The majority of small clubs and organisations are usually dependent for their smooth running on the management and administrative skills of its committee.
Theale and Tilehurst Cricket Club is no exception and in this respect we have been fortunate over the years since amalgamation to have had a committee full of experienced and committed members.
However, I have noticed over the last two years the departure from the committee of some vastly experienced members whose contribution and experience will be hard to replace.
In particular I am thinking of Alan Pyke, Brian Barefoot, Derek Partridge, David Cumming, Dermot Healey and Tony Mundell. They all brought individual skills and strengths to specific areas of club activity.
This years AGM was also the first in the club’s history where all the elected posts were not filled.
There is an old saying “In life, what you put in – you get out”. If you feel you could put something back into the club and make a larger contribution then please contact the club secretary, James Codd, who will welcome all offers of help. Areas where your contribution could make a difference would be helping with the Colts, fund-raising activities, ground preparation or assisting with the club’s social events.
Someone has to do these jobs, if you are not already involved your contribution can, and will, make a difference.
Edward Ellis
At the 2002 AGM the treasurer was pleased to report that the Club had had a good year financially, leaving us with a balance of just over £5000. This allows us to maintain a reasonable amount for accounts which have to be paid before the season starts, and still keep reserves to help fund future projects such as outdoor nets. The meeting decided therefore that the rates for annual subscriptions and match fees would remain unchanged for the 2003 season:-
Subscriptions:
Seniors £15
Juniors £7.50 (under 18 on 1/9/2002 & in full time education)
Match Fees:
Seniors
£7 (£5 unwaged)
Juniors
£3.50
Colts £1.50
As you will see from our development plan, our first goal is to provide outdoor practice nets at Englefield Road. There will be a number of money raising events during this year, which we hope you will support, to finance this project. We shall also be looking into the possibility of grants from various bodies. If you have any suggestions for raising funds please contact one of the committee members.
Update on Captains, Officers & Committee:
At the AGM in November Brian Cooper was re-elected Club Captain, Nigel Halliday was elected 2nd XI Captain, Bob Williams was re-elected 3rd XI Captain and James Codd was re-elected Sunday Captain. Team selection will be conducted by the Playing Committee, which consists of the Captains, plus one independent member appointed by the Committee, which is Peter Moore. The Playing Committee will meet weekly during the season.
David Cumming stood down as Chairman of T&TCC at the last AGM as he is joining Henley CC as their 2nd XI Captain. David has made a much valued contribution to T&TCC as a player, captain and as Chairman and we will certainly miss him in all capacities. We wish him every success at his new Club.
As a result of David’s departure, there is now a vacancy on the Committee as Club Chairman, as no appointment was made at the AGM. In the meantime the Committee continues to function effectively, with the work that David was doing being shared amongst other Committee members. If any members are interested in standing as Chairman, or would like to know what would be involved please contact one of the Club Officers.
The current Club Officers and Committee are:
Officers:
President – Eddie Ellis
Chairman - Vacant
Club Captain – Brian Cooper
Secretary – James Codd
Treasurer – Ralph Jenkins
Committee:
Phil Jenkins, Nigel Halliday, Bob Williams, Osman Mahmood, Peter Moore, Mo Iqbal, John Morris, Mike Orriss, Edward Choules.
Indoor Nets begin on Wednesday 19th March at Prospect Technology College. We have booked the sports hall between 8.30 – 10pm, and there are 4 weekly sessions. Please come along if you can.
We are in need of some volunteers to act as Umpires in League matches on Saturdays. If you are willing to stand, or know of someone who might like to please contact one of the Committee.
2003 will be the 2nd full season that our Club will be working towards the objectives set out in the Club Development Plan. The committee have certainly found the document a useful tool in focusing the efforts of the membership in achieving agreed targets and we hope this continues.
The key areas that the committee are working on include;
- Continued focus on the colts sections of the club and the links with local schools (Kwik Cricket Tournament, etc.)
- Greater involved and recognition within the community
- A more pro-active relationship with the Parish Council
- Enhance the appearance of the Englefield Road Ground
- Establish a solution to outdoor net facility during the season
- Increase our Club’s membership through non playing members
- A annual calendar of Club activities and fundraising to enhance the social side of the club
Many of the objectives our Club has set will need a concerted effort from the entire membership. The Committee are very keen that as wide a cross section of the membership get involved in the different projects and fundraisers throughout the year.
There are I believe some exciting opportunities ahead in the coming seasons, let’s all make sure we don’t miss out.
I am equally delighted to welcome the following new sponsors for the 2003 season:
The improved performances by the 1st XI last season (albeit after losing three of the first four games) meant that we finished the season in third place in Berkshire League Division 2, the club's joint best finish ever . New players like Mohammed Jamil, Andy Crofts, Micky Mehta and Neill Halliday coming through in to the 1st XI strengthened the team considerably and arguably made it the best side Theale and Tilehurst has yet had. This was in addition to the continued strong performances from existing players who also made a significant contribution to the team's relative success.
