Remember, remember, the 5th of November.
Bonfire Night has come round once again. Join us along with Family and Friends at Stretford CC for a renowned evening with food & drink both hot and cold. Along with two spectacular fireworks displays brought to you by Chorlton Fireworks.
Cash and Card payments available at the gate.
Please arrive in plenty of time. There are no advance sales
We look forward to seeing everyone!
The Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday 10th November from 7.30pm. Please ensure nominations for positions and seconders are received no later than 3rd November. Unfilled positions may be nominated on the evening. We will update this list as and when nominations are received. You can nominate/second here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddmqfjwwCTZBgNcuWsHne9YuGYTAq0m7fulF37gM-h8Bppng/viewform
Agenda
Review of 2022
Officer Reports
Election of Officers
AOB
Role/Nominee/Proposed by/Seconded by
President
Chairperson RUSS CARSON (R Renforth/P Spencer)
Vice-Chair
Secretary
Treasurer CHRIS SHARP (R Carson/R Renforth)
Press & Publicity* ADAM SAYNOR (C Sharp/B Evans)
Fundraising
Fundraising Committee*
Director of Cricket
Cricket Secretary
Club Captain
1stXI Captain THOMAS COULSON (B Evans/A Saynor)
1stXI Vice-Captain
2ndXI Captain
2ndXI Vice-Captain
3rdXI Captain
3rdXI Vice-Captain
Junior Manager RUTH COTTON (R Carson/M Foulkes)
Junior Committee*
Child Welfare Officer
Ground Chairperson
Ground Committee*
Social & Events Chair
Social & Events Committee*
Bar Manager ROBERT RENFORTH (B Evans/R Carson)
Bar Treasurer*
Bar Committee*
House Chairperson
House Committee*
Auditors*
Trustees*
*none-management/sub-committee role
Stretford Cricket Club are constantly searching for sponsors and we are delighted to announce that a quality benchmark has been reached with our newest partner.
We are proud to inform you that local company, Urban Surveyors, have agreed to sponsor the club.
The Urban Surveyor’s kind sponsorship will go towards providing essential equipment to the club. Their logo will be emblazoned on all new club caps and are available now to buy from behind the outdoor bar. You will also see their advertising board located near the scoreboard.
Now enough about us and a bit about US
Local businesses help keep clubs such as our running by continuing to donate funds. Urban Surveyors are committed in helping improve Stretford CC and our local community.
Urban Surveyors are a vibrant, Chartered Building Surveying practice based in Stretford covering the South Manchester area and beyond. They specialize in RICS Building Surveys, HomeBuyer Reports and Specific Structural Reports.
Moving house? Give Urban Surveyors a call on 0161 327 1505
Your survey will be undertaken by a highly qualified and RICS Chartered Surveyor with extensive knowledge of the residential property market.
Have you ever been halfway through eating a horse and thought to yourself “maybe I wasn’t as hungry as I first thought”?
With 50% of the horse in your gut it’s time to decide whether you are going to pick up your fork and attempt the Hind Shank or just fling it in the green bin and hope One Trafford eventually collects it after a couple of phone calls.
We have reached that point with the cricket season.
Our teams are sitting comfortably in the saddle with the 1st XI placed 5th at the time of writing and four points off a promotion spot, only behind four big spenders. The 2nd XI sit in second place four points behind leaders Flixton; a team defeated only a week ago. The 3rd XI lead the Sunday Central League tied with Ashton.
There have been some sumptuous individual and team performances while others that have been harder to stomach.
Munir Khan (317) Ryan Williams (278) Ajay Shah (184) Jamie Cotton (178) and Josh Julius (198) have all been consistent with the bat. The team have consistently compiled scores over 200 hundred but there hasn’t been an individual who has really cashed in with a big score. That will hopefully change.
The team have been formidable defending scores with evergreen Ryan Williams (32) the dependable Tom Coulson (34) and firecracker Jack Blackwell (15) the leading wicket takers.
Excellent victories against Monton, Swinton and Dukinfield have been offset with defeats by Friarmere, West Leigh and Mottram however we are sitting comfortably in mid table. Injuries and availability could play a part in the second half of the season.
The second team have picked up that winning habit, 8 in 11 to be precise. They are definitely in contention for promotion despite the loss of homegrown Ethan Page who was leading wicket taker. Robert Renforth (16) young left arm seamer Adam Taylor (11) Mark Bevan (14) and Ben Riddle (11) have all filled the void.
Mark Bevan (209) Nasir Ghani (175) and Robert Renforth (129) have scored the bulk of the runs but there have been some outstanding performances by James Watford and Adam Prescott who both scored big match winning half centuries against Winton and Flixton respectively
Usman Hasan has been typically prolific for the thirds scoring 188 runs in four matches including a brutal 137* against Denton but young wicket keeper Waqas Mahmood is not far behind amassing 149 runs from 6 matches (even if he has incurred the wrath of the groundsman for scratching his fielding positions into the outfield). Pav Aqueel has taken 7 wickets and scored 128 runs and is the leading all-rounder.
In the current day and age where some very average cricketers receive brown envelopes perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the season is that we have picked up some very good new players. I honestly don’t remember a time in my 30 years playing at Stretford where 5-6-7 new players have joined who are capable of providing such competition for places in the Saturday teams. My hope is that they settle in quickly and enjoy the culture in our hard-working club. We need to continue to recruit players and I am sure a combination of good league performances, development of facilities and work on our digital profile will do just that.
[BURP} Excuse me, apologies those Short Ribs are repeating on me!
Now it’s time to decide how you want that Sirloin cooked?
We have a top Senior Head Coach in Mike Murphy; his group sessions twice per week are quality and included in the price of your membership. Players need to attend training. There is room for improvement in every team. Every individual should feel suitably prepared to be able to step up to the plate when needed. Give yourself the best chance by practicing.
As mentioned above, availability is also the issue that could affect the remainder of the season. I hope team performance and team spirit will make you want to play as much as possible in the highest standard we possibly can. Rump anyone?
Finally, we are selling advertising space around the ground and on our newly designed website stretfordcricketclub.co.uk so if anyone is a business owner or would dare to ask their boss please direct them my way. If you would like to get stuck in on a subcommittee for ground, events, fundraising again please see Russ Carson, Benjy Evans or me, if you can offer more time in a lead role again please let us know.
Good luck and go well in the second half
Daisy Nook is a country park in Failsworth. The park runs through the Medlock Valley in an area once called Waterhouses. Waterhouses was once of three “houses” in the Failsworth area, the other two being Mill Houses and Woodhouses.
“Daisy Nook” was actually a fictional place created by Benjamin Brierley in his poem “A Day Out” which was written in nearby Waterhouse; however, the name stuck for the country park located on the southern edge of Failsworth.
Within Daisy Nook likes Crime Lake. It was formed in 1795 as result of the blockage of a canal culvert which spilled into the Crime Valley.
Centuries later it was Crime Lake providing inspiration for Stretford as they raided Woodhouses in a sting operation. 6 points were taken away and it was the opposition left in floods of tears.
Woodhouses won the toss but failed to take advantage of a hard batting track in patchy sunshine with Stretford’s key all-rounder Ryan Williams missing with injury.
Evans and the exceptional Coulson (4/17) shackled the Woodhouses openers with tight spells which were backed up by Marshall (3/17) and Saynor (2/12). Spender provided resistance with a patient 38 and McGarry (22) entertained briefly but could not get the home side out of jail and were all out for 94.
Adam Prescott (49) was in imperious form backing up his knock of 94 a week earlier and Munir Khan (31*) ensured justice took place as Stretford recorded a comfortable 6 wicket win.
Sad news to bring to members as I can report to you that Pat Fish died yesterday, aged 83, in hospital surrounded by her family.
Pat made up one half of a formidable partnership with her late husband, Life Member, John Fish to whom she was married for 63 years. They moved to Stretford from the White Rose in 1961 but if truth be known, she was a club stalwart in her own right.
The whole Fish family have contributed to Stretford CC enormously to the development of Stretford Cricket Club as it is today. Sons Gareth, Stuart and Adrian all played for Stretford and, together with John, were very much hands on in helping to build the club. Daughters Kath and Heather never too far behind cheering on the club. Pat gave her services to the club as a cleaner for many years – a thankless task and mostly unseen.
She struck fear into the heart of many younger members, waking them up from a deep Theakston induced slumber with a sharp dig of a Dyson underneath the pool table on a Sunday morning. The cricket club is a real safe green space and therefore it is often the place where youngsters like me learned how to mishandle our drinks. Pat would turn up to the club every Sunday morning, with the lounge in a terrible state and spend hours dealing with the debris from the night before. I’m sure she understood. This demonstrates what a selfless, loyal and committed person she was.
Both Pat and John was always present at the Adrian Fish Junior Trios, an intraclub tournament held every year in Adrian’s memory. They provided refreshments and trophies. They both really enjoyed seeing the development of junior cricketers coming through the ranks into senior teams and demonstrating teamwork, a quality ingrained into their own family. More obviously, the trios was a chance for family and friends to join together in celebration and Pat in particular always had a real glow at the event. She was so proud and protective of the people closest to her.
I really started to get to know Pat when I left the junior ranks and became involved with Management. I would pop round to Cressingham Road to assist Stuart with the quality yet Northern Rail-like Club Handbook and Pat would bring in Yorkshire Tea and ask how the family was. She was kind spirited and loyal and not really that woman who used to jab me with a Eubank at the cricket club. In their own unique way both Pat and John almost treated me as one of the family after I provided best-man duties for Stuart when he married Nicola. It was clear to see that she loved the time she spent with the grandchildren when Alex, Archie and Johnny joined their shoal.
Behind every great family there is that lynchpin figure. She was such a strong person with such a great sense of duty (but I’m told was an extremely difficult back seat driver) During the height of the pandemic husband John died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Pat herself undergoing treatment for cancer at the time had been moved into a Hospice and it was touch and go whether Pat would be able to attend his funeral…………………was she there? You bet she was.
“I’m so glad you were able to make it” I said to Pat; my face adorned with a three ply mask
“I was determined”
These were the last words Pat ever said to me. Probably very fitting.
The club would like to pass on condolences to all Pat’s family and friends and while the end of an era has been reached we at Stretford Cricket Club will be certain to celebrate the tremendous contribution made to the club by Pat.
Funeral details will be made available when known.
It is with great sadness the club can announce that Life Member, Pete Fildes passed away on Monday in hospital surrounded by his family.
Pete was the quintessential clubman and served Stretford in various roles over the years both on management and on the field. He was a passionate supporter of Stretford and one of his proudest moments was becoming Club Captain in 1974-75.
Pete was always good value and when his playing days were over he was an avid watcher. He would often be found in sunshine corner passing on his various cricket theories while walking the dogs. Pete was a masterful storyteller and I enjoyed talking to him about Stretford Cricket Club history or tactical nuances of the game. Pete’s love for the game was immense, however one of his amusing tendencies would be to omit the occasional key detail ” they bowled first and they got what they got, Vinny got five wickets and they were all LBW; well Vinny is Vinny”
Despite his ability to remember even the most average Stretford team performance, he was never one of those “in-my-dayers” He relished seeing the new boys down at Stretford doing well and putting in committed performances. He was a passionate clubman and would make time for anyone.
It became almost a weekly ritual that Pete would ask me with that broad smile, while playing Badminton at Broadoak School “are you going to get any runs on Saturday, are you going to dig in?” “I’ll try my best Pete” I inevitably replied. “I know I know I know” laughed Pete.
Pete would’ve been so proud to see the 1stXI win the league last week.
