Newsletter - Apr 2010
Chairman’s Report
What a good season we had had on the pitch!!!!!!
We have finally overcome North Maidenhead and are now the premier club in the town with the 1st XI finishing a creditable 6th on their return to the 1st Division of the Thames Valley League. Although the 2nd XI had to chop and change the team throughout the season they managed to finish 4th in Div. 4. Next season Tommy is looking for promotion to get closer to the 1st’s to help with the flow of players between the teams. The 3rd XI were Champions of Div 6, winning promotion for the 3rd year running. So good luck to Saj for next year. That’s not all, the 4th XI were also Champions of Division 8. Not wanting to steal their thunder, please see the Captains reports below. Many thanks to John Hewitt and Ryan for the coaching and management of the teams during the season and the help they lend to the skippers.
Not to be outdone the colts also did quite well, with 3 teams winning their leagues and the U13 team progressing further in the national competition than ANY Berkshire team have ever done, so well done to them. Even the youngest squad were not going to be outdone lifting the Finchampstead trophy at our first attempt. Again please see the section reports below.
Despite some miserable weather at the start of the season the Bar was fantastically managed by the Cowell crew again!! I don’t know how they continually put up with all of us moaning about something or other, so a vote of thanks to Jane and Chris yet again. Also obviously thanks to the never ending hard work supplied by Charlie on both the ground, and of lesser knowledge to members, as the Webmaster, our great website is all down to him!! During the winter we have been reorganising the clubs committee to get some fresh blood in to liven things up. New members are: Samir Vaja as the Treasurer, who will be working closely with Michael Hughes this year to see how the system works; Howard Davies as the Communications Manager, as evident by the snazzy new newsletter; Christine Noakes as the Social Secretary; and the return of the every colourful Warren Blackett as the Entertainments Manager. If there is anyone out there who is interested in helping out in any capacity please stand up and be counted.
As you will be made aware over the coming newsletters we have been working hard on the social calendar this year with a number of events being planned, including the visit of Ryan Sidebottom and some of the England Cricket Team for a testimonial match organised with the help of the Club President Sir Michael Parkinson. These events, along with the upcoming World Cup where special events are planned will hopefully mean we see more of you down the club in the summer. More to follow in the April newsletter!! So onwards and upwards for the new season in April.
Steve Bithrey - Chairman
Social Subscriptions
Good news. Social membership has been reduced to £30.Yes, that’s right, £30 whether you are single, a couple or a family, for this one price you can enjoy the friendly atmosphere, a fantastic social calendar and the picturesque setting. As with a couple of years ago we are also looking for sponsors for the Membership Card where we may be able to negotiate discounts with some local restaurants and businesses, so watch this space and wait for the April newsletter.
WIFI’s coming!!! Just this week we have agreed with the Sports Club that we can install WIFI at the clubhouse. We are hoping to have it in for the start of the season so why finish your work at the office when you can do it with a drink at the club!
Social Events
Let’s start with a few of the Social events coming your way this season. In the April edition of the Newsletter a full list of events with dates and times will be published.
Monthly Games Night –
Darts, Pool, Team Wii, Bar Skittles.
Thai Night –
Samir is swapping ethnicity from Indian to Thai. Knowing how good his curry’s are I can’t wait for the Thai night.
French Cuisine Night –
Roll up for a French delicacy cooked by the Belgian Arms very only chef Dave Mason. Three courses: Starter, Mains and a Tarte!!
Oh La La. Italian Night –
Chris and Angela Bowler are organising another Italian Night. Pasta Lavista Baby!!
ChineseNight –
The Golden Phoenix Restaurant in Maidenhead are supporting the club with a fabulous meal.
Quiz Night –
Date to be arranged (WIFI will be turned off!!)
World Cup Football –
Themed nights for the England and other big matches.
Curryoke Night –
Like Karaoke but with a curry too!!
Friday Night BBQ –
Numbers permitting we would like to run a BBQ every Friday evening to start off your weekend.
Sponsorship
Many thanks to the club sponsors, Jerry Rooke U11's, Frances Lyndsey Ladies Team. We have lots of many and varied sponsorship deals available starting at just £300 to sponsor one of the colts teams and from that we provide 11 shirts to include your company logo, and you also get into the club handbook, distribution about 300, and on the website, so if anyone is interested then please let us now.
The Bar
We are delighted to have persuaded Jayne Cowell yet again to run the Clubhouse for us during the season, and as well as managing the bar Jayne deals with all the internal and external bookings, so if you need an ideal venue for a party this Summer please get in touch.
