Blog 4 (16th October 2009)
As the dust has now truly settled on the 2009 season I felt it time to reflect. Our adventure into the new unchartered territories of a competitive league and cup proved to be a successful one.
As Captain I was proud to have been given the honour and responsibility of leading the club during these challenges. I can say that I have been hugely impressed by the response of everyone within our tight knit squad. Everyone has bought into the challenges we have faced and the team ethos we are trying to generate.
Highlight of course was the cup win over Glenwood on the field. However the competitive nature we as a team showed in every game was fantastic. We provided stern opposition for everyone we faced never once being outclassed or more importantly out fought.
I was personally delighted to see a number of players take on new roles and for some a variety of roles during the season as the team evolved. We need to be flexible as a squad due to our small squad size and also to be able to change our approach during games to tackle different match situations.
The other firsts we had were of course a hugely successful charity game, for an excellent cause and also our very first tour, which was a huge success despite not actually getting on the field. I look forward to building things for next season, where I believe we can again be very competitive and am convinced that we can change the small losses into wins by being more aggressive and expressive in our approach.
Again a big thank you for your efforts during the season, I have appreciated it and I will be dropping you all a line individually with some thoughts. I hope to get the opportunity next season to continue moving things forward at the helm. Finally, I also hope to see a lot of you next Friday (23rd October) at the QC’s first end of season bash as Social Secretary, I am practicing my heckling now!
Cheers
Neil Shearer - Club Captain
Blog 3 (5th August 2009)
I thought I would drop a quick “blog” as it has been over five weeks since my last one. In which time we have managed to complete only two of our scheduled seven fixtures. We have however enjoyed the small matter of a tour, which I will come to later!
We paid our annual visit to the delights of Blackweir to face the league leaders in the shape of the Hurricanes. The most ridiculous short boundary I have ever seen and a pitch that looked dodgy but wasn’t saw them accumulate a major score off 163 for 6 in their 20. Also, yes I know I got it wrong putting them in to bat and it played on my mind all game! Gypo and Rich B gave us a shout as we were up with the rate for a while but unfortunately they bowled well protecting the short side and we fell short. Did make we wonder though, why are there so many Richards in our side?
We then played an uneventful match against another good side in Glenwood. We batted poorly after being put in, but some great work in the field kept us in it for a bit, except for Coombsy’s strop when miss-fielding at extra… temper, temper. Ironic that last comment as I decided it would be a good idea to take my frustrations out on a door that was really a wall and break my finger to ensure I was out for six weeks, what a prize _________ (put your own word here I am sure you have many!)
Anyway in between the run of seemingly non stop rain we did manage a tour to Swansea to commemorate (or is that commiserate) Matty B’s coming of age (21 that is). A good time was had by all and in the good traditions of “what goes on tour stays on tour” I will say nothing much at all here as I am also wary of QC Howards legally binding document! I shall just thank MC Pete for getting us there and back, how I don’t know as he was one of the last drinking with yours truly and I think the raving perv Coombs who just ran round the hotel salivating. I do have to mention Saucy though; the self proclaimed party animal was in bed earlier than my mother, though he did make up for it the next day by joining the special band of three who took on the hair of the dog! I also must thank Gypo for allowing me to eat half of his lovely breakfast on Sunday whilst he turned green sat next to me, probably my aroma of alcohol, did Gypo speak on Sunday? The weather put paid to our tour game (typical) so we all went to Merthyr Mawr and played a bizarre game of beach cricket, all I recall is some stump proving rather painful. The rumours are not true that I continued drinking until Monday morning; I was home just before midnight!
Anyway, that all said. Let’s hope we can have some fine weather from here on in. A cup final against the Hurricanes looms and it would be a huge achievement for us to lift that cup (if there is one) in our first season of competitive cricket. Thank you all for your continued enthusiasm and support. I am happy to say that the finger is now ready to play again, so Gypo never got to skipper the team (the rain dancing worked a treat). See you all soon and lets end this season of firsts on a high by winning our first trophy.
Cheers
Neil Shearer - Club Captain
Blog 2 (26th June 2009)
A quick update as it has been three weeks since my last “blog”.
