John HiggsAt the time of writing, 16th April, the season has just started with the first LBW Wednesday evening training session.

The CricketForce weekend of 4/5 April saw some vigorous cleaning, painting, plumbing and sorting out in the pavilion (fuelled by plenty of bacon sandwiches). Once the new carpet is in, the old equipment area will be transformed into a store room and office; space will appear in the main pavilion and dressing rooms. Well done to all the volunteers and particularly to Aaron Bailey and Trevor Sturgess for organising everything!

Integration with the ex Mote Ladies is progressing. We were able to share the excellent new sports hall at Maplesden Noakes for winter training, organised by Richard Atkinson. There will be problems as we go into the season but equally I am confident they will be solved. If any of the girls are not sure of anything or would like to make suggestions, please speak up. It is your club. We are learning about how to run girls cricket.

There are around 50 matches arranged for LBJ. These include many fixtures and Sunday morning sessions to take place at the Tower House ground. We are grateful to Tony and Martine Cotton for making their ground available and giving us such support. At the moment there are no LBJ matches for all girls teams in the fixture card, because we don't have enough players in the under 15/13/11 age groups. We are looking to increase the membership, particularly at under 11, and to arrange some all girls fixtures as soon as we can.

There will be club shirts and caps available soon, with a single club logo for all adult and junior players. Several parents have suggested that we set up a system for the secondhand sale of good quality, outgrown clothing and equipment. This may be possible with the use of the new store room.

Here we go - into our 11th season.

I am at that stage of my cricketing life when every Spring I wonder if the joints can withstand another punishing round of fielding for 45 overs every Saturday, even with the benefit of modern pain relieving gels and the like.

Even if I do get out there to bat, will I still be able to duck the occasional really quick bouncer? I like to remember that I used to deposit those somewhere deep over mid-wicket!

It is then that I think what a wonderful Club we have been building over the last 5 years with the young graduates from our Junior section now taking many of the places in our adult Saturday and Sunday League teams. There will be plenty of young people willing to cover behind me when the ball goes past and occasionally I might even impress them with a drive back over the bowler’s head, or have the opposition star batsman caught on the boundary off my very best long-hop!

Then there is the camaraderie in the changing room, the team banter, the splendid mix of people of all ages and backgrounds who come together to play for Leeds and Broomfield Cricket Club. There is that deep sense of team spirit, which is not unique to cricket, but it is special and it helps bring the game to life.

This happy combination is the blossoming of what we have worked so hard to achieve over the last 5 years. It is something that it is worth being a part of. So out with the pads and on with the whites ... let’s see if we can still show those youngsters a trick or two!

John Fletcher

Chairman
Leeds and Broomfield Cricket Club