We have now reached the halfway point of the season and find ourselves lying in 8th position. On top of this, we were knocked out of the Cup at the weekend in disappointing fashion. This is now the time where we have to forget what has gone before, attempt to turn our season around and get back up the league as quickly as possible.

We need to guard against relegation as fiercely as we should be fighting for promotion. We must push ourselves to compete in the highest standard possible. The slippery slope down leads to a dearth of players, volunteers leaving and juniors heading for other clubs.

I don’t believe this will happen at Baildon, we have a big team of volunteers working hard behind the scenes making sure that cricket is played in the best conditions we can produce and a committed team of coaches inspiring record numbers of juniors. However, this is not enough and we can never rest on our laurels.

Our ground and surroundings could be better and our practice facilities are crying out to be renovated. However, despite this, we had 29 club members attend our last senior practice (on a wet evening!); in my 30 years at the club I have never seen so many come to train. I want to make sure that we provide the best training facilities in the area – this will take money and time but we will get there.

The same story in the first team has played out across our other three senior sides – we are all struggling for consistency and have been lacking outstanding individual performances that lift those players around them. We need our leading players to stand up and turn in the sort of inspiring deeds that others latch onto. A century from one batter leads to a fifty from another and a five-for leads to another bowler taking two wickets.

It’s time to lift our game, take some pride in the Baildon badge and put some fight back in our cricket!

James Butterfield
Chairman