###Willowers all,
It is with a heavy heart that I furnish my first report as President of The Willows Cricket Club. The sudden passing in March of our immediate past president the Hon. Nicholas Davidson KC was a shock to us all and he is sorely missed. Our hearts go out to Rosie and Nick’s family, at a time when he was enjoying family and a well-earned retirement.
Nick’s contribution to The Willows is difficult to sum up in a few words; other than to say he was instrumental in setting the direction of our club after the passing of Mike Dormer. Through Nick’s vision and wisdom, he provided a blueprint to follow and his unwavering support for me personally will never be forgotten.
The Ground at Loburn
The ground at Loburn continues to be the jewel in The Willows CC’s crown with the quality of the playing surface, outfield and facilities very much the envy of clubs around NZ and beyond. Our grounds team is headed by Alan Gilmour, whose skill and expertise ensures that every week players get to play on a genuine first-class wicket. He is well supported by Ben Dormer and Darcy Palmer both of whom put in countless hours ensuring that the ground is always at the highest standard.
Such is the demand for teams wanting to come and play at The Willows we are in the unenviable position of sadly having to turn teams away as we simply don’t have the capacity to accommodate everyone. Peter Fulton’s Canterbury XI played an early season fixture at the ground and a number of his players commented on the quality of the surface at such an early stage in the season, again a testament to Alan and his skills.
Once again this season, the bat tended to dominate the ball which of course we would expect. Chris Mugford, an ageless Willower, recorded his one thousandth run for the Club – a wonderful achievement. For the record The Willows recorded 18 wins and 5 losses this season with four games washed out due to poor weather.
This season we again welcomed The Seddon Cricket Club Under-17 team from Hamilton. Our relationship with this Club is growing all the time, and they do fantastic work promoting youth cricket and opportunities within their region.
We also welcomed the Sydney Cricket Ground Cricket Club for the first time, based out of the famous SCG. They share similar values to The Willows in providing opportunities for younger cricketers and this too is a connection that we hope to develop, in order that one day The Willows may be able to travel to Sydney and play at the famous ground.
Another first was a visit by the Ocean Beach Cricket Club from the Hawke’s Bay, a club established by Andy Lowe, a well-known local figure who has made a very big contribution to both sport and conservation in his region. This was our first time hosting Ocean Beach who had previously very generously hosted a Willows XI at their ground.
Whilst we didn’t manage to play fixtures against our sister club the Wanderers Cricket Club this season, we maintain a strong relationship with the Wanderers who are expertly run by William and James Marshall and Jeremy Dean. Both boys’ and girls’ fixtures are planned for next season as we look to continue this long-standing relationship.
Kindred and Masters Cricket
The Kindred section of the Club continues to blossom, and this group of committed cricketers are very much part of the fabric of The Willows CC. This past season, we saw several fixtures and tournaments played. Notably The Willows Kindred XI defended the Chatfield Shield in Marlborough, with all teams being wonderfully hosted by Dave Clouston at his Black Cottage ground.
In addition to the Kindred tournament The Willows were invited by The Wanderers CC in Wellington to play in a 20 over tournament at The Basin Reserve, with other Kindred Teams, thus creating another valuable connection. Over the same weekend The Willows were hosted by The Old Tablelands Cricket club, in a lovely vineyard setting in the Wairarapa. For the record Old Tablelands avenged their previous loss to The Willows.
The Club
We all understand what it takes to run a club such as The Willows and to continue to make it a successful organisation. This year I have been supported by the Board and in particular Alistair Sheard, our treasurer, Phil Harris, Kirsty Bond who runs the women’s section of our club, James Richards, Richard McGuire, Michael Peacock and Jeremy Benton; all of whom make valuable contributions and ensure things run smoothly.
Over the course of the season The Willows has focused strongly on providing good quality opposition for our school teams to play against. This in no small part is due to the commitment of our match day managers and hosts who seek to enhance connection with our player base and to provide opportunities for old boys and old girls of a particular school to play.
I am delighted with the relationships built up with our partner schools. This too is crucial to the ongoing development of the club as the schools are at the heart of everything we do. Our objective every week is to make it the best possible experience for the players, their coaches and families at The Willows.
As a club we remain unashamedly traditional in values in our approach to the game ensuring that we preserve Mike Dormer’s legacy and provide young cricketers with the opportunity to play the game the way it was intended.
Awards
Each year the club awards three trophies for outstanding or meritorious performances at The Willows. This season we were delighted to award the ’49ers Trophy for the most meritorious performance by a secondary school XI to Shirley Boys’ High School, who after many years of trying secured their first victory over The Willows.
The Shadbolt Trophy for the best schoolboy player performance went to Flynn Brookland from Timaru Boys’ High School, whose 97 set up a fine victory for the school – their second in succession.
