WINSLEY CRICKET CLUB NEW SEASON UPDATE
A WORD FROM YOUR PRESIDENT - NICK SWINBURNE
As we approach the beginning of the cricket season, all being well starting on the 17th April, maybe it’s a good time to record the tremendous progress Winsley CC has made over recent years. Our membership has grown from between 30 and 40 to over 350 now. You have probably seen the stunning clubhouse, built in 2004 after a devastating fire, but you may not realise that the pitch is one of the very best in the area, hosting Wiltshire age group matches as well as club games on Saturdays, Sundays and many midweek days. Over the winter, walls have been repaired, new boundary fencing has been erected and our ground and facilities are justifiably the envy of many both far and wide.
We have also made advances on the field with the club now running four sides in the Wiltshire League and, excitingly, a new ladies section to complement our fantastic success with our junior teams where many players represent the county and have already moved successfully on to senior cricket. It’s a real credit to those involved but something the community can also take real pride in.
In 2026 we will be celebrating our centenary at The Downs and now seems an appropriate time, as we recover from the pandemic, to reflect on what the future role of the club should be in our community. Maybe we have not been as visible in the area as we should have been. We wish to change that immediately by fully engaging with local organisations, sports clubs and local businesses to help genuinely “build back better” by using our club infrastructure and resources to the benefit of our village and area. The aim is, via sponsorship, events and new social media channels to support our local charities, our youngsters, the disadvantaged in our community plus local businesses and organisations recovering from the pandemic. We are ambitious and our aim to be much more than a cricket club but also a mainstay of village life.
We have already been in touch successfully with some businesses and organisations but this is also an appeal to other businesses, local organisations and individuals to get in touch and join us in our mission to jointly build a great new society in Winsley. Let us know how you think we might be able to help you and any skills or resources you might be able to offer. We would be delighted to hear your ideas and, of course, welcome you to the ground throughout the summer.
A WORD FROM YOUR CHAIRMAN - NIALL MACDOUGALL
Last year was challenging but we survived and I would like to think that cricket was a bright light in a dark sky. Most weekends we fielded six teams who were a mixture of league players, youth, ladies and those who wanted to play sport. We have a great team at the club who make things happen and one of the pleasing features of the truncated season was to see so many from the village coming to watch, you are all very welcome.
We had a successful season with the 1sts winning their “bubble” and the launch of a ladies team playing softball. We will build on our successes from last year by fielding 4 league teams on a Saturday, two ladies teams on a Sunday as well as social teams on Sunday and mid week. We are always looking for players and are particularly keen to grow the ladies teams who have entered a league for the first time.
Our junior section is vibrant and it is an area of pride for the club. We have county players from the U10s to the U18s and many are playing adult cricket in the 1sts and 2nds. Indeed our average age for both is around 21 and over 30s are considered to be greybeards ! Seriously, we have 160 juniors on the books and Friday night junior training is great fun from 5pm with lots of activities as well as a BBQ and bar during the evening. It’s a great way to unwind after a busy week.
As for the ground we are improving it with new fencing helped by a generous grant from the Bradford on Avon Area Board. We are also installing new gates in memory of our President Phil Taylor who sadly passed away last May.
As we grow we will need to expand our facilities so in the future we hope extend the pavilion to give us more room for our equipment but more importantly to provide suitable changing facilities for the ladies.
So please come and visit the cricket the club and be involved. As I said earlier we are always looking for players of all abilities and if you don’t want to play be involved as a volunteer or just come and have a drink and enjoy the atmosphere.
A WORD FROM YOUR LADIES CAPTAIN - JESS EDWARDS
I am really excited to announce that 2021 will be the inaugural year for women’s cricket at Winsley! There has been growing demand for a women’s side at the club, with increasing numbers of girls progressing up through the ranks of youth cricket and plenty of interest from other prospective members. We decided to harness this enthusiasm and enter both softball and hardball teams into the Wiltshire league this summer! It is very important to us that we facilitate and encourage women to play cricket; we want our club to provide opportunities for all, regardless of their prior experience.
Our teams will be formed from absolute beginners to experienced players, with a strong emphasis on having fun and establishing a female community at the club. Alongside weekly matches and training sessions, we will also be hosting an informal softball festival, which will be a very inclusive and enjoyable day. We are actively seeking new members to come and get involved and I would love to hear from anyone who is interested in learning or playing some cricket! After so many months of lockdown, why not try out something new? It’s a great way to improve your fitness, make new friends, and have fun.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me to find out more or to be added to our women’s Whatsapp group. You can contact me by email at edwards.jessamy@gmail.com, or text me on 07714017192.
A WORD FROM YOUR CLUB CAPTAIN - NEIL HUSSEY
Despite a uniquely challenging season in 2020, senior cricket at Winsley continues to go from strength to strength. I’m delighted to say for the first time ever, we will run 4 senior league sides in 2021, giving our men’s, ladies’ and young cricketers even more opportunity to play when added to our Sunday and Midweek sides. We have a young New Zealander called Campbell McKegg joining us from NZ Premier League Grafton United. He was introduced to us through club umpire Steven Thomas. Campbell offers us further strength to an exciting squad, which saw 98 players used to fulfil 12 weeks of fixtures last summer. Please join me in making Campbell welcome.
