The Bolton Cricket League AGM 2011

Welcome to the Annual General Meeting for 2011.

Essentially we are here to undertake the compliance issues set down in our rules but it is also my personal lot to give an overview on our achievements during the year. Some of the comments will already have been aired at our monthly meetings and some at our various presentation evenings. The points which are duplicated are worthy of a second reference and I will add to them.

The easy start is to congratulate The League on the standard of cricket produced at all levels. We compete with the best in all age groups at junior level; the truth is that our small and compact league does rather more than compete. It is my belief that our junior network is at least the finest in the county. Once again our juniors dominated proceedings. True, we didn’t manage a full sweep this year but Horwich and Westhoughton took the county honours at under 11 and under 13 level and, as they say, ‘two out of three ain’t bad’ They are the first clubs in role of honour in this report. I specifically commend their coaches and mentors and can also pay tribute to those involved at this level throughout the league. This is not down to good luck. It is down to hard work and commitment and secures the future of our local game.

Moving up the age groups Heaton’s under 18’s dominated proceedings with a good mixture of players from all the junior age bands. Again, this is homage to the hard work put in by their coaching team. Friday night net attendance numbers of 80 plus are the norm here and this represents the benchmark for involvement of the local community.

At senior level Westhoughton seconds won the championship and were losing finalists in the Birtwistle Cup. This shows their overall strength and consistency. The side showed a close to perfect mix of seniority and youth. As mentioned ‘the double’ escaped them by a whisker as Egerton seized their chance on finals day. This match was a testimony to second team cricket.

As for senior cricket, it is fair to say that all roads led to Greenmount. A league and cup double followed by winning of the Lancashire knockout is a memorable achievement and, once again, I offer them the warmest congratulations. However, there is more to it than that. Week after week they overpowered their opposition, but importantly they won in ‘the right manner’ They played their cricket hard and fair, showed respect to opponents and officials in equal measure and exhibited the very best of what amateur sport is about. Well done to Mark Stewart and his team on the pitch and the support team off it. I am passionate about cricket and sport generally. I am more passionate about the way the game should be played. I’m not suggesting that a completely Corinthian approach needs to be adopted but I am always aware that whatever else happens the spirit of the game is most important. This to their utmost credit, was exemplified at the Log Cabin.

The two most rewarding tasks undertaken by the chairman are the most promising player award and the Hubert Pendlebury award for exceptional service to The League. Matthew Parkinson was a worthy recipient of the former (albeit by a pinch from twin brother Callum!) and it was an absolute pleasure to present the latter award to a clearly moved Eric Smith from our umpiring friends. Both these individuals join the list of the best we can offer from our league and I commend them wholeheartedly.

I now move on to the more cerebral areas of the report. Neville Cardus wrote ‘If everything about England was destroyed except the laws of cricket, English society could still be recreated from them’ There are many things ‘right’ with the leagues day to day activities but the things that are wrong seem to me to be changes in the function of society. I believe the asylum that is Westminster refer to them as ‘systemic’ The major problem we have with our sport and amateur sport generally is that too many people want to take out and too few people are prepared to put in. If there is one area we must address then this is it. It may be an unachievable goal but if our standards and facilities are to remain then failure cannot be an option.

During the latter end of the season the umpires drew attention to their continued difficulties. Their numbers are at a critical level and they rightly due attention to average age of their members. We have given and will continue to give financial support to them to assist in the attraction of new members. They have taken initiatives on training and the sharing of experiences and are to be commended for this diversified approach. I do hope they are successful in bringing more guests to the table. Their quality is an integral part of our game. I urge all clubs to support them at all times, and confirm they will receive our utmost support.

Their predicament set me thinking. What is happening to our umpires association is also happening at our clubs. The same people seem to undertake more and more and we grow old together too. We must involve our younger members. I particularly address this comment to the players. They receive the greatest benefit and it is up to them to reinvest in their clubs and the league. During the season I sent Dave Tattersall away to recruit some of our ‘free thinking’ younger players. Some good names came forward, in fact if I could have chosen that body I couldn’t have done better. They were given the proverbial blank piece of paper to consider change and whilst all of their thoughts were good we will not see them all enshrined in the rule book. What is important is that we got this resource out in the open. We must get these people into our league meetings. Our duty is to pass the league on in at least as good order as we found it and people such as these are the future.

We have had disciplinary issues which seem to me to be a reflection of lower standards in society and a little too much of what I refer to as ‘me’ thinking, selfishness, for want of a more appropriate word. Stirling Moss said this. ‘Sportsmanship is not something you bolt on. Abiding by the rules and having the right spirit are part and parcel of what sport is about’ we could all do well to consider that!

We must protect our clubs from difficult times. Most of our business models are built on selling beer and spirits and this market is at the dangerous end of discretionary spend. I am aware that clubs finances are under pressure. I will shortly be looking to convene the key men at each club to share initiatives to ensure our clubs are financially secure. Whichever way we look at it we have an expensive sport. I estimate that an annual sum of £30k is required to see a club through. That is not a sum come by easily. We must be diligent here.

Monthly meetings have generally been well attended and thought provoking. I am happy to say that we have done our job well and thank all club representatives for their contribution. For my part I will continue to ensure that the meetings are conducted professionally and respectfully. I must thank league secretary Ray Taylor for his administrative support. We are indeed fortunate to have him on board.

Once again the Axford family have given support through league sponsorship. We are extremely fortunate to have their close involvement. The financial support is one thing but should not mask a commitment to local sport and our communities. On behalf of us all I extend a true ‘thank you’ to Tony, Martin and Michael.

And that’s it from me. Some of the points you will have heard before and I make no bones to say they will be heard again because they are things I believe in. It’s been hard work being chairman. It is a demanding role but the chance to put back into the game is something which I continue to find rewarding. I thank you for the opportunity.

Warwick S Milne