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From Peter George, Hon Sec,
17, Gorselands,
Wash Common,
Newbury,
RG14 6PU
21st October 2008
Autumn Newsletter
1. Chairman’s Message
Dear Member/Vice President/Junior member or parent,
I was very pleased and proud to have been elected as Chairman of the Club in June this year and I would like to offer some thoughts and reflections on my first few months in the role. It has been quite eventful and has brought back a number of memories of my playing days at Falkland.
It feels like I have spent many hours patrolling boundaries, from Reading to Slough and back to Enborne Lodge. I know where I’d rather spend the afternoon and I’m not surprised that the very successful Berkshire side regard Falkland as their favourite place to play cricket. This was apparent from their results at “Fortress Falkland” and congratulations go to David Morris and the players for their achievements this year.
But back to Falkland. It is tempting to judge a club by the success or otherwise of the first team and it is disappointing that we have been relegated this year. We could conduct a post mortem or lament the bad luck of two rained off games in the run-in and the inefficiency of Reading in getting the game started on time. I would like to focus on more positive aspects. From my observations I can say that the great majority of players tried their very best and their determination was evident through to the end of the season, exemplified by Mark Foster, the captain. Having escaped relegation by the narrowest of margins the season before, perhaps it gives us an opportunity to think more broadly about the club and its future rather than become overwhelmed by a yearly dog fight for survival. That is not to say we should not aim to get back, but perhaps in a way that is more sustainable and ultimately more successful.
A number of people have asked me what my strategy, goals and plans are (or a more earthy version of that question!). I would suggest that these words are borrowed from the business world and professional sport and we all know where those worlds are at the moment. So I do not believe that aping other worlds such as business or professional sport is the key to our future. There are so many successful things about Falkland Cricket Club and it is these that we should build on. I think it is more about a philosophy than strategy and maybe I can offer a simple thought which I hope sums up mine: I would like Falkland to find cricket’s Theo Walcott, not scrape together the money to buy David Beckham for a year – and that is with great respect for David Beckham’s contribution to football.
We do need to put something concrete in place to achieve that and I would recommend everybody who has not had the opportunity so far to look at David Harrison’s excellent proposals on coaching and development of players at all levels. We are also looking at more imaginative uses of the resources available to us for the recruitment of new players. I would encourage all players to take advantage of the opportunities being planned for this winter and beyond.
We should of course remember that we have success to celebrate this year. The second team under Peter Randall, with his mixture of young, experienced and old (Mark Baker, you know which category you come in!) did extremely well to consolidate their position following last season’s promotion. It is vital that the gap in standard between first and second teams does not widen. We congratulate Ian White and the third team on their promotion and the exciting possibilities for some of his younger players. Much the same is true of the fourth team which had the best season in its short life to date. And of course there was the ‘normal’ performance of the junior teams under the direction of Jenny Piper; we almost take for granted their continuing success. I thoroughly enjoyed the “champagne moments” evening with players from all teams at the end of the season, and suffered for it the day after.
Finally, a personal memory. In my playing days as captain there were three elderly gentlemen who sat on the bench by the gate every week. This was known, affectionately, by the players as “critics’ corner”. The dialogue generally went something like this: if we were winning the opposition was rubbish; if we were losing, we were rubbish. I hadn’t realised that “critics corner” was still alive and well, the bench dwellers having been reincarnated in the forms of Brown, Rasman and Thomas.
I look forward to next season engaging in that dialogue, hopefully with a pint of Tracy’s excellent beer in my hand and I encourage all Vice Presidents, Sponsors and Supporters to join me.
Derek Bell
Chairman
2. Captains’ Reports 2008
Mark Foster : A very difficult year for the First X1, culminating in relegation. The season had its highlights along the way. Tuggy’s seven wickets and our solitary victory at Henley will never be forgotten. Likewise the brilliant pairs of hundreds scored by Ben Chapman and Tom Heath at High Wycombe and James Morris and Bobby at Welwyn Garden City. Had we been able to force victory in these two drawn games, who knows where we could have finished? Dave Akbar led the attack well to finish as leading wicket taker and his 90no against Oxford showed his class under pressure with the bat. We are a young squad with great experience and move into next year with confidence.
