We entered a photograph of our girls team into a photographic competition entitled ‘A Celebration of Giving’ run by the Community Foundation of Surrey. The picture has been commended by the judges and will be shown, together with details of the club, at a special exhibition being staged at Guildford Cathedral on the 9th February 2012.

Quite a few dog walkers have been concerned to see small blobs of foam all over the cricket outfield. No need for alarm. On the 6th December the whole outfield was de-wormed and the foam is used by the operator as markers so that he could see where he has been. The grass on the square is looking extremely healthy and if we get a dry spell it will need trimming. All the leaves have now dropped so we will shortly be needing a group of volunteers to clear them to give the grass a chance to grow. All the leaves have been removed from the fence around the square so we shouldn’t get the bare, muddy patches like last year. Owen Winser has re-sharpened and re-set the blades on the outfield mower so it is all ready for next season.

November

Many congratulations are in order. He may be a fearsome opening bowler and bludgeons cricket balls to all corners of the park but underneath he is really a romantic softy. On a recent visit to India (purely by coincidence after the end of the cricket season) Allan Cooper proposed to his Claire. Well done Allan and Claire and may you both have a brilliant partnership.

If you were walking through the village on the 22nd November, as dusk was falling and the mist was rising, you would have seen a strange sight. There was Jack Duffell in the nets with cricket bat in hand. No he wasn’t going mad he was testing the bowling machine which he has now repaired for us.

There were only sixty people at the Surrey Downs Presentation Evening at Dorking Rugby Club on the 18th November to see Newdigate players take some of the top honours. Congratulations to Allan Cooper for best match analysis and most wickets, Keith Fuller for the highest score and Richard Callcut for most league runs. This is the third year on the trot that Richard has achieved the highest batting award in the league which will take some beating.

So you think that now that we are well into November that nothing is happening at the club. How wrong you would be. On the 10th November we had a pavilion development meeting, on the 14th there is a Surrey Trust Development League Meeting, on the 15th there is a funding meeting at the Surrey Cricket Centre in Burpham, on the 16th is the AGM of the Surrey Downs League, on the 18th is the Surrey Downs Presentation and on the 21st is the East Surrey Colts League AGM. Oh and in between we had the dinner and dance!

Geoffrey Smith was in the village for the Remembrance Day Service and he said that his father, Charles, who was a well known and highly respected gentleman, used to play cricket for Newdigate. He was a left arm spin bowler who later played for Horsham. Geoffrey has his original Newdigate cap from the 1940/50s and he said that he will donate it to the cricket club.

The new venue at the Surrey Hills Hotel proved to be a roaring success for the Annual Dinner and Dance. 119 people sat down for the dinner and the following pictures clearly show that everyone had a great time. Well done Craig Jones and his team for their brilliant organisation. Spare a thought though for poor Dan Jones who must have felt a little bit left out – his brother Craig won the Clubman of the Year award, his father Don won the golf and then his Mum, Annette won the £200 prize draw!

Richard Callcut receiving the 1st XI batting award from Craig Jones

Colin and Marion Hales

Don Jones receiving the golf cup from Simon Capel

Mark Rance with the Sunday 1st XI batting award

Hat-trick man Pat Kinal

Popular Clubman of the Year – Craig Jones

Robin and Nina in partying mode ………

Mark Rance, Kevin Dodson,James & Paul Bettesworth

The Hollands, the Jones and Sean Trower

Bill Turner, Nick Crawford, Tina Callcut, James Scowen, Andrew Major & Simon Capel

…Don & Annette Jones, Will Parkhouse & Bill Turner

Krisztina Lugosi and Jan Turner

The Under 9 contingent

Barry Jordan and ‘Barry’s Babes’

Helen Hamilton and Tricia Kehl show good footwork……..

Anita Vaughan and Nicki Giordan sway past a bouncer

During the summer, Jinny Osborne has done a great job selling recycled gear. This raises funds for the club and enables parents to buy cheap equipment for their rapidly growing offspring. At the end of this season we still had two bags of gear left so we decided to donate it to LV SOS Kit Aid. This company had a half page advertisement in The Cricketer magazine and are supported by the ECB. David Bowers drove up from Gravesend on the 7th November to collect the equipment and told us that it would be gratefully received by one of the developing nations in Africa. Here it is being loaded for the first stage of its long journey.

Autumn is really with us now with fallen leaves now spread right across the ground.

Andy Meads held his annual bonfire party on the 4th November. Newdigate was outnumbered by Three Bridges but Craig Jones and Richard Callcut were like pigs in …….. as they were responsible for lighting all the fireworks. Much talk from the Bridges lads about their relegation.

October

The community bonfire evening, organised by the cricket club,went off with a bang. Alwyn Kear did a great job of building up the fire and in bright sunshine everything was got ready for the evening. At four o’clock the clouds gathered and light drizzle fell for a couple of hours but thankfully stopped just in time. The fireworks were excellent and lasted for 15 minutes and everyone worked hard on the food stall. Benson’s brought all the fun of the fair and Radio Redhill kept the music going. It was probably our best organised bonfire but we had a feeling that numbers may have been a bit down. Possibly the rain discouraged people but it was disappointing to see loads of people outside the Brocus, no doubt feeling very pleased with themselves for having a great firework display without paying a penny! Afterwards the team worked hard to do the massive job of clearing up.

