Past success will inspire the next generation to do it the ‘Kimberley way’

So here we are!! Once again the scoreboard has been dusted off, the grass cut, the covers pushed back and the cricket season is under way.

Things are becoming very exciting at Kimberley Institute Cricket Club. With a young, vibrant and talented 1^st XI group developing, the hope is high that we can now kick on from the experiences of last season and start to produce strong performances on a more consistent basis. While we know that there are improvements to be made, from what I have seen so far, we are working with a group of players in both the 1^st XI and the 2^nd XI who want to improve and ultimately be successful on a consistent basis.

On Friday night of this week, we were able to give the players a real flavour of what is required to be a top side by celebrating and reliving some of the many fantastic performances and achievements of teams gone by at our inaugural Kimberley Legends Evening. We invited many past players from the club to talk about old times, and what makes the club such a special place to not only play your cricket, but also to be part of as a wider family. Jim Fenwick gave an engrossing talk on the all-conquering team of 1994 and then seven players were awarded club caps for their performances for the club with either bat or ball. We were also able to welcome Samit Patel and Andre Adams to the 2bm Private Ground to collect a club cap for their achievements at international level.

Jim Fenwick gave us a run down of the famous 1994 season at the Legends Evening

It proved to be a fantastic evening and really set the tone for us to put on a good show the following day at West Indian Cavaliers the National Champions. Thankfully, our bowlers had been inspired, and an impressive display’s from Ben Savage and James Mann set us up for a brilliant victory. We eventually got there, despite a few scares, and now we can look forward to welcoming Clifton Village to Kimberley this Saturday where we hope to build on that good start.

The Legends Evening on Friday really highlighted what could be achieved with a close group of talented amateurs and hungry to impress professionals. That is the model that we are trying to develop here at Kimberley, and it is one that I know will stand us in good stead over not only this season, but the coming years. We have also been keen to look back to that success of the past to help us pave the way forward this year, and so far it has been great working with our new Cricket Manager Nick Rook, whose wealth of experience is something myself and the team are looking forward to drawing on. We will also be looking to make the most of having Jon Shaw, a club cap winner, back with us for the first few weeks. He has already made a huge impact in the changing room.

The expectations have now been set, and it us up to us to deliver some performances to make the great people of Kimberley proud. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday!