End of Year Newsletter 2009
ATTENBOROUGH
CRICKET CLUB
NEWSLETTER
Indoor Winter Nets
Senior indoor nets are to be held in the Sobers Hall at Trent Bridge from Thursday 4th February to Thursday 22nd April 2008. The net sessions run from 8pm until 9pm and the cost is £3 per person, per session to be paid on the night. Please note the change in time and day from last year.
2010
Captains/Vice-Captains
During the Club’s AGM last November the following captaincy and vice-captaincy appointments were made for the forthcoming 2010
season:
Andy Simkiss (captain) and Martin Rayner (vice) remain in their positions with the 1st XI, however Carl Whelan
has stepped down as captain of the 2nd XI. His position will be filled by Peter Turner, with Tom Buckell staying in his role as
vice-captain. The 3rd XI (Colin McConnell and Richard Henson) and 4th XI (Paul Hallam and Phil Hill) remain unchanged. Chris
Allcoat and Craig Heiden have stepped down from their roles as Sunday 1st XI captain and vice-captain, with Allan Moss taking over
from Chris and a vice-captain to be appointed at a later date. After six seasons Stuart Carlisle has ended his run as skipper for
the Sunday 2nd XI. He will be succeeded by Callum Taylor.
200
Club
200 Club subscriptions for 2010 are now due. The cost of one share remains at £20. Those wishing to renew subscriptions or join for the first time can do so by contacting social secretary Phil Wort or any other committee member. All last year’s winners can be found at the “200 Club” section of the website.
2010
Fixtures
The 2010 fixture list for the Notts Cricket Board Premier League has been announced, with Attenborough’s 1st team again
starting their campaign with a home fixture at The Strand. Andy Simkiss’s men start the new season against Caythorpe on Saturday
April 24th. The Bank Holiday Monday fixture will be a home tie with Kimberley Institute (May 31st) and the final match on
September 11th is a trip to Mansfield Hosiery Mills. The Club’s two Sunday teams both start with fixtures on April 18th. The 1st
XI host Caythorpe whilst Cal Taylor’s 2nd XI travel to Thrumpton.
No South Notts Cricket League fixtures have as yet
been announced for the Saturday 2nd, 3rd and 4th XI’s.
Senior
Cricket
A golden era for cricket at Attenborough CC, the 2008 season saw 5 trophies lifted. What the lads achieved in 2009 surpasses
the efforts of the previous season, given that the 1st & 2nd teams were both playing in higher leagues than in 2008. At the
start of the season we set the players of the 4 Saturday teams the following objectives:
1st XI – to retain the club’s
Premier League status.
2nd XI – to consolidate in division C.
3rd XI – to finish in the top half of division K.
4th
XI – to field competitive teams selected primarily from players from the junior section.
It is pleasing to report that all
of the above were achieved.
The 1st team, captained by Andy Simkiss and competing in the Notts Premier League for the first time in the clubs history,
enjoyed a rollercoaster ride! Welcoming the likes of international stars Law, Patel & DeFreitas, plus many other current and
former county pros to The Strand was what the lads had worked hard for the previous season. With only a couple of additions to the
Division A winning side of 2008, we were able to compete with any side in the league. The majority of the team coming through our
own Junior ranks – brilliant!
New Zealander Shaun Fitzgibbon was recruited. Shaun performed very well in a batsman and wicket
keeper role, scoring nearly 500 runs at an average of 33 plus 24 dismissals behind the stumps. Shaun fulfilled his role on and off
the field admirably both at Senior and Junior club level. Up coming Nottinghamshire fast bowler Andy Carter was also signed. When
‘energised’ into action, Andy added a further cutting edge to our bowling unit. With Alec McKinlay continuing to prove more than a
match for most bowlers scoring 686 runs (6th highest in Prem lists) and ‘new found’ spinner Tom Murray taking 29 wickets, added to
a good team ethos and performance, the 1st team proved a match for anyone. Entering the twenty/20 cup competition for the first
time, the team reached the Nottinghamshire finals day, going out to the eventual winners, Cuckney. A tense final round of league
matches saw the ‘Boro play hosts to Clifton, the eventual League Winners. The team gained enough bonus points in the match to
secure Premier League Cricket for another year. It was never in doubt!
Carl Whelan led the 2nd team with his usual commitment and enthusiasm. After a slow start to the season, the team turned in some consistent performances towards the end of the year to secure their place in a very competitive division C for next season. Highlights in the bowling department were Carl Whelan and Bryan Aplin taking 63 wickets between them at an average of 16. Excellent. Ian Baddeley and Tom Buckell were the main run scorers.