Experience has taught us that you shouldn't be too certain about where you will be playing your league cricket in the coming season in the Berkshire League until the divisions are published. As it has turned out 3rd place last season has proved to be enough to gain the 1st XI promotion to Division 1 for the 2003 season (don't ask me why three teams have been relegated from Division 1 including the team that finished last season in third place).
Whilst our promotion has not been achieved by conventional means it does help push T&T closer to where it wants to be which is as an established premier division club. However, the performances of some of the clubs promoted in to Division 1 over recent years (i.e. us seeing them again in Division 2) suggests that there is a noticeable change in standard that the 1st team will have to adapt to this year. This probably makes our first target for the coming season securing our position in Division 1 although with the ability we have in the side we shouldn't only be thinking of this.
So, as the new season approaches we have a different challenge facing us to that which we expected and it is one that we should really be looking forward to. It also means that we can ill afford to give teams a four game head start like we did last year.
May I also take this opportunity to wish Nigel Halliday good luck as he takes over from Roger Puri as captain of the second XI and continued good luck to Bob and James as they continue with the 3rd XI and Sunday side.
So my first year as captain looms large. Following in the footsteps of Roger Puri who has lead the team well in the last few seasons. The pressure to achieve is high, along with expectations.
Last year it was a little disappointing to find ourselves mid table, having been near the top most of the year. This could be because with many new members joining, the squads were regularly shuffled as individuals natural positions were found in the various teams. The team became more settled towards the end of the season; however we lost some good talent to the 1st team.
There is a significant change afoot being trailed in the premier and first divisions with the introduction of bonus points. I won't go into the details now, mainly because they are still a little vague but if it is successful this year, then we will see it introduced next year.
What can be expected this year?
Well
firstly a more stable team yet still with competition for places and hopefully
some young talent moving up from the 3rds. It is unlikely we will have
the fortune to have Andy Crofts, Mickey Mehta or Neill Halliday who all performed
well when they played for the 2nds as they are likely to be permanent fixtures
in the 1st’s. Where as Jamil playing for us is a dream I keep
waking up to now and then. What we do have is a mixture of youth, experience
and weight strength.
Last year our bowling was consistent. The occasional slip up but good performances all round. I’d like to see this continue. I can only hope that Mark Mason’s bowling continues in the same form as last year and may he pick up many more wickets this season. I will gladly hand him the bowling award if he can beat the club record again as he did in 2002.
The fielding complemented the bowling with concerted efforts to support the bowlers. Perhaps a little more catching practice might not go amiss though.
Inconsistent batting is where I felt the main problem lay. From excellent batting displays and dog eared determination when in trouble, to collapses and catastrophes. This year we look for much steadier batting, with the emphasis on partnerships. A number of times we got off to a slow start, lost early wickets or worse…both. So it would be nice to see a steadier start but not at the expense of the run rate. This will be key if the bonus point system is implemented the next year.
The main goal this year is the same as last year….promotion. We have been consistently near the top of the league for a number of years. I don’t doubt once we go up we can stay up but this year we need to and will go up.
I can only hope that all my luck as captain hasn’t been wasted on the indoor league.
The last two seasons have been very successful results-wise (I last captained a defeat in May 2001), but more important to me and to the Club as a whole has been the development of some of our younger players, who have made the transition from Colts to senior cricket. They have gained experience not only by playing with some of the senior players in a strong and successful side, but also by being given a chance to show what they are capable of in real match situations, which is a luxury that is not always available in League cricket. The Millennium League has provided us with a competitive framework to measure ourselves against a few other local sides, and it would be nice to challenge for the title again and hopefully win this year, but for me the real aim of the season is to develop a competitive and confident team who can play positive cricket and learn from each other. If we can achieve that then the results will follow, and hopefully there will be a positive knock-on effect for the League teams with more younger players making the step up to senior level.
This year marks the start of a very competitive Indoor League. Last season the A Team was relegated from the 1st Division and the B Team managed to finish 2nd in Division 2, missing out on promotion in the very last game. This year it would see the two team’s battle against each other for league honours.
The “A” Team started the season without B.A., Face, Murdock or Hannibal and were unable to create a “Mean Machine” out of left over bits in the Theale store cupboard.
However up came the first night on 27th October and the A Team were eased into a winning streak. The A Team limiting Purley ‘B’ to 78 and comfortably getting them with the help of 54 extras. The second game up and the A Team only managed to get 78 against Berkshire County Sports ‘B’ but with an excellent display of bowling they managed to keep them down to just 46. The A team was off to a flying start with two victories.
