1st XI Sat
1st XI Sun
2nd XI Sat
2nd XI Sun
3rd XI
4th XI
Ladies
Colts

I am sure that players, non-players and supporters alike agree that this would be tremendous. Well it is possible but the whole Club, not just the players, must believe it is possible and not simply accept that we are the "also rans". The players can affect the on the pitch results but the rest of the club from the Committee through to the supporters can provide the correct environment for the teams to function in and their performances to improve.

A little more concentration, a little better application and above all a lot more commitment from the players will make an enormous difference to the Club’s results. Having played the whole season in the 1^st XI, I can comment from experience that the team does not appear to take the field expecting to win. All members must have a "self-belief" that we can perform. From what I saw this season there was no reason why the 1^st XI should not have been challenging for a top of the table position instead of struggling against relegation. The ability is obviously there; it is converting that ability into consistent performances which is missing. Success breeds success and as soon as one side starts winning, results will improve throughout the Club.

I do not have a magic wand or a simple solution to the problem but all members have to make small changes and, overall, the Club will improve.

Players MUST:

Supporters should:

These are just some ideas to think about for next season but now it is time to reflect on the 1999 season.

The Clubhouse has now been open for over a year and although the Sports Club has had some operational difficulties, it appears to be running smoothly. There are bound to be maintenance issues arising soon and the Club is considering setting up a database of members skills and expertise so that the Cricket Club and the Sports Club has a ready supply of willing helpers to call upon should the need arise. In this way we can then utilise members to carry out electrical, plumbing or heating repairs etc. which will ultimately ensure that our membership subscriptions are minimised. We will be sending out details before next season but if any of you have skills that you believe could be of use to the Sports Club, please give me, or any other member of the Committee a ring. Voluntary help is essential to ensure the whole club operates smoothly.

Members can also help by having a little more respect for the Club. For example, players, please do not wear your cricket boots in the bar, tea-room or any of the carpeted areas and, if you see someone else doing so, please ask them not to.

The cricket squares have played reasonably well considering their brief history. There have been some very good wickets and some not so good but hopefully, they will continue to improve and there will be a marked change next season. The outfield still leaves a lot to be desired and this is an area that the Sports Club is aware needs addressing so, again, hopefully, things will be better next year. I am confident that our groundsman, John Watson, will continue his excellent work and provide a facility for next season that we can all be proud of.

The cricket nets have presented the biggest disappointment this season. I can only apologise for the promises I have made about their availability. My only defence is that I believed the contractors would complete them and I have been badly let down. They are now finished so they will be available from the start of next season for much needed team practice. I trust next year’s captains will organise proper training or coaching sessions, make use of the many coaches available within the club and realise the true benefits of mid-week practice.

The 1999 season on the field was disappointing. The 1st XI struggled against relegation for much of the season before finishing in 7^th position. The 2^nd XI showed early promise but results fell away towards the end of the programme and they ended up in the bottom half of their table. The 3^rd XI was unfortunately relegated to Division 3 and the 4^th XI had a very difficult time in the Surrey Kookaburra Fordham League. Full details of all the teams' ups and downs can be found in the attached reports.

One positive factor this season has to be Sunday Cricket. The Club entered the Thameside Sunday Cricket League which required both a 1^st XI and a 2^nd XI to play eight league matches on alternate Sundays throughout the year. This proved a big success and there were very few problems in fielding two sides and the number of fixtures we cancelled this season was very small. In addition, both XIs won their leagues, the 1^st XI having won all six matches, with two abandoned and the 2^nd XI won five matches. Much praise for this achievement must go to captains Duncan McIlveen and Robert Evans who managed to win matches whilst still ensuring that all members of the team participated. Well done Duncan and Robert!

The Club was invited to play in three separate 6-a-side tournaments. We defended the Banstead competition but unfortunately lost in the semi-final, whilst in August we won both the Old Hamptonians and Walton competitions. Perhaps we should propose that the Surrey Championship be converted to a 6-a-side league!

After six seasons in the Surrey Kookaburra Fordham League several regular members of the 4^th XI have separately asked for a change. The cricket was becoming too competitive and most of the players in the 4^th XI are looking for "friendly" league cricket. The committee has made an application to join the Wey Valley League and everything looks favourable at present. This will give players the opportunity to visit new pastures, meet new friends and hopefully better enjoy their cricket.

To ensure we can fulfil all our fixtures, we do really need a few more playing members. We are a little stretched on some occasions. If you have any friends or colleagues who would like to join or who you can persuade to join, please bring them along next year.

Due to a lack of numbers, we were, unfortunately unable to field an U17 Colts side at all this season but the other three sides played their usual large number of games. Most of our members in the U17 age group were playing regular cricket for the senior sides on Saturday and Sunday. Reports from the other three Colts teams are attached.

Colts assistance is greatly appreciated. The Club is indebted to the Colts team managers, Ron Simper and Peter Davies and their helpers and to Nick Coates who co-ordinated the Colts membership. Thanks also to all those who helped or assisted regularly on Friday nights, John Swain, Peter Cottrell, Steve Adams, Duncan McIlveen, Adrian Chessman, Richard Chessman and last but not least Graham Smart. Extra help on Colts nights is always required so it would be nice to see a few more senior players assisting in bringing on the future of the Club next season.

