Belmont District Cricket Club President's Report and 1st Grade Report 1992/1993
Belmont District Cricket Club | February 25, 2025
PRESIDENTS REPORT
As is usual the presentation of the annual report to you the members of Belmont District Cricket Club brings to a close another year of cricket, and heralds in a new one.
This year the competition was again affected by the vagaries of the weather, which caused the comps through the grades to be a very topsy turvy affair, so much so that we won the club championship with only one side finishing in the semis. However, the club through the grades were very competitive as a club championship is not won by running last in the grades
On the management side of things, the club has continued to perform very well with good attendance at committee meetings and debate at times being very spirited. This is good for the club, for without debate the democratic process of committees does not function, and therefore the airing of ideas and views of individuals is not forthcoming, and club runs the danger of being too centralised. on one line of thought.
The club had a most successful promotion of the West Indies game, which proved to be a financial bonanza for us.
My thanks to all the many club members who gave up time to attend and work at making the day the success it was. Other successes also came our way in the form of the under-23s and Third Grade winning their comps.
My thanks also go at this time to the members of the committee in particular the executive Peter, Ian,Russell and Barry. Financially the club is in as sound a position as it has ever been, which shows that a good treasurer is worth his weight in gold and Sullie is a very astute treasurer. May I pay special thanks at this point to the Board and Management of the Sporties for the continued support and commitment they show towards sport in general and in particular cricket.
This is also my last report as President of your club as it is my intention to stand down at the completion of this year. My time as President over the past 11 years has been pleasant and enjoyable however I feel it is time some new direction is given to the club.
On that note, you the committee members, must be prepared to do a lot more in work that raises revenue and you work harder at involving all club members in club activities. Whilst I do not intend to sever my involvement with the club, I will become an armchair critic.
In choosing a new president, look for a person who can weigh up all the sides of an argument whilst remaining impartial no matter how hard the going gets. We are living in a time when competition for ground space is becoming more intense and negotiation skills are called for more and more.
In closing, our best wishes go to the Baseball Club and Lakes United in your coming seasons; it would be nice to have all clubs as club champions again in the one season. Thanks to all those many talented cricketers I have played with in my years and best wishes to all the up-and-coming ones of the future.
R. MAYO
PRESIDENT
FIRST GRADE REPORT.
This season was one of the great changes for the Belmont first-grade team. We saw the departure of some very experienced players who had served the club well over a number of years, these being replaced by some young faces. It was therefore going to be a season of consolidation for this team and indeed the club, however, I believe we achieved more than that.
The most significant achievement was that of winning the Club Championship something that all players can say they have a share in. This was the first time in a number of years that the club has achieved this and this bodes well for the future.
The first-grade side entered a number of competitions and generally fared well in all of them. The most important of all the N.I.B. Premiership and the Tom Locker Cup • Throughout the season we only lost two games and were successful in our defence of the Tom Locker Cup. In the N.I.B. Premiership, we were right up there until the final ball of the regular season only to fail to advance by two runs.
After all the dust had settled and semi-final positions decided we finished up in seventh position, contrived results and weather being our biggest enemies. At the time of writing this report, I hope that the clubs of this association decide on a more satisfactory competition format and allocation of premiership points.
Having said all that there were some notable performances through the season. Eric Tyrell relished the chance to bat up higher in the order and filled a hole that was looming quite large after the previous season. This extra confidence and the lack of a specialist first-change bowler saw Eric bowl some tight and impressive spells and thus become a much more valuable player. Steve Moroney did not have his usual run feast this year due to injury and weather but his contribution to the team was as usual excellent. There were several new faces in the side all of whom performed well. Our new wicketkeeper David Sokulsky shows great promise with both bat and gloves and I look forward to his continued improvement with better shot selection and concentration.
Chris Neal was another to improve particularly in his concentration and patience. His innings against Charlestown proved he had arrived as a first-grade player. Chris Bradley did not get many opportunities in his first full season but his contribution can not be measured on runs alone. I was very happy to have Chris there to be used as required and I expect with further opportunities Chris will reach his potential.
The youngest of our side certainly met with a deal of success this season • Jamie Heath when promoted to first grade went about his task like a seasoned pro and produced amazing accuracy and pace for one so young • His wicket tally is a tremendous effort for a first season. I hope that Jamie can make next season equally as successful. In the latter part of the season, David Willis came into the side and he bowled very well taking wickets in each game. We have long acknowledged David's ability and his multi-sporting talents have in the past seen cricket lose out to baseball. Let's hope David can give cricket a full tilt next season because it will be to our mutual benefit.
Mark McLaughlin came to the club this season from Southern Lakes. Unfortunately for Mark travel and work commitments put paid to Mark's ability to train effectively. I can see there is a bright future for Mark in first-grade cricket and I hope that next year his circumstances enable him to devote more time to cricket.
Greg Charlton is another who has the ability to be a far better player than the results he is achieving. There were two innings late in the season which was absolutely outstanding, but lack of consistency is a problem that through hard work and a better practice regimen can be improved. Now is the time for Greg to take charge and decide how much success he wants to attain at this level.
David Wrixon bowled some excellent spells throughout the season but I feel that he did not bowl as well towards the end of the season as lie did at the start. I feel that David must arrest this lack of consistency if he is to be the premier spinner in the years ahead. I think the ability is there and hopefully this time next season he will improve.
I must thank Allan Sharp for his support through the season • It was a great help to have someone as experienced and knowledgeable to call on when things got a little tough. I could not complete this report without thanking our Physio Bobby Gray Bobby he is as much a part of the team as everyone else and I certainly appreciate Bob's assistance in getting some of us less mobile ones on the park each week. The same can be said of our scorer Anne Charlton who was only too happy to score for us when she was. available • She has been indispensable in the few years have been at the club. Last but not least I would like to thank the ladies who gave their time to organise afternoon tea my wife Julie, Karen and Muriel, again it is nice not to have to think! of those things when playing
What lies in store for next season? I believe we have the talent in the team to do very well. We do have to develop better practice habits and a more professional approach if we ar to become more competitive. Perhaps the inclusion of Stephen Clarkson will help our cause but we can't leave it up to him each player must look to develop his own game and contribute to the team i look forward to next season with anticipation......
MARK CURRY
CAPTAIN