It was at this point that they went through a rough patch. Sulhamstead amassed a huge total of 149. Dennis Robertson with a valiant 67 not out was unable to single headedly steer the team to victory and T&T could only manage only 121 in reply. The second game didn’t bring any better fortune. T&T bowled out for 85 and Yattendon knocking them off in the penultimate over. The A Team were on two wins and two losses coming into the big game on the 15th December.
The B Team which on the first night looked like it stood for the Big Team, got off to a similar start to the A Team.
A victory over Kidmore End with an impressive batting and bowling performance from myself (I can write what I like) and a notable batting performance from Mark Mason we eased to the 109 total. A victory over Sulhamstead with a fine batting and bowling performance from Neill Halliday and a stunning display of bowling from Mark with 3 overs, 3 runs for two wickets. A record likely to remain for a while as Sulhamstead were like rabbits in front of headlights.
The following two games we restricted both Falkland and Purley ‘B’ to 99 and easily knocked them off in both innings.
So, into the big game with the B Team on four wins in four games.
This is possibly the most talked about match in Theale & Tilehurst history. Second only to the re-match that is still yet to be played.
After losing all previous coin tosses, I managed to win the one that counted. The A Team was put into bat. Previous form showed that the A Team would not create a big total but would defend it with excellent bowling. The B Team were more consistent at batting and bowling and yet to show their full potential. The B Team played with a man down but the A Team kindly loaned them a fielder, a testament to the spirit in which the game was played and to the kindness of skipper Brian Cooper.
The A Team with some suicidal tendencies managed to score 97. This was mainly down to a part time bowler. In fact he is not even a part time bowler, more of a one off bowler but when the chips were down (and Mark and I hadn’t eaten them) he took wickets. Not cheaply but John Morris managed to take 3 valuable wickets, including the wicket of Mo with a 4 and a 6 racking up a quick 21. Wides contributed with 30 to reach the total of 97.
In came the B Team. Dennis and Mark scored well with 25no and 29 respectively but the hero came in a much slimmer figure. Much, Much, Much, Much……..
The score was 92 chasing 97. It was the last ball of the innings and Osman was facing, needing a six.
Brian bowled and Osman took one step down the pitch and gracefully struck it into the back wall. The B Team won by 1 run in the last over. By far the most exciting indoor game I have ever played in.
The A Team then secured victories over Purley ‘A’ with Crofty and Jamil coming into form. Then Kidmore End ‘B’ with an all round performance, with a notable spell from Brian of 3 overs 5 runs 1 wicket, sadly not just enough to beat Mark’s record. Then Falkland, again with Crofty in excellent form with both bat and ball. Then Purley ‘B’ again, limiting them to a miniscule 29, with Jamil bowling 3 overs 10 runs for 4 wickets.
Finally getting a huge total of 146 against Berks County Sports ‘B’. Jamil with an awesome display, hitting a very rapid 53 (three 4’s and five 6’s). Mark then bowling 2 overs 5 runs for 4 wickets, beating Jamil’s record in the previous game.
The B Teams next game was abandoned as Mark lofted the ball into the roof…..Thanks Mark!
The B Team then secured victories over Berks County Sports ‘B’ with Mark and myself scoring 33 and 32 respectively and Neill bowling an impressive 3-18-3. Then over Yattendon, although I ran out 3 team-mates we still managed to scrape to the required 95. A fine spell from Osman and Mark to win against Kidmore End ‘B’ and finally an amazing total of 159 against Sulhamstead. Impressive batting all-round and an excellent flurry of sixes from John at the end. Brian (filling in again) bowled well with 3 overs 25 runs and all 3 wickets of the innings.
So the A Team are currently in second place with eight wins and two losses. The B Team leading the league with 9 straight wins.
Again the game on the 2nd March is looking crucial for the league title. The A Team need to win to come back into contention, the B Team to secure the title. Each team with 6 games remaining, all could rest on the 2nd March.
To follow the progress of both teams and see averages, scorecards and reports from all matches log on to www.tandtindoor.co.uk.
Don’t forget to visit the Official Theale and Tilehurst Website of www.thealeandtilehurst.co.uk.
The 2002 tour was the best attended yet and continued in the tradition of fines tours to Devon that Theale and Tilehurst CC has developed. Again the touring team remained unbeaten on the field with one win, two draws and an abandonment. The first game at Holbeton proved to be the closest and something of a thriller. Initially T&T looked to be in trouble before Alex Moore and Nigel Halliday came together to form a very fine partnership and give the team something to bowl at. Both Alex and Nigel brought up their fifties with sixes, Nigel's being his first fifty in senior cricket.
Holbeton got off to a slow start but accelerated and on the small Holbeton ground were at one stage looking favourites. However, the T&T team kept their nerve in a game that went to the final over and hung on for the draw to maintain their unbeaten record on the Holbeton ground.