We would like to express our condolences to Christine and family. Funeral details will be made available soon.
It is with sadness that the club can confirm that Chairman Gary Armstrong will be standing down at the Annual General Meeting after 4 years of leading the management committee and a year as Vice-chair.
Gary guided the club with an ultra professional and careful hand, always making sure that the club stayed true to its roots. He has helped the club through some turbulent waters always balancing risk and reward, and helping to maintain the open, friendly, community club that Stretford always has been. One of his successful core policies was that decisions, especially those that open up the club to debt or risk are made by the group and not by one person. As simple as this sounds it is something that is important to remember.
He has been a fine ambassador for the club and whoever replaces him has some big shoes to fill.
Unfortunately Liz Armstrong is also stepping down at the AGM after 5 years of being Club Treasurer, again leaving a massive hole in the club’s executive committee. Under Liz’s guidance the club has gone from loss making to profitable and is in a robust financial position, with all accounts audited and approved. Liz improved control of bar cash, membership fees and match day fees and drove down costs. Liz has been an ultra committed member of the team working well outside the Treasurer brief, setting the tone for the “voluntary” nature of the club and how it has been built.
Liz’s input will be greatly missed, but she leaves the new treasurer with a stable base, audited accounts and sound financial practices in place.
Liz and Gary’s family have been a credit to the club all actively taking part in all club events but, with both children now on the cusp of university and work commitments growing they have decided that the time is right for someone else to lead the club in a new direction.
During the five years of their leadership the club joined the Greater Manchester Cricket League as founder members, completed a build project that extended the changing rooms, created disabled facilities and refurbish the main room. Liz inherited the project and took it through to completion including arranging an ECB loan to complete the building work, which we are now able to repay. The club’s outside facilities increased in quality during the last three years including a new patio area and outside bar, but in particular the most recent development was the award of grant funding from SUEZ Communities Trust to relay the playing surface at The Boundary, a project which Gary helped to drive through with Christopher Sharp.
The club now needs someone to step up and build their own team as the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Bar Manager and Fundraising Coordinator posts are all vacant.
Stretford have now put daylight between themselves and the other promotion hopefuls in the GMCL Div 1 following Saturday’s rollercoaster ride victory over Dukinfield by 20 runs. A five point gap over 4th place is far from comfortable and with Mottram easily wininng against Prestwich 2nXI we still sit 2nd with a game in hand, 2 points behind the leaders. Stretford had homegrown star Tom Coulson to thank for the victory after a fine all round performance.
Stretford showed their character in the the victory over third placed Dukinfield, a team on equal points but heavily relient on two professionals Syd De Silva and Denuwan Rajakaruna Dadallage who wreaked havoc in the reverse fixture.
Stretford won the toss and elected to bat on a used, tired looking pitch and were soon in trouble when in-form Armstrong was bowled from the second ball. Shah (9) and Saynor (7) followed soon after, both caught playing ambitious shots. Wild (9) occupied the crease with determination but edged behind and when Williams (1) and Evans (1) were out Stretford had slipped to 51-8. In recent games this pattern has become all too familiar but Murphy, O’Malley, Whitehead and Khan return soon to bolster the batting.
Coulson (70*) was joined at the crease by his good friend, Ethan Page (14) and both took advantage of the Dukinfield change up bowlers following the nagging spell of De Silva (6/26) and Dadallage (2/32) The pair put on 40 for the ninth wicket until Page was bowled by one that shot through with the score on 94-9. A last wicket partnership of 45 took Stretford 139. Jack Blackwell (7) took a back seat role while Coulson, at first watchful, started to open up with flicks over mid wicket and powerful drives through cover to swing momentum towards Stretford.
