Evening folks,
There is a lot of information contained in this email, so PLEASE read it all the way through!
The weather is finally getting warmer and cricket is just around the corner, even though neither the Government nor the ECB have made their final decisions yet as to exactly what will be allowable.
BOTH the Hertfordshire Senior and Junior Leagues are planning for full seasons. All senior League fixtures, (start May 8th), and are posted on the Club’s and the SHPCL websites.
The 1st XI start competitive cricket May 1st with a 1:30pm Readers T/20 tie against Hemel Hempstead CC at Hertford Cricket Club – all support welcome.
The Club has recruited, and extends a very warm welcome to Rehan Hassan, who joins us from Potters Bar, where he averaged almost 60 in helping them win the Premiership in 2019! Rehan is part of an ambitious drive to see Shenley Village play in the Premiership, the 2’s in Division 2, (hopefully), and the 3’s in Division 5!
Junior fixtures, (scheduled to start w/c April 25th), are in the process of being finalised by Geoff Evans. These too will be posted to the Club website by age-group by the end of the month, (hopefully!).
In addition to our four Saturday sides and nine junior teams, we will continue to run our Sunday XI’s and have also entered the new Development League, designed to encourage youngsters join the pathway to senior cricket.
Club nets will open March 29th, with senior and junior training starting over the Easter weekend. Head coach Kris Nissen will also be running an Easter Camp – for further details, please reach out to him by email or on his mobile. Further information on this will follow shortly.
It’s great that cricket is almost back, but when using the nets or indeed playing for the Club in any game this summer, ALL members MUST, (for now at least), follow the Rule of SIX, per Government Guidelines and the attached ECB advice.
Net Bookings can be made by initially looking at "lane" availability, which can be viewed on the Club website. You will find available times by clicking on Net Bookings 2021 on the left hand menu. Bookings can ONLY be made by emailing me. I will then respond confirming your time and lane. Please note you do NOT have a booking until confirmed by email from me. I will do my best to respond within 24 hours, and it will be first come, first served. Please note ONLY Lanes 1 and 4 will be available to start with and the MAXIMUM number allowed in any one lane at any one time is SIX players, including a coach if one is being used. Fully 2021 paid up members will always take preference.
By way of a little background, following a number of complaints from the public as to cricket clubs breaking Covid rules last season, the Department of Culture, Media and Sports, (DCMS), warned the ECB that any further breaches would lead to grass-root cricket being shut down completely until all restrictions have been lifted in their entirety. The Hertfordshire League, and a number of other leagues around the country were asked to develop Covid protocols for 2021, which were submitted to the ECB last Friday.
One very key protocol will be the expulsion of any Herts-based club who, (having already received one warning), breaches any Covid protocol that is reported by a panel umpire or by the police from the Hertfordshire Leagues. So please, whether you are practicing in the Club’s nets, or are playing either a senior or junior league game for the Club, please remember your actions could lead to the closure of our Club. We were reported once last summer, so please, could everyone be diligent and remind anyone you see not adhering to the Rule of 6 – certainly until these rules change.
If anyone has any question on this, or what is allowed, please email or call me for clarification, as it would be a HUGE pity given the in excess of £30,000 invested by way of grants and private member donations in repairing our wonderful nets and returfing/relaying the outfield on the main ground and both squares.
A message from me would not be the same with the following!!!
So, a big thanks to all those who have already paid their annual subscriptions or set up their monthly standing orders. I would ask those that have not yet done so to either pay their membership fees or set up their standing orders as soon as possible. By way of a reminder:
Membership rates for 2021 are:
Adults - £240 by 31/3/2021 or 6 x £40 commencing 1/3/2021
U18 through university - £90 or 6 x £15 commencing 1/3/2021
U15 & U17 - £250 or 6 x £41.66 commencing 1/3/2021
U8 to U14 - £180 or 6 x £30 commencing 1/3/2021
Social Members - £40
Payments should be made/set-up in favour of:
Account Name: Shenley Village Cricket Club (please note use the full name)
Account Number: 60390763
Sort Code: 20-47-34
I will be writing to a number of junior parents in the next day or so with information as to refunds for which they are eligible – so please give me until the end of the week before emailing me requesting information on this.
Wishing everyone a very happy and successful season,
With warmest regards,
George White
Joint Chairman
Mobile: 07968 349933
Email: whiteg27@hotmail.com