We will start the season under COVID protocols but this doesn’t stop you coming and watching us and having a drink from the bar from April 12. Your support in 2020, and indeed 2019, was greatly valued and I know all of the players and I truly value the enthusiasm shown by all of our supporters and friends of the club.
Our aims in 2021 are really clear. The 1st XI being led by Charlie Holton and the 2nds which I’ll lead, are both targeting promotion. It’s important as a club that we meet the needs of our extremely talented young players and WEPL cricket is a priority for us. The 3rds are targeting promotion but with a clear mantra of playing youth with experience. We will have a 6/5 balance in our 11 to ensure we develop the next generation. The 4th team is there to ensure we provide cricket for all. When you’ve used 98 players across all cricket in 2020, it’s imperative we maintain momentum. We are and will always be a village cricket club, but I’m absolutely committed to being one of the best in Wiltshire for participation and offering people the chance to play cricket in a way they enjoy. We have a clear culture and ethos you can see around the pavilion and I’m committed to that being front and centre of what we do. The Winsley spirit never dies. The fact we can share it with more and more people excites me. I look forward to working with John Spencer (Club Coach), Jess and Tina (your Ladies Captains) Nigel Unwin (your Youth Coordinator) and your captains Charlie Holton, Chris Hill and Simon Bowden to make Winsley’s playing offering as strong as ever in terms of results and more importantly inclusion. Match and Training times are on page 3 of this update. Please get in touch on 07824534894 if you need anything from me. It's your club, I’m here to make it work for all of you.
Thanks as always to all of you for your contribution to the club. I can’t wait to see you all this summer. We would always welcome help covering the bar, BBQ or offering a hand at social events later in 2021. Please let me know if you can offer help. Support from families, parents and friends of the club is essential to us being able offer you all we do. Stay well. Huss
A WORD FROM YOUR YOUTH COORDINATOR - NIGEL UNWIN
We have a well-established youth cricket programme at Winsley and are one of the largest clubs in Wiltshire. Our youth programme for girls and boys runs from age 5 with the ECB All Stars through to our under 19 Team. The approach to cricket changes over this diverse age range, but some things remain constant. At Winsley we believe cricket should be about inclusion, involvement and enjoyment.
From the early years the focus is on enjoyment; learning basic technique in a safe and fun environment and hopefully developing a lasting interest in the game. As the players mature we concentrate on refining technique and introduce tactical elements along with the mental aspect of the game. The aim is to develop thinking cricket players, who are able to resolve the challenges posed when they are ‘on their own’ in the middle bowling or batting. This helps develop mature, resilient, problem-solving young people who gain the self-confidence to understand they can influence outcomes in their lives.
Despite some aspects of cricket being very individual, cricket is a team game and involvement for everyone is encouraged at all age groups at Winsley. We do not have a ‘win at all costs’ approach and value the team approach where, for example, everyone bowls and we retire batsmen to get more players involved and contributing to the game. All sports are competitive in nature and we do aim to win every game we play, but we balance that competitiveness with the constant aims of inclusion, involvement and enjoyment.
This balanced team approach has seen Winsley be very successful at all age groups in league and cup competitions over the years, developing a considerable number of players who have represented County and District teams. As players develop we introduce them to the adult teams and from under 15 upwards they train with adults and can play adult league and social cricket teams. The success of this pathway for talented cricketers has seen the average age of our 1st and 2nd Teams range between 19 and 22 at times during last season. We have also introduced a new Talent Pathway in 2021, helping those who wish to push their own game to partner with our coaches, under 19s and senior players to develop their skills ready for adult cricket. The pathway is another example of us looking to put a long lasting infrastructure in place at the club, allowing our young people to be the best they can be. The players, U19 mentors and our coaching team will all see a great deal of benefit from this.
We believe the future of our thriving, vibrant club starts with our youth and the development of thinking, skilful players who are passionate about cricket. All children are welcome, so please get in touch (winsleycricket@gmail.com) if your child would like to join us. Our summer school will run again in the summer holidays. Details will follow later in 2021 and we look forward to it.
WHAT’S ON AT WINSLEY
Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Under 11s League
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18:00
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Ladies Training
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18:00
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Midweek X1
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18:00
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Senior Cricket and U15 Training
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18:00
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Under 11s (8 a side - Pairs) (Monkton)
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18:00
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Under 13s League -Side 1
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18:00
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Under 15s League
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18:00
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Under 13s League - Side 2
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18:00
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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Our Under 19 games and participation in the Wiltshire Wallop T20 competition will also happen throughout the season.
Youth Training runs until at least mid July.
Our annual summer school will also operate this summer in the school holidays
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All Stars
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17:00
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1st X1
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13:00
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Sunday X1
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13:00
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Dynamos
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17:00
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2nd X1
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13:00
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Ladies X1 (Hardball)
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13:00
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Under 11s Training
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18:15
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3rd X1(Sulis Club)
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13:00
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Ladies Soft Ball
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Various
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Under 13s Training
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18:15
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4th X1(Sulis Club)
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13:00
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Girls Training
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18:15
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We will issue a fixture list to you all soon. We have retired the fixture card due to cost restrictions but a one page list of games will be sent to you all once remaining senior, ladies and youth fixtures are confirmed.