While it has been disappointing that games have come and gone mostly due to poor weather I think a big thank you to Gareth for re-arranging most of our league games (just one left Gar get onto it!) and for getting us two new one-dayers. If you are not up-to date with the fixture list it is available on the website.
I think the main point of this blog is to give you guy’s two big thank yous. The first is for the effort put in to make a success of the Gareth Jones memorial game. To raise £544 from an event like that is just exceptional. Speaking to Geraint (Gareth’s son) after the game and he was hugely appreciative. Big shout to Saucy who got the idea off the ground and got the opposition together, to MC Pete for getting the sound systems up and running and to Scrooge the treasurer for counting up the pennies. The game itself was secondary to the occasion, even though we did manage a win it was never about that. I have had to endure a radio interview by GTFM about the game. Fame at last!
Last Wednesday saw us play our old friends Glenwood. The usual fuss seemed to surround a game with them but let’s just leave it at that. To the guys who batted, it is the best I have ever seen us bat since I joined two and half seasons ago, we posted a well accumulated and very strong 116 off our 18 over’s. I was really pleased with the tempo that all the batsmen bought into, well done lads and a shout to “Gypo” Lewis, Nick (I will get a nickname for him soon but I got to make it printable), Rich B, Coombsy, Matty B and Ian for keeping it all going. Scrooge, I have been reliably informed it was plum!
It was a quick outfield and the pitches have been so much better at Llantwit this year so far to date. Defending the total was still a challenge and so it proved. We used seven bowlers on the night as without Ross and MC Pete we were a bit short in that department. I was particularly impressed that Scrooge took his miserly approach to money to his new bowling role. Of course Saucy and Rich B excelled and give us probably the best opening bowling attack around. Matty B nagged away with good effect also and then it was left to me in the last over to keep it under 14! My seemingly declining medium pace just about managed it and we got the win we deserved. Fielding on the whole was good, though we need a bit more composure, and yes Saucy did hold a catch (sorry Matt), a cracking one as well. Good news for MC Pete as it seems the “Teflon” tag could soon be changing (or is that slipping) hands, step forward Mr Howard. That’s the Chef and Nick in my book already for dropping catches off me, cardinal sin that to drop catches off the skipper, your penance will be paid on tour!
Immediately we have a league game to look forward to on Tuesday against the Hurricanes somewhere in Cardiff (Gareth will let us all know). They are top of the league at the minute but we are hung in there just behind them. With our postponed game currently carrying 6 points each a win would see that allocation revert to that of the result itself, so we could haul some points off them big style.
The tour is coming up, something to look forward to with trepidation, although who is rooming with Coombsy still remains a bone (ahem) of contention!
Remains to say thank you all again for getting behind what I am trying to do, I am learning on the job as skipper and your support and buy-in has been invaluable. Three wins from three, lets keep it on track next Tuesday.
Cheers
Neil Shearer - Club Captain
Blog 1 (5th June 2009)
Just wanted to drop a quick note as for a number of reasons we have not got together for a while.
Was a good start against St Fagans in out first ever league game, has been a shame we have not seen any action since. I would like to thank everyone for the good atmosphere around the team for that first game, lets keep that going and good things will follow this season.
I am looking forward to next weeks charity game. While it will be a light hearted game, will be good just to get out on the field with the frustration of recent cancellations, let's hope the weather holds.
I am hoping you have all managed to sell your 5 programmes and can bring your donations along on the night to add to the pot, Tenovus have said they will have reps there on the night and we want to try and accumulate a decent total to hand over to them. MC Davies will be supplying some musical entertainment any requests let him know (sorry Pete :-) ).
On another note can those of you who still owe Gareth for tour balances get in touch with him, we really want to sort out all the arrangements so everything goes without a hitch when we are there (well as far as possible).
We are working on trying to arrange our three cancelled league games and to replace as many of the Sunday games as we possibly can, this looks like there may be some new opposition involved and probably away from home.
So keep the faith and see you Wednesday!
Cheers
Neil Shearer - Club Captain