Peter Randall : 2008 was a very successful season for the Second X1, finishing 5th in Division 2B of the Thames Valley League. This is the first time in four years that we have stayed in the same division, having been promoted or relegated for the last three. Even though we finished 5th, we were continually looking over our shoulders in a league that was condensed from start to finish with no-one being able to break free at the top. The team had an excellent make up with a few of the older brigade being complemented by a few younger members with several other youngsters waiting in the wings. Having consolidated our position and having the advantage of knowing who we will be playing next season, it is hoped that we can move forward again, introduce more young players into the side and continue our upward trend in 2009.
Wilson Carlisle : The Fourth X1 had their most successful season ever, winning 10 out of 14 matches played and finishing 5th in the league. Credit for this goes to the many talented young players who took control, allowing the elected captain to take a back seat as manager and umpire in the majority of matches.
Peter Stephenson : In a whole summer of cricket, we ended up playing just 5 league matches (won 3, lost 2) and one friendly (abandoned halfway due to rain). The wins were away to Thatcham by 1 wicket with two balls to spare (with a very young team – four of whom scored 40’s - against most of their Saturday 1sts, which was a tremendous result), home to Purley (Theo Cooke and Ronnie Dey scored 80’s) and home to Swindon (a whirlwind and dominant 149no from Rouf Akbar) . We lost to Andover and Thtacham at home. Bizarrely, due to the strange points system of the BSL, we finished near the bottom of the table. Despite all of that, it hasn’t been a bad season and a lot of our quality young players have had the chance to develop against decent opposition.
Robin Osborn : The Sunday Thirds managed 11 games, lost two heavily and drew one to record their best season for a while. 16 paid up members played regularly and all maintained the ethos that Sunday afternoon cricket is to be enjoyed first, last and foremost.
Editor’s note: the remaining captains’ reports were not on hand at the time of going to press.
3. Off the Field
Bowler’s Arms : At the end of March Fiona Talbot took a well-earned break from running the Bowler’s Arms to work for Wilson in his other business. The colourful chef Hassan Guerroudj also moved on to pastures new. Mark Parry and Tracy Hammond took over the day-to-day running of the Bowler’s Arms and have coped well with the task of satisfying the various appetites and thirsts of cricketers and the local population. Christmas menus are now available ( www.bowlersarms.co.uk ). Bring your office party to your local hostelry and help the Club whilst enjoying yourself.
Mrs Richardson’s Washing Line : This is the title of Peter George’s book about the remarkable development of the Club between 1947 and 2007. Apart from anything else, it contains a photograph of Nigel Trumper which can be cut out, framed and placed on your bedroom wall. Copies are available at £9 from the club or from Peter himself (07802 895355).
4. Important Dates
27th October : Players’ Meeting (8pm). A notice has already been sent to all players. Please do your best to attend this important meeting at which captains will be elected for 2009 and David Harrison’s plan for the playing future discussed.
5th November : Bonfire Night. Gates open 5pm. Bonfire lit at 7.15pm followed by fireworks. Admission £4 (children under 5 free). HELP IS NEEDED. Please contact Wilson (07768 696291) to find out how you can assist on the evening with this major fundraising and PR event for the Club.
1st December (8pm) : Meeting for Tour Party (see below)
26th January 2009 (8pm) : Annual General Meeting
26th February – 14th March 2009 : Tour to Falkland Islands and Chile. 20 people have committed themselves to this historic tour; the fares are paid; it’s definitely on! If you would like to join in (especially if you are a half-decent cricketer) please contact Peter George (07802 895355) as soon as possible. If you’re wavering, come to the pre-tour meeting on 1st December to find out more.
