President - M. WEBB, Esq.

March 2009

Dear Member,

Welcome to the New Season!

A warm welcome to you all, whether you are a senior player, a colt, or a social member. And a particular welcome to our new members for the coming season. I very much look forward to catching up with you all at the Club in the coming months.

First things first, I think it is widely regarded that 2008 wasn't one of our better seasons, for various reasons, both on and off the field. That being said we approach the 2009 season with high hopes, equally high expectations and a sense of optimism. As a committee we have actively tried to address those things that we thought weren't quite right last season and we have tried to make improvements to ensure that the Club operates more smoothly. We are a Club that always looks, expects even, to win something or at least end up with something extra to hang up in the bar. Last season was the first season for a good many years (check the array of pennants on display in the bar) that we've not finished in the top two of at least one of the leagues in which we play. However, far from being a disaster I see some positive in that. It gives us a chance to look at where we can improve, not just in how we play our cricket but also in how we operate as a Club, be that in the way we select teams, or in the way we organise, and spend, our finances. It also suggests that we have now reached a level where all six of our XIs are playing in their rightful league. And all six of our XIs are playing in the highest league that they can conceivably and realistically be expected to play in, four of them being Premier Leagues. Many other Shepherd Neame clubs would be delighted with such an achievement.

We are indeed a strong club and we are blessed with a first-rate facility. The nets which were installed in time for the start of last season are a magnificent addition to that facility and the whole ground looks tremendous. That doesn't happen, however, without a little work from you, the membership, and as with every year I am asking you to ask yourself if you can help out in any way, even if only for an hour or so, to prepare the ground for play in April and beyond. I'm not going to dwell on the point but a lot of work is done by a handful of people ... and they need your support. Steve West, to name but one, has done an incredible job over the last few months in ensuring that the ground looks as good as it does. There's always something that needs doing and many hands make light work so please let me know at the pre-season gathering, if not before, if you can lend a hand. It is you who will ultimately benefit anyway so it's in your interests and you really do get a wonderful sense of achievement knowing that you've helped make the Club and ground what it is.

Registration

Speaking of the pre-season gathering, this year it will be held on Friday 24th April. The bar will be open from 5.30pm as the Colts will be training so please take the opportunity to come and reacquaint yourself with the newly re-furbished bar, see the future of the Club in action and register your membership. Food will be available so feel free to come straight from work. As ever, please bring your cheque book; Ash will be hungry for cash and you will be expected to pay your subs at that time in order to be classed as a member and receive a fixture card and car park permit. Subscriptions this year increase the later in the season that you pay them, however for early payers there is a discount. Pay at the pre-season gathering (or before, as some have) and all you pay is £110 and you will even receive a free t-shirt! Pay after that and the subscription increases by £10 each month. Why pay £150 in August when you can pay £110 in April? The Club really needs income at the start of the season so you are helping the Club as well as yourself by paying early.

In the same vein, attached to this letter is a registration form that every individual must complete before he can be classed as a member and be permitted to drink in the bar. Please complete it (it only takes a few seconds) and return it to Tom Reilly either by email (thomas.reilly1@btinternet.com), post (address at the top of the page) or in person at the pre-season gathering. This really isn't us being pedantic - it is a requirement of the local licensing authorities and a legal requirement of the Government and is applicable to all sports clubs. Red tape it may be, but it's not our red tape.

Aims and Expectations

This time last year I said that the Club was on the crest of a wave. I still believe that to be the case, despite no new silverware or pennants adorning the bar this year. The 1st XI are very much part of the furniture in the Premier Division and despite a relatively disappointing finish last year we have high hopes for the forthcoming season. The 2nd XI once again more than held their own in their Premier Division and whilst 4th place seems a step back from 2007 it might have been a very different story had we not had four games abandoned, more than any other side in the division. That in itself is something that we are working hard to address this year. The 2s remain one of the stronger teams in the Division and should once again be looking to win the league. As with the last few years the 3rd XI struggled for much of the season in their Premier Division but with new players joining the Club and likely to play in the higher XIs the knock-on effect should make for stronger and more consistent availability and selection. The 4th and 5th XIs both seem to have now found their levels, in Division 2 of the 3rd XI league and Division 1 of the 4th XI league respectively, and they will both look to establish themselves as forces in those leagues. The 6th XI continue to enjoy their cricket, come what may and are an excellent breeding ground for the colts that are looking to break into the senior game. So what are our aims for 2009? We would obviously like the 1st XI to win the Premier League title, the 2nd XI too should be looking to win their league, the 3rd XI to re-establish themselves as one of the dominant teams and there should be no reason why the 4th XI, under new captain James Lyne, and the 5th XI can't look to win their leagues as well. Is that too optimistic? No, I don't think so. We have always set our sights high and will always continue to do so as we strive to be the premier club in the County. It's never easy and it is a Club effort, but I am confident that we have a strong enough membership that we can afford to look at the forthcoming season with high expectations. It is a sign of our strength that we want to improve year on year and not rest on prior years achievements and I wish everyone all the best in our pursuit of further silverware.