One of the commitments the Sports Club made to the Sports Council (now Sport England) when securing the Lottery Grant for the new facilities at Short Lane was that we would actively market the facilities to generate interest from the Community and hopefully increased membership. To this end, the Sports Club has employed Graham Smart as Sports Development Officer. One of his tasks is to visit local schools and other youth organisations, tell them about Ashford Sports Club and its aims, provide coaching sessions and to generally spread the word. This is an ongoing activity but any suggestions you may have for additional avenues that Graham could follow would be greatly appreciated. Graham can be contacted on tel: 01784 252288 or e-mail him at ashford[dot]sports[dot]club[at]ukgateway[dot]net.

Another venture that Graham started this year was Ladies Cricket. A band of eight or so ladies regularly attended training on Wednesday evenings provided by Graham and Steve Davies. This culminated in a match against a young Shepperton Ladies team in August. Ashford won and hopefully the interest and enthusiasm will still be there next season. If you have any daughters, sisters or wives who might be interested, please speak to Graham before next season.

Everyone has sorely missed Mike Troake this year. We have been unable to replace him as the Membership Secretary to date and there have been a number of problems in this area for which I apologise. Anyone who would like to take on this role for the future, please give me a call. It needs an organised person, preferably with a computer but it is not particularly difficult and there are plenty of people around to give guidance.

Mike also used to do an enormous amount for the Club not only on match days but also behind the scenes preparing for match days. The true amount of work he did only became apparent when he was not around and the Members have had to "fill in".

The Committee organised a collection in memory of Mike, which raised a very encouraging £260. This has been used to purchase two memorial benches and a new bell, all of which are already in use at Short Lane. Sue Troake and her family have visited Short Lane and they are very pleased with the fitting way in which the Club has remembered Mike.

This season’s President’s Day was a break with tradition. In an attempt to get as many Members involved as possible, the Club held its own 6-a-side competition. Apart from the programme which was a little delayed over lunch, I believe the day was a great success (I can’t remember who won!) and it is certainly something which we will consider again for the future. Many thanks to our President, Don Beckett, for sponsoring the event.

There were other social functions held this year and thanks to Adrian Chessman and his family, two very successful Quiz Evenings were well supported. These Social events and this sort of fundraising are essential to a Club like Ashford. We operate on a small budget and the scope for additional income is limited. The Club must continue with these events and hopefully, for 2000, there will be more. Please support future Social events.

The 200 Club continues to be a major source of income. Many thanks for your generous support to this fundraiser in the past and to John Hartwell and Trevor Allen for their organisational efforts. Please continue to "invest", your contribution is most appreciated and with luck, you may even win one of our major prizes.

The Club’s AGM is being held on Wednesday, November 24. We have switched back to a Wednesday to ensure that our Hockey members can attend, as it won’t clash with hockey training. You should therefore have no excuses this year so please attend and have your say.

The Club was very fortunate to have Duncan McIlveen return to play for a second season. Duncan played an enormous part in Club life the previous year and the same was true this season. Both Duncan and his minder, Regan, thoroughly enjoyed their stay and although it is unlikely that he will be returning next season, he has promised to come back in a few years time when the facilities at Short Lane have matured a little. Duncan is a very competitive cricketer and I know he was disappointed with some of his own performances but his main concern for Ashford Cricket Club is the attitude of the rest of the players. He desperately wants to win but he does not see the same commitment from his teammates. I have already written enough on this subject in the opening paragraphs.

Communication is always very difficult in a large club like Ashford. All members are never together at the same time (although there is an opportunity at the AGM) and so verbal communication does not work. We have tried Newsletters in the past but they do take a lot of time to prepare and publish and they are relatively expensive to send to all members. In an effort to improve communication (for those of you with access to the Internet) there is now an Ashford Cricket Club web page. It is only in draft form at the moment but I hope, with your help, it will improve. Please look at it, comment on it and I will try to ensure it is updated. The address is: http://www.geocities.com/ashford_cc/.

During this first season at Short Lane we have had a variety of caterers providing our teas. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jim Cully, Jane and Bethan for their hard work. It takes a very long time to do the shopping, prepare the teas, serve and clear up afterwards. It often appears to be taken for granted but it is greatly appreciated.

There is another band of voluntary helpers who often go unappreciated and unthanked. We owe an awful lot to all our umpires and scorers. Both are very difficult and thankless tasks. There is rarely praise or thanks but should there be a suspicion of a mistake then they are immediately blamed. On behalf of the whole Club I should like to thank John Bird and Steve Smith for their umpiring and Regan Mullaney, Bethan Evans, Val Kenrick, Martin Davies and everyone else who scored for the Club.

I would like to thank all the committee members for their efforts. It has been a difficult year and a Club like Ashford can only function with the help of volunteers. The effort of these volunteers often goes unnoticed but we would be well and truly lost without them.

Finally, I should like to offer my own personal thanks to John Bird. John has decided that after nearly 25 years of umpiring he is finally going to hang up his bails! Umpires are always the player’s enemy but I know from experience what an enormous contribution John has made to the Club over the years. He has been available almost every Saturday, Sunday and mid-week when required and for evening Colts matches. A conservative estimate is that he must have umpired well over 1000 matches for Ashford. Many, many thanks John.

I think this letter is now long enough and for those of you who are still reading wouldn't it be wonderful if some of this season's Sunday success were to rub off on Saturdays. Well, with your assistance both on and off the field, I believe it can and maybe, just maybe, that imaginary headline could become a reality.

I hope to see you all at the AGM and again next season.