The Lee Cricket ClubBy Jon Swain, Chairman
Where should I start? It has been a great year for the club. So much was achieved to be proud of.
My highlight: that after a number of defeats of the junior sides in various finals, they were singled out for special praise by the county organisers for the outstanding attitude and approach they had in the way they played the game – in other words the ‘Spirit of Cricket’. The fact was we had sides in four out of eight finals. We are amongst the elite in junior cricket in the county, reflected in the number of players in county and district sides. It is unknown for a village side to provide so many.
George P scored a century for Sunday XI aged 15. He must be the youngest
player to do so (so far) and it is a huge achievement. Players from our U13
XI played for the 1st XI, and a 14 year old was a regular, showing great
maturity. A number of U13s excelled for the adult teams. This is the fruition of all the hard work over many years by so many. The future is bright. We have really good facilities and more importantly, enthusiastic and good coaches, including three at Level 2. More will follow.
The adult sides did pretty well, overall. The 1st XI finished mid-table, which was as much as could be expected after losing its two best batsmen. The 2nd XI finished the season strongly, appearing in the final of their KO Cup, losing to a much stronger team from several league divisions above. The Sunday XI again finished strongly and like the 2nd XI, provided opportunities for young players throughout the season.
Next: the clubhouse. It has been a fantastic achievement to get this far,
after planning permission problems. I would suggest we have the best looking
village cricket clubhouse in the county. This is a testament to mainly one
person: Jon Goldby. He had the vision to utilise what was there, incorporating
it into a larger, more attractive building for the coming decades. Jon poured
his heart into this, sourcing materials, helpers, craftsmen and doing a huge
amount of the work himself. Visitors have been unanimous in their praise.
More is still to be done, but it will be done by the start of next season.
The wonderful slate roof is a triumph. We had a good response to the appeal
for funds to finish it and raised a substantial amount. We need more still,
so that we can put the finishing touches to this excellent community facility.
Peter Neal receives his “Clubman of
the Year”
award from Chairman Jon Swain
award from Chairman Jon Swain
The ground was looked after by a professional groundsman, Craig Ringsell. He maintained the excellent playing surface in very difficult conditions. The end of season showed that in a normal(?) season the wickets would be superb. Much work was done on the square to prepare for next year. A huge pile of material was taken off by ‘grading’ which will make it harder and even better (assuming better weather next summer). It will test bowlers’ abilities to the full.
Friday nights have been brilliant and thanks to all involved who made them a great success.
This is a great club, for a terrific community. We have made massive advances in the last few years and intend to build on them. We look forward to the 2010 season.