The 3rd team enjoyed a good season, finishing 3rd in Division K, narrowly missing out on promotion. Colin McConnell’s team playing at Long Lane, were able to field teams with a good blend of youth and experience. Batting honours went to Callum Taylor, Rich Henson and Jonathon Basford who each scored over 260 runs. Leading wicket takers were Colin McConnell, Charlie Simkiss and James Hallam who shared 61 wickets between them.
The 4th team. The decision was taken during the close season to field a 4th team in the South Notts Division R. Along with the 1st team retaining Premier League status, the success of fielding a 4th team in 2009 ranks almost as high. Paul Hallam led the team with great enthusiasm. Made up primarily of junior players seeking an introduction to senior cricket, the team performed with skill and determination, finishing 3rd in their first year. The skipper was ably supported by Phil Hill and Carl Knight in ensuring the young players enjoyed their first senior cricket experiences! Batting honours go to Carl Knight, while the bowling award goes to young Matthew Ahluwalia taking 19 wickets at an average of 8. Jacob Connors deserves a mention for his good all round performance of 148 runs and 23 wickets.
League cricket on Sundays took place in the Newark Alliance division 2. The team led by Chris Allcoat finished 4th, thanks to a strong finish to the season, unbeaten since June. Main run scorers were several, with Martin Shoemaker taking the honours. James Hallam taking 20 wickets (including a hat trick) took the bowling award.
The Sunday 2nd XI under the guidance of Stuart Carlisle, again enjoyed another successful season both on and off the pitch! Alan Moss secured the batting award, with Mark Bateman taking the bowling honours, just pipping brother Pete. The Bateman boys took 38 wickets between them!
The strength of the club owes much to the work of our Senior players, encouraging the clubs younger members, particularly in the Sunday 2nd XI, 3rd team and newly formed 4th team. The challenge facing the club going forward will be to ensure that these talented young players can flourish in the 1st & 2nd teams. It is no coincidence that the 1st team has achieved its current success through the club having a ‘conveyor belt’ of young talent.
Summary:
A special thanks to all those involved in maintaining the ground and pavilion.
My overriding memory for the season will be witnessing the ground looking an absolute picture in the final league game of the Premier League season, against Clifton. The vast number of cars at either end of the ground, the bar busy and boundary benches full with spectators. Premier League cricket has added another dimension to cricket at the Strand. We can now offer cricket for all standards and ages, whatever the demand. The club’s profile has never been higher in the county. If anyone doubted the desire of the players to play in the Premier League, then listening to the ‘roar’ that greeted Plumtree beating Farnsfield on the last Saturday of the season, ensuring that we stayed in the Prem, will answer these doubters.
Returning to the 1st team, the hard fought 1 point margin in securing Premier Cricket for 2010 is apt in describing the excellent team spirit and morale. Each member of the 1st team made a significant contribution at some stage of the season, which earned ‘the point’ to retain Premier League status, typifying the club spirit at Attenborough CC.
Two years ago, we raised the bar for Attenborough Cricket Club in aiming for Premier League cricket, an arena where I believe this Club should always be aiming to compete. The challenge the club now faces is to continue to provide the vision and practical support to the players, who through their performances in recent years have raised the clubs profile in the community, and provided much enjoyment to many existing supporters and new visitors to the Strand.
Nick Allcoat
Senior Cricket
Youth
Cricket
2009 proved to be another busy year for the junior section with 138 cricketers signing on across all age groups. A
comprehensive winter indoor coaching programme meant our juniors were well prepared for the start of the season.
Training
sessions split over Mondays and Wednesdays were well attended although Mother Nature seemed to dislike Mondays with several
sessions being washed out.
Our Kwik cricketers under the guidance of Ian Baddeley and Richie Perry fielded two teams in the Sunday morning League, The Squirrels and The Tornados, with both teams being a credit to the club and gaining lots of valuable experience with individuals pushing for a place in the hardball squad. A strong showing of girls within the sides was particularly pleasing with Shachi Vikas and Eve Jephson collecting the most improved player awards.
Andy Lee was off to a flyer with his U11 hardball team with a strong performance against Gedling in both Andy’s and the team’s
first League fixture. The first year together at this level the U11s worked hard in a competitive league finishing 9th out of 14.