Thames Valley League
Two promoted, two consolidate their positions, not a bad year. Here come the Captain’s reports.
First XI
After two consecutive promotions the first had high hopes for another good season. We got off to a good start, albeit a draw, but showed some signs that we may have wintered well. This, sadly, was not the case in the second game where we suffered a 7 wicket loss. This theme continued for a few games and with a string of losing draws and losses it was time something changed. Eventually our first win came but it didn’t move us from the bottom three. We were at the bottom of the league tables for quite some time but late into the second half of the season we turned a corner and started to play more like we had in previous years. The threat of relegation was severe but the win against league leaders Thatcham helped to install confidence back into a wiltering side. This set the momentum to the strong finish we had and eventually finished the season in 6th spot, 1 place off relegation. The focus of team, I think we all agree, was not 100% on the match day happenings. There was a lot of politics and disputes and we seemed to talk about what was going wrong rather than putting into action any plan to rectify. I think though by the end of season we realised the areas we needed to work on and started to produce some very good cricket. Availability was an issue and so it was rare to the same eleven playing back to back weekends.
I think the focus for the next season is for all players to show that commitment to turning up week after week and install some continuity to the side. If we have a solid base on which to build the game becomes a lot easier. The importance of training remains an issue but with Winter nets starting in January hopefully we will be ready to take it to the league this season as with 3 premiere sides coming down it will be no walk in the park.
Well done to all the players who played 1st XI as we achieved our number one goal of remaining in Division 1. After North Maids got relegated we are now the premiere team in maidenhead and long may it last.
James Coyne - Captain 2010
Second XI
The 2009 season was one of encouragement, disappointment and thoughts of what could have been. The side finished comfortably fourth in the league, amassing 263 points and winning 8 games of the 17 that were completed, finishing 27 points above 5th yet 57 points adrift of the promotion places leading to question as to why considering the talent that is available to the side. There are many reasons as to why this is on a game by game basis however the bigger issues are threefold:
Consistency
Over the season the 2nd XI used a total of 43 different players, needless to say with figures like that very few players played more than 10 matches for the side over the season. Availability is the single most stressful aspect to captaincy and I cannot say that last season was stress free, everyone is a member of this club to play cricket, yet it is remarkable how many people are unavailable for significant periods of time over the season. It is difficult to gauge the problems on paper, however when put into context 5 of the 10 teams in 4b last season were 1st XI’s, 3 of whom finished above us, therefore selection consistency is absolutely vital if we are to get promoted. The talent is very much there to achieve this, but consistency of availability is not something, sadly, that we captains can realistically control (threats aside!).
Performances
The bowlers had an outstanding season, Sharoze Raja confirmed his status as the 2nd XI’s most consistent performer taking 24 wickets at 20, ably supported by newcomer Tom Ryan who in his 9 matches took 18 wickets bringing a real attacking threat to the side. The bowling efforts where excellent, however in order to get promoted we have to learn, as a side and individually that an innings is only over when all 10 wickets have been taken, and not at 5, 6 or 7. The season may well have developed differently had we have taken the game by the throat and put in the extra work in the field to restrict the opposition. There were some outstanding individual performances over the season with the bat, 3 players scored centuries, aside from my own 127, Wayne Summers scored an outstanding 112* to lead us to victory away at Odiham and Greywell, and Sharoze Raja almost followed suit by scoring 127 of 214 all out away at Eversely. A number of half centuries were scored, however without going on in some circumstances to get the big score which was needed in the match scenario. However when one looks at the stats (available on the website – thanks Charlie!) no player scored over 500 runs, only 2 players exceeded 300 and with only 3 hundreds questions remain over the batting performances. This really comes from consistency, and players being more consistent in availability as well as performance would be a big step towards an exciting 2010 season.
Attitude
Over the season the side created an excellent spirit, fighting back in a number of matches to win, a great deal of credit has to go towards the 11 players that were playing in those matches. The colts that have come into the side over the season have performed exceptionally, notably Cameron Jacobsen and Chris King, and the enthusiasm of those youngsters who have played for the 2nd XI last season was outstanding. As a side we must, however, not get complacent in the field, we must collectively learn how to see a game out, be that with the bat (e.g. not chasing down 226 or 143 at home; being bowled out for 107 at home) or letting good positions slip with the ball.
Overall I enjoyed my 2nd season as skipper, the teamwork and fun had is what we all play the game for, however by improving in the 3 areas I have described can turn the 2010 season into an excellent one.
