It is with great sadness that we inform you that club members Malcolm Davies (Honorary Life President) and Bill West (Vice President) both passed away recently. Malcolm was a woodwork teacher at LWS and prepared our club honours boards. Bill was a big supporter of the new pavilion project and joined us last season for lunch during the Oxfordshire Country Match. Our thoughts are with their friends and families during this difficult time.
Thame Town Cricket Club update 25th April 2020
We hope that all our members, sponsors and supporters are staying safe and well.
Usually at this stage of the year outdoor practice would be underway, the weather would be cold, damp and grey and there would be a flurry of activity in the maintenance shed as we attempt to bring back to life the ground machinery. I can however report that all practice and fixtures are on hold, the weather is sunny and warm and the outfield mower blades have been sharpened and are working well. Our ground team of Max and Charlie have kindly agreed to continue their work and preparation to the square and outfield as they would do normally, including a new practice area and junior wicket towards the bottom of the ground. They are taking all the necessary precautions whilst at work.
Unfortunately, we have been unable to hold the pre-season working party. This is the annual gathering at the end of March at which we put out and paint sight screens, fix wicket covers, tidy up and roll the outdoor nets, assemble the electronic scoreboard, tidy up the kit room and carry out the annual audit of our match balls and equipment. We have continued to maintain the borders, shrubs and beds around the clubhouse, nets and car park and, in exclusive news, I can confirm that we have acquired a new flag pole for the TTCC colours. Regrettably the old flag pole’s nib was broken during the clubhouse demolition and left completely unrepairable, much to the dismay of our Vice-Chair, who spent many a season tirelessly keeping it vertical. The new flag pole will be erected in due course and we will share updates on its launch date.
The clubhouse itself has been closed since the middle of March and our regular and ad-hoc hirings have been put on hold until further notice. We are in the process of applying for a grant to SODC to help support the club’s income. The committee are checking in on the clubhouse on a regular basis whilst it is closed, and I have been jogging 3 days a week on a route which of course includes the ground.
Our overseas player, Jo Van Dyk, is also on hold until further notice, as we wait for further guidance from the ECB in relation to the likelihood of potential outcomes for an, at best, reduced-length season.
The club’s priorities for 2020-2022, as set out in the AGM, were:-
- Continued focus on Cricket-playing objectives for adult and junior sections
- Making the clubhouse profitable with cricket and non-cricket related activities
- Reducing our loans with debentures, ECB, Town Council and Brewery
- Further develop the ground in order to keep up with growth in membership
Up until the Coronavirus hit, we had made solid progress in preparing for the start of the season – we signed Kubota as a new principal sponsor who will be on our new match shirts; junior indoor coaching was fully subscribed and we completed 7 of the 8 sessions; five parents of our junior members plus one playing member attended and passed the ECB Foundation Level 1 coaching course; adult nets were underway and well attended with a number of new players; the Women’s team held a masterclass training session with Marie Kelly (previously Warwickshire 1st XI captain) and Lauren Rowles (previously Worcestershire 1st XI captain).
Last week I joined the Oxfordshire Cricket members’ meeting / call during which information about the strategy and focus of cricket in Oxfordshire was shared. The link to their website for information plus cricket activities at home can be found here http://www.oxfordshire.cricket/
And finally there will be a virtual club Quiz Night on Friday May 1st. It is open to all club members, including all families of our 2019 junior members and all 2019 social members.
Here are the details:-
– it will be hosted on the Zoom platform
– Timing – 7.45 pm in “the waiting room” for a prompt start at 8.00
– Bring your own drinks and snacks!
Please let Andy Jinman know if you want to take part, by emailing him on marketing@thamecricket.org.uk (using the email address to which you want the Zoom link sent on the day).
Yours sincerely
Matt Swain – Chair – Thame Town CC