What a difference a drop of rain makes. The outfield had its final cut on the 24th October and it was bone dry, but worryingly none of the seed had taken on the square despite it having been watered a week before. The next day the rains came and by the weekend the whole square was covered in swathes of new grass.

I attended a Safe Hands course at the Oval on the 18th October. This course deals with child protection issues and a major point that emerged was the use of facebook. Do you subscribe to facebook? If you do, is everything that you have posted appropriate to your position as a coach, captain or a player ? Remember anyone can see what you have posted including our young members. Something to think about. – John Callcut.

What strange weather we are having. Since Derek did the autumn preparation at the end of September we have not had a drop of rain so it was a strange sight to see the sprinkler on the square to try and encourage the seed to grow. Derek put a triple layer of seed on the ends and double layer on the rest of the square and apart from a few patches it has resolutely refused to grow. Now the forecast is ‘Arctic Wind’ from the north. Ugh.

It’s good to know that our website is read far and wide. Recently we have had a nice message from Ray Warwood who played for Newdigate in the 1970s and is now living in South Australia. (jwarwood@robernmenz.com.au). I hope that this brings back some memories:

‘ I started playing in 1969 when I came back from College. I played every year until I moved up to Hertfordshire in 1977 after which I came back to play some matches whilst regularly playing for Datchworth Green in the Hertfordshire league. I finally stopped after I moved onto Merseyside in 1980 and played for Caldy in the Liverpool League. I finally retired on arrival in Oz in 1984 and looking at a 38 C day on a cricket field was not my idea of fun. I was dragged back to look after junior cricket when my son played spending 4 years as Junior Coordinator and committee Member of a strong Turf Cricket club in Adelaide pus another 3 years coaching. Umpiring an afternoon in 43 C weather is no fun I can assure you.

I had great fun playing and was a regular on Saturdays and Sundays most often opening the bowling but occasionally the batting and whenever we were playing for a draw I was sent out to hang in there making one memorable two hour duck. It was not unusual for me to bowl unchanged from one end during an innings with some marathon spells one of 32 overs following a day of 28 on which days I also ended up batting a total of 4 hours helping considerably to reduce my weight.

It was the group of players there that made it such fun, we played to win or not lose, on Sundays we were strong village, Saturdays we still played a decent level of cricket in those years..no league. The Devon tour was an annual highlight

Obviously I really liked Brian Chamberlain, Chris Soar, the Higgs brothers Godfrey who bowled off 4 paces at amazing speed, David who kept wicket and batted with great energy preferring 4’s or6’s. If I remember right Ray Simpson was the other left hander of similar style who scored a century in 35 minutes at Broadhurst breaking many windows on the way, he also kept wicket.

Derek Brearley was a great fiend, good batsman, wicket keeper and medium paced bowler. He gave me great assistance with my bowling by his comments from behind the wicket. Chris Banks, Bob Bettesworh, Andrew Hales Colin Hales nicknamed Trigger (but not directly to him) for his umpiring. Obviously many many more. Great times all round but the glue that kept the club going was Brian.

I was on the committee and bar treasurer for a while. Once refusing to transfer funds to the club account because I did not trust the then treasurer who defected with the club’s money. However, due to my determination we had the bar takings still in hand so he got very little.

Now in the photograph (see History section) working right to left on the back row:

David Harris, the next male I am not certain of, it could be Barry Osborne (who my memory says was playing and bowled a leg side long hop that one of the batsman smashed into me fielding in my usual suicide positions at silly mid on to help deal with the fact I was a lousy fielder), Brian Chamberlain, I am next with the glasses, then the next is a young long haired Andrew Hales, I think the bald gentleman is Nigel Pocock (Pat Pocock the Surrey spinner’s brother), Chris Soar (good bat and leg spinner), David Higgs, Ray Simpson, Derek Brearley, Godfrey Higgs, Eric Faunch (I think that is the surname) umpiring (he was a left arm spinner).

I am pleased to hear that Colin Hales and his wife are too. If I am ever in the UK during a season you can be sure I will visit. It would be great to keep in touch at times.

Oh in terms of the school I arrived there when Mr Tudor was headmaster and then Mr Smith going on to Therfields at Leatherhead in the grammar stream’

Jim Warwood, 6th October 2011

September

The wicket is hard and fast, the outfield is like lightning, we have the best weather of the summer so how come we are not playing cricket ? It’s because the season has finished and we are putting the club to bed. Here is Derek Heselwood working on the square.

On the 25th September our u12/13s were invited to be the guard of honour at the Oval for the 20/20 match between England and the West Indies. They had a brilliant evening even if the result didn’t go England’s way. Here they are at the Oval and I understand that all the boys were a credit to the club.

There is a painting in the Long Room at Lords entitled ‘Cricket on the Cotmandene’. As part of the Mole Valley Heritage Weekend we were invited by Dorking Cricket Club to re-enact the match with everyone dessed in costume circa 1770. We were up to the challenge and eleven Newdigate players duly arrived on the Cotmandene and umpire, Pierre Tartari, who was dressed in attire more suited for the Pump Room in society Bath read out the laws of the game. Newdigate won the toss and invited Dorking to bat. We played under seventeenth century laws and it took some time for the Newdigate bowlers to adjust with the ball only allowed to bounce once. Some of our bowls players found this law particularly difficult to fulfill. Dorking batted well but struggled with the law that meant if the ball crossed the boundary then only one run was scored. Nevertheless they reached a competitive total which Newdigate found totally impossible to reach as they ended up losing by forty runs. We then retired to a nearby house for a scrumptious cream tea. All money raised went towards the charity Kids for Kids.