Tom Wilding - Captain 2010
Third XI - Champions of Division 6!!
M & B 3rd eleven started the 2009 season in division 6A having been promoted from division 7 as champions. Division 6A was a big step up as we were only one of two 3rd XI team in our league, the rest of all being second XIs. The objective at the start of the season was to finish mid table and gain as much experience we could in the process by playing against stronger teams especially important for the younger members of our squad the colts.
The squad was pretty much the same as the year before, just a little out of shape if anything. The first game was against a tough Boyne Hill side, and being put into bat, Bray were all out for 96. It was a harsh reality check of what was potentially in store for the remainder of the season in this league. However, after tea, Bray struck with quick wickets and a dejected team found its fighting spirit again and rattled out Boyn hill for 63. That game instilled a attitude in the team that maybe this division is not so hard and from then on it was not until July that we lost our very first game. In all we played 18, won 10 drew 4 and lost 3 and ended up as runners up in the league and securing yet another promotion. That being 3 promotions in as many years.
Credit is due to all the regular members of the team, with particular praise on Sayed Bukhari was awarded the best bet award for scoring over 700 runs in the season with an average of 50.9 and having the record for hitting the most boundaries in a season. Naeem Shazad was awarded the best bowling award for being the best economical and wicket taking bowler. And a special award was presented to Blair King for being the most improved player. Blair came up from the colts into senior cricket and showed great maturity and talent and has the potential to progress further if he maintains his dedication. A special mention also for all the members of the squad as it was a real team effort to achieve what we did in 2009.
In 2010, we look forward to playing a higher standard of cricket with much tougher opposition and of course playing on our home ground - good old jubilee and changing under the trees!!!
Saj Tariq - Captain 2010
Fourth XI - Champions of Division 8
The 4th Team was formed 4 years ago and exists to promote our youngsters into senior cricket. The team is a mixture of youth and seniors, consisting mainly of young players (Under 15’s) plus a few knarled old pro’s to show the way forward.. To date they have always finished in the top three in their Thames Valley League. This year they were Champions of their division!
The club works hard with all of the age groups to keep the colts motivated and all of them want to play senior cricket and we hope to promote more and more players to play at a higher level be that division 4 or 5 with the 2nd or 3rd XI’s, or in the 1st division with the 1st’s. All of the youngsters who play men's cricket on Saturday and Sunday grow in confidence, which can be seen in their displays at their own age groups, as results can testify. I think this displays that the vision of starting the 4th XI 4 years ago is beginning to bear fruit.
Samir Vaja - Captain 2010
Colts Review for 2009
What a great year this was!! Not wanting to steal their thunder please read the team reports and see what we won!!
As Colts Manager I could not do this job without the help of the coaches, of which there are too many to name. I would like to welcome some new coaches to the club Nick Clements, Huw Buckle and LD Basson. From next year Nick is taking on the U9’s and Huw the U11’s, so good luck. LD will be helping out with some of the younger colts, honing his newly acquired coaching skills.
The Mums vs Sons & Dads vs Lads day was again a fun filled occasion, lots of cricket played and sons won some and parents won others, so congratulations all round. We will be looking for a repeat sometime during the season, so keep you eyes out for the notice. Winter Nets have been problematic to say the least!! After 6 years at St Pirans we no longer have our normal slot, in fact we don’t have a slot at all!!. Instead we have approached another facility about using their nets, and hopefully by the time you get this we should have started the colts there, so please be patient. The Summer Camp was a huge success again, and can I thank those coaches who made it possible. Another is planned for this season, and we may extend it to 2 weeks, but more will follow later in the year.
That’s all from me at the moment, more nets info should be forthcoming, and we plan another newsletter to start off the new season in April.
Steve Bithrey - Colts Manager
Under 9’s
Maidenhead & Bray C.C. Under 9’s took part in the annual Finchampstead 6-a-side Youth Tournament on the August Bank Holiday.
There were eight teams in total in the Under 9 section, with 2 groups of 4 to start.We were pitched against Royal Ascot, Crown Wood & Finchampstead Eagles in our Group. Each player bowled one over, with each pair batting for two overs. Each team started with 50 runs, with a lost wicket resulting in 5 runs being deducted. Maidenhead & Bray won all three of the group matches, without losing a single wicket.
