Well we have finally reached the end of what has been a
fabulous season for Kimberley Institute 1st XI. Winning our first
Nottinghamshire Premier League title, along with the success in the Twenty20
Cup earlier in the season has been a very special thing to be part of.
Success at a cricket club, and developing winning teams can
rarely be attributed to one particular thing. It is normally the sum of many
parts which come together to make for a successful environment.
There is no doubt that this year we have been blessed with a
number of fine young players who have together blossomed at the right time into
outstanding, and perhaps most importantly, consistent league cricketers. That
did not happen over night. The work that Sam Ogrizovic and Michael Blatherwick
put in over the last few years to assemble much of this side was vital to the
success. Both Michael and Sam had the longer term vision to see that by
building a young team with a strong collective work ethic, success could be achieved.
It is easy to try to chase success by bringing in players who you expect to
deliver instantly. More often that not you are disappointed. We had tried that
route in the past and been burnt. It takes great determination and a brave
confidence to say ‘this is the way we are going to do it, it might take time,
but it will succeed’. So to Sam and Michael, I say a big thank you. Not only
for having confidence in me, but also in this group that they could perform.
We have also been lucky to have the wisdom and skill of our
team manager. ‘Rookie’, takes a lot of stick from the young lads, but he has
this great ability to connect with them and get the best out of them. He, like
Sam and Michael, has shown unwavering belief in the ability of the group over
the last two seasons, and now he has been rewarded. It says something when lads
of 21 look forward to going out for a social drink with a man of Rookie’s age!
Thank you Rookie for trusting in me and for providing me with council over the
season.
Karen Layton, a key cog behind the scenes. |
It is not all about the team and management though. Any
success is actually as much down to the people behind the scenes as those out
on the pitch. Karen Layton does a phenomenal amount for Kimberley Institute
Cricket Club. She is Child Welfare Officer and organises the teas (and I do
think ours are amongst the best in the league!) along with Tina King, and I was
so pleased she was up there on Saturday to share our success. Martin Clarke is
vital on match day's running the bar along with our treasurer and his wife
Nichola. Without Martin, Colin would not be able to get his match day beers and
would be forever grumpy!
We without doubt have the best scorer in the league. Rob
Naylor is a voluntary sensation. His scoring is sublime, he knows all the
statistics and can be a useful source of information in analysing our
performance.
Our outstanding ground staff who have worked tirelessly to provide superb playing conditions all year. |
We are also blessed to have the most fantastic ground staff.
At so many grounds, you come across groundsman who actually hate nothing more
than people playing cricket on their square! Not Stewart and his team. They
will do anything they can to help get a game on, and this year we did not
suffer a single abandonment at home, our last game a perfect example, with the mangle and sponges out despite it
being a dead rubber in many ways.
Geoff Griffiths has been Chairman since 1998 and has overseen both NPL titles. |
We have Geoff Griffiths our Chairman, John Parkin the
President and the rest of the committee. They do a sterling job ensuring that
the 1st XI can just come along and play without having to worry
about the numerous logistical aspects of running a cricket club.
Finally we have our fantastic supporters. They are always
our harshest critics, but as Graham said to me, ”it is only because we want you
to be better!” They have travelled home and away to supporters over the
difficult last few years and been unwavering in their support. I hope they have
enjoyed the success over the last few weeks.
Barcelona FC have a motto of “mes que un club” which
translates as “more than a club”. I think that befits Kimberley Institute, and
our challenge now is to repeat our success in the same vein as our Catalan
counterparts.
Thank you to everyone, it has been a wonderful year!