Wccc Newsletter 2009 Single Pages

NEW ROAD NEWS AUTUMN 2009 County Ground, New Road, Worcester WR2 4QQ

Tel: 01905 748474

Fax: 01905 748005

Website: wccc.co.uk

Email: [email protected]

Richard Jones England Performance Programme Selection 22 year old, Stourbridge born, Richard Jones admitted it was a shock to get named as part of the England Performance Programme (EPP) considering his position with the club last autumn/winter. Richard was told to put his head down and work hard with the club over the winter period which he successfully did and was rewarded with a full time playing contract. The playing opportunities presented in the 2009 campaign have been seized with both hands by Richard. He collected 22 wickets for Worcestershire in seven Championship matches and has been classified as a C group player in the EPP 41 man squad. Richard said: “I first heard of my involvement from Steve Rhodes during the last game of the season and it came as a bit of a shock really. I’m just looking forward now to the EPP training camps in Loughborough and can’t wait to get out to Pretoria, South Africa, in January.” He continued “It’s an exciting time for me at the moment, especially after playing for the last 5 or 6 weeks of the season and doing pretty well. I’ve got the opportunity to work with some quality coaches at these training camps and having consulted with Matt Mason and Bumpy I know what I want to get out of it and hopefully it will help me become a better cricketer. Then I want to hit the ground running in April and become a first team regular in 2010.” The C group players are typically younger players with less First Class County experience than those in the A and B categories, many of whom have been part of the ECB Elite Player Development programme. Group A players are perceived to be closest to graduating into the England team and have been part of the Programme and Lions teams in recent years. B group players are those with experience of First Class cricket and perceived to be one to three years away from the England team. Group A players will receive individualised support programmes meeting their specific developmental needs. The B and C group players will undertake separate training camps at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough and at the CSA High Performance Centre in Pretoria, South Africa. Both camps will feature some competitive cricket opportunities. Richard, a product of the Worcestershire Academy and former England under 19 international will be joined by Worcestershire’s Physiotherapist Ben Langley and Player/ Coach Ben Smith who will both be assisting EPP coaches at Loughborough in December and Pretoria in the New Year. Ben Langley said: “I am looking forward to being exposed to the ECB approach and working with other highly skilled Coaches and Support Staff from other Counties and around the world.” “I am especially pleased for Richard. Despite being one of the most naturally athletic players in our squad, he has been forced to work extremely hard over the last 12 months to overcome chronic injury. This has allowed him to complete a full season of cricket and demonstrate the talent we all know he has.” Ben continues: “Richard definitely deserves his place on the EPP program and I am sure with continued endeavour, he will establish himself as a regular first team player in season 2010.”

ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW

AGM

Club Info

Keep in touch with the latest news from Worcestershire CCC by visiting wccc.co.uk. While you’re there, sign up for the WCCC newsletter and all the biggest and best news will be delivered straight to your inbox each month.

The 2010 AGM will be held in the Graeme Hick Pavilion on Monday 22nd February 2010 at 7pm.

For information on Sunday Lunch Club and Worcester and Stourbridge Cricket Societies please visit wccc.co.uk and click on the club info tab on the menu.

situation, the fixture schedule and team performance has resulted in reduced revenues and the annual accounts are likely to show a loss. Income from gate receipts, sponsorship, advertising and hospitality are all well down on previous years. WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT THIS?

FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE With the Players back in winter training using the wonderful facilities at Malvern College and the fixture list published, we are already looking forward to the 2010 season. Cricket is not immune to the impact of the economic recession so I intend to use this communication to let all our Members know where we are and what we are doing in the months ahead.

Cricket The release or departure of a number of senior players at the end of the season has resulted in savings approaching half a million pounds so Steve Rhodes now has budget available for recruitment including an overseas player. In the meantime a number of our young players have been awarded professional contracts and there is no doubt the team will have a younger look to it in 2010 whilst we have retained a number of high quality experienced players. Indeed the most pleasing part of the 2009 season was the opportunity to see the young players perform at 1st XI level with such commitment and enthusiasm. For a small County, the conveyor belt of young talented players continues to produce real quality and over the coming years even more resource will be committed to the Academy and the Emerging Players Programme as funds allow.