Once again we have attracted new members to the Club as we continue to build a playing membership capable of fulfilling our aims whilst simultaneously staying true to our morals. That does mean, of course, that competition for places will again be fierce. That's no bad thing if it helps put an edge on people's performances and it gives us a strength-in-depth which is vital, particularly during the holiday season. We shall also continue to develop our colts and give them every encouragement to work their way up the senior Club sides. It is our stated policy that we will not impede their progress, and if they are good enough for selection they will earn it.

Victorians

Sunday cricket will once again be played under the banner of the Victorians, who this year celebrate their 20th Anniversary. That really is quite an achievement for any team, let alone a group of guys who founded their team in the pub! The fact that they now represent Sunday cricket for the whole of the Club is testament to their spirit, popularity and fitness levels. Well, their spirit and popularity anyway! They are commemorating the Anniversary with a weekend of celebration from 22nd to 25th May as only they know how and I hope you will support the weekend as well as their matches throughout the season and make them all enjoyable occasions. Even if you can't play on Sundays, the bar is always open when there is a game at home and the OCG is a fine place to go on a Sunday afternoon for a stroll around the boundary with a pint in hand.

Facilities

The OCG is a fantastic asset to the Club, an asset which takes a lot of hard work to maintain. The next phase of our development of the facility is the much anticipated project to redevelop the Pavilion which, I am pleased to say, is gaining momentum now that we have had plans drawn up. It's not going to be cheap but we want to create an impressive facility that will be the envy of all other sports clubs in the County. How can we possibly afford it, you may well ask, particularly in the current financial climate. We are looking at numerous sources of grants and believe it or not there is money available from these sources providing you know where to look and how to ask. However we will also need to raise substantial funds from within and so just as with the last few years, we are prepared to offer Life Playing Membership to anyone who donates £1,000 now, or alternatively subscription-free membership until 2013 if you care to donate £500 now. With senior playing member subs currently at a minimum of £110 either offer looks like a good deal. The work that has been done on the main square in the winter is now being completed and the square will be playable in time for the season. Whilst this has caused a certain degree of concern in some areas it will further improve the facility and give us additional strips from the 2010 season onwards. We also have a new Head Groundsman by the name of Lawrence Edwards who is also an ECB pitch inspector so he should know what he's doing! Whilst it is undoubtedly a shame to part company with Chris Boniface after so long I believe it is the right thing to do at this time. I believe that Lawrence will share a more proactive relationship with us, particularly the Captains and the Colts section, and given time will prepare the sort of wickets that we want to play on, the sort of wickets we deserve to play on, the sort of wickets worthy of The Old County Ground.

Nets & Selection

This year sees a change to net-night for the senior playing membership. Outdoor nets will now be held on a Wednesday evening for the entire senior membership, starting at 6pm, commencing next week, 8th April (weather permitting of course). Selection meetings will also be held after nets every week so if you want your captain, or indeed the captain of the XI above, to see you in action then please do turn up and take the opportunity to showcase your talent. We have reintroduced selection meetings for this very reason and to try and eradicate the problems that we encountered last year. Please help us to help you by ensuring that your likely captain is aware of your availability or lack of. There will be an availability board in the bar for all to use so please make sure you update it accordingly.

Colts

Our Colts section remains something that we can rightly be proud of and continues to provide us with promising youngsters looking to progress into the senior sides. We will always encourage them and give them every opportunity to fulfil their talent. However, once again it needs all of us to help out where we can so please consider how you can help. The two new ‘mini-strips' which were laid for the benefit of the Colts will be playable this year and should allow us to run simultaneous matches for the younger teams. We also plan to encourage more girls to get into cricket and our Colts set-up will make that possible.

Colts nets will still be on Fridays for all age groups and the bar will be open to all members every Friday. It's a great place to have a drink after work whether you have a nipper running around or not so I hope to see you there.

Social Events

I've already mentioned the pre-season get-together, and as usual we have a series of social events planned at regular intervals throughout the season. Exact details and dates are shown in the fixture card and on the website and will be advertised in the bar and pavilion as normal so please look out for them. The first event is An Evening with Mark Ilott on Friday 1st May and promises to be a highly entertaining night. John Walford and his team work incredibly hard to arrange these events, all for the benefit of the Club. Please continue to support both him and the events so that we can raise enough money to be able to maintain the quality of the Club and its facilities. We are, as ever, open to enquiries for the hire of our ground and facilities from time to time during the season, so if your company or an organisation to which you belong want to take advantage of this, please speak to either John or Tom. The Annual End of Season Awards Dinner will once again be held on the first Saturday after the end of the league season, Saturday 12th September, so don't go booking any holidays until the week after!

So as I have said, last year possibly wasn't as good as we might have hoped. However we have the ability, the membership and the set-up to make this season great. Let us aim to be the envy of all the other local clubs by the quality of our cricket on the field, our spirit and attitude off it, and our collective ability to support the bar until it closes and drink anybody else under the table! And let's make sure we win something this year and have fun doing it!

Good luck for a happy, successful and enjoyable season.

Paul Webb

Chairman