Looking ahead to the season...
The start of the cricket season is always exciting and I can’t wait to get going, write 1st team captain Paul Quinn.
There’s been a real buzz to our pre-season nets. We've been delighted to welcome some new faces as well as catching up with club stalwarts.
The HEBL continues to expand and it’s great to welcome more local teams. Hopefully the weather plays its part with some dry weather in the coming weeks, but no doubt the Common will be looking pristine as ever come the first game.
And the opening of our brand new Pavilion gets ever closer, which will be transformational for the club and local community.
But first, a look back at last year.
The Saturday 1st XI performed very well, finishing runners up in the Premier Division. With 4-5 regular players from recent seasons unavailable, this brought opportunities for others to step up, embed new players into the team and progress development for some of our young players, particularly Finn and Ary, who performed really well with bat, ball and in the field. What pleased me so much was nearly every week it was someone different standing up with a performance to win us a game or take on an unfamiliar role for the good of the team or club without fuss. Doing the basics and staying in games helped see us through tight matches as we finished the season strongly winning 8 out of our last 9 games. The Saturday 2nd XI finished 8th in a competitive Division 2 - the same position as the season before - though long-term injuries and tighter availability no doubt played its part across the season. A special mention to Harsha, not only on winning most wicketkeeper dismissals in Division 2 last year, but also for his support for when we needed a spare player last season.
Our Sunday XI enjoyed a fuller season of friendly fixtures, helped by improved weather compared to the year before and it was great to have some of our junior players in Will and Drew playing regularly. Sundays remain a useful platform for development and an enjoyable, relaxed environment for those seeking to get back into playing.
Looking ahead to this year, I’m excited to welcome some new and returning faces to our teams as we look to build on last season. For the Saturday 1st XI, I’m hoping for more of the same with contributions from right across the team. There are no easy fixtures so we’ll need to be on our game throughout the season. For the Saturday 2nd XI, the division remains as competitive as ever, so winning those key moments in games and support from across the club will be key.
There’s plenty to be excited about outside of league, with friendly cricket on a Sunday and social tours (both domestic and overseas) still binding the fabric of the club together.
We have a fantastic group of playing and non-playing members and many of whom spend a lot of their time helping the club - it would be great to see more faces throughout the year.
If that’s sparked interest in getting involved or if you want to know more about the club, get in touch.
Paul Quinn, 1st XI Captain