THE FACTS Cricket Over the last five years Worcestershire has had one of the highest playing budgets of all 18 Counties and regularly spends a higher ratio of income on players than any other County. Historically our strong business performance has enabled us to achieve this as we have ploughed as much money as possible into our cricket to top up the revenues we receive from the ECB. At present we cannot match the well publicised recent increases in expenditure by a number of other Counties. The overall cricket budget available to Steve Rhodes (players, coaches, healthcare, academy, travel, hotels etc) will have to be reduced by £300,000 in 2010. £250,000 of this will be from the player salary budget alone. The Business At the beginning of 2009 we were budgeting for a significant surplus as the second stage of our recovery from the £1.1m losses from the floods of 2007. A combination of the economic

Ben Cox keeping wicket Recent changes in the regulations will also reward Clubs that play young England qualified players and the Club will be in a good position to maximise these benefits. Under the new distribution formula from the ECB, we will also receive revenue for players who have been developed by the Club but now play for other Counties. The Board has confirmed its commitment that when the trading situation improves, all

The Graeme Hick Pavilion available funds will be committed to our cricket. Our Business For three of the last four years, our non cricket costs as a ratio of our income has been lower than any other County despite the unique costs we have at New Road associated with the Floods. Over the last month we have looked at every aspect of our non cricket expenditure and have had to make some difficult decisions which I will come to later. On the plus side we believe the new domestic structure will be more attractive and it is pleasing to report the Graeme Hick Pavilion is achieving the much higher levels of non match day revenue we predicted. Bookings for 2009/10 are well up on last year. In October alone our catering revenues were up by 72% year on year whilst annual maintenance costs of the old Pavilion amounting to tens of thousands of pounds a year are no longer applicable. Fixture List The Chairman has worked hard over the last 12 months on behalf of all Counties and Worcestershire in particular to improve the fixture scheduling and I am delighted to say his efforts have been successful. All the home 40 over matches are on a Sunday or Bank Holiday Monday whilst there are three home Twenty20 matches on a Sunday and four on a Friday evening. Three of the eight home LV= County Championship matches are played over a weekend and in addition

The two tier system will remain in place although the balance of the subscription has changed as a result of the increase in Twenty20 cricket. We are offering a significant discount to those who pay by direct debit or before the end of January.

we will play Pakistan on a Friday/ Saturday and the England Lions v New Zealand A one day match is on a Sunday. In total there should be at least 13 weekends during the summer when cricket will be played at New Road. Membership Subscriptions After ECB income, membership subscriptions represent the most important revenue stream. We have looked closely at the levels of membership subscriptions for 2010. The scheduling in 2010 is a great improvement, particularly Sunday cricket, and the England Lions and Tourist matches will be included within the membership subscription. The majority of Membership categories in 2010 will be lower than 2009, particularly if paid by Direct Debit, AND will include up to 6 days more cricket.

Ground Development Phase 2 of the Ground Development Scheme is still progressing, albeit slowly. The credit squeeze has had a major impact on the timing but there a few signs the money markets are easing and it is still hoped that construction can start by September 2010. I cannot emphasise enough how important this project is to the Club if we are to compete with the bigger Counties. I am delighted to say the response to the Graeme Hick Pavilion has been overwhelmingly positive. The views and the space it affords compared to the old Pavilion are immeasurably improved and the revenue implications going forward have been immediate. Communication – E-newletter, Diary and Yearbook As electronic communication has developed, the need to spend tens of thousands of pounds each year on traditional communication channels is diminishing. We have made the decision to embrace this change so I must tell you that this will be the last printed Newsletter the Club will produce. In future we will send out a monthly e-newsletter to all members and supporters who register their email address with us. We currently have a database of over 5,250 people receiving this regular bulletin. As an example of how effective this can be, we recently sent out an e-bulletin asking people to help us purchase a particular piece of memorabilia on behalf of the Heritage Group. We purchased the bats used by Tom Moody and Graeme Hick during their county record partnership which are mounted in a showcase and cost the Club £900.

