At this year's Midsomer Norton Cricket Club AGM, First Team Skipper, Nick Potter, reported on the club's performance in the Bristol and Somerset Division of the West of England Premier League in 2013. With better weather than the previous summer, for the second year running, the First XI secured a fourth-placed finish. For the Captain, promotion should be the goal in 2014.
Elsewhere on the field of play in 2013, both the Second and Third Teams recovered from difficult starts to perform well and the Sunday Firsts ended the season in second place. At youth team level, the club registered more than seventy players and some of these players also made important contributions for the club's senior teams.
Some of the individual contributions highlighted by the Team Captains were Martin Cox's batting for the First XI (which included two centuries), Chris Tabb's double century for the Second XI and Lauren Bowen Jones' bowling performances for the Second and Third Teams.
All the Captains thanked the scorers, the tea/refreshments providers and others for their contributions to the club in 2013. The hard work of Phil Mortimer and Mike Ashwin in preparing the pitches was recognised and appreciated by all.
In 2014, Nick Potter will continue to lead the First XI and Tom Webb again takes charge of the Second XI. Nick Pang and Roger Perkins will lead the Sunday First and Second Teams respectively.
Off the field, Kevin Tabb and Tom Webb will continue to serve the club as Chairman and Secretary. Members thanked both for their work on behalf of the club in the last twelve months.
Chairman, Kevin Tabb, who has been associated with the club for forty years, is positive and very optimistic about the club's short-term and long-term future. He said: "The club will be doing everything possible to ensure youth cricket is expanded, both in terms of numbers and girls' cricket, as this is the basis for the future of the club."
Preparations for next season, including winter nets, will start early in the new year, but members are already looking forward to the Annual Dinner which takes place on Friday, 21st February 2014.
New players of all abilities are always welcome at the club. For more information, please contact Phil Mortimer: 01761 413725, email:?[email protected]">[email protected]
Midsomer Norton Cricket Club President, Ian MacDonald, was honoured at a ceremony at Lords cricket ground last month when, for the first time, the MCC, the world's most famous cricket club, awarded commemorative caps to a trio of West Country cricketers who have made 100 appearances or more for the MCC. Still active in the affairs of Midsomer Norton CC, Ian was welcomed into this select band of cricketers by MCC President and former England Captain, Mike Gatting, who presented Ian with his cap in the world famous Long Room at Lords.
A former MNCC Club Captain and leg-break bowler, Ian MacDonald was a prolific wicket-taker for Midsomer Norton in Western League cricket. For the MCC, Ian played 124 games and took 281 wickets between 1985 and 2004.