Chairman's Message from Simon Swinn

For the third consecutive year, I find myself writing this message on the back of a hugely successful season. The 1st X1 maintained their position in the top flight of the Two Counties, came within a cover drive of the PDQ First Division title, and triumphed in the PDQ Cup, the first time we have won the trophy. The 2nd X1 won promotion in the TCL by some considerable margin, and their reward, due to a reshuffle of the League, is being promoted two tiers to Division Five. The PDQ 2nd X1 finished third in their league, whilst the 3rd X1 completed their programme in a respectable mid table position.

Whilst we can undoubtedly take pride in the achievements of not only the last 12 months, but also the foundations that were set a couple of years previously, we cannot afford to rest, and we need to build again in the 2009 season. That we have achieved success is a tribute to all concerned with the club. Once again, there have been some major contributors, with some very hard work done behind the scenes.

With our success, inevitably, we have suffered casualties, and perhaps the main one that has been aired has been a possible loss of identity within the club. Whilst everyone concerned is immensely proud of our achievements, it is clear we have started to move away from being the village side which formed the basis of both the club and its name. Better players are attracted to better clubs, and there is no doubt that, as a club, we are stronger now than we were even one or two years ago.

However, there is a still a need to keep the personal atmosphere which gave the club such a good grounding in the past. It is immensely important that we continue to thrive socially, and that off the field activities are not neglected, otherwise we lose the very soul of the club. Already this year, several social functions have been discussed and pencilled in, which is a huge positive, as it shows members are willing and keen to succeed off the field as well as on it. I hope that this time next year the Chairman’s message will once again be highlighting the successes of this wonderful cricket club.