Summer 2005 Newsletter
The Chairman Writes
Welcome to the Attenborough Cricket Club newsletter in this our Centenary Year. We have been able to enjoy a number of the celebration events already – the Race Night at Trent Lock, Club Six-a-side day in May and the Gala Dinner in July – and look forward to the Firework Display in November and New Year’s Eve Party in December. I would like to thank all members for supporting these, and hope that you will be able to attend the other occasions to help us celebrate this special year. Please also look out for the Centenary Brochures and new Club silk ties as well as details of the Annual Dinner Dance, AGM and Christmas Prize Draw.
Our senior sides are currently enjoying a largely successful season, with the Saturday 1st XI currently in 2nd place of the South Notts Cricket League Division A. The team also recently just missed out on winning some silverware, losing in the semi-final of the Popkess Cup to Plumtree.
The Saturday 2nd XI top of Division D with a promotion spot already secured. Unfortunately results haven’t been so good for the 3rd XI, but the team has continued to give opportunities in competitive cricket to our younger players, which will hopefully see them develop further for the good of the Club.
On Sundays the 1st XI have led Division Two of the Newark Alliance for most of the season, and hope to achieve promotion into the top league for 2006, while the social 2nd XI have had an enjoyable year mixing the fun element of cricket with some good performances and very high scoring games. Meanwhile the Midweek XI had a good season in Division 1, but again just fell short in the knock out cup by losing in the semi-final.
This year saw the launch of the Attenborough Academy for our junior members, which was run in addition to the current Youth Section. The Youth Section has once again had a very good year, with over 70 members aged between 7 and 15 playing cricket each week at The Strand. It has also brought a lot of interest from parents and supporters who have also got to know the Club.
Our last day of South Notts Cricket League matches is scheduled for Saturday 3rd September. We are planning a barbecue at the end of the games when the bar will be open and all players and members are welcome. The evening will also be an opportunity to say thank you to our overseas’ player, Brad Bernie, who has been a real asset to club life this season. We will be using the event to raise some funds for Brad in recognition of his time at Attenborough, and this will include the auction of a cricket painting signed by Ian Botham, David Gower and Graham Gooch and a signed poster of Michael Vaughan and a raffle (donations of prizes would be greatly welcomed). I encourage you to come down to the ground and enjoy the festivities.
Thank you once again for your support during this year.
Paul Chambers
Club Chairman
150 Club
The 150 Club has again proved to be very successful in 2005. The Club would like to thank all those who have taken part and have made it such a success.
The prize winners in 2005 have been:
January
149 - Kalim Shadam - £40
43 - Chaz Brierley - £20
82 - Les Bullimore - £10
February
9 - Maureen Draycott - £40
39 - Nick Clarke - £20
26 - Bob Aplin - £10
March
103 - Gordon Brookes - £40
141 - Eric Kerry - £20
132 - Bill Bullimore - £10
April
15 - Paul Chambers - £40
130 - Garry Bacon - £20
23 - Andy Chubb - £10
May
94 - Phil Nightingale - £40
58 - John Goring - £20
121 - Bryan Aplin - £10
June
40 - Tim Clarke - £40
94 - Phil Nightingale - £20
96 - Dave Williams - £10
July
35 - D Clarke - £40
112 - Mike Aplin - £20
39 - Nick Clarke - £10
August
43 - Mick Dandy - £40
15 - Paul Chambers - £20
52 - Mike Jones - £10
There are still a handful of spaces left for the 2005 competition. The places cost £20 and entry would give access to the remaining draws of the year, including the grand draw in October, which gives the opportunity to win prizes of £400, £150 and £75. Please see Draw Master Phil Wort, or any other Committee member for details.
Club Centenary
Well although we are more two thirds of the way through the season we are only just over half way through our Centenary Year, with still more events to come.
We have had three events so far this year and all have been enjoyed by all those who attended.
We started with the Race Night at Trent Lock in April, then the Six-aside Family Day in May, and last month we had the Centenary Dinner at The Strand. I am not going to call it a Hog Roast, because the food and the buffet laid on by Margo Holton and her team was more than fitting for any Gala Dinner, and when the people doing the hog roast comment that it was the best buffet they had seen in all the years they had been going to functions I think that says a great deal. I am sure that everyone that came to the evening had a wonderful time and I think it was a fitting celebration of the Club’s 100 years.
I would like to thank everyone who helped get the ground ready before and after the event, but special thanks has got to go to Tim Clarke for all his planning, efforts to get the band and his work behind the bar. Without this we would not have been able to keep the ticket price to £20.
