Wiltshire CDM reflects on 2011
Pete Sykes, Wiltshire's CDM has been reflecting on 2011 through writing his annual report for the Wiltshire Cricket handbook. the 2012 handbook will be released in time for the start of the playing season.
Handbook Report
As I write this report it is the first week of January and so it seems an excellent time to sit back and reflect on the year that was 2011 and to look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 2012.
At the time of writing my report for last year’s handbook, Wiltshire Cricket Board had just been dissolved and Wiltshire Cricket Limited formed. Upon becoming a Company Limited by Guarantee and upon adopting our new identity we always saw there was an opportunity to improve a number of things; namely our governance, our corporate identity and the way in which the Board and its staff interact with our numerous associations, clubs and other customers.
I think 2011 was a success across each of these areas. In terms of governance, we now have a Board of Directors that meets regularly to discuss and make decisions related to key financial and strategic issues. In 2011 we welcomed Stuart McNeil, a Solicitor from Bevirs in Swindon, on to the Board and in 2012 we will be looking to add a further Director with expertise across the area of Marketing and PR. In order for Wiltshire Cricket as a company to be strongly governed, we recognise that it is essential that we have different skill sets represented on the Board of Directors and so certainly with Stuart’s addition, and a further appointment in 2012, we will be well on the way to having a strong governance structure in place.
Whilst the Board of Directors could be described as the strategic arm of Wiltshire Cricket, it is important that focus is not lost on what we are actually here to do, which is to develop Cricket. With this in mind, 2011 was very successful in terms of launching the Wiltshire Cricket Operations Group, a group that meets quarterly and consists of representatives from each of Wiltshire Cricket’s associations as well as all professional staff. The purpose of this group is to monitor the delivery of Wiltshire Cricket’s Improvement Action Plans and to look at ways in which different associations can work together on initiatives to help develop Cricket in the County. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the COG for the work and time they give to this group.
I mentioned earlier that improving our corporate identity was an objective when Wiltshire Cricket Limited was established and I think it is fair to say that this is a work in progress. 2011 was a success in terms of launching the new Wiltshire Cricket website and in improving our promotion on social media networks , however, there is still more we can do in terms of improving our identity in order to attract sponsors and commercial partners in the future. The Wiltshire website itself has received lots of praise nationally as well as locally for its ease of navigation and the amount of detail that is contained within it and we hope to further improve our electronic communications in 2012 by launching a regular e-newsletter.
In addition to governance and corporate identity, the final objective Wiltshire Cricket had when we became incorporated was to improve our interaction with our key stakeholders and customers. I have always seen it as being imperative that Board members and staff spend time out in the field meeting and supporting associations, clubs and key partners and so it was a key aim that we did this during 2011. On looking back at 2011 I would say that one of the great successes has been the continued development of the various Wiltshire Cricket associations and I have been delighted to be able to spend considerable time working closely with organisations such as the Wiltshire Groundsman’s Association (WGA), the Wiltshire Association of Cricket Officials (WACO), the Wiltshire County Cricket League and the Wiltshire Youth Cricket League. I look forward to continuing to work closely with each of these groups in 2012.
One of the particular successes of working closely with each of these associations is that various joint initiatives have been launched as a result. For example, during the 2011 playing season, the WGA met on a monthly basis to monitor pitch markings from the Wiltshire County Cricket League. At each meeting, clubs with low pitch markings were identified and a visit from a WGA Pitch Advisor to offer advice and support was arranged as a result. This was a hugely successful initiative that was financially supported by the Wiltshire County Cricket League and is an excellent example of how different associations can work together for the overall benefit of Cricket in Wiltshire.
At this point it would be wrong of me not to thank the WGA committee members for their continued commitment to Cricket in the County. As well as the pitch marking initiative, the WGA is also fighting a battle to secure better grounds maintenance agreements for clubs playing on Council facilities and also continues to provide advice, training and support to all Wiltshire affiliated clubs.
I would also like to say a special thank you to the Wiltshire County Cricket League for supporting not only the pitch marking initiative for the WGA but also in continuing to provide subsidies for candidates going through coaching and umpiring/scoring courses.
On the subject of umpiring and scoring, another association that continues to work tirelessly to provide better opportunities and better standards within the area of officiating is the Wiltshire Association of Cricket Officials. In 2011 WACO trained 31 new Umpires and Scorers and at the time of writing already has a further 17 ready to be trained for a course in March. The success of WACO over the past few years is so great that we now have a surplus of Umpires in the County and the association is therefore looking for more appointments. This is a position that is unrivalled in most other counties and is a credit to the amount of time the WACO Committee spends in recruiting new officials and then, importantly, in making sure that new Officials are looked after through regular access to WACO training seminars at pre/post season meetings and at its AGM. In 2011 WACO also ran its first annual dinner and this really represents the fact that WACO has got to the stage where there is a real sense of community and togetherness amongst the Officials fraternity.
Moving away from the work of our associations, 2011 was another successful year for Representative Cricket in the County. Although we didn’t emulate some of the achievements of previous years in reaching ECB national knockout stages, there were still noticeable performances from each of our age groups and we also ran an Academy side for the first time ever. The Academy consists of our best players between the ages of 16-19 and its aim is to provide a better link for our most talented players with the Minor County Club and with First Class Academies. The Academy players now train for 12 months of the year and we are looking forward to them playing some very competitive fixtures in 2012 against other Academy sides from across the region.
