ordcricketclub.com and on social media 6