We set the scene in the first game, restricting the opposition to 46 runs (i.e. minus 4), while we then scored 112 runs (i.e. plus 62).In the Semi Final, the Boys beat Finchampstead Royals, the runners-up from the ‘other’ Group. In the Final, we played Shinfield, who had also won all 4 of their previous matches.Brilliant bowling & fielding from the team restricted Shinfield to 72-4.We then batted with great composure to win by 15 runs scoring 87-2. A fantastic team performance from all the Boys, winning all 5 matches to win the Tournament.
Under 11’s
The U11s had a very successful season in which they convincingly won their league and in doing so won all of their matches. In their quarter final they had several key members of the team on holiday and were narrowly defeated by Purley. The team improved throughout the season and there were good contributions from all members of the team, but the outstanding batsman was Callum Douglas and Nishil Desai bowled consistently well. It was extremely encouraging to have so many boys at training throughout the season and with several of the team being available for the U11s in the coming season I expect another successful year for that age group.
Under 13’s Winners of too many trophies to mention!!
It would be hard to better the season enjoyed by the U13's. With 6 County and 3 District players in the squad expectations were high for this age group at the start of the season and it can be safely said that these expectations were delivered upon. Three trophies were claimed - League, County Cup and Julian Cup - and in the National U13 competition, the team progressed further than any Berkshire team has progressed previously.
A total of 19 matches were played during the season and 18 won, many by convincing margins. In fact the smallest margins of victory were by 25 runs and 6 wickets. Particularly satisfying in this was the 25 run victory against Slough, the first registered by this age group for several seasons, in which the team showed great character to recover from 26-4 when batting first to finish up on 120 and then bowl Slough out for 95. The only disappointing note was the defeat to the Gloucestershire representatives in the National Cup, particularly as this was the classic case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with a team weakened by key players being away on holiday collapsing from 75-3 to 78 all out when chasing 96. Everybody in the squad played a part at some stage in the season but particular mention should be made of:
BATTING
Alex Hess, top run scorer with close to 350 runs. Ably supported by Brett Herron, Sachin Moudgil and Jamie Odell who all scored close to or over 300 runs during the season.
BOWLING
Jamie O'dell, top wicket taker with 29 wickets. Ably supported by Cameron Mahon, Vishal Gossain and Sachin Moudgil who all claimed on or around 20 wickets during the season. With most of the team moving up to the U15 section next season to join the many excellent players already in this squad expectations for further success should be high
Under 15’s Spitfires
The Under 15 Spitfires found themselves in a very tough division and, as the team was almost entirely made up of Under 14's, they tended to find themselves outgunned by older and stronger players. However they still managed two victories and played good, enthusiastic cricket. The team had no outstanding players and all players contributed well in the course of the season. Cameron Mcrystal was the most consistent batsman, Will Temple was tireless behind the stumps and Monty Bampfield captained with determination.
Under 15’s Hurricanes League Winners
The U15s Hurricanes played 8 league matches last season and won all 8 fairly comfortably.
Having won all their league matches the Hurricanes progressed to the Berks Quarter finals and came up against Thatcham U15s away at Thatcham.
In a match played in the rain, the Hurricanes defeated Thatcham easily then went on to play Wokingham away in the semi final.
Wokingham were a very strong side (having defeated us easily in the County Cup 1st round) and consisting of some very good Berkshire County U15 players. Wokingham eventually won but the Hurricanes pushed them all the way to the 2nd last over when they passed our score of 120.
Wokingham went on to win the Berkshire County Final so it was no disgrace to lose to the eventual winners of the Berkshire U15 title.
Under 17’s
I have pleasure in writing few words for U17 youngsters who turned out for the clubs various teams last season.. It was a close competition for their age group and they won all of their matches until the came to the last one which they lost to the eventual group winner Reading Cricket Club. Our U17 young players performed very well against other competitive club like North Maidenhead, Slough and Windsor Cricket Clubs. Each year we produce a fine crop of talented players who also play for seniors in all of the divisions. Early each season we have a colts versus seniors match to bring the colts to the attention of the senior skippers, so they always know who’s coming through.
Coaching Days
Under 9’s and Improver’s
Friday Night 6.00pm to 7.30pm
Under 11’s
Tuesday Night 7.00pm to 8.00pm
Under 13’s
Thursday Night 6.00pm t0 8.00pm
Under 15’s
Monday Night 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Under 17’s
Wednesday Night with Seniors
I know it was a long read but I hope you found it informative. The April Newsletter will include a preview of the coming season and full Social Calendar update. Thanks for your time and we hope to see everyone down the club this Summer. Spring is on it’s way !!!