Play up, play up and play the game – memories of John Nyren, William Beldham and Lumpy Stevens

In 1959 Bill Turner and John Callcut opened the batting for St. Dunstan’s Junior School, Cheam so nostalgia was in the air when both players arranged for a match to be played at Newdigate on the 4th September celebrating this event. Heavy rain fell at mid-day and by 2.00 pm the square was covered with puddles so the general consensus was for everyone to pack their bags and go home. But the rain stopped and the sun came out. The puddles were soaked up and a 25 over match was played on the artificial wicket. The sides were selected in the manner of school days with each captain picking players. Bill’s team batted first and Peter Freeman hit a classy 25 and retired. Graham Twaites took a liking to the orange ball and soon got into the groove swinging the ball in his familiar manner but Paul Bettesworth and Dave Freeman kept the runs ticking along nicely. Much to the chagrin of the batsmen they were curtailed by the spin of John Callcut who took 1-7 from his five overs. Mark Randall made his intentions known before being undone trying to lift the ball into Capel, James Turner showed what a loss he is to cricket by making batting look easy and Stephen Kehl hit some mighty blows. Bill’s team reached an impressive 152. In reply Hiten Patel and Dan Jones started well and Ron Rowley, playing his first game in seven years, hit a stylish cover drive for four which brought memories flooding back. Wickets kept falling and brothers Richard and David Callcut increased the scoring rate until David was run out …… no comment. In the flick of an eye Barry Jordan, Mick Radburn and Darren Rochester were back in the pavilion and it was left to Ben Crook and John Callcut to try and salvage an unlikely victory. With two overs to go John was run-out and the innings closed on 121. Dave Freeman, Mark Randall, Stephen Kehl, Craig Jones, Paul Bettesworth and James Turner all bowled tidy spells – Bill also bowled!! The match was followed by a barbecue and long chats in the bar.

Do we play ? Dave Freeman, Andy Meads, Mark Randall and Peter Freeman discuss

Mopping up

The players wondering whether to play or go home ….

Nick Crawford and Andy Meads in deep thought

John’s team

Who’s for a barbecue – Tina and Annette serving

The days end and the match is over.

August

Newdigate u12s played some excellent cricket throughout the season and deservedly won their division in the East Surrey Colts League. As a result they were invited to participate in the Surrey Champions Trophy at Sunbury Cricket Club.

On arrival they found that their opponents were Sutton, Leatherhead and Wimbledon. A look of awe spread across the players faces – how could little Newdigate compete against such formidable opposition?
The first game was against Wimbledon. In 2008 our u13s had a very close match against the same opponents so it was hoped that the same thing would happen again. The opening overs were promising as George Warne and Joe Teague picked up early wickets. The talented Ed Cooper was dropped before scoring and likewise the obdurate Oliver Miles was also dropped without scoring. Instead of 20-4 it became 127-2. Such is cricket – Cooper hit a stylish 35 and Miles was not out on 32. Amongst the other batters only Sam Dickon reached double figures as he hit a stylish 24. Memories of the league match against Capel came flooding back as Newdigate recorded 53 extras. Wimbledon finished their innings on a formidable 155-7
Finn Osborne is Newdigate’s most reliable batsman and what happens? – he was run out without facing a ball. Wickets tumbled to the accurate Wimbledon bowling and not one single Newdigate batsman reached double figures. The Wimbledon bowling and fielding were exemplory and Newdigate collapsed to 32 all out. A depressing performance.
In the other semi-final Leatherhead was smashed by Sutton in similar circumstances so this set up an intriguing final and runners up competition.
Leatherhead batted first and were curtailed by accurate Newdigate bowling. Joel Friend (35 ret) batted very sensibly but the big hitter, Harry Higgs (36 ret), then tore the bowling apart and Leatherhead finished on a score of 126-4. Only George Warne returned with respectable figures of 3-10. This was a score that Newdigate has chased down during the season so they went in to bat with confidence. Leatherhead opened with the pace of Joel Friend and the spin of Cameron Zaltsman. This was a lethal combination as they ripped the Newdigate batting apart. Finn Osborne (29) stood firm but it wasn’t until number nine Jacob Moon came in that an unlikely victory became a possibility. He hit a quick fire 27 but it was to no avail as Newdigate were all out for 90. In the final Sutton had a convincing win over Wimbledon.
This competition was a chastening experience for this young Newdigate team but they will come out of it all the stronger and ready to face the challenges of 2012.

Under 12s looking reasonably happy

Under 12s looking sad having lost

Stalwart supporters

Chris Bullen giving out the awards …………

There was a cricket bonanza at Newdigate on Bank Holiday Sunday when the annual Six-a-Side Competition, in memory of Peter Clark raised over £600 for Diabetes UK. Eight teams gathered on a day that saw dark clouds skirting the ground, but the rains stayed away, and we even enjoyed some warm sunshine.

