Since the handover at the last AGM I, along with the committee, have been extremely busy making plans for the coming season. I am lucky that the majority of the people involved in the running of the club last year have remained, along with some new volunteers.

Each of the Committee members is in charge of a specific sub-committee and are responsible for all aspects that fall within their remit. They report to the committee with final sign-off done by the the Executive (who are the only voted roles within the club) 

Executive 
President / Grounds - Paul Daniel
Secretary - Cillian McCarthey
Tresurer - Andy Reynoldsu

Committee
Player Development (Junior Cricket) - David Drane 
Fixtures - Ashley Kempton
Selection - Gordon Shaw
Fund Raising / Events - Jim Stewart
Child Protection Officer - Declan Ryan
Coach - John Moffatt
Public Relations - JP Thompson
Mens - Gary Lawler
Ladies - Pricilla Pegman

The key issues that were immediately on the cards were the number of teams to be fielded in 2016, the development of Juniors within the club and the structure of the subs for the coming year. 

Teams for 2016

In a meeting held in November last year a discussion was held whether to retain four mens teams or reduce it to three. The views were that after the experience of the captains in 2015 there was a difficulty at times in fielding teams, especially at the 1st and 2nd team level. It was a valid call to have three teams, especially as one of the teams last year was a development team and did not really impact on the overall numbers. There was also the fact that many of the seconds were also playing for the firsts further reducing the pool of players, and the big step up in playing level from the 3rds to the 2nds. The general view at the meeting was that player development, especially nurturing emerging juniors, was critical. The 4th team run by Martin Potts was seen as a fantastic step in the right direction and assisted in a number of junior players to transition to senior mens teams. It is the case though that there is still a need to develop more juniors to keep that pipeline fed. 

It was decided that four mens teams would be fielded 1st (div 4), 2nds (div 9), 3rds (div 14), 4ths (div 15), removing the development team and replacing it with an integration of Juniors (only competent Juniors will be allowed to play at specific levels) and Ladies (ladies will still have their own fixtures) into the teams. It was recognised that a number of players currently playing in lower teams will be required to play up to ensure all teams can be competitive. 
I would ask all members to make every effort to be available when asked for a particular team. A review will be carried out midway through the season to see if the new system is working. If I feel we are not meeting our fixture commitments and satisfying our goals of fielding our most competitive teams while promoting player development at all levels, a restructuring of teams may be required. 

With the mixing of juniors with seniors we have to make sure that the child protection protocols currently in place are fit for purpose and meet the the standards set by the LCU. To ensure this is the case we have appointed a child protection officer (Declan Ryan) who represents the minors on the committee and is responsible for the welfare of all the minor members ensuring that the club fulfils it statutory and club constitutional duties. A full transcript of the club's child protection policy is on the website and I encourage all members to read it.
I would also like to point out that there are courses in the area of Child Protection (which all coaches and team captains require) for any member who feel they would like to ensure they are fully up to speed on the matter. I would suggest you contact Declan to get more information. 
One area we do require more training in is first aid, it would be ideal that at least two regular members of each team be qualified in first aid. We are currently undertaking a review on our current stock, but it you feel you would like to get the training (club will pay) give Declan a call.

Team Captain 
1st Team - Gary Lawler
2nd Team - Rocky Singh
3rd Team - Gordon Shaw
4th Team - Ian Smaile
Tavener’s - David Cavanagh
Ladies - Analena Morris

Subs For 2016

Up to now all senior players have been asked to pay an annual fee plus the match fee. All annual and match fees were tiered depending on the circumstances, family members etc. As you can appreciate the amount of administration for both captains and committee members is significant. The captains especially have found the collection of match fees difficult. The new system for 2016 will consist of a single payment that will allow the member to play matches without also having to pay a match fee. Subs will have to be paid, along with the LCU registration, before members will be eligible  to play. 

Subs 2016

Senior Mens - € 200.00
20 Over Cricket - € 110.00 
Kids / Juniors - € 75.00
Family (1 Senior & Kids) - € 300.00
Additional senior to Family package - € 80.00
Students/ Unwaged / Pavilion - € 110.00

There are a number of other rates based on certain scenarios. Contact Cliilian if you don’t see a scenario that fits your circumstances.

All subs are to be paid before April 28th. It is essential to note that no person will be selected to play if account is not up to date; this includes any amounts in arrears.

The rates have been put together in an attempt to promote youth, ladies as well as remain affordable to all. We have not sought to make any additional income from the uplift and hope that we will retain the levels from last year while reducing the level of bad debts and missing match fees. We reckon that to break even as a senior player you should play six league matches in the season. The figures are also based on all the teams playing the full fixture list. If there is a reduction in teams before or during the season then fees will need to be adjusted for the following season.  

 

Grounds

It is still difficult to believe that this time last year all we had was mud and a whole lot of concern. This year we are now in an enviable position to have a fully functional facility that we can call home. Although there is grass there is still a lot of work to be done and we are working closely with Druids Glen to deliver the best quality facility possible. 

Some of the plans for 2016: 
- The repair and upgrading of our nets, (which were a victim of Hurricane Bernie) 
- Installation of our first grass wickets. (I don’t think we will be playing on them this year but would be confident we will have grass cricket at the club in 2017)
- Completion of the changing rooms and other facilities.
 

Fundraising/Events

With several events planned for the coming weeks it's going to be a busy period. 
We start off this weekend with the annual awards dinner (some tickets are still available).
April 1 sees the annual table quiz taking place at the Horse and Hound pub, Delgany. Tickets are €10 each and available on the night.
The Big Draw event is a club ticket draw that will run all season long, and prizes will be drawn at end of season BBQ.
We need help from all members generating prizes for both the raffle and Big Draw events so please contact Jim Stewart if your company could sponsor even a small prize for either of these draws.
The fundraising committee normally has seven members; currently due to recent resignations we are operating with only four members. We need people to help us - it involves assisting in running and organising events and developing sponsorship. There are approx six meetings of 60/90 min duration spread throughout the year.
If you can help with the committee, sponsorship or prizes please contact Jim-stewart@greystonescricket.com or 086-3835758

 

 

 

New Arrivals

Congratulations to Will and Samantha Houston on the birth of their first arrival. David was born on January 24th. Both mum and baby are doing well.

Farewells

It was a sad start to the year having to say farewell to two great club members who contributed an extreme amount to the club. Elon and Sinead have decided to begin a new chapter all the way down in New Zealand. Eoin, as well as being an excellent cricketer and skipper of the Twos,  will be extremely difficult to replace with both bat and ball. Sinead made selection for Seconds a competitive affair due to the fabulous treats on offer for home matches. Her chocolate brownies were famous even to opposition teams. Along with her baking expertise she was the main instigator in ensuring the 2nd team WAGS had plenty of wine and were kept in good spirits. Best of luck to you both.