A new season begins

Following a long and seemingly endless winter the advent of Spring and the return of longer sunny days has seen the players of Southwick and Shoreham Cricket Club searching their attics and cupboards for mouldy and ill-fitting cricket whites! Whilst Batting shots and bowling actions are being honed at nets in anticipation of a glorious new cricket season. The grounds team led by Bernie Hughes have been beavering away at Buckingham Park and Southwick Green cutting and rolling wickets and sprucing up the pavilions. Speaking of which, the club are disappointed that Adur District Council have deferred plans to rebuild the facilities at Buckingham Park for at least a year but are hopeful that a much needed will take place in the not-too-distant future. There have been changes in the running the club following the retirement of club stalwarts Des O’Dell as chair and treasurer Mark Broxup, both of whom were tireless in their efforts for the club and have left with a legacy to be proud of. A new team led by Alex Mackhail-Bremner are now learning the ropes and looking to drive the club forward.

The 1st eleven will play in Division 8 Central and begin their campaign om May 10th with a visit to East Grinstead 3rd Xi, Skipper Tom Bell is confident of a good season but is concerned about player availability. Tom is hopeful that more of our promising youth squad will be pushing for places. The 2’s must wait until the 24th before they see action at home to Worthing 5ths

The club’s women’s section continues to go from strength to strength and a separate report can be seen elsewhere in your Herald. Our youth teams are looking forward to another summer of progress with the U-9’s and 11’s springing into action on May 4th. Coach Iain Carver is still looking for players especially for the U-11’s, he can be contacted on 0754 8217399. Iain will also be running the excellent AllStars and Dynamo’s programmes on Friday evenings at Southwick Green. These initiatives provide an easy introduction to cricket and can be accessed via the ECB website.

U-16’s coach and club president Adam Walter is concerned that school exams may have an impact on player availability so more players are always welcome. The youth begin their season at Scaynes Hill on June 18th and will play home matches at Buckingham Park on Wednesday evenings.

Sunday team The Duke of Wellington continue to expand their friendly fixture list and have matches on most Sundays, home games will be played at both of our venues.

The club can be followed and contacted on Facebook, Instagram and X(Twitter), If your looking to play league or friendly cricket or would like to umpire, score, join the ground maintenance team or get involved in any way, we are a welcoming and inclusive club always looking for volunteers. We would also like to hear from any prospective sponsors! You can email us at [email protected] or call our secretary Howard Carter on 07931 314858 for further information.