Group matches started at 10.00 am and Newdigate fielded teams representing the Saturday, Sunday and Midweek players together with the under 13s and under 15s. Newdigate Football Club brought a strong side as did Dorking Rugby Club and Reigate Grammar School which was captained by Sam Cryer.
There was some excellent cricket and eventually Dorking Rugby Club, RGS Cryer, the Newdigate Saturday team and the Newdigate Football Club came through to the semi finals.
In one semi-final the Saturday team beat the powerful rugby club. With wickets falling it left the sensible batting of Jack Bowley and James Bettesworth to see their side through. The biggest cheer was reserved for Bettesworth when he hit Newdigate pace bowler, Allan Cooper, who had been seconded to the Rugby Club, through the covers to score the winning run.
In the other semi-final three wickets in an over from Paul Bettesworth, including the dangerous Rob Lowe, who looked as though he was going to win the match single handed, broke the heart of RGS.
A coloured ball was used for the final as twilight was fast approaching. The football club batted first and posted a score of 50. In reply Ruky Wickremasinghe, Sam Slade and Dan Jones all hit useful runs but it was quite clear that this match was going to the wire. Hearts were thumping as the commentator announced the mathematics of the match but it boiled down to the very last ball with the teams tied and one run needed off the last ball. Matt Jee was bowling and Angus Campbell batting. Down came the ball and Campbell hit it to mid-off and scrambled the winning run.
There were many stand-out moments during this splendid day. Mike Shaw won the prize for the biggest six, Sam Slade’s running catch was brilliant, the u13s pushed the midweekers in a tight group match and Paul Bettesworth’s three wickets in an over was probably the highlight. Jenny Clark kindly presented the cup to the winning team,
Throughout the day food and drinks were served. From bacon butties in the morning, a barbecue all afternoon and Jane Major’s cakes and tea. A grand raffle was held. The star prize was tickets to the England and West Indies 20/20 match at the Oval which were kindly donated by Surrey Chairman, Richard Thompson. Peter Gibbs gave some wonderful potted plants, Seaspace some cosmetics and Sam Cryer a selection of DVDs all of which helped us to raise that handsome sum for Diabetes UK.

Don Jones deep in thought

Surprise visitor Kevin Dodson getting a hug from Annette Jones

Where’s my bag ?

Junior wait for their next match

Time for tea

Spectators enjoying some sunshine

Clouds are gathering but the rain stayed away

barbecue girls………

……..The final score – phew!!!

Jenny Clark with the losing and winning captains, Paul Bettesworth and Ruky Wickremasinghe

…………….. Runners-up, Newdigate Football Club …………………………………………. and the winners, Newdigate Saturday Team…………………………………………

Disappointment for the u12s. On the 23rd August they were scheduled to play in the NEC 8-a-Side competition at Beddington CC. Morning dawned and down came the rain and the event was cancelled.

On the 18th August the Newdigate Bowls Club invited us to play bowls on their hallowed turf. This was the day that the Oval test match was cancelled due to rain and just as we started to play down came the rain. But bowls players are a hardy lot so we continued. The rain stopped and we had an enjoyable evening followed by a delicious barbecue.

Richard Brown, Barry Jordan, Bryan Thompson, John Hanson, Nick Crawford, Krisztina Lugosi and Richard Callcut on a murky August evening.

Thomas Ball celebrated his 15th birthday and his parents shared his birthday cake at the cricket club. A pretty impressive cake you must admit. Thomas is now making his way in the first team so we wish him a happy birthday and lots of runs.

Once again the Patel family provided us with a marvelous curry after the cricket on the 13th. There were lots of people there and they kindly donated the proceeds, £120.00, towards our 6-a-Side charity, Diabetes UK.

During the 1st XI match against South Nutfield on the 13th August there was a loud crack as an enormous branch fell from one of the five oaks in the middle of the Brocus. We blame, batsman Dan Jones, who hit a six into that very tree earlier in the day. Such vandalism !!!

Saturday, August 6th, saw a number of records tumbling. All three Saturday league teams recorded excellent wins. Allan Cooper took 8-23 in the 1st XI’s ten wicket win over league leaders, North Holmwood. This is a club record beating the previous best analysis by Graham Twaites of 8-56 in 1996. Stephen Kehl and Henry Warne recorded a fifth wicket partnership of 166 in the 3rd XI’s win against Ockley. This also is a club record, beating the previous best of 149 set by Tim Pople and Richard Callcut in 2005. Let’s not forget the 2nd XI who although not breaking any records had an excellent win against Tadworth to maintain their challenge for the championship. The strength of this team is such that the two opening bowlers and batters numbers 1 & 3 from the previous week were not playing! Needless to say there were celebrations at the club not least from Hiten Patel who recorded his 22nd birthday in traditional style drinking what looks like a pretty lethal potion.

What a difference 48 hours can make. On the 2nd August we hosted the u10 Surrey vs Hertfordshire match. The ground looked a picture and was bathed in warm sunshine all day long. It was gratifying to receive a number of kind comments about the ground and our hospitality from the Hertfordshire and Surrey officials.Two days later we were due to host the Surrey vs Sussex u10 match and it rained and rained. Typical English weather.

Newdigate was well represented at the OSCA award ceremony held at the Oval on the 3rd August. Stephen Kehl, who was nominated for the Junior Volunteer of the Year award, was there with his father, Ian, together with Andrew Major, John Callcut and Paul and Sarah Griffiths. Stephen did not make the final but we all had a good evening which included seeing Surrey beat Northants in the 40 over match. Here is Stephen with Surrey Chairman, Richard Thompson, and Paul with England star, Chris Tremlett.

www.paulgriffiths.info
www.cricketcoach.info
……………………………. they make them tall at Surrey CCC !!!!!

