I for one can't believe September is upon us already - Summer is nearly over, the kids are back at school this week and sadly, we only have two weeks of the cricket season left. Whilst some may think that the club closes down until next April, the reality is that during the Autumn and Winter months the club needs your support more than ever as the bills still have to be paid but our income is significantly reduced. Over the coming weeks and months we'll be sharing with you some of the things going on at the club for you to get involved in as we aim to promote it as somewhere to enjoy all year round.

Reflecting back on August, we should pause for a moment and think about the sad news at the start of the month when we learnt of the death of Jeff Woods. I'm not even going to compete with the moving words said by John Winder at Jeff's funeral, but would like to recognise the great job that Jeff did with the Sunday 1st XI and to say that he will be missed by all at the club and our continued support will go out to Sue, James, Tom and Alex.

On the cricketing front, the 1st XI have had a frustrating month which has seen one win, three draws and a defeat but they still remain in the hunt for promotion with two games to go. The 2nd XI are also still in with a shout of promotion having won all four of their matches played with another one being cancelled due to the weather. For our top two teams to be in this position is fantastic for the cub and shows the advancements we are making on the field. The 3rd XI have had two wins, a draw, a defeat and one match cancelled and they are sat comfortably in mid-table which is fantastic considering the start they got. The 4th XI have had an extremely frustrating month having only played one of their scheduled five matches due to the opposition conceding as a result of not being able to field enough players. Whilst this has resulted in 100 points and moved them up to fourth place in the league, it is no consolation for the guys who have missed out on playing week in week out and I am hoping the situation gets resolved so this scenario doesn't happen again.

Whilst credit should go to the eleven men out on the field, it would be remiss of me not to mention the huge support we receive from our loyal band of followers which is greatly appreciated by all the players and really spurs them on. For both 1st XI and 2nd XI home games these numbers can be up to 50 strong, which is just tremendous and we are now also taking a strong following to away games which is simply amazing and a definite boost for the lads on the pitch. My personal thanks go out to everybody who comes along as it is greatly appreciated and is making a difference to all aspects of the club.

Off the pitch we are working hard to making improvements, and the winter months will see the continuation of the clubhouse renovations with the seating area being reupholstered and also exploring our options to do something with the ceiling in the lounge to brighten things up. There are also a couple of grants we are looking at to help improve the facilities, however with them being quite significant in terms of how much could be available, we won't be rushing with these as we need to ensure our applications are absolutely spot on to give us the best possible chance to receive the funding.

You will also have seen either via the website article (click HERE to read it) or via the internal club noticeboard that we are starting to prepare for the AGM in December as the 'nominations board' has gone up for the 'officers' of the club. Being an officer of the club doesn't have to be an onerous task and should be seen as an opportunity to have your say in the direction the club is moving in together with input into the day to day running of the club. Having served in a variety of roles myself, I can testify what a great sense of pride you get from knowing you are helping your club and your fellow members. If you have any questions about any of the roles and are unsure of what they entail and would like more details, please contact me either via email (jez.lamb@swinton.co.uk) or via phone (07887 743 230).

And finally, in the next couple of weeks we will be bidding farewell to our overseas player; Ben Cant. Ben has been an a tremendous addition to the club both in terms of his cricketing ability but also the work he has done off the field and how he has integrated into the club environment. I remember only a few weeks into the season somebody made the comment to me that "it's like he's been a member of the club for years", and that theme has continued throughout the season as he has truly embedded himself in the club and will be remembered for many years for what he has brought this year. As his route back to New Zealand takes a detour via the North East, we wish both Ben and Rachel the best of luck as they settle in to their new life together 'back home' in the knowledge that there'll always be a pint of Amstel and bottle of rose waiting on the bar for them if they are passing!

And finally (honestly this time!), it wouldn't be right to ignore the debt of gratitude we owe to Barrie Burns who has opened his door to Ben and Rachel this year(and previous overseas players), as without him we wouldn't have been able to benefit from them being around. I know from personal experience having housed our overseas player for part of the 2005 season that it is a big 'ask'. So Barrie, from myself and the rest of the club - THANK YOU.

Enjoy your next two weeks of cricket, and make sure you appreciate them as Saturday afternoons just won't be the same for the next seven months!