The Centenary kit has sold very well and we are not taking anymore orders for this year. I would like to thank all those who have supported this venture by ordering items. We have a few surplus items for sale for those of you who missed out. They are two polo shirts (medium) at £10 each, one adult shirt (large) at £22.50, short sleeve jumpers (1 extra-large, 1 large, 2 medium) at £20, long sleeve jumpers (1 extra-large, 1 large) at £21. Please see me for more details.
Of the events still to come we have the Firework Display on Saturday 5th November and to round the year of we have got a New Year’ Eve dance which will be held at the Village Hall.
I would like to thank Margo and Tim for all there help and support on the Centenary Committee and everybody that has supported all our events.
Our Centenary Club silk ties and commemorative brochures will continue to be on sale, priced at £12.50 and £2 respectively. These can be obtained by visiting the ground on match days or by contacting a Committee member.
Paul Shoemaker
Centenary Committee Chairman
Ground News
A significant amount of work has been undertaken on the ground this year as we continue to strive to develop and maintain our facilities to the highest possible standard.
Most people are probably aware of the substantial drainage work that we carried out in the early season, with drains being laid running parallel to The Strand hedge and around the grass car park area. Although the filled trenches have caused one or two problems for fielders we are very hopeful that this will improve the drainage of the ground and alleviate some of the problems that we have endured in the last few years.
We have been very fortunate to have such a committed band of ‘ground staff’, including Mike Aplin, Gay Clarke, John Birkin and Keith Sperry, who have worked very hard to keep the ground in such a good condition.
End of season maintenance work is planned for the middle of September. If you have some spare time around this period and would be prepared to help out, please contact either Gay Clarke or Mike Aplin for details.
Annual Dinner Dance
The Annual Dinner Dance will take place on Saturday 8 October at Chilwell Manor Golf Club. The format will be a sit down buffet, followed by the presentation of the Annual Awards, the 150 Club Grand Prize Draw, a raffle and disco. The cost will be £12.50 per head.
We would encourage as many members and friends to attend this event and celebrate our Centenary Season, hoping that the local, friendly venue will prove an added incentive.
More details are available on posters within the clubhouse, and tickets can be obtained by contacting Matt Brick. Any persons requiring a vegetarian meal are asked to contact Matt to discuss alternative options.
Annual Golf Day
The Annual Golf Day was held at Beeston Fields Golf Club in June and proved a great success raising approximately £1,000.
Our thanks go to Stuart Carlisle for organising the event and the generous support of Westerman Builders, Experian and Towry Law as well as the hospitality of Beeston Fields.
The event was won by a team from Russell Scanlan. Players and organisers are already looking forward to next year’s event. If you are a keen golfer, please look out for it being advertised in 2006 as you will be very welcome to take part.
Junior Cricket
Another enjoyable Junior season has now come to a close.
Membership of the youth section was again very healthy, with approximately 70 youngsters enjoying the opportunity to make many new friends while at the same time develop their cricket skills.
Monday evening training sessions were very well attended, with many parents taking the opportunity to relax with a drink at the bar whilst watching the next ‘Andrew Flintoff’ hone his or her talents.
On the pitch the Attenborough teams enjoyed mixed results.
The Kwik cricketers had good success when matched against other local sides, winning half of their fixtures. The U11 hardball players played with great enthusiasm and no little skill but unfortunately lost four matches, with the fifth match ending in an exciting tie.
The U13 team showed much promise with some fine individual performances, winning three and losing three matches.
The U15 side played better than their results evidenced, winning one game and narrowly losing four others. The pleasing fact here was that several of this squad are now regular players in the adult teams, ensuring a steady stream of local youth talent continues to support the senior sides.
At the presentation evening, Player of the Season awards were given to Steven Tewson, Joe Scothern and Dominic Harvey at Kwik Cricket, U11 and U13 age groups respectively.
The establishment of a Junior Academy, with ECB Coach Tony Bettridge, was a success, and is something which we shall look to develop in 2006.
During our Centenary year, the Junior Membership raised sufficient money to replace the pool table in the pavilion, having lost the previous table during the floods a few years ago.
On the County scene we were represented by Dominic Harvey, Dominic Terkowski, Chris Allcoat and Steven Allcoat, who were all involved in the Nottinghamshire Cricket Squads at various age groups.
I would like to thank all those who helped to make the events so successful during the Club’s Centenary year, both on and off the pitch, and hope that we can now look forward to the next 100 years of continuing to develop youth cricket in the area!
