Belmont District Cricket Club President's Report and 1st Grade Report 88/89
Belmont District Cricket Club | January 15, 2025
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
It is usual at this time to reflect upon the year past, the successes and the ones that got away. I will comment on those later, but first I would prefer to concentrate on the future - our juniors. The Belmont area is rich in talented youth and our club has been blessed over the years with a steady flow of home grown youth into our senior teams. Most of these were products of our junior teams.
Not so long ago, this flow had dropped to a trickle and so your club embarked on a vigorous junior recruitment campaign to lure potential cricketers away from other summer sports in our area. It is history that we have subsequently won a junior club championship, never before achieved in our history and we continually figure prominently in the end of the season playoffs in all age groups.
If you were to examine our senior ranks, you would find a majority of players in all grades are home grown, a fact contrary to the opinion of critics from other clubs who claim we don't look after our juniors. This emphasis to promote and encourage our juniors to compete for higher grades is continuing and will always continue under the present committee. Of course the key word is "compete", because I don't believe in free passes.
The Belmont Cricket Club through its long standing formula of providing players of the highest calibre to play alongside our own cricketers has created the atmosphere for cricketers to learn and improve. If you as a player are prepared to put the work in, to train hard, to watch and to seek advice, the opportunity to learn and improve is there. The only barrier between yourself and the top grades is you and how badly you want the next higher grade. If you are putting the work in, the club will accommodate you.
The other major player in our success is our association with the Belmont Sportsmans Club. The club through its injection of funding yearly allows us the luxury of being able to provide the best facilities for cricket in Newcastle. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bob Morton and his staff and John Hook and the Board of Directors for their excellent support throughout the past year. I would especially like to thank Russell and Lindsay for their work on the grounds during the year.
On behalf of the committee, I would also like to express our gratitude to the coaches and managers of our junior teams and to the mums and dads who contributed some of their time to support their young cricketers through the year.
In closing, I am confident the club will progress forward in the future. We have plans in the making to again have talented playing staff available for our cricketers to learn from and we are sure to continue to reap the benefits of the junior talent in our ranks. I wish all current players a successful 89/90 season and welcome the new arrivals to the best club in Newcastle.
ROBERT MAYO.
FIRST GRADE REPORT
The season of 88/89 was one of relative Indifference for the Belmont Ist grade, side. The failure of the side to reach the semi finals for the first time in a number of years was a great disappointment to both the team and myself. However, is necessary for the side not to become too disappointed at the results and to treat the year as a learning experience for those Involved. As long as something Is learned during a season, even If the results are disappointing, then improvement will follow.
The team Itself was a relatively stable combination after the mid-season break: at Christmas. This allowed a continuity for the players that showed in the result after Christmas. Once again the club had the benefit of Englishman Tony Middleton for the season. Tony did not quite achieve the results of the previous season, but was still of benefit, both with the bat and in the field. The return of Steve Clarkson from his English sojourn for the last 5 games was a great lift to the team. Steve's ability with the bat and his general enthusiasm for both the game and practice was extremely useful to the team as a whole.
Mark Roskell had a very solid year without setting the world on fire. He look as good as any player in the team at stages during the year, but has the unhappy knack of getting out at the 30-40 run mark. This is a source of great frustration not only to myself but also, I'm sure, to Mark himself. Allan Sharp did not enjoy one of his better seasons. A finger injury in only the third game of the season saw
him out of action until after the New Year. A couple of useful knocks followed the batting lineup would have expected more from him. Greg Charlton enjoyed a memorable first up season in the top grade. This was capped off with his award of joint Cricketer of the Year. Greg has great ability and is set to go to further heights if he can rise to the challenge of his second season in first grade. Russel Neal would be the first to admit he did not achieve all that was expected from him If you look just at his statistics for the year. However, Russell was of great value in the development of Greg Charlton. His experience and knowledge of the game, combined with his general attacking attitude assisted me greatly during the latter half of the season.
Craig Hamilton, along with Greg Charlton was awarded Cricketer of the Year. Craig, as usual, provided the infectious enthusiasm that is necessary when, as will always happen, times get tough during a season. His personal form was also outstanding, with the bat before Christmas and the ball after Christmas - a very good all round season. The challenge to score that elusive century in 1st grade should bring out the best in him once again next year. Peter Schacht kept wickets below his usual high standards, but still brought off some spectacular catches during the course of the season. His batting must have been a constant source of disappointment to himself, but a couple of scores towards the end of the season provided some satisfaction. It's up to Peter next season to see if he can move up the batting order as he has the ability to succeed in this department.
A newcomer to District cricket and the 1st grade ranks was Eric Tyrrell. Eric found the going very tough with the bat for most of the season and some very dubious umpiring decisions at crucial stages in his innings did not help his cause. Eric provided valuable batting in the lower order, especially when quick runs were required at the end of the day. His medium-pace bowling was handy at stages during the season, picking up some vital wickets and breaking some nuisance partnerships.
Eric was also very enthusiastic and his "theories" kept both other team members and myself thinking, especially in the last few weeks leading up to the semi finals.
Chris Willlams stepped down from the captancy at the half way mark of the season. Chris, always the team man, did so because he thought it would benefit the club as a whole. It must have been a tough decision for him but in the end result, as I'm sure he would agree, the correct one. Chris' bowling and wide experience were of great benefit to the team. At stages when the going got tough, which was a fairly common occurrence this year, you could hand him the ball and always know he would give 100%. A very good competitor in all situations, his ability with the bat and his power hitting were always of use.
Neil Hook has outstanding potential to be a very good quick bowler and he showed this potential at stages throughout the season. Neil also has ability with the bat, but did not always get the opportunity to show this ability from the No 11 spot. A more consistent effort with the ball is the challenge that faces Neil this coming season.
A facet of the game needing to be improved next season is fielding, both on the ground and in the air. This year we could never seem to strike a happy medium with the fielding, on some occasions being brilliant, but sadly, all too often, very poor. It is very hard to win games when you give the opposition 14-15 batsmen and yourself 11. Practice is the key and no doubt this factor will be stressed, especially in the pre season games where good fielding habits need to be developed.
The season would not be the same without Sid Mayo in the scorebox and we look forward to seeing him there again in 1989/90. Also, thanks from both the Belmont District Cricket Club and the team to Anne Charlton for her scoring on those occasions when Sid could not be present due to personal reasons, Cathy Williams for the preparation of our wonderful afternoon teas, Graham Roskell from Belmont Cut Price Deli and Dave Bolewski for their kind sponsorship during the season.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all the players mentioned who played in 1st grade this season and also the players from lower grades who filled in admirably at certain stages throughout the year. A special thanks to Chris Williams and Russell Neal, two of the older hands who helped guide me in certain decisions at times during the year. Finally, thankyou to John Hook and the Directors of the Belmont Sportsmans Club for the facilities which are, without doubt, the best in Newcastle.
ALLAN SHARP.
