2004 Season Round-Up

 

The Club’s First XI, led by skipper Rhys Jones, were runners-up in the Lords International Cup and finished third in the First Division of the Welsh Club Cricket Conference behind Hopkinstown and Cardiff 3rds.  Following a detailed evaluation of the Club’s home facilities at Whiteheads, Bassaleg, the South Wales Cricket League confirmed the Club's promotion to its second division, a remarkable achievement for a Club that entered Division 5 of the South Wales Conference in 1998.

 

In the First Division Second Team League, Peter Allen led his side to second place whilst the Club’s other two WCCC sides, captained by Ian Jones and David Flynn also secured mid-table slots in their respective divisions.

 

The Club also finished in mid-table in the Newport Midweek League Division 2.  Greg Lawson captained the side to success by winning the NML Senior Cup Final.  The side representing the Club in the Vale of Glamorgan Midweek League also finished in mid-table.

 

A mixed team of young and more established players retained the Whiteheads 6-a-side tournament crown in August.

 

The Club's Annual Dinner included the presentation of the following awards:

 

William Ricketts Clubman of the Year

 

Peter Allen

 

John Humphry Player of the Year (First Team)

 

Mike Norris

 

Player of the Year awards for other teams were also presented to:

 

Donovan Nicholson - Division 2, First XI

Steve Griffith - Division 1, Second XI

Lyndon Edwards - Division 2,  Second XI

 

Tours to Kenya, Leicestershire and Dorset were well supported and a tour to South Africa is planned for February 2006.

 

The Club's ever-growing youth section continued to develop apace.  Teams at U-15, U-13 and U-11 levels finished in respectable places in their respective divisions of the Cardiff and Vale Junior Cricket League.  The U-9 side also shone in a four-team tournament in August, finishing second whilst including a number of promising 7 year-old stars of the future.  Friday night practice sessions proved particularly popular with 40+ youngsters learning new skills from the Club’s growing number of qualified coaches. 

 

The inaugural Youth Section Awards Night attracted over 120 guests on 28 October.

 

Glamorgan batsman Ian Thomas presented the awards.  Every member of the youth section received an award and there were several special award winners:

 

Under-11

 

Batting Award            Alexander Burkhard

Bowling Award          Jack Mitchell

Coach’s Award         Jamie Wilson

Player of the Year      Joe Williams

 

Under-13

 

Batting Award            Matthew Tabor

Bowling Award          Luke Jones

Coach’s Award         Ben Slocombe

Player of the Year      Matthew Martin

 

Under-15

 

Batting Award            Kani Narayan

Bowling Award          Gautam Narayan

Coach’s Award         Gareth Knight

Player of the Year      Matthew Williams

 

There was also the presentation of the Jeff Sullivan Young Cricketer of the Year award to Joe Williams.

 

Two special awards were also made to Ian Morgan and Rob Llewellyn for their outstanding work in coaching the youngsters.

 

Winter fund-raising and the skills of senior players improved the playing facilities at the Cricket Club’s home ground at Whiteheads, Bassaleg.  Costing over £8000 to install, a new artificial wicket allowed maximum use of the cricket square for youth section matches and midweek league fixtures whilst protecting the grass wickets for weekend matches.  The new artificial wicket coupled with a new roll-on net facility also proved invaluable in the development of the Club’s Under-15, Under-13, Under-11 and Under-9 youth teams.  A new score-box, designed and built by stalwart Gary Morgan, further enhanced the ground and improved the Club’s prospects of achieving its goal of promotion to the South Wales Cricket League. 

 

The Club’s Barbecue Night on 25 June saw players of all ages share the ground for the first time as an adult match was completed whilst the Youth Section underwent their hugely popular Friday night training. 

 

During the winter of 2004/2005 the Club maintained a presence in the Sunday Indoor League and Thursday Indoor League at the National Cricket Centre, Sophia Gardens.