I am delighted to confirm that, following the Special General Meeting on the 21st of March 2019, the new Clubmark compliant Constitution was unanimously agreed by the members and has been adopted. Your Committee are progressing with the remaining Clubmark requirements and we will hopefully be re-accredited following a visit by a local ECB representative to a training session, probably on Friday the 17th May.

The SGM also approved the subscriptions for the 2019 season and those will be published on our website shortly. The Aims and Objectives that your Committee have approved for this season, were also discussed and work is progressing on a number of fronts. We have already installed a card reader, so that card payments can now be accepted in the pavilion for refreshments.

I hope that the first time you will use that facility will be at Ground Force day, which is on Saturday the 13th April from 10am until 6pm. Our Facilities Co-ordinator, Russell Jones has compiled a list of jobs that need completing prior to the season starting and everyone, young or old, can help to prepare the ground and pavilion, for what I hope will be a successful and progressive season. In the evening on that day, please then stay for a quiz and curry, costing only £10 per person, including your first drink, when you can also then admire your handiwork, from the refurbished pavilion!

I am also delighted to advise you that Brad Jefferies, who has been associated with the Club for many years as both a junior and senior player, has secured a job as Assistant Groundsman at Worcestershire CCC. As he is moving back to the area, it will also enable him to become our own Head Groundsman. I know he has many ideas for improving the playing surface and I am sure we will see the benefits of his expertise going forward.

However, and I must stress this, due to Brad’s work commitments at Worcester, he will not be able to spend all week preparing our pitches and ground and neither will Russell, although he continues to spend many hours working on the ground and pavilion, assisted by many other members. Nevertheless we still need the commitment from as many members of our Club as we can muster, to perform the daily jobs that are required. Brad is preparing a plan of works for the ground, once the season starts and Russell is compiling a list of tasks for Ground Force Day. We already have some promises from members that they will perform some tasks but we need a significant number of members, to volunteer to help in any way they can, to do the 1.5 to 2 hours work per day that is needed, to ensure that all our matches can go ahead. Even if you can only spare 10 minutes to switch on or off the water, it all helps.

Our first friendly game is on Saturday the 20th April at home to Exhall & Wixford and junior fixtures really start to kick in from early May, when the senior league season and women and girls fixtures start. Both junior and senior indoor nets are becoming more intense, as we approach the start of the season and our outdoor nets are being finalised in early April, which will be an enormous boost to our Club.

If you haven’t done so already, please register and pay your subs online as soon as possible. I hope to see you at Ground Force Day and let’s all wish for good weather for the 13th April and for the rest of the season.

Cricket is the game for me!

Tracy Wassall
Chairman - Alcester & Ragley Park CC