Girls’ Cricket
We continue to make great progress in offering opportunities for young female cricketers in the region. This season we had our traditional fixtures between Christchurch Girls’ High School against St Hilda’s Collegiate School and Otago Girls’ High School against St Margaret’s College.
In a departure from the norm these fixtures were played on a Sunday which proved to be a winning formula as parents and supporters were able to come to the ground and support the players. In addition, we played a fixture between a Nelson girls selection which included girls from Waimea, Motueka, Nelson Girls’ and Garin Colleges against Craighead Diocesan School from Timaru.
The Club wishes to acknowledge the work that Kirsty Bond puts in, along with Amanda Hardy to further develop the girls’ game. We were very proud and privileged to have Nicki Turner, former New Zealand player, assisting at the ground, and her wealth of knowledge and experience is something that, as a club, we wish to embrace going forward.
The Willows in conjunction with the Canterbury Cricket Association once again ran the secondary schoolgirls’ competition on Thursdays post-Christmas. We provide sponsorship of cricket balls for the tournament, and it is proving a popular and important vehicle for the girls’ game in the region.
The Community
The Willows continues to provide support for activities in the community including coaching and of course the annual Christmas party. This is the highlight for many youngsters, who come out to the ground to see Santa and participate in a happy carefree day.
Financial
The cost of running The Willows Cricket Club is ever increasing and we are grateful to our club supporters and sponsors, for without whom we simply would not have a club.
I wish to acknowledge the following supporters of our club: Mark Allison, Brent Fleming, Chris and Leonie Morkane, and our suite of match day sponsors who make a financial contribution that collectively makes the difference. We are indebted to these major sponsors who are acknowledged at the end of this report.
Subscriptions for non-playing members remain at a modest level of $75 per year. The reality is subscriptions do not come close to covering our costs for any given season. We rely on members to pay subscriptions, and for those who do so we thank you. This year we are looking at further initiatives to support the club in its vision of delivering quality cricket at The Willows and quality coaching in the community.
As grant funding is becoming harder to obtain, we must consider other ways of maintaining and growing our revenue, while at the same time keeping tight fiscal control on our costs. The Club maintains a steady financial position. My thanks go to Alistair Sheard who manages and administers the accounts, in what is an increasingly complex environment.
Coaching
Coaching remains a core focus of the club, and this season we have seen increased investment in the community game at secondary school level to further support schools that need the resource to help them continue with their school cricket programmes.
In addition, we continue to run our Tamai cricket programme, which would not be possible without the support of Chris White and his team at the Queen Street Cricket Club. Each year they make a significant financial contribution towards this project, which has greatly assisted in delivering cricket to school children who simply otherwise would not have the opportunity.
The importance of such programmes cannot be underestimated. Coaching and development for young cricketers and young people is the backbone of the game, and without it we run the real risk of losing young people from the game.
The Willows Cricket Club now has effective partnerships with coaching providers in the community. These relationships are constantly developing, and will help us deliver on our mission to provide coaching for as many schools as possible. Another first this season was the support of Bernadine Bezuidenhout for her Girls’ Academy which ran for several weeks across the season. We were able to help her deliver this programme.
We also thank Dan Vann at Evolution Sports for the coaching provided and running specialist clinics and coaching forums across the season. Thank you also goes to Mandie Godliman and her team at Coaching Solutions, for the support they provide the club in the youth space.
Recognition
There is a danger in writing an Annual Report that one may omit people who deserve recognition for the support they provide to the club. I include in this list Jarrod Ward who offers his services to the club whenever needed, and John McRae who is unfailingly loyal in assisting with database and subscription matters and providing his legal expertise in areas if required.
I also include Dave Kelly and John Wright, who make themselves available to be at the ground to provide support and advice to young cricketers. We owe a lot to Winsome Dormer to help us to carry on Mike’s dream at her beautiful property at Loburn. Her generosity and hospitality are legendary and carry on a tradition from which we all benefit. Her cheerful personality and ability to get things done is something to behold.
Thanks also go to Di Woodward who has elected to “hang up her apron” as the pavilion host after several years of dedicated service. Thank you, Di.
A special mention must be made of John Mitchell, a past Willows President. John is primarily responsible for the wonderful world-class publication that you are now reading. John spends countless hours compiling this report and making sure it fits with our club values and ethos. On a personal note, John has been a tower of strength for me personally as I have come to grips with the demands of running a cricket club such as ours. His experience and knowledge are invaluable, and I owe him a debt of gratitude.
The Final Over
As we reflect on the season past, we all have much of which to be proud. The Club continues to thrive because of the involvement of the members and contributing schools. We must consider their views to ensure that we are meeting their needs.
Whilst this report is tinged with a degree of sadness with the recent loss of Nick Davidson, I feel both he and Mike will be watching over us, nodding in appreciation, but asking us to strive to be better.
Floreant Salices
Paul Rutledge
President