July

Have you met our new, prospective groundsman yet? His name is Aiden Jones and here he is taking instructions from our Chairman, Andy Major.

Our u12 team lost their cup final against Southern Rail and Kenley at the Croygas Ground in Wallington on the 26th July. Kenley posted a good score of 122-6 and we were always behind the scoring rate against disciplined bowling and fielding and ended up on 99-6. The side can look back on an excellent season and can feel proud to have won the league by only losing one match. Even in defeat this is a happy side who all play for each other – as can be seen from the pictures which were taken after the match!

The much awaited 20/20 match against Headley Court was scheduled for the 21st July. At 5.00 pm the Brocus was flooded in sunlight – half an hour later it was flooded with rain as thick, black clouds came in from the north. Our covers kept the wicket dry but the square had puddles all over it. Quite a few intrepid spectators arrived and at 7.00 pm our effervescent chairman made the decision that the match should go ahead. The rain had stopped, so the covers were removed, the puddles were mopped up and new rules were quickly established. Ten, eight ball overs, no fielder allowed on the square and runs could only be taken with balls hit off the square. This proved no barrier to Court’s opening pair Chris Ward (24) and Charles Chacksfield (16) who found the boundary with ease. Skipper, James Lack (17) and Srikanthan (16) joined in the fun and the visitors ended on 108. By now night-time had come two hours early as the Newdigate batsmen returned to the pavilion, shaking their heads saying ‘couldn’t see it’ as Newdigate finished on just 65. In some ways the cricket was irrelevant as a good time was had by both players and spectators and money was raised towards the vital work being done at Headley Court. Local man, Sgt. Tom Stimpson M.B.E., presented a ‘Heroes Cup’ which will be competed for each year and it was good to see Sally Buckle who has been so inspirational in stirring the village to assist our troops.

……………………James Lack and Andrew Major……………………

………………..Andrew Major, Alex Menya and Will Parkhouse……………………

…………………..Barry Jordan and Alex Menya…………….

On the 15th July we hosted the u10 county match between Surrey and Buckinghamshire. The ground looked a picture and the weather was glorious. By contrast the next day dawned with heavy rains sweeping up from the south west resulting in the cancellation of every match.

Congratulations to the u12s who beat Capel on the 14th July to secure the championship. This game was not without traumas as the u12s, stricken with nerves, conceded 67 extras as Capel reached a demanding total of 117. After an early wicket the batters kept their nerve and reached the total with three overs to spare. Well done to George Warne and his team.

The winning team after removing their Newdigate shirts and wishing Oakley Wheeler a happy birthday ( note the badge!)

When the u10s beat Chipstead, Coulsdon & Walcountians we assumed that we had won the league on NRR. However, according to league rules, the championship is decided upon the result of the match against the two top teams. The only game we lost was to Horley so they become champions and we are second. The boys had a great season and here they are after winning their last match.

On the 10th July we entered two teams in the Surrey u11 Girls Club Competition at Horsley & Send. Our A team played brilliantly and won all three games in their group and then beat Spencer in a nail-biting final.

The ‘A’ team in action

The winners proudly wear their medals

The ‘B’ team in action

B team before their second match

On the 3rd July, Capel held their brilliantly run 6-a-Side competition. With the u10 cup semi-final taking place on the same day we were actually struggling for players but we fielded an u11 side and two u9 sides following an emergency call from the organisers who had a late drop out. The standard of play was pretty high and the u9s was the only team to record a victory. Nevertheless everyone enjoyed the atmosphere and a perfect summers day. It was good to see Ron Rowley and his wife Tracey back at the club. They spent the weekend in Newdigate and met up with old friends on Saturday evening and spent most of the Sunday enjoying the Capel 6-a-Side.

The u9 squad and the u11s at the Capel 6-a-Side competition

June

On the 26th June for the first time in the club’s history a girls team represented Newdigate. Well actually we entered a team and a half in to the Surrey u11 Girls Club Cricket Festival which was held at Epsom Cricket Club. We had twelve players so four girls teamed up with Merstham who only had four players. The competition was based on Kwik Cricket rules but the sides consisted of eight players. The weather was perfect and the girls enjoyed a day of fun cricket. The Newdigate side came 5th whilst the Newdigate/Merstham side ended 9th. Congratulations to both captains, Jackie-Anne Goldsmidt and Fiona Kehl, for handling their teams brilliantly. We will be entering two teams in the next festival which is scheduled for the 10th July and we have been invited to a triangular tournament by Merstham.

On the 25th June the club hosted its first ever James Bond themed Casino Night. Gaming tables and a roulette wheel were placed in the club house and the patio and we were blessed with warm weather. Richard and Krisztina had decorated the place with James Bond images and music from the films echoed around. There were lots of James Bonds dressed in tuxedos, Oddjob, Rosa Klebb, the Man with the Golden Arm etc and great fun was had by all. Jose de Castro was the most successful’ gambler’ and won first prize. Well done Richard and Krisztina for organising such an innovative evening.

How about this for a fabulous picture taken by Simon Capel. Only a few weeks ago the ground was like a dust bowl and now with all the rain we have been having it has greened up and the bare patches are rapidly filling in with lush grass.

