Dove Holes Cricket Club Newsletter Spring 2017.
The 2017 Season will most certainly be a significant one for the Dove Holes Cricket Club in its long and unbroken history. You will be completely staggered when you see the changes that have taken place at your Club in such a relatively short period of time! And we trust that we stand at the dawn of a new era for everyone connected with the Club in whatever capacity. We will be entering first and second elevens in the League, and in the Bissenden and Hawke Cup Knock Outs as well a team in the new T20 Competition taking place on Thursday evenings and we trust that there will also be the odd friendly as well. Our Annual ‘CARTERFEST’ and T20 Knock Out Competition featuring mainly non regular cricketers in teams representing some of our sponsors over the Weekend of the 22 and 23 July. Our much valued junior players will be competing in the U15, U13 and U9 Sections of the Junior Leagues. We wish all of our teams the very best with their games in the 2017 Season. Your Club has signed up for the exciting brand new ‘All Star Cricket’ promoted by the England and Wales Cricket Board, through Derbyshire County Cricket Club. With fun at its heart the programme aims to inspire children of both sexes between the ages of 4 to 9 to take up cricket. The EWCB has put 10 million pounds into the scheme nationally and is confident that it will bring much needed new players, supporters and potential future volunteers into Clubs particularly from the ranks of junior parents. For further details please contact Mark Vernon on 07411 690 908 or any Club member.
Over the last two months many of the Club members with slight help from the odd tradesperson or two have busied themselves by giving our Pavilion a metamorphic transformation. The former umpire’s room and store has been incorporated into the social area of the Pavilion to enlarge it as well as enabling a bar area to be formed. We are in the process of applying for a full license for this beneficial additional amenity that should provide us with another stream of vital funding. The Pavilion has seen the installation of gas fired central heating which is to be followed by appropriate insulation to its walls and roof space and its floor has received a new, super smooth concrete screed finish.
Our somewhat dated kitchen has been transformed by having modern floor and wall units plus designer worktops installed along with tasteful ceramic tiling to the floor and walls not to mention two energy efficient appliances namely a fridge and instant hot water heater. New LED lighting has been installed in the newly plastered ceiling to the social area and the wiring system upgraded, including the provision of further outside lighting and two television screens to enable live sport to be shown. The whole of the interior has been thoughtfully and lovingly redecorated with a colour scheme that matches our new quality carpet tiles that extend into the changing areas and the newly purchased contemporary furniture.
Externally a permanent supply of mains electricity has been now been laid to the scorebox which has been pointed internally and treated to a lick or two of paint in preparation to welcome the League’s ‘CricHQ’ scoring system which is to be introduced this Season. The netting to our practice nets has been completely renewed and the surface to their two artificial wickets given a severe scrubbing and cleansing to remove the algae and winter grime. After over 60 years of faithful service our pair of heavy duty sightscreens have been away for a much deserved winter holiday where they enjoyed a sum of nearly £1000 being lavished on them for their complete refurbishment making them fit for many more years of trouble free service! Needless to say all of the Clubs memorial benches have received their annual overhaul along with a couple of coats of wood preserver, which should have dried by the start of the Season.
There is of course a considerable cost involved in completing the above improvements and your Club is deeply indebted to all of the many individuals and organisations who have contributed either by their labours, expertise or financially to enable all of the above to take place. We cordially invite people to become active in our forward looking Club during 2017 and there are a variety of ways that people can achieve this. One of the easiest is to join our Bonus Ball Weekly Draw which provides a weekly cash prize along with well over a £1000 a year for your Clubs Funds. It costs just £1 a week to join. Various Social Events will be held in the Pavilion over the next few months these will include watching Live Sport on the Large Screen, Quizzes, Musical Performances, Poetry Readings, etc. Please make a point of having a look at what we have to offer and please do try and support us in taking your Club forward into the 21st Century. Many Cricket Clubs are really struggling to provide opportunities and facilities for people of all ages and sexes to participate in the game. We are determined to do our upmost to ensure that Dove Cricket Club does not become part of this general malaise within the game today.