We are currently looking for helpers, managers and coaches for next year. Given the number of youngsters involved it is important that we have enough people to help for safety reasons. We are particularly keen for interested parents and supporters to become qualified coaches so they can add extra knowledge and skills to the coaching sessions. The Club will help to find the relevant ECB Courses to attain this qualification. If you are interested in becoming a coach or a helper/team manager please contact me.
Nick Allcoat
Director of Youth Cricket
Child Welfare
As part of its commitment to the Youth section, being a Focus Club for Nottinghamshire and achieving Clubmark accreditation, Attenborough Cricket Club has been put a Child Welfare policy in place, which is overseen by our two Child Welfare Officers, David Williams and Nick Allcoat.
The Club requires that its Youth Section helpers and Committee Members complete a self-declaration form, and our main (ECB qualified) coaches, Child Welfare Officers, league panel umpires, scorer and groundsman have also completed a Criminal Records Bureau check in line with current guidelines.
We added a new rule in December allowing us to formally adopt the ECB ‘Safe Hands – Welfare of Young People in Cricket Policy’ and continue to take advice from the Nottinghamshire Cricket Development Officers on the best way to move forward.
This process is undertaken with the best interests of the Club and its membership at heart. If you would like further details please contact a Child Welfare Officer or a Committee member.
Senior Cricket
The Saturday 1st XI has enjoyed a very good season in Division A of the South Notts Cricket League under the captaincy of Ben Sheppard. In 2004 the team narrowly avoided relegation, but changed things around from day one with a very good start to the season, beating Balderton by 4 wickets. Since then the team has gone from strength to strength, beating Gotham twice (including a thrilling finish in the first game) and Rolls Royce Leisure, achieving four winning draws and completing a tied match against Eastwood. Best performances with the bat have come from Steve Allcoat (113* v Gotham), Sam Clulow (168 v Ellerslie), Brad Bernie (101 v Southwell and 118* v Gotham) and with the ball from Sam Clulow (6 for 43 v Balderton) and Martin Raynor (5 for 52 v Balderton and 6 for 33 v Long Eaton). The team is currently in the top half of Division A and are looking for a good finish to the season and a top three place.
The Saturday 2nd XI is currently top of Division D and has achieved promotion into Division C after missing out by a fraction in 2004. The team has bounced back from a couple of set backs against West Indian Caribs, Stanton and Long Whatton to win nine of its completed games this season. Mike Dickinson scored 106 against Risley, and there have been notable contributions throughout the year with the bat from Ian Baddeley, Kalim Shadam, Mike Aplin, Matt Brick, Dave Harris, James Piper and Colin McConnell. Chris Allcoat took the headlines (and back pages of the Evening Post last month) when he took 5 for 8 against Risley (including three wickets in four balls) and James Grenfull took 5 for 41 against Lady Boots. Captain Bryan Aplin is still leading from the front, and was not to be outdone, returning figures of 6 for 22 against Stanton by Dale.
Spike Turner’s 3rd XI has struggled in Division K this year, coming up against some stronger and more experienced 1st and 2nd XI sides. The 3rd XI continues to be used as a developing ground for our Youth Section members, giving them experience in Senior Cricket. It achieved a number of successes in the leagues over the last five years, winning promotions and league championships. Most pleasing is the fact that the current 1st XI includes seven players who were playing in that team only a few years ago. However, despite a number of disappointments there have been a few high points. These include the 10-wicket victory over Lambley when Martin Ashton (102*) and Chris Allcoat (65*) chased down the target of 174. Recently the team won an exciting match against Belvoir, reaching the target on 184 off the last ball of the game with one wicket to spare.
The Sunday 1st XI has led Division Two of the Newark Alliance League for most of the year after its promotion in 2004 with nine wins, some of which have been against strong Notts Premier League and Bassetlaw clubs. Highlights include a 10 wicket win over Retford, bowling Thoresby Colliery out for 23 runs, and five wicket hauls for Martin Raynor, Mike Brookes and Tom Murray.
Stuart Carlisle continues to lead the happy ‘development’ squad around local clubs on a Sunday afternoon, and has been enjoying a number of successes. There have been a number of run fests where scores of over 200 being quite common place, including sharing 583 runs at Elvaston in 80 overs and losing by 1 run. Joe Gates (107), James Piper (57, 77 and 120), Ian Murray (93 and 54*), Mike Dickinson (52 and 146) and Rod Kitching (83* and 53*) have made sizeable contributions with the bat, while the Harvey brothers, Daniel (5 for 46 and 3 for 9) and Dominic (3 for 25 and 3 for 8) have been successful with the ball.