20th June and Will Parkhouse, James Penfold and Simon Capel see the last day of the test match at the Rose Bowl against Sri Lanka. It fizzled out in a tame draw owing to the late afternoon rain. An hour later it arrived at Newdigate and we had our junior coaching cancelled for the first time this season.

Paul Griffiths and John Callcut have been coaching year 5 & 6 girls in all the Dorking primary schools throughout the spring term. As a result about twenty girls signed up for coaching at Newdigate on Tuesday afternoons and from that group a squad of ten players were selected to represent Mole Valley at the Surrey Youth Games in Guildford on the 19th June. Ashtead CC followed a similar procedure.After losing their first match against Runnymeade, lessons were learned and they won the rest of the matches in style including a nail biting semi final against Epsom and Ewell. Next week they will be representing Newdigate in the Surrey u11 Club Cricket Festival at Epsom CC. Here they are with their gold medals.

Our fab umpire Nick Crawford played a gig to a packed house in the Six Bells on Sunday, 12th June. People were queuing up to see him and his band which consisted of the legendary singer, Frank Holder and ace guitarist Shane Hill. With rain falling outside the audience witnessed a great lunchtime which extended to 4.00 pm. Frank Holder was a bit of an ‘all rounder’ at cricket and kept wicket to Garfield Sobers and Wesley Hall in his native Guyana ! Here they are doing their stuff ……

If you went on to the Brocus on the evening of the 5th June, hoping to see the climax of this season’s first Surrey Trust Development League match against Oxted and Limpsfield would have seen a rare sight………. rain. Steady rain had meant that the match had to be abandoned after seven overs with Newdigate on 44-1. After so much activity at the club it was strange to see the ground deserted and raindrops dripping from the trees and sawdust on the ground – amazing that anyone could remember where the sawdust was!

We are into June and the ground is looking like late July. The square is being watered daily and germination sheets are down to try and encourage growth on used wickets that hopefully will be playable later on in the season. Our groundman, Derek Heselwood, is doing a valiant job under trying conditions. One of the major problems is that the bowler’s footmarks are digging deeply into the ground. The main reason for this stems back to the autumn preparation. Hard to believe but at the end of last season we had torrential rain which meant that the remedial work could not start until the second week of October. Before the grass was well established we had thick snow which meant that by March the grass growth was patchy and the roots were not binding the soil together. We managed to get late growth but the roots were not well established which means that when the bowler’s front foot hits the wicket up comes the loam leaving a hole.

May

Anyone passing the Brocus on the 31st May would have seen high class junior cricket from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. The club hosted the Surrey under 10 and 11 training sessions which determine who will represent the county at those age groups. There were four Surrey coaches present and all the hopeful parents – a difficult selection process as the standard was very high. We have a number of Newdigate players who are representing the County at district level and the next jump as was plain to see is pretty tough.

On the evening of the 29th May, immediately after the match against the Bushman we held a special ‘Brownie’ evening to thank Richard and Penny Brown for the enormous contribution that they have made over the years in bringing fun and jollity to the club. For over 15 years they have run the bar and looked after the catering, resulting in people looking forward to playing at Newdigate as they knew they were in for a great and often unpredictable evening. At the end of the 2010 season they decided to ‘retire’ so Richard and Krisztina organised a special ‘Brownie’ evening. The club was decked with brown balloons and a special ‘Brownie’ beer was commissioned complete with custom made beer clips and mats. A delicious barbecue was laid on and chocolate brownies were consumed in vast quantities. The club was absolutely packed as the Chairman made a speech and presented Richard and Penny with a gift from a grateful club. There were people present from every aspect of the club – juniors and their parents, midweek players past and present, current players and friends. A great evening and thanks to Richard and Krisztina for putting in so much work and also the band of helpers who assisted with the barbecue and clearing up.

Twelve people attended a First Aid Course held at the club on the 24th May.

On the 23rd May we held our Junior Presentation after coaching. Eighty players were present along with many players and friends. Life President, Colin Hales was there to present the Russell Haigh Trophy in the absence of Chris Haigh, Christy Pickering came down from Surrey to talk about V-Cricket and Bob Bettesworth was there to present the Bettesworth trophy. After the trophies were given out everyone enjoyed burgers and sausages from the barbecue.

Will Parkhouse, through his company Search4Technology, has agreed to sponsor the under 12s. Here he is with the under 12 captain showing off the new shirts.

The Dorking Schools Kwik Cricket Festival was held on the Brocus on the 20th May. We set up four pitches and teams from the Weald, St. Martin’s, St.Paul’s, North Downs, St Joseph and Powell Corderoy competed in separate boys and girls competitions. A powerful Weald team won the boys competition and St. Martin’s won the girls trophy. There must have been about a hundred players and lots of adult spectators present.

All the players receiving instructions……………………..

………………………. The final at the top of the field and the play-off at the bottom

Good news – the nets are now finished. Please use them, enjoy them and respect them!

It was great to be playing on the County Ground at Horsham on the 5th May. The sun was shining and it was nice and warm. We batted first and our old friend Keith Fuller hit a beautiful 60 and it was good to see Mark Rance and Paul Bettesworth returning to form with well struck fifties. Although we scored over 220 it was nowhere near enough as Horsham effortlessly passed our total. It was also nice to see Sam MacDonald again. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity of playing on such a beautiful ground and made so welcome.

It was generally agreed that the coaching session om Monday, May 2nd was the coldest we have ever known.