Staring with the bat was Albert Gardiner with both Samuel Conners and Mac Allison finishing with impressive bowling figures.
Samuel Conners represented Derbyshire in 2009 with Stephen Gray and Mac Allison being chosen for the Notts U10 development squad
and currently attending U11 Nottinghamshire County trials. Congratulations to Albert Gardiner who has recently been successful in
being selected for the Nottinghamshire County U12 squad for 2010. The U11s contributed to the Broxtowe representative side with
Albert Gardiner, Alistair Lee, George and William Barker and Stephen Gray performing well.
The U13s led by myself and Howard Turney had another fine season, finishing third in a tough league of 15 teams. Jacob Conners once again showed his class with the bat with several aggressive displays but was also highly effective with a new found talent for leg spin.His control and rip with the ball made him almost unplayable at times. Sam Henson came of age coming close to top of both batting and bowling averages and Matthew Ahluwalia captained the side with maturity showing impeccable line and length with the ball to top the bowling figures. Matthew Shaw showed consistency behind the stumps and was virtually ever present throughout the season. Matthew Ahluwalia, Sam Henson and Matthew Shaw represented our U13s at Derbyshire County level by Jacob Conners and at District level. All of these also played for the adult Saturday 4th team, showing fantastic commitment and maturity. Albert Gardiner (U11) also represented us at District Level. Matthew Ahluwalia was selected to represent the NYCL U13 League representative side.
The U15s guided by Dave Taylor and Mark Tewson finished 6th in a strong League of 12 teams, winning 5 matches. The Team was well led by Callum Taylor, who won the bowling and the manager’s player award. The batting prize went to Johnathan Basford. The success was based on excellent all round team performances from a variety of players including Mark Bateman who won the Club Man of the year with Gareth Smith and Jacob Conners making good contributions. On the County scene the Club was represented by Callum Taylor at U14 level with Jonathan Basford playing for the League Representative side. It was good to see many of the U15s playing senior cricket during the season with Mark Bateman getting the bowling award for the Sunday 2nds and Callum Taylor getting the batting award for the Saturday 3rd team and the Senior Colt award for 2009.
As always all this was achieved by individual coaches and helpers giving their valuable time and effort. Personal thanks go to all those who helped throughout the Winter and Summer but especially to Dave Taylor and Martin Shoemaker who worked tirelessly both at training and behind the scenes. Special thanks to Bernadette Ahluwalia and Marie Hensons junior social committee who were terrific organising the social events and selling hundreds of their legendary post training chip cobs! Congratulations to Senior Colts Ciaron Doherty and Jacob Prentice who attained their UKCC Level 1 cricket coaching qualifications recently along with first teamer Martin Shoemaker and dads Lee Gray and Barry Humphriss.
Moving forward to 2010 and beyond I would like to see greater emphasis on strengthening the links between the adult and youth sections within the Club. This will make the pathway into senior cricket more of a natural progression but also help our young players aspire to play Premier League cricket and beyond. I would like to provide more cricketing opportunities for all age levels especially our Kwik Cricketers who make up the majority of the junior section. This will require more volunteers to be guided in the running / managing of junior teams and to be supported to achieve basic coaching qualifications.
Roll on the Summer!
Richard Henson
Director of Youth Cricket
Social and Fundraising
As you will have heard earlier the cost of playing at the highest level and maintaining two grounds does not come cheap. It is
imperative that we continue to raise funds and attract sponsorship to position the club for the longer term to enable cricket to
be provided across all ages.
Looking back at the year in question, we didn’t get off to a very good start with a wash
out fireworks night basically breaking even and not making the contribution we would have hoped for – by contrast the event that
has taken place was a resounding success.
We aren’t all about raising money we are about trying to create a great
social environment in which people can enjoy their cricket and at the same time enjoy themselves away from the cricket.
The year in question saw a New Years Eve party, a fund raising evening for Dom Harvey and a Pie & Chips night. We then had a
very successful Race Night, which did help the fund raising side, followed by a Steak Night.
The ever successful club
six a side day was enjoyed by all those who took part and the annual bowls challenge match against the Village Bowls Club went
well with our Chairman performing above expectations after last year’s below par performance.
In summary I think we can
agree that from a social viewpoint the year was a success. We do need everyone to support the events we run and it would be
nice to see some new and different faces at the events.
One of our major fundraisers each year is the 200 Club which
we grew from the 150 Club last year. We have a few vacancies for this year so if anyone has a spare £20 then please see me
to enter. For £20 you have the chance (1 in 200) to win one of the 3 monthly prizes of £50, £30 or £20 or, hold your
breath the grand prize draw held once a year at the presentation evening offers the chance to win either £500, £200 or
£100.
