President’s Letter to VPs

Dear Vice presidents,

I am writing to you while I am still aching after our first outing of the season, a good encounter with Chippenham Park at Eversden, but just before our league season begins. We are, once again, hoping to field two league sides and the Casuals have several fixtures as well. Last year in the truncated league season we managed to field a “firsts” side that finished on top of its half of the league and so played off for the top spot with Ramsey seconds. Unfortunately, we ended up in second place, coming up against a strong side playing at home who we just allowed to make too many runs.

It was a good, if short, season for those able to play, the stars of which were Ryan Kelsall; returned to the Club relatively recently, but consistently threatening with the ball, Jon Adler, who organised and skippered the games, had remarkable success with the ball, not his usual milieu and Steve Robinson transferring evergreen skills to opening the batting with some ease. As has become expected they were ably supported by Hugo Batley, Karan Derekar and Andrew Redfern and, in various ways, by many other bit players. Perhaps for the last time friendlies outnumbered league fixtures and we greatly enjoyed visits to Grantchester, Elmdon, Chippenham, Newton, Ashwell, Jesus and the unfriendly friendly to contest the Duncan Gibson trophy with St Giles (not that it was anything other than convivial, even if we did lose!). Liam Wallman, a young spinner coming to us from City of Cambridge juniors is developing with every season and as I write looks to be likely to be a first team regular, while Fahim Kawsar has finally adapted to Cambridgeshire (and got a new bat) after a spell in Lancashire and is scoring stylish runs in our middle order. More returns or returns to form from the past are represented by Matt Fox-Teece and Will Sutton, while Andy Nutt established that he is almost certainly our longest playing member at present. And, of course your correspondent keeps rolling along……

In terms of organisation, I must mention the excellent efforts of the treasurer, Martin Baker, who has kept us safely solvent and even allowed the subs to be reduced recently, while behind the scenes Justin Lee has sorted out kit, our new (old) logo and fixture cards. The playing and other things now bear a new logo which actually dates back deep into the twentieth century and possibly before. Our association with Trinity seems, at least at present, to be at an end so we decided we would “drop” the fountain, which was only a relatively recent development (indeed I still have the sketches in an envelope somewhere), but as there is always a call for a log and “corporate identity” we have reverted to the interlocking Cs you see at the top of this page.

Which brings me to a (perhaps) momentous break with tradition. We have decided that the fixture card will not be printed this year. As it is an expensive exercise in producing information readily available elsewhere, and the tradition of sending copies to opposition fixtures secretaries died out many years ago it seemed that the only function was for posterity. If you are in total disagreement with this do let me know, perhaps even offer to sponsor it! And we will produce it once more. In the meantime, I have produced a fixture list to go with this letter, which is also available, along with our rules, constitution and results on our revamped and maintained website (camdencc.com) or on play-cricket. I’m not entirely sure where the old lists of names of members, vps, associates, etc. would sit with GDPR, except that to a large extent that is a development for the computer age….. Suffice to say one or two traditions will continue: I am currently looking for a cap supplier, Duncan will be invited to be a VP and Douglas Mitchell has just been registered as a Camden League player!

Our firsts will be playing home games at Queens and Robinson as in previous years and the seconds will be based out in Eversden, where the rec played very decently on Sunday (although some may disagree with me…) and our friendlies will be largely away (except the one against Jesus as they are being dug up) with Dullingham joining the select band.

There will be, COVID, BORIS and other epidemics allowing, a “showpiece” at Queen’s this year. Last year the M.C.C. game was called off, but this year we are planning a President’s XI match on 23rd July to which you are warmly invited to come. If you are planning on turning up (I’m afraid our hope of making “raising a rum for Ray” a yearly event seems to have had a hiccup, but do come along anyway) could you let the VPs liaison, my mother, Ann, know please so we can plan for guests? Otherwise, you are more than welcome at any of our games, come along if you are able and bathe in the ”endless promise of summer” before the “shadows on the grass” begin to lengthen (and in the days before internet I could have challenged you to name the two “gentlemen” quoted, but I’m afraid Alexa has put an end to such play….).

Yours Sincerely

David Mitchell – still president, Camden CC