Sat here writing this in the remote Centre Parcs Whinfell Forest up in Penrith I could easily be mistaken for thinking I as at the Club on a Friday night having bumped into the Weeks family from our Juniors and also the Junior Cricket Chairman’s wife, Gail!!!

I've literally been blown away by certain things that have happened in the past few weeks, and that's not just a reference to my aborted attempts to take on Doris last Thursday at Frodsham Golf Club!!

Every now and again, people make donations to the club that we are always thankful for, but there must have been something in the air in February as we received three individual donations and a fourth one which was in the form of some workforce to complete a job that would otherwise have cost us a fair bit. I won't mention any names here to respect the donor’s anonymity but these donations will enable us to purchase a boundary rope (and appropriate mechanism to reel it in) for the front pitch, replace the very tired looking Portakabin that was used by the scorers and also the umpires changing rooms, and finally purchase some additional benches for the patio area to accommodate our ever-growing spectator numbers. All of these donations are a real bonus for the club as it allows us to continue improving our facilities and compliments the endless hours that the numerous volunteers we have put in.

Looking at other areas where we are developing the look and feel of the Club, great strides have been made on the lounge area with the ceiling fully finished, a new TV up and the new President/Chairman/Captains board in our possession just waiting to be put up. The team photos will be going up in chronological order very soon together with the other memorabilia. By the time the majority of people cross the threshold in April things will all be finished and I'm sure you'll be impressed with what we've done. On the flip side, Storm Doris paid a visit to the Club last Thursday and caused quite a bit of damage to the sightscreens and the sign at the top of the drive. Unfortunately to get both of these fixed is going to cost the club both financially and resource but our trusty team of volunteers will be doing everything they can to ensure things are as they should be come the start of the season.

Looking at further developments, at the February Governing meeting, Club Secretary Rob Chapman was delighted to announce that we had received provisional approval for a grant based around being environmentally friendly which, if we are successful as the grant progresses, would contribute towards some updates in the gent’s toilets, primarily around ‘waterless’ urinals. Now I appreciate this isn’t the most exciting of projects but it is great that we can be looking at things that are environmentally conscious and really help out that way.

As the 2017 season nears closer, Tom Marsland and Andy Roberts have been keeping in regular contact with Chris McArthur, our overseas player for the season. Chris looks to be in good form and over the past few games has been moved up the order to open the batting. In his last five games he’s got 223 runs with three half centuries so the hope is his run scoring continues and he hits the ground running with us in April. Chris will be in good company as I’ve popped along to Winter nets a couple of times (in a purely spectating capacity) and the boys seem to be in good form. I think it’s benefitting having the Seniors train immediately after the Juniors as it allows the more senior lads step up and train with the Senior players and they are certainly not looking out of place. I’m sure the hard work being put in will pay off when the games commence in April and I’m sure like a lot of people can’t wait for it all to begin.

To wrap up this month’s ramblings, I’d like to draw your attention to the main social events of the UCC Calendar. On Friday 30th June we have our Annual Sportsman’s Dinner where we have Dean Windass as the main speaker. Having hung up his boots a few years back, Dean is now a regular pundit on Sky Sports and is sure to provide a lively night along with comedian Barry York with whom he’s worked with many times before. Over the seventeen years we’ve been running these events we’ve relied on a core number of people to rally the troops and support these events but whether it be through business contacts or just as a group of friends, it’d be great to see some new faces. The following night we have the Summer Ball which is growing each year and I think with a big push we can top the 200 mark for guests& cold buffet. For tickets for either of these events, please contact me via jezlamb@hotmail.com or on 07887 743 230.

That’s all for this month, thanks for reading and a quick reminder that there’s only 7 more Saturdays until the first games of the season!

Cheers

Jez Lamb
Chairman