We are hoping to attract more sponsors in the coming season so if you are or you know anyone with an altruistic
leaning please let me know.
A note of thanks to all those who have helped organise and run events during the year particularly Stuart Carlisle and Kal
Shaddam as well as the brilliant Fireworks subcommittee who gave a great del of time to ensure a successful event. Thank you to
Dave Taylor, Pauline Johnson, Elaine Allcoat and Neil Francis.
Thanks for your support and encouragement during 2009
and here’s to a even more successful and prosperous 2010.
Phil Wort
Social and Fundraising
Ground
News
We began the year endeavouring to finish work on the area at the far end of the ground which included rotavating, seeding and re-fencing. The job was completed n splendid fashion and thanks must go to all those involved for contributing to the huge improvement that area makes to our ground – this now not only looks good but also provides much needed extra parking for various occasions.
The team then moved on to the Pavilion which was repainted (including the veranda) and the kitchen which was refurbished and
new equipment installed – the trophy cabinet and Notice board built and filled – a new telly and heater acquired – the banners and
signs were put up ready for the new season.
New League rules meant we had to purchase side sheets for the covers and a water
sopper to mop up any standing water was also purchased.
It was with a mixture of pride and trepidation that I stood at first slip at the end of April ready to watch the first ball of
the premier league season 2009 being delivered.
Thankfully that delivery and many that were to follow behaved themselves and
generally last season I was pleased with how the pitches played. We were very grateful for all of the kind words about the quality
of our ground from opposition players umpires and spectators alike and having visited a number of Premier League grounds
myself I feel we still have one of the best around.
Unfortunately we had a serious breakdown of the outfield mower in June which cost us dear however we must acknowledge the tremendous help received from Chilwell Manor Golf Club in the lend of equipment so we could maintain the high standards we had set.
The slightly damp summer again affected the Long lane pitches however when it does dry out the reports I get is that it is a good surface to play cricket on. We have also installed a gate in the car park so off road parking is now available at the site.
We have recently welcomed the Attenborough Colts FC mini soccer to the Strand and the much needed funding they provide and ooking forward to next season we are, thanks to K Sperry demolitions, getting a new garage. The committee is backing a sightscreen replacement programme which will start next year – however it is difficult to look much further than the 2012 season when we shall be unable to play cricket here at the Strand – We need to focus our planning to ensure that the Club suffers the minimal disruption and acquires the correct level of compensation for what will prove to be a difficult year for us all.
We again must thank Keith Sperry and John Birkin for their huge effort this year, and they have been assisted by Gay and Mike Dandy who have worked tirelessly for the club all year round. Many thanks to Kev Collins and Dave Taylor and all others for their help this season and I feel we are very fortunate to have people like these who are willing to give their time and skills to help the club achieve it high standards both on and off the field.
Presentation Night
The following trophies were handed out during the Club’s annual Presentation Night held at Chilwell Golf Club on October
3rd:
Saturday 1st XI Batting: Alec McKinlay
Saturday 1st XI Bowling: Tom
Murray
Saturday 2nd XI Batting: Ian Baddeley
Saturday 2nd XI Bowling: Carl
Whelan
Saturday 3rd XI Batting: Callum Taylor
Saturday 3rd XI Bowling: Colin
McConnell
Saturday 4th XI Batting: Carl Knight
Saturday 4th XI Bowling: Matt
Ahluwalia
Sunday 1st XI Batting: Martin Shoemaker
Sunday 1st XI Bowling: James
Hallam
Sunday 2nd XI Batting: Allan Moss
Sunday 2nd XI Bowling: Mark
Bateman
Club All-Rounder: Tom Murray
Best Performance: Saturday 1st XI
Senior Colt: Callum Taylor
Sixes Tankard: Alec McKinlay
Clubman: Andrew
Simkiss
Chairman’s Cup: John Birkin
Notts CCC Membership 2010
The Club Cricketer Membership Scheme for 2010 enables bona fide playing members of NCB clubs “Club Cricketer” membership of NCCC for just £69. This enables the holder free admission to the ground, the members’ pavilion and stands for all LV County Championship and ECB 40-over competition matches and for the group stages of Friends Provident T20 matches played at Trent Bridge. It excludes any match played on a Saturday. Forms can be obtained from Martin Firbank.