EYNSHAM CRICKET CLUB

This Newsletter is being written on a gloomy, cold and damp December afternoon; the end of the 2004 season is now a fading memory (actually of gloomy, cold and damp afternoons!) but the next is now less than 4 months away. There will be much Club activity before the whites are donned once again – this Newsletter is designed to let you know what is going on.

Annual General Meeting

The Club’s AGM will be on Sunday 30 January at the Queens Head. The AGM is open to all members of the Club. Following the rule changes at the 2004 AGM our voting membership is now around 30 active adult players, and nearly 60 non-playing members, the majority of whom are parents of our 70 or so junior members.

The formal notice for the AGM will be circulated early in the New Year; please put this date in your diary and come along.

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Annual Dinner

Our annual dinner this year will be held at Little Italy on 5 February. The annual dinner is one of the highlights of the Club’s calendar. The cost of the dinner will be £25 per person excluding wine. Please contact Murray Sutton (880566) if you would like to attend.

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New Ground Update

A lot has happened this year. The most significant achievement was the laying of the new square. After one or two false starts – a combination of the weather and difficulties in getting our water connected – work commenced in June with our contractors finishing most of their work in July. Much work has been done since and we are hopeful that we will be able to play some matches on the new square in 2005 – once we have played some games we will then be able to decide when we can finalise our move.

Over the next few months we aim to finish the drive and gateway; to lay the car park; and to lay nets. We’ll also be continuing the work on the outfield. We are going to seek funding for an artificial wicket which will be located at the far end of the field and which we will be able to use for junior cricket and as a practice strip.

Completion of all of these will leave only one major task: the funding and building of the pavilion. We have planning permission for a pavilion already but have recently concluded that we need a more modest building. We will submit a revised planning application in the next few months.

We have been very lucky to have received a great deal of support around the village: individuals and businesses have donated time, expertise, money and materials. Many members and former members of the Club have also spent many hours, fund raising, working on the field and on some of the "backroom" tasks. We greatly appreciate this – and we will continue to need help and support until our exciting vision is realised.

Please contact Richard Lake (884197), Pete Jones (881229) or Phil Brown (880772) if you will be able to offer any help over the next few months. We will be keen in particular to receive offers of time and labour (for the drive, car park and nets work). Our fundraisers would also always be happy to receive offers of help – call Jackie Williams (883929). As we move from planning to building the pavilion we will also be grateful for offers of building materials.

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Croquet Club agreement

We have recently entered into a sub-lease with the Croquet Club. They will be laying new croquet lawns on the west side of the field in the spring of next year; but may be playing on the new field this winter. We are very happy to have concluded this agreement and look forward to many years of co-existence on our new field.

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Junior winter coaching

We are planning that our junior section coaches will be beginning indoor coaching sessions for their teams in the early spring. It is planned that these will be held at Bartholomew School. Further details will be sent out on this in due course.

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Adult nets

We will begin our adult winter nets in February (just after the annual dinner). Once again these will be held at Burford School. Again more details will be sent out on this early in the New Year.

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Fundraising events

The first event for 2005 is a Table Top Sale at Eynsham Village Hall on Saturday 29^th January between 1pm and 3pm Turn out your attics and cupboards, sort out the unwanted Christmas presents and make some much needed cash after the big spend-up! Tables can be pre-booked on 01865 883929 or 01865 880772.

There will be the return of the Quiz Night in the Spring and our Cake and Bric-a Brac sales will continue throughout the year. Other events will be advertised when we have details.

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And finally…….

It remains only to wish you all a very Happy New Year.