We entered into May with mixed results. The under 12s had a convincing cup win over Woodmansterne and similarly the under 10s won their warm up friendly against Capel. Our dreams of playing at Lords in the National Village Cup came crashing to an end with a first round defeat at Braywood in Berkshire. Back at the Brocus the Sunday 2nd XI had a crushing defeat against a very powerful Gents of Old Windsor team. They scored 292-6 in 40 overs with one of their players scoring over 160! This is our oldest fixture and clearly the Gents are on the up after a few years when they have struggled.

April

Net update – We are having problems with the installation of the net refurbishments. We placed the order with Notts Sports for delivery and installation prior to the first match of the season. We were informed by their sub-contractor, S & C Slatter, that there had been a delay on the netting but it was agreed that they would install the run-ups which was done efficiently and expertly. The netting was duly delivered on the arranged day by the manufacturer, Huck Netting, but immediately it was clear that the material was too thick and would act as a sail. To compound the problem we discovered that the material for the nets was found to be too short by half a metre. As we suspected the screen material started to rip off after a couple of days. It has now been decided that the netting material will be made from a wider mesh green material and the screen will still be white but again in a wider mesh material to allow the wind to pass through. The bottom tensioning wire was also omitted from the screen so this has also exacerbated the problem.

Can anyone remember the pitch looking so dry at the end of April? The square is being watered daily and the ground is looking as though it is mid summer. Nevertheless we have had some cracking wickets with two matches recording over 500 runs.

The first session for Y5 & Y6 girls took place at Newdigate on the 26th April. It looks as though we will have a squad of about 20 girls who will receive coaching for the next six weeks. . A new era for Newdigate cricket.

Has anyone seen the new finger post next to the entrance to the club? Apparently there is an ancient footpath that passes straight through our square !!! So if anyone is seen walking across the square during a match they are perfectly entitled to do so and we cannot stop them. If they get smashed by a cricket ball then it will be down to the lawyers to sort it out. We have £5,000,000 public liability insurance.

Congratulations to Sat 3rd XI vice captain, Chris Fox, who completed the London Marathon in under 6 hours. He hit the traditional ‘brick wall’ after 16 miles but bravely continued to complete the course.

On the 9th April, 31 members, young and old came to the club to get everything ready for the forthcoming season. With everyone working as a team all the jobs were finished by just after lunch. Here are some pictures showing the activities that took place.

Barry Wiles doing his annual repairs to the sight screen

Good to see that some of our players have reached peak fitness

Mike Osborne, Jack and Bill Wyllie fix the scoreboard

Bill Turner and Mike Osborne mend the nets ……..

Neil Austin and Julian Ball cut the hedge and this party cleared up all the cuttings

Work’s all done – now to the serious business

Sport England has awarded us £2000.00 for the purchase of Climate Covers. See www.climatecover.co.uk to see the benefits.

Thanks to grants from the Surrey Cricket Trust and the Gatwick Community Trust we have now started work on renovating our nets. Notts Sports have now laid the new bowlers run-ups and erected the frame for the barrier behind the bowlers end. They will be coming back to erect a two metre high white mesh netting to go all round the nets to enhance the safety aspect of the facility.

March
Congratulations to Dorking Rugby Club’s Will Bennett and Fraser Mosley who represented Surrey u17s in their 29-27 defeat of Sussex. This was Wills’ first match for the county and apparently he played a blinder. Let’s hope that they both continue their fine form on the cricket pitch for Newdigate!

The High Sheriff’s Youth Awards has for the second year awarded us £350.00 towards coaching costs. We attended the Awards Ceremony at the Atrium at Exxon Mobil House in Ashtead and heard about many of the schemes that have won awards this year. It was a good week for Christian as he also represented the Brighton development team at football against Arsenal.

Alex Miller and Christian Parsons with the High Sheriff of Surrey, Rob Edwards CBE

On the 22nd March Christian Parsons, Cameron Osborne and Alex Miller attended Graham Cooper’s umpires clinic at Reigate Priory Cricket Club.

You will recall that amongst other things we had our 12″ Hayter Rotary Hornet mower stolen. This has been an important piece of equipment for us as it is used for cutting the grass around the nets and the tough grass in the bottom corner which refuses to be cut by the outfield mower. Mike Osborne has come to our rescue and has given us a 24″ rotary Mountfield mower. This very generous offer is much appreciated by the club.

On Saturday, 12th March a group went up to the club and worked with a will to clear leaves which were lying thick and wet on the ground. The outfield was sufficiently dry to have it’s first cut and the ground is really looking like a cricket pitch.

Stephen Kehl was nominated for the Youth Sporting Achievement Award which was presented by Mole Valley Youth Voice at Dorking Halls. He did not win as he was up against very tough opposition. The first prize went to Olympic swimming hopeful, Hannah Shore. Tamsin Greenway, England Netball, Julia Bleesdale, English Cross Country and the actress and singer, Anita Harris were amongst those presenting the awards. Here is Stephen looking very smart with John Callcut.