An appeal for donations went out and within a week, £1,050 had been raised at no cost to the Club whereas a mail shot would have cost around £2,500 to send out. Due to the lack of demand, the Club will no longer print the Club Diary or the Annual Yearbook. Both have become significantly less popular in recent years and it is no longer viable to print either. Most of the statistical information (and more) usually found in the Yearbook will be available in the Cricket Archive and/ or Stats section on the Club’s website at www.wccc.co.uk. I am sure this news will disappoint some Members but they are decisions we have to make if we are to commit as much of our income as we possibly can to our cricket and so maintain our position as one of the better paying Counties. Summary For many of you, the last year will not have bought a great deal of satisfaction but that is now behind us. We have a clear strategy going forward with both our cricket and our trading activities. We need to weather the recession and wait for the emergence of some of the young players who performed well towards the end of 2009 and have a real passion and enthusiasm for Worcestershire CCC. This allied to the ground development scheme will see us able to compete with the ‘big’ counties. Never has your support and help been more needed. We believe the membership rates offer great value for money and you would really be helping the Club if you take advantage of the early payment offers outlined in the attached information. On behalf of everybody involved with the Club, may I extend seasons greetings to you, your family and friends. We all look forward to seeing you back at New Road soon.

Outdoor Cinema ‘Lightnin’ Success The outdoor cinema screening in August of the toe tapping classic film Grease was a huge success. The event, a first for the County, sold over 1500 tickets and spectators enjoyed the film, surrounding fun and games and post show fireworks. The event proved to be such a success that organisers Jodi Brandwood and Nicola Abrams are looking to host future events of a similar ilk. Keep a look out for 2010 summer screening details at wccc.co.uk. Nicola Abrams, Ashley Noffke (2009 overseas player) and Jodi Brandwood

Player Activity The majority of WCCC contracted players are on 12 month contracts. Having already reported back for a winter of conditioning and technical work, the First XI, Second XI and Academy players now have the use of Malvern College’s state of the art sports complex that benefits from a double sized sports hall with a sound system to simulate crowd noise, high levels of artificial light and heaters to simulate warmer climates. The centre also includes a fully equipped fitness suite, a 25m swimming pool, a rifle range, a climbing wall, squash courts and classrooms.

The players have already had their first fitness test under the watchful eye of new Strength and Conditioning Coach, Ross Dewar, who joins us from Northamptonshire County Cricket Club where he worked with the First XI, Second XI and Academy players.

Ross Dewar, Strength and Conditioning Coach

PLAYER INS We welcome to the squad as fully contracted players Alan Richardson, Ben Cox, Jack Shantry, Jack Manuel and Chris Russell. To view player profiles visit wccc.co.uk.

Alan Richardson

Jack Shantry

Ben Cox

Chris Russell

Jack Manuel

AND OUTS Players are put through their paces at Malvern College

We say a fond farewell to Steve Davies, Gareth Batty, Stephen Moore, Simon Jones, Ashley Noffke, Josh Knappett and Mehraj Ahmed.

Drill and Fill.... from Tim Packwood At the end of the 2008 season a consultation meeting between WCCC, Chris Wood (ECB Pitch Advisor) and Bill Gordon (Oval Head Groundsman) was set up to discuss the best options available to try and inject more pace and bounce into some tired and flood ravaged pitches on the New Road Square. It was concluded that three pitches (pitch 7, 8 and 14) would have a process called drill and fill carried out on them. This operation was originally scheduled to be carried out on 1st September 2009, but had to be put on hold due to the good old English weather! The job was finally started on 28th September 2009 after the final game of the season. The drill procedure was carried out by Ecosolve Ltd where the three pitches were drilled with 1 inch tines to a depth of 7 inches. The soil that was brought to the surface as the drills came out was then scooped off with brushes and shovels put into wheel barrows and removed. This was then repeated to give a second line of drill holes between the first. The soil brought to the surface from drilling was later riddled

and bagged up to be used for top dressing the ends of pitches next season. Every hole then had to be opened up by hand using steel prods to leave a clean hole ready to integrate the new loam. Ongar loam was chosen as a compatible soil for its good binding qualities and will hopefully add more pace and bounce to the pitches. Once every hole had been opened (2,880 per pitch) the slow but very important job of filling the holes was carried out. Ongar Loam was poured into the hole until it was half full the loam was then gently tamped with the steel prod until some resistance was felt. The process was continued until the loam was just proud of the surface, then it was gently tapped with a rubber mallet to level it off. Three days and some sore hands and knees later the three pitches were complete. The normal end of season work of scarifying, seeding, spiking,

fertilising and top dressing were then carried out over the whole of the square including the drill and fill pitches. It is hoped that the properties of the three will change overtime to lead to bouncier quicker pitches without the disruption or expense of digging pitches up. Tim Packwood and David Leatherdale will monitor the characteristics and performance of these pitches during the season and if these are a success three more pitches will be selected for drill and fill in September 2010.

