2020 AGM report

Chairman's report

Looking back a year to the 2019 AGM no one could have predicted the events of the past 12 months. Challenging to everyone and pretty challenging to a village cricket club but I am full of pride and admiration for the way in which Fernhurst CC dealt with everything and produced a memorable season for all its members.

We started the year bedding in a new website, new membership database and a new payment system. All of these have proved to be invaluable tools in making the club smoother to run and as we learn more about their capacities this will only aid us further; the significant investment of 2019 was well worth it. As spring came, we looked forward to a busy season; the square was prepared early, the nets were refurbished and then came lockdown. We then looked at the challenges ahead; would we play at all, would we play part of a season, could we run junior coaching & matches? All this whilst the sun shone and we had one of the best starts to a season weather-wise in recent times. Hope appeared to be beckoning and then came that announcement; ‘a cricket ball is a vector of disease’. The Fernhurst press machine was in full flow and before we could blink, in 34 degrees of heat, Sky Sports News came to the village and put us on the map as we went out several times in their news programme that weekend. More was to follow as BBC South Today picked up the baton and we featured on the evening and late-night news shows. Who knows what difference we might have made but then suddenly cricket was back on and we sprang into action.

Covid protocols were put into place, socially-distanced coaching sessions were arranged, nets booking systems were established, the outside bar was built and we finally started in the middle on the 11th of July. From this point on it was non-stop; both Saturday I’Anson teams playing half seasons, the Sundays cramming in almost a season’s worth of fixtures and the many junior teams playing a large number of matches. The membership numbers increased across all ages and the senior teams especially benefitted from an influx of new players; we must keep them next year and build further. The season finale of a three-way triangular tournament that finished in the near dark with the result going down to the final ball with the senior Saturday & Club awards afterwards was a fitting sign off. The

Sunday XI managed a socially-distanced curry awards night and the junior awards will return next year.

I want to say a very special thanks in this most difficult of years to all my committee members who put so much in to getting the season on; we were the envy of many a visiting team and a source of great pleasure to the many people from the village and other spectators who came to watch matches or buy a drink at the bar. Also, I would like to thank all the volunteers & helpers behind the scenes for the work they do on the grounds, the bar and coaching. This doesn’t go unnoticed and is a big part of what make the club successful. It is great to now have helpers from the colts right through to the old stalwarts doing their bit.

The club is, in my opinion, as strong as it has been since I have been fortunate enough to be a member. I look forward to 2021 for us to continue the success and ethos of Fernhurst Cricket Club whatever challenges may be thrown at us.

Jon Meier, Chairman, Fernhurst CC