Chairman's Message
The 2007 season was a happy and
successful one from most points of view. Despite the 1st XI
being unable to consolidate their promising start to the season there was
a comfortable enough finish and a number of youngsters made great
progress. The 2nd and West Wales XI’s improved by significant
margins but the real stars of the season were the Under 15’s who won the
Cardiff and the Vale Cup.
Off the field we enjoyed a highly
successful social and fundraising year with our calendar of events now
firmly in place. The Annual Golf Day continues to be a great attraction
and the President’s Lunch was again a resounding success. The End of
Season Ball was well attended by the young and old, all who seemed to have
had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The Annual Dinner had the highest
attendance for many years and we were fortunate to hear a mixture of fact,
history, poetry and humour from our speakers; although not necessarily in
that order! Last, but by no means least, I am told that the Ladies Supper
was a resounding success even though I was not allowed to attend.
Our progress is dependent on so many
factors coming together. We need to continually improve facilities, covers
at a cost of over £6,000 being our next urgent requirement. We also need
to broaden the base of our membership especially in the adult playing
category and perhaps most vital of all we need more parents to run teams,
not necessarily to act as coaches but to get involved with the
organisation, transportation etc. At the time of writing we are in urgent
need of an Under 11 Team Manager. Is there anyone out there able to help?
The thanks of the entire Club are due to
those who work so hard to provide cricket for so many. While many are
involved to a greater or lesser extent one person carries a workload which
is truly remarkable. As if captaining the 1st XI was not enough
he’s our Secretary, Treasurer and Coach/Organiser for the Under 13’s; Jon
Smart is a true hero.
Finally, I want to pay tribute to all
those supporters, friends and organisations that also help keep cricket
flourishing in Cowbridge. Without them we would be a poorer club in all
respects. However, we cannot stand still, there is always more that can be
done to improve the Club further and I along with the Committee would be
pleased to listen to any suggestions you may have.
Good luck to our new 1st XI
Captain for 2008, Andy Daniels, and everyone else involved in continuing
to move Cowbridge cricket forward.
Jeffrey
Bird
Chairman