Academy and Emerging Players The new intake of Academy players have all been welcomed onto the 2009/10 programme and have endured their first fitness test at Malvern College already! This year’s intake includes players from last year’s programme and new players. Players in the 2009/10 programme are Jack Biddulph, Tom Bird, Alex Blofield, Brett D’Oliveira, Jack Edwards, Tom Fell, Nick Harrison, George Hill, Tom Kohler Cadmore, Stephen Leach, George Rhodes and Ollie Steele. 16 year old, Aneesh Kapil (currently a summer scholarship player with WCCC) has been selected for the initial 28 player England under 19 World Cup Squad with the final 15 named in December.

Joe Leach, Matt Pardoe and Neil Pinner are all currently playing cricket overseas. Joe is playing for Howick Pakuranga CC in Auckland New Zealand while Matt and Neil are both in Australia. Matt is playing for Swan Valley CC in Perth, who at the time of writing is at the top of their league table. Neil Pinner is playing for Woodville District CC in Adelaide and has been enjoying the new challenge of opening the batting. During the week Neil is training with the Darren Lehman Academy based at the Adelaide Oval. To see a current write up from Matt Pardoe on his trip so far and for future updates on WCCC Academy and emerging players please visit wccc.co.uk.

Joe Leach

Matt Pardoe

Neil Pinner

2009 END OF SE A SON AWARDS On Sunday 27th September, the last home game of the season at New Road, Worcestershire Royals took on Sussex Sharks and won! Sussex Sharks later that evening were crowned 2009 NatWest Pro40 Champions. It was also the setting for the end of season player awards. Firstly the individual player sponsors were presented with their players’ shirt signed and framed. Following on from this were the presentations of the 2009 player awards:

• Worcester Cricket Society’s Champagne Moment was awarded to Richard Jones.

• The Dick Lygon Award as selected by the Captain and Coach was presented to Matt Mason.

• The Don Kenyon Award went to Daryl Mitchell. • The Fans Forum Fielder of the Year Award was awarded to Daryl Mitchell.

• The Cotswold Group Brian Peters Academy Player of the Year went to Ben Cox.

• The One Day Player of the Year was awarded to Steve Davies. • The Young Player of the Year Award was presented to Dave Wheeldon. • The Rock Lobster Player of the Year was awarded to Steve Davies.

Tom Scott, Managing Director of The Cotswold Group presents Ben Cox with Academy Player of the Year Award

Ken Mills MBE, WCCC President presents Dave Wheeldon with Young Player of the Year Award Sponsors:

New Vice Captain Daryl Mitchell 25 year old all rounder Daryl Mitchell, has been appointed the Club’s Vice Captain. Daryl was the first graduate from the Club’s Academy and soon established himself as a key member of the 1st XI in all forms of cricket. Daryl’s has a great attitude and will give valuable support on and off the field to Captain, Vikram Solanki. Daryl Mitchell says “To be offered the Vice Captaincy at this stage in my career is a great honour and one I am delighted to accept. The team is obviously going through a period of transition but we have some really good young players coming through. I am genuinely excited about the future and I look forward to working with Vikram over the years ahead.”

Former Worcestershire Player Richard Illingworth receives Umpiring Promotion. First Class umpire and former Worcestershire player Richard Illingworth has recently been promoted to the ICC International Panel as a third umpire with immediate effect. Richard played 303 matches for Worcestershire between 1982 and 2000.

The Cotswold Group, Marston’s Pedigree, Fearnley, Allpay, Publicity Matters, Rabjohns, Clydesdale Bank, Pockets, OGL Computers, Worcester News, Rock Lobster, BBC Hereford and Worcester, King’s School and Whitehouse Hotel.