The Six-a-side day proved a great success once more, and we were pleased to welcome teams representing the residents of the Strand and the Football Club to the carnival. Joe and Simon Gates, Pete and Mike Turner, Martin Shoemaker and Tom Murray were the ones able to stay focussed for long enough to end the 10-hour marathon of partying and cricket with a thrilling victory in the final, despite the best efforts of Bouncebackability and their talismanic snarling wicket-keeper batsman Phil Wort. The celebrations continued well into the evening, buoyed by the strains of our resident Kiwi’s guitar.
Sponsorship
The Club has been fortunate in the last year to attract the generous support of Westerman Builders, Experian, Homebase, Veritas, Brook Street, Clegg Construction, Shepherd Motors and Tony Jacques Accountants.
The Club offers special packages for our sponsors, including the opportunity to advertise in the pavilion, in the newsletter, on kit, in the fixture card and on the website.
More details can be obtained from Phil Wort, who is currently actively sourcing new sponsors for 2006 and would be happy to follow up any potential links you have with companies who would like to benefit from an alliance with a local cricket club, which offers a wide range of opportunities for the members of the local community.
Social and Fundraising
We have been able to enjoy a number of successful social and fundraising events during the summer in addition to those specifically planned for our Centenary Year.
In July were welcomed by our friends at Chilwell Manor Golf Club to play a golf match. The game was enjoyed by all who took part, and we were very well looked after in the Clubhouse afterwards. We had the opportunity to repay the hospitality when the Golf Club brought over sixty people down to The Strand towards the end of July for a 20-over match and barbecue. Again the event proved to be a very successful occasion and we look forward to continuing our relationship with similar joint events next year. Thanks to Mick Vickers, Captain of Chilwell Manor, and to Matt Brick from the Club, for organising these hugely successful events. Long may they continue.
The Annual Bowls Club Challenge match against our neighbours was another enjoyable occasion. Unfortunately, despite a handicap for our opponents and the Chairman leading his four to victory, we lost in a closely contested match and the trophy remains with the Bowls Club for another year.
We have been selling tickets for the Cricket Foundation Draw during the summer. The Club is entitled to 100% of the ticket value as the prizes are obtained on all participants by the Cricket Foundation, and this is an important fundraiser. Last year Attenborough sold the 1st prize winning ticket, netting the owner £5,000! I would like thank all who have supported it by buying and selling tickets. The draw will be made in September.
We also participated in a letter drop to the local area, raising our profile and advertising the opportunities the Club provides for playing and non-playing members to 7,000 homes. This created a considerable amount of interest in the Club, and we would like to welcome those new members who have joined as a result.
The next planned social is on Saturday 20 August, is a curry night will be held in the pavilion after the end of the day’s matches. The cost is £11.50 per head and all members and friends are welcome to sign up for the food.
There are a number of events planned (see the Club Diary below) in the autumn and winter months (with more expected in the New Year). All members and friends are very welcome to attend and I would encourage you to support these events. Also, if anyone has any ideas for future social events they would like to see happen please feel free to let me know.
Phil Wort
Extras
Members wanting to use the Pavilion or ground are requested to fill in an information form to detail their requirements, and help the Committee to make adequate preparations. The forms are available from Mike Aplin or Martin Firbank.
The Club now has an accident book (kept with the first aid kit in the kitchen). All accidents should be recorded in this book so the Club can stay in line with health and safety requirements.
Visit the Club’s website www.attenborough-cc.net to keep track of Club news. It contains the 2004 averages, 2005 results, Club history, back issues of the newsletter, and links to other cricketing sites.
The Committee would like to thank all those people who have helped in the provision of teas during the season. This is a very important part of match days at Attenborough, and the Club and our opponents appreciate your contributions. We hope that you will be willing to help out again in 2006. We are also keen to attract new volunteers, and please contact Matt Brick for more details.
Club Diary
Saturday 3 September - Last SNCL games and barbecue at The Strand
Saturday 8 October - Annual Dinner Dance at Chilwell Manor Golf Club
Saturday 5 November - Annual Fireworks Display at The Strand
Friday 25 November - Annual General Meeting in the Pavilion at 7.30pm
Thursday 15 December - Annual Grand Prize Draw in the Pavilion at 8pm
Saturday 31 December - New Year’s Eve Party in the Village Hall
Please remember that the bar continues to open on Tuesday evenings