The second game at Whitchurch saw Osman Mahmood as captain for the first time in senior cricket and a dominant display by the T&T top order effectively put the game out of Whitchurch's reach before the, as always, ample tea. Despite practically everyone being tried with the ball T&T were unable to bowl Whitchurch out to gain victory.
The game at Cornwood saw another top order collapse and it was left to Nigel Halliday (again) with this time John Morris to save the day with a club record partnership of 108 for the 8th wicket. John also became the second person to score his maiden fifty on tour. In a straight overs game T&T won with plenty to spare.
The final game at Yealmpton was washed out just as it was about to start with the potential for half the team taking the field with their faces painted from the Yealmpton show (see the web site for the photos).
Again the tour proved to be as enjoyable off the field as on with several additions given to the tour by Gawain Bunnett. Gaw, Andy Crofts and Alex Moore certainly seemed to enjoy the dress wearing too much for many people's comfort.
The tour in 2003 is to Devon again following the same format as in previous years. If you're thinking of going but not sure talk to someone who's been and I'll see you there this year!
When Neill Halliday (my brother) asked me to be his best man I did laugh. If you’ve seen us on a cricket pitch together you’ll know why. We don’t always see eye to eye on the pitch, however I was more than honoured to be asked. So having accepted the duties, I was at a loss as to what to organise for his stag do (obviously my most important task).
It was by chance that I got talking to my cousin who owns a company called Nottingham Activities Weekend. They run a series of events of your choice over a weekend, to the schedule of your choice. From Hang Gliding or White Water Rafting to Pony Trekking or Golf. If it is an activity they seem to do it. For more details you can take a look at their website : www.activity-weekends.co.uk.
Anyway enough of the shameless plugging.
The weekend came and we had a party of 16 males, most of which played cricket but only 5 for Theale and Tilehurst.
Brian
Cooper, Phil Jenkins, John Morris and myself all went up in one car.
We
noticed that the further north you got, the funnier the humour. As we
were leaving Berkshire we saw a number of white muddy vans with “also available
in white” written on them, amusing if not a little old. Then just as we
got into the Midlands we saw a muddy white van with “please pass quietly, refugees
sleeping”. The humour continued that night when we went to the Comedy
Bar, which is always useful for a comedy bar, this then mysteriously transformed
into a night-
club. True to form no one can remember a single joke but
we all remember being in pain laughing . Half stayed and half decided
to prop up the bar in the hotel and rob each other of money on the pool table..
The first nights drinking finished at 03:00, just in time to watch the cricket
down under.
It wasn’t until later on that morning that I realised what a mistake I had made. Our first event was clay pigeon shooting at 10:00. It was bad enough trying to get up for the coach at 09:15 but then to put a shotgun next to my ear just wasn’t worth thinking about.
As it was the ear protectors worked very well, however they didn’t seem to help my shakes in anyway. The T&T boys seemed to have their eye in, early into the season and were not bad shots, all lying near the top of the leader board.
After much shooting, missing and swearing we moved onto the quad bikes, via a pub, purely for lunch of course..
It had rained a little the night before and the track was very wet, very muddy and very rough, it was fantastic. The big quad bikes capable of up to 40 mph seemed to go twice that speed and 10 minutes a session was more than enough and three sessions was all anyone could physically muster. We all went off to get cleaned up as, I had a rather unfortunate mud stain on my trousers but mainly because we ached so much.
There was a fear that our muscles would not allow us to lift our drinks that night but through sheer determination we managed to overcome the pain. We went to the Hooters Bar and it can only be described as an American bar with tight tops and tighter bottoms. It has now become my local, even though it is in Nottingham, I often nip out for a quick pint, just to savour the atmosphere. Drinking once again finished at 03:00, we stayed over one more night and returned on Sunday, only to play indoor cricket that night.
Everyone had a fantastic time, so much so the cricket boys asked if I would organise this as an annual event for a pre-season warm up.
Nottingham Activities Weekend has offered to sponsor the club and has therefore given us huge reductions off the normal price.
So the schedule is as follows:
Saturday 28th February 2004
Quad Biking in the afternoon
Comedy Store in the Evening
Stay over at the Nottingham Moathouse
Sunday 29th February
All you can eat Breakfast in the hotel followed by Clay Pigeon Shooting
Return home
All
this for £100 or £110 for non-
members. A saving of £40.
There are 16 spaces and I'm having one of them, so hurry now and get your deposits of £50.00 to me. Preferences will go to Members and Associate Members but non members will be welcome.
Congratulations to Neill & Julie Halliday on their recent wedding. Also congratulations go to Nigel & Rachel Halliday on the birth of their daughter Katie and to Nayab & Mrs Khan on the birth of their daughter.