On the subject of talented players, 2011 was a successful year for ex EPP players Harry Hawkins (associate Gloucestershire Academy), Tom Alsop (Hampshire Academy) and Tom Cowley (training with Somerset Academy) who are all now linked up with First Class Counties. 2011 also saw the second tour to South Africa for the County Under 16s and I would like to say a big thank you at this stage to Seasons Holidays who are now in the last year of sponsoring Wiltshire Cricket. Seasons Holidays have been responsible for many great initiatives and investments in to junior Cricket, including the tour, and I know their sponsorship will leave behind a great legacy. In 2012 we have a tour to Dubai for the Academy side to look forward to and this has again been made possible by the outstanding investment of Seasons Holidays.
To wrap up on Representative Cricket I would like to extend my thanks to the 2011 Managers and Coaches of all of our County and District Age Group teams, an enormous amount of time and resource goes in to making it all happen and so we are indebted to those volunteers who give their time to help provide opportunities for Wiltshire’s next generation of Cricketers. Wiltshire Cricket also owes a great deal of gratitude to the Wiltshire Youth Cricket League for providing fantastic junior competitions at club level. The League is also continuously supportive of Wiltshire Cricket initiatives, for instance through ensuring that Youth League fixtures do not clash with Wiltshire district fixtures and through taking on the administration of Girls Club Cricket.
With regards to Girls and Ladies Cricket, 2011 was another year of progress for Wiltshire with representative teams at 4 different age groups playing in competitive fixtures against other Counties. There were also increased school entries in to Lady Taverners competitions and a new Under 11 school indoor competition launched for the first time. During the Easter and Summer school holidays Wiltshire was also very fortunate to have the support of England international players in coaching on holiday camps and as a result a huge number of girls attended the camps.
Moving in to 2012 the challenge remains to find the right format in which to deliver Girls Club Cricket and the next big priority is to start establishing more senior Women’s sections so that there are sufficient exit routes for the huge number of girls that are now playing the game as a result of the hard work that has gone in to developing girls Cricket over the past few years.
In terms of Club Development, 2011 was a successful year for Malmesbury CC and Winterslow CC who both achieved Clubmark accreditation for the first time. Congratulations also to Biddestone, Calne, Corsham, Swindon and Warminster who all achieved Clubmark re-accreditation. For 2012 there are many clubs up for re-accreditation and we also welcome Burbage and Easton Royal CC on board as a new Wiltshire Focus Club.
Linked to Club Development but also Schools Cricket, 2011 was another successful year Chance to Shine wise with 7 projects taking place across the County. From 2012 onwards, the funding mechanism for Chance to Shine is changing which basically means County Boards now have greater freedom to decide the level of investment each individual project will receive. There are also more specific targets relating to Chance to Shine that County Boards have to work towards and this has meant a lot of hard work over the past few months to ensure that our projects are geared up to achieve the targets that have been set nationally.
To summarise on other areas of Board activity, 2011 was another successful year for Coach Education with 5 UKCC1 and 1 UKCC2 courses being run last year and a further 4 UKCC1 and 1 UKCC2 courses running this winter. In terms of Facility Development, Wiltshire Cricket worked closely with ECB to secure major funding for the new Clubhouse at South Wilts Cricket Club and to secure funding to develop a Cricket Centre at Croft Sports Centre in Swindon. In 2012, we will be launching a new Facility Strategy to reflect the priority areas for investment across our Focus Club network and the indoor centres across the County.
All in all, it is fair to say that 2011 was an action packed year. Wiltshire Cricket Limited’s aim continues to be to provide opportunities at all levels to anybody that wants to access the game of Cricket and I think in 2011 we were close to doing this. We also aim to be a leading County Board in everything that we do and I think through the hard work of the professional staff and our various associations we did this in several areas during 2011. We were rewarded 100% Performance Related funding for 2011-2012 by ECB for hard work during 2011 which shows that we are doing a lot right but we fully recognise that big challenges lie ahead in 2012.
2012 is the year in which ECB will begin negotiations with Sport England for its funding contract between 2013 and 2017 and it is also the year in which broadcasting deals will be renewed. With these big things happening on a national scale, Wiltshire Cricket needs to ensure that it is doing its part on a local scale to support the ECB in achieving key Adult Participation targets. We also need to continue to strengthen our brand identity so that we can bring in additional revenue and become less reliant on central funding. We are in difficult economic times meaning gone are the days that County Boards can rely on finance from ECB to fund all of its activities. If we are to maintain the level of delivery and activity that we currently offer as a Cricket Board, we must become more self-reliant.
Challenging times ahead! However, in Wiltshire we have a strong base of volunteers, associations and clubs that mean we are well placed to take Cricket forward in the future. I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to my colleagues Alan Crouch, Ali Goddard and Lisa Keightley for the committed and diligent way in which they continue to carry out their respective roles with Wiltshire Cricket. My thanks and best wishes, also, to Jordan Rose who spent 15 months working with Wiltshire Cricket on developing Disability Cricket. Jordan has now taken a role as Sports Development Officer for Salisbury and South Wilts Sports Club and I am sure will do an excellent job. Without naming names I have tried to recognise as many volunteers as possible within this report and I know that I could go on forever naming the endless list of people who give their time to volunteer within this great Sport. However, all I can say is a sincere thank you and best wishes to you all for a fantastic 2012!
Pete Sykes, Wiltshire Cricket Development Manager
January 2012
