The Committee wanted to drop all our players, supporters and volunteers a brief note to update you on what is going on behind the scenes while the Covid-19 lockdown is in place.
Firstly, and most importantly, we hope you and your families are all healthy and coping as well as possible in these unusual times. We hope you are enjoying the daily Facebook posts of historical scorecards from classic Heyford CC matches from yester-year. Last Friday we even managed to enjoy a superb traditional pre-season quiz via Facebook Live, which at the latest count has raised £360 for The Lewis Foundation charity. Thanks to Rob Pardon for keeping us amused with the Facebook posts and for organising and expertly hosting the quiz. Any volunteers to run another one?!…
As you are aware, the future of all cricket is unknown, and the NCL is no different. Until we know more about how the pandemic will progress there is little point in speculating about if / when / what format cricket at Heyford CC will take in 2020. However, the Committee had a hugely successful April conference call meeting to make sure things are ticking over. The only glitch was an upside-down Ross (see link)!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o9j32s366cve8es/Ross.jpg?dl=0At the AGM in February we discussed our grand plans to invest in a new roller before the start of the summer. We have submitted a grant application to Northamptonshire Community Foundation, sourced the exact make and model that we would like, and were on the verge of placing an order when the Covid-19 lockdown began. Understandably, our grant application is now on hold and considering the uncertainty surrounding our fundraising events for 2020, we have decided to postpone this investment until our grant application is reviewed and cricket is on the horizon. Sorry Darren and Dom. The good news is we still plan to press on with the installation of benches around the boundary for spectators.
Just because we do not know when cricket will start does not mean that we can neglect the square and outfield at the playing fields. When the lockdown is lifted and life is (hopefully) back to normal, everyone involved with the Club will owe a huge debt of gratitude to Darren and Dom who are maintaining the square with as much care and attention as if the season had started on April 25th (following ECB groundsman social distancing guidelines of course!). The square looks fantastic, and with Kit, Julian and even Josh Bastin looking after the outfield the Club will be in a good position to ‘mobilise quickly’ (work chat!) when the season starts.
We have certainly not forgotten our junior cricketers either. We are still hopeful that All Stars and Dynamos Cricket will take place later in the summer, and as soon as we can start coaching again for our U11s we will. In the meantime, we will keep setting occasional challenges to try and keep them busy while they are all at home, and we are expecting the ECB to release some activities too. Check out the website for our fun ‘Coronavirus Cricket’ challenge video!
With regards to the Southend on Sea end of season tour we hope that this is far enough away to be unaffected, that the world will have returned to normal, and the tour can be a beacon of light flashing at the end of a dark and cricket-less (or at least cricket-light) summer! However, the Committee are aware that many people might have found themselves unexpectedly out of work or with reduced income and might now find the cost of tour prohibitive. Ed Rogers is in the process of working out exactly when we need to cancel pre-booked items like coaches and hotels without incurring any additional cost so that everyone knows when they need to decide if they would still like to come. If you have any concerns about tour, then get in touch with Ed directly.
Fortunately, thanks to many years of fundraising and careful spending, the Club is in a good position financially and we will be able to weather the Covid-19 storm. However, if you are able to support us by taking out a Bonus Ball if you don’t already have one (or an extra one if you do!) that would be much appreciated.
https://heyfordcc.teamapp.com/custom_pages/4184-bonus-ball?_detail=v1That is all for now. In the meantime, stay safe, keep following the government guidance and we will update you as soon as there is anything else to report…
All the best,
Matt and the Committee
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