As the gentle warmth of the sun recedes, allowing the first changes into autumn colours, the curtain comes down on the outdoor season with autumn renovations being the finale. The cricket square is effectively ‘put to bed’ until the spring.
It gives us time to reflect on the highs and lows of the past summer but also the chance to ponder, with some anticipation, what the next twelve months might bring.
A simple look at the league tables for the senior teams doesn’t begin to show the breadth of the club. While both the first and second teams had a mixed year on the pitch, finishing in mid-table positions, other groups across the club were growing.
The junior section now boasts three teams at U9, U11 and U13 levels. All made progress in both their individual skills and team results and the future is looking most promising. Within the next year or two, some of these young players will begin to feed into the senior teams as many of their predecessors have already.
On a number of Saturday mornings from May to July, up to 70 boys and girls took part in the national All-Stars and Dynamos schemes creating a real buzz of excitement around the club. These were coached by several of the club members who had previously passed through the club’s junior ranks. It has been fantastic to watch this continuity and see members giving back to the club.
At the same time as these young players were getting their teeth into the finer points of the game, our Women’s Cricket group began. What started as a small group of five has now grown into thirteen, all as keen as mustard to start their journey into matches in a local league next summer. Add to that our new walking cricket group and the club is able to offer cricket from age five to 80+.
It has been a busy but very fulfilling year. And, although the outdoor season has finished, cricket carries on in the form of indoor games. These are league matches played at Fareham Sports centre and allow a small group to keep their eye in over the winter months.
Once the new year rolls around, all players, both juniors and seniors, can look forward to the start of indoor nets where all players, Women and Walkers included, can shake off the winter blues, ease their joints and muscles back in action, breathe in the smell of linseed oil and dream of huge 6s, bowling hat-tricks and scoring a hundred.
The next piece of real excitement and anticipation comes with the announcement of the new league structure for the seniors. All teams will be keenly looking out to see which new league they will be playing in next summer. Instead of each division having 18 teams playing each other once, divisions will contain 10 teams playing each other at home and away.
All this excitement doesn’t happen without the support of the many volunteers who coach and captain teams, prepare the pitches, arrange social events and do the mountain of unseen admin that allows the club to function for the benefit of all its members and supporters. Thank you all very much. Bring on 2025!!
For Further info contact: nick.webb21@yahoo.co.uk)