A Welcome to the 2024 Senior Season
Welcome to Sissinghurst Cricket Club (SCC) Senior 2024 season.
As the new Chairman of SCC, I felt it was incumbent on me to open the 2024 Senior Season with a very warm welcome to our returning and new membership.
I recently read that regardless of the sport played, successful clubs have a long, strong history, a commitment to including others and a family and social focus. They value and reward members, communicate and promote regularly, and have policies that cover all bases. Very simple to say but without a high level of buy in, from a willing membership, very difficult to achieve.
Sissinghurst Cricket Club has all these qualities but has perhaps not, for one reason or another, always been able to knit them all together into a coherent One Club culture that encourages a consistent and sustainable growth in its playing membership. It is my ambition to try and rectify this with a number of initiatives that will achieve change over time.
We remain very lucky that we can still field three sides over the season. A 1stXI and 2ndXI playing League cricket, in the Kent Village League, on a Saturday and a further side playing more social cricket on a Sunday. This creates a perfect platform for a range of player abilities as well as a well-managed environment that introduces our junior members, at the appropriate time, to senior cricket. This may seem simple but adapting to senior cricket can include not only increased physical and mental demands but also those related to a different style of play and the pressure to win. Thankfully, we have some great seniors who, through their involvement with Junior coaching, are well versed and committed to assisting with this.
I am delighted that the following will be Captaining our Senior teams this year.
1st XI Captain – Phil Browning
2nd XI Captain – Steve Brown*
Sunday Captain – Jon Agar
*Whilst Steve will be the lead Captain of the 2nd XI, the captaincy will be shared around as we look to create a sensible succession plan around this important job.
A key focus, for this season, is our commitment to create and maintain a series of social events that will promote the One Club Culture. Senior Membership will automatically carry with it an invitation to other family members to become Social Members at no extra cost to the member. We very much hope this will encourage a wider participation in the social events and the use of the Club, during the warn summer months, when the Pavilion and bar are open.
Of course, all of this is not possible without the huge work done by our team of volunteers. My thanks go to Digger, Mike, Jon (x2), Amanda, Jackie, Steve, Antonia and all the Committee and Cricket Sub-Committee members who give so much of their time to the benefit of others.
Finally, to all our Sponsors and Affiliates without which we could not function financially, a very big thank you. Particular thanks go to our returning kit sponsors JM Finn and TN17 Food and Wine and to The Milk House and our new partners Burtons Solicitors and Kent Construction Consultants for their support of our new pitch covers. We look forward to seeing you all, at the Club, over the coming season.
Simon Latham – Chairman of Sissinghurst Cricket Club