After one of the most challenging years to be Chairman of our Cricket Club, I feel the time is right to update you on the season that we are close to completing. During lockdown we had some of the best cricket weather that any early season cricket would have enjoyed. Sod’s law determined that it would change when cricket was allowed to start and of course it did. We did however play some cricket and indeed on every occasion bar one, managed to put out four teams in their respective Covid leagues. Nick Trainor and the Cricket Committee including the Captains, decided that we would use the season to give our younger players the opportunity to gain experience at the appropriate level. There being no promotion or relegation this was a great way to develop our youngsters. I would like to thank our Captains Uzi Quereshi, Sam Birch, Ali Downey, George Davis and Denise Holder for their efforts especially dealing with the difficulties this season. I’m pleased to say that they are all willing to continue next season. The highlight for me was again the run in the Village Knockout with our very young team reaching the Quarter Final. I hope one day the club will return to Lords and unlike this year have lots of supporters allowed in to watch them. I must mention our Club Licensee Chris Whincup and his excellent batting in several of the games. Frocester Ladies are growing from strength to strength and were unbeaten in Softball Cricket and won half of their Hardball League Matches. 

The Youth Cricket was obviously affected but I would like to thank Wigs Catto for her innovative leadership together with the youth coaches. 

I would now like to thank all our Volunteers, Groundsmen, Scorers, Committee, Officials and Supporters. Without you the club could not function. I am going to single out two for special praise in Ali Bray and Slim Catto. These two have made a massive contribution this season. Ali has enhanced the Social Media enormously to keep Frocester CC in the news with regular updates. He also set up our Just Giving Page and more of that later. Slim has worked tirelessly on setting up scoring and live feed coverage of the matches which now means the club’s matches can be followed from afar. I understand also that Slim and Wigs have gained some very useful net facilities for St Peter’s Field from Malvern College. Well done and thank you everyone. 

As I mentioned earlier, Ali set up a Just Giving page for donations thank you so much to those who have donated. We are going to keep the link open as our income stream is obviously curtailed in these difficult times. If anyone who hasn’t donated yet but would like to help the club stay solvent here is the link: 

As you are aware the clubhouse opened successfully last weekend thanks again to Birdy and Pete Davis. This weekend there is cricket again. Hurrah. The 1^st X1 play a friendly against Winterbourne following the guidance from the ECB. Spectators are welcome but must respect Social Distancing and also follow the rules if they wish to use the clubhouse. On Sunday there is an Intra club match with Team Trainor Junior playing Team Glew. Please see the Website for details of both. 

Youth Training will now start again for all from Under 9s to Under 13s and all girls on Friday 17^th July at 6.00 p.m. Under 15s training will begin on Thursday 16^th July. Chair of Youth, Wigs Catto will be sending out further information and asking parents to register their children on line. The clubhouse will be open but again we ask people to follow the rules re Social distancing etc. If there is any chance of inclement weather the sessions will be cancelled as social distancing would be impossible in the clubhouse. 

As we have now opened and have committed to not ask for subscriptions this year, we are in need of more donations to ensure the club comes out of the other side of this difficult time financially secure. We have lost our main sources of income with The Ball, The Beer Festival and Speed Awareness Courses all being cancelled this year.  I am therefore asking again if you use the club in any way, as a player or a user of the bar,  please donate using the Just Giving link that follows. Obviously ignore this if you are one of the people who have donated already. A massive thank you for Ali Bray for his work on this and also to Treasurer Mike Fishwick who will be keeping his fingers crossed that people use this facility. The good thing is that the link enables donations to be gift aided. 

The link is 

Well before we had been given the green light to re-open the clubhouse a few hearty individuals (Birdy & Pistol) worked tirelessly to ensure that we would be ready at the first opportunity to open our doors again. It has been no small task and our enormous thanks go to both chaps for their hard work. Thank you also goes to Tony Bray who has provided us with the signage required.

As you could imagine there will be a lot of new processes in place to allow us to openly safely and follow the government guidelines.

Below is a poster that covers the information that our punters need to know before arriving. But in true health & safety fashion there will be plenty of signage available. So don’t worry there will be no spot tests.. or will there?!

For full details of all the processes we will have place take a look at the attached Risk Assessment and Track & trace register we will be using at the bottom of this article.

Hopefully along with the bar opening we will also get a chance to watch some cricket soon. Seems strange that we can have 22 people in the bar area but not outside in an open space exercising! But we are grateful that we get to start moving again and the club is being used.

We look forward to seeing you fit & healthy at Pounds Close soon. Stay safe and please follow all the guidelines, guidance and all that jazz so we can get back to our normal crazy selves soon!