The Newdigate coaches received an invitation to visit the Surrey Cricket Centre at Burpham to observe a training session for the elite players from the Surrey under 14 – 18 squads. Ross Hamilton and John Callcut attended from the club. The first thing that struck us was the high level of fitness training that Gareth Townsend has introduced. Bleep tests, step exercises and agility training. Alec Stewart concentrated on two wicket keepers and after a whole series of exercises he put the keepers through their paces. He uses a thin bat and has fixed a sheet of lino to the blade which is the same width as a bat. In this he has made cut outs. He then throws balls on to two Katchets set in line about four metres from the stumps and a batsmen then plays strokes. Invariably there is a nick. This is a fantastic exercise for the keeper and the balls down the leg side are particularly testing. In the other nets the batting and bowling training concentrates on all forms of cricket. The exercise we saw involved training for 20/20. There were two batters and they had to run between the wickets. The bowlers were flat out, and some boys looked seriously quick, and the coach gauged the number of runs scored. The target was 100 runs in 10 overs. We saw a wide range of shots played including Dilshan’s scoop! After two hours all the players were very tired but the session was focused and rewarding.

In association with Mole Valley we have started a new initiative and are introducing cricket to Y5 & Y6 girls at Dorking Schools. We will be conducting six consecutive training sessions at the Weald, St. John’s (with St. Joseph’s joining in), St. Paul’s, St. Martin’s and North Downs. At the end of the course we will be starting training at Newdigate on Tuesdays from 4.30 – 5.30 for the really keen girls with the aim of creating a team and entering the Surrey Youth Games in June. Paul Griffiths and John Callcut are conducting the courses.

February

On the 28th February Andrew Major and John Callcut attended a course at Epsom Town Hall entitled ‘Growing your Club’ . It gave us further ideas regarding funding.

We have had a good turn-out at the nets at the Oriel School which started on the 6th February.

After seeing the report of the break-in in the Dorking Advertiser a benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has agreed to make good the financial short fall. We have replaced the garage door and Graham Capel has very kindly donated a tool kit. We now have to replace the light sensors and hopefully Nick Procter will do it upon his return from Adelaide.

Mr and Mrs Brown have decided after many years to pass over the catering and bar duties. They have been a big part of Newdigate Cricket Club and the good news is that they will still be a part of our activities and will be helping Krisztina Lugosi and Richard Callcut, who will be taking over. Their’s will be a hard act to follow so please give Krisztina and Richard all your help and support. With the club now being open for sometimes six nights a week this is a big committment and we are very greatful that they are willing to take it on.

January

On the 29th January I went to the English Open Table Tennis Competition at Sheffield and met up with Ron Rowley who is working for the table tennis equipment company Bribar. He sends his best wishes to all his friends at Newdigate and hopes to come up for a weekend next summer with his wife, Tracy. That evening we had a beer in the Emmott Arms and met up with Ted and Betty Leadbeater. Many will have fond memories of our tours to Rawdon and although Ted and Betty have been having a rough time healthwise, they were both in good form and said hello to everyone who remembers them.

Well they’ve done it again. Thieves have again broken into the garage behind the pavilion under the misapprehension that we store untold riches there. They dismantled the sensors so the spot lights didn’t go on, smashed the garage door so badly that it cannot be repaired and wrenched the water tap from its mounting …. and what did they steal ? A flat battery from the outfield mower, our ancient Hayter Rotary Mower and a £50 tool kit from B & Q. They broke the lock to the store shed and what did they find there? …… nothing. They also took the covers off our new roller and removed a guard but fortunately the battery is bolted in so they didn’t take it. So what does all this mean to us ?….. the water had been turned off so flooding was minimal, we have to repair the tap mounting, buy a new garage door and have it fitted, buy a new battery and tool kit and replace the Hayter. Repair the store shed lock and replace the sensors to the lights. All money and time that we can ill afford. They didn’t appear to have attempted to break into the pavilion and if they did, what would they have found ? … you’re right – absolutely nothing.

Mr Brown has been nominated by Dorking Rugby Club in the ‘Unsung Hero’ category for the 2010 Sports Awards. Also under 15, Fraser Mosley has been nominated for the ‘Young Sports Personality of the Year’. So go out and by the Dorking Advertiser and post off your voting coupon. Mr Brown’s voting code is 093 and Fraser’s is 082.

Great attendance for the AGM at the Six Bells. There were several major changes. Julian Ball will be taking over from James Scowen as Secretary and Richard Callcut will be assuming the mantle of Fixture Secretary from Mike Quigley. We thank both James and Mike for their stirling work. All other committee positions remain the same. Dave Harrison has resigned as a Vice President under regrettable circumstances which he outlined to the retiring Secretary. The position of Ground Co-Ordinator has been suspended as this is pretty well covered on a weekly basis by Nick Crawford and John Callcut. On the playing front Richard Callcut continues as Saturday 1st XI Captain with Ben Crook as Vice Captain. Bill Turner will again be Saturday 2nd XI Captain with Craig Jones as Vice Captain. Stephen Kehl will skipper the new 3rd XI with Chris Fox as his Vice Captain. Craig Jones will captain the Sunday 1st XI with Paul Bettesworth as his Vice Captain. Craig will also organise the teams for the Sunday 2nd XI and select a captain for the day. Matt Clarke will skipper the Surrey Trust Development League team. Nick Procter outlined the current situation regarding the pavilion development and John Callcut expanded upon the net development programme. All in all a good meeting.

David and Sue Harris, who are now living on the Welsh border near Hereford, send New Year’s greetings to all Newdigate people who remember them.

Dave & Sue Harris outside their home at Hopley’s Green, near Almeley in Herefordshire