UPPINGHAM TOWN CRICKET CLUB
President: C. Scott Esq
Honorary Life Members: Mike & Mary Gaul
Honorary Vice Presidents:
J. Tabram, A. Barnett, P. Cox, S. Findlay, J.F. Tilley, R. Reeve, C. Thomas, S. Wade
Vice Presidents: G. Lawrence, M. Coplin, T. Brant

MID-SEASON NEWSLETTER – JULY 2024

Dear Friends of Uppingham Town CC,

I hope you are all well and enjoying what seems to be a real summer of sport. As we are now at the midway point of the league season, the Executive Committee thought it would be a good time to update members on how 2024 has been going for our various teams on the pitch. The weather finally seems to be settling down (famous last words) and with Castle Hill looking a picture in the sunshine, hopefully we are in for an exciting second half of the season.

The Saturday 1st XI have had a mixed first half of the season, both in terms of performances and results. Buoyed by the signings of Australian batter Hayden Brough, young fast bowler Xavier Wildsmith, seamer Ben Lobban and, in addition, the news that Danny Dumford would come back to play having relocated to London at the end of last season, hopes were high going into the season. Eleven weeks on and we sit midtable, having won 5, lost 5 after the first game was abandoned, with an overriding feeling of what might have been. Notable contributions have been from Scott Green (19 wickets), the evergreen Mark Cox, (17 wickets and 346 runs including a brilliant 103* in the win over Kegworth), and Jamie Dumford (233 runs including 83 v Ibstock). Hopefully, the 1st team can kick on now, put a consistent run of wins together and push towards the top end of the table come the end of the season under the calm stewardship of Jamie Richardson.

A word on our overseas player before we move on: Hayden has been an absolute breath of fresh air for the 1st team and for the club as a whole. He has fitted in brilliantly, scored plenty of runs (818 in all games at the last count) and provided some much-needed energy and quality in the field. He has scored 467 league runs so far including 5 half-centuries: hopefully that first ton is not far away. But it was in a Sunday league game in early June that Hayden proved to be his most destructive so far, scoring a quite incredible 200 not out off just 127 balls, including 23 4s and 4 6s, in a mammoth score of 331-5 at Barnack CC.

The 2nd XI have had a solid first half of the season and currently sit 4th in Division 6 East. Availability has proved the most difficult issue for skipper George Scott to deal with (again), but there have been some excellent performances both individually and as a team and, at times, the side has shown the potential to be a side that could be competing at a higher level. Highlights include a superb 112 by keeper-batsman Ben Harford and a magnificent 110 by 14-year-old Harry Cox just last week. Wicket-taking has been dominated by teenagers Freddy Williamson and Charlie Burgess (17 and 16 respectively) which suggests the future is bright for the club. George and vice-captain Harvey Stafford hope for greater consistency both in terms of selection and performance as they look to be in the hunt for promotion come September.

Andy Cross’s 3rd XI also sit 4th in their respective division, which again represents a solid first half of the season. Runs have proven hard to come by, judging by the scores and stats: perhaps the difficulties of batting on some uncovered pitches away from Castle Hill have been hard to overcome at times (we know how lucky we are to have the covers that we have!). Nevertheless, Will Fletcher has led the way thus far, scoring 110* in the win at Market Overton, while Phil James scored a crucial 66* in a hard-fought win away at Rothley. Wickets have been shared around, with Rory Heath currently leading the way on 7, and it has been good to see youngsters including Eddie Finnemore, Harrison Garrill and Jack James contributing on this front, ably supported by the wily old foxes Alan Brown, Will Rossiter and Kevin Webster. They are looking for a strong second half of the season.

The Sunday 1st XI continue to be ably led by Sam and Toby Rees. Thus far, they have only completed 3 Rutland league games (2 losses and 1 win), with 1 abandoned when they were about to win and 1 opposition cry-off. Aside from Hayden’s aforementioned double hundred, the stars of the show so far have been Charlie Cox (74 in the same game) and U15 Thomas Welch, who bamboozled Newborough, with his potent mix of leg spin and googlies, taking 6-28 off his 9 overs. More evidence that the kids are alright over at Castle Hill.

Tom Runcorn’s Sunday Friendly XI goes from strength to strength. Again, a mix of youth and experience is the cornerstone of this side, and Tom always makes sure people are fully involved in the game with bat and ball. They have had some good games so far, with the emphasis more on having fun and enjoying a good tea rather than going all out for the win. Regular players include Richard Merry, Paul Scranage, James Lammie and youngsters Zac Finnemore and Archie Lambert. More of the same for the rest of the season please, Tom.

Emma Cole is our new captain of the women and girls section which continues to grow this year. Tuesday night hard ball training and Thursday night softball training have followed the winter nets. Two league teams are playing this year with both Hardball and Softball teams having success. It has been great to see women’s cricket continue to grow at Uppingham. Numbers are up, training is both fun and competitive, and the women have enjoyed some excellent softball games and, most notably, a brilliant 36 run win over local rivals Oakham CC. Great work, ladies! Most recently the hardball team beat Old CC by 26 runs.

Our junior section continues to be the lifeblood of the club and it is currently thriving, with a number of volunteer coaches and team managers supporting the children in both training and matches on an almost daily basis. The U9s have had a few softball matches now to introduce them into match situations, which has been great to see. Meanwhile, the U11s, U13s and U15s have played a good number of league and cup games, after a slow start to the season due to the inclement weather. The momentum is really building for our junior teams now that the school year is coming to an end, and we look forward to seeing our younger players build on the foundations that have been laid so far at training on Thursday nights and in the various matches they have played. Thanks to all the coaches, umpires, scorers, supporters, ground staff and parents who continue to provide the opportunity for our boys and girls to play cricket home and away on a regular basis. It is very much appreciated.

Finally, an honourable mention goes to Scott Green’s Burrough league side, who continue to compete most Tuesday evenings. This side provides players with a great opportunity for some fun, midweek cricket at different local-ish venues and can result in some entertaining cricket. We currently sit top of the table after 7 games and are hoping for promotion back to division 1. You can do it, lads.

I hope this has been a useful update on the competitive season at Castle Hill so far. Alongside these games, we continue to have a packed programme of Friday evening friendlies courtesy of our loyal band of Friday Nighters, Allstars training sessions for 20+ 5–8-year-olds every Sunday morning, regular social events and, of course, fabulous food from Alex and Jen Burgess in the Boundary Box. Thank you to all our many volunteers who give up so many hours of their time to make the club what it is and to provide such an outstanding facility for our members to enjoy. Particular thanks must go to Pop Cox who continues to work tirelessly on the ground in all weathers and, it seems, at all times of the day and night, and to Andy ‘Dougie’ Robb and his team of bar staff for all their hard work. Thank you so much to the volunteers who give up their time to help behind the bar and with so many other jobs that keep the club running. The Executive Committee is hugely grateful to them.

However, we know how time is precious for people in this day and age and it is becoming harder to find people to dedicate their time to voluntary roles. So, a little plea from me on behalf of the EC: if anyone can give up a few hours of their time, either as paid bar staff or on a voluntary basis, it would be hugely appreciated and help the club operate as we all want it to. Please do get in touch with Claire Cox or any of the EC if you are able to help in any way. Do also just come along to watch some cricket, have a drink and support your club at what is without doubt the most picturesque ground in the league. Everyone is most welcome at Castle Hill. Indeed, one date for your diary: we have our past players and members social at the club on Saturday August 10th. We hope to see many of you there.

With very best wishes,

Jonny Kay
c/o the Executive Committee
Uppingham Town Cricket Club