In reply, Dukinfield seemed untroubled. The home side sent in Ghafoor (15) and Allen (18) and both Williams and Evans struggled to find the right length on a pitch offering assistance. It was important to capture early wickets in order to put the Dukinfield professionals under pressure and the break through came when Evans (1/27) had Allen caught behind with the score on 33. De Silva’s decision to play on a used pitch backfired when he scratched around and was bowled by Williams (3/29) for four with the score on 43. Morton (14) and the inventive Daddallage (23) put on 40 before being superbly caught by Page at the deep square leg boundary after top edging a sweep shot off the bowling of Coulson. (4/32). Stretford did not have many runs to play with but the pressure was too much for Dukinfield as Morton chipped one to Evans at mid wicket off Coulson and a fired up Blackwell (2/20) smashed through the defences of the lower order batsmen.
The 2ndXI came unstuck at home to Flixton on Saturday with an under par batting performance to blame. Alfie Stamper returned bolwing figures of 3/11 and R Nawaz (5/27) with only Craig Turner (23) offering resistance as Stretford were bowled out for 83. Malhotra (35) and Geary (24) made light work of the chase winning by 7 wickets with a wicket each for Renforth, Wright and Cotton.
Stretford bounced back from the dissapointment of defeat at title contenders Mottram, with a 47 run victory at the
sun soaked hilltop home of Austerlands on Saturday. The win was set up thanks to a 7th wicket partnership of 90 by the resolute Matt Armstrong (98) and Tom Coulson (35) who rescused team from a perilous 117-6 and an unlikely bowling hero, Mike Murphy (4/52). The final total of 242 proved too much for Austerlands despite fielding the league’s leading run scorer Imran Rafiq who has already coasted to 1200 runs this season.
Skipper Ryan Williams won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch which offered something to belie the glorious weather and surroundings At 20-3 the decision to bat was being questioned by Statler and Waldorf perched on the Western Terrace at the fun-sized, thwack-enducing, Saddleworth ground.
With three good men back in the hut due to a searching opening spell from Lockett (3/52), Adam Saynor (23), Ocean O’Malley (12) and Williams (24) all promised much but didn’t kick on to leave Stretford at 117-6 with 31 overs gone.
Matt Armstrong continued his quest and when be was joined by Thomas Coulson the pair powered on to 211-7. Coulson departed after unleashing an array of trademark power shots. Quietly, Armstrong continued on his inexorable cruise to his maiden century but fell in the last over attempting to score the two runs needed. The total of 242 was the result of an excellent recovery but was probably par at the Austerlands ground.
The home side`s reply took two early knocks as skipper Williams castled both openers to bring Pakistan A batsman Rafiq to the crease. After he had been completely beaten by his first ball he accumulated runs but was kept relatively quiet by good spells from Williams, Coulson and Jack Blackwell.
At 144-2 and coasting Rafique inexplicably chipped a catch to Williams at mid-off from the bowling of Mike Murphy to end a partenership of 110, and his partner, Melling, fell on 49, trapped in front by an arrow straight ball from Coulson in the next over.
Stretford sensed victory and it came with the score on 195 as Williams (5/51) and Murphy added their fifth and fourth victims respectively.
A great and hard earned win due to an all round team effort. Armstrong reflected on the performance and was quick to play down his match winning knock; “It was very long, very warm, very tiring but a win nonetheless and that’s all that matters, Allez les blues!”
A top of the table clash at Dukinfield next week is eagerly awaited.
A battling 58* from Ben Riddell was not enough to save the 2nXI from a 5 wicket defeat at the hands of league leaders Bury on Saturday.
After slumping to 9-3, Jamie Cotton (27) and Pav Aqeel (22) dug in; the run rate lower than the Mariana Trench. Riddell, Lomax and Uwais Siddique (23) upped the tempo, the home side finishing with a respectable 171 for 8 from 45 overs.
Alex Bowman (1/23 from 10) captured an early wicket to give Stretford hope but a patient 42 from J Mitchell, Z Khan (23) and S Hashmi (32) guided Bury towards the target relatively unscathed. Jamie Cotton’s off-spin stalled the Bury progess chipping in with 3/52 from 14.
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