Hello all,
The sun is shining and the temps are creeping up... time to think cricket!
This past Sunday, seven of us met at Madison's for the first time to discuss the club, its goals and the upcoming season. Here are the highlights:
Attending:
Simon, Peter, Barrie, John Paul, Justin, Dan and myself.
Organization:
We talked about what sort of organization the club should have, and the prevailing sentiment was that we shouldn't have one. Officers, elections, titles all sort of lead us in a direction away from cricket and towards bureaucracy. We just want to play and have fun doing it, so we'll keep it that way! It also leads us towards another topic...
Liability:
Creating a legal target that can be sued if someone gets hurt and chooses to do so is another reason not to organize. Again, we want to keep it low-key, so at MOST we will draft up a little waiver that members must sign, just to (and minimally at that) cover our backsides.
Dues:
The biggest change for the season is that the Rec Center now charges $100 for the use of a field for the summer. For 6 months of cricket, it is still a bargain. It was agreed that all the 'seasoned veterans' from last season shall contribute $10 towards this end, and any newcomers who pick up the game and return regularly can become members for $5. Kids play for free.
Recruitment:
Starting this week we will be utilizing what means we have to advertise in papers, make flyers, etc. If anyone has ideas, connections, friends in the print industry, etc. just let me know!
Format:
This season we're going to try the Brits vs. Yanks format, with spring training and recruitment ending with sides being chosen in early June. Last year's captains will again take the helm, with Mick and Kevin leading the England team and myself and Eric leading the Rebels. If recruitment goes extremely well, I'm sure Bhima and his brother wouldn't mind leading an Indian side as well!
The Battle Day Test:
The high point of this season will be a Test Match held on August 15th on Battle Day weekend. Ideas for special promotions, food or accommodations are welcome. The Pavilion by Lower Willow is available for rent, but it's pretty much agreed that it is too far from the field to be of any practical use. There's a nice embankment around a third of the field, however, so if anyone can get the use of those pop-up sun tents for that weekend, that would be great. Again, any ideas for this day, lease let me know!
Shirts:
The big debate remains what kit to adopt for the season. With the Battle Day Test in mind, some have suggested whites be adopted, while others think that contrasting colors (like red and blue) be used so as not to confuse newcomers and casual observers. Both cases have merit and more discussion needs to be had, but one point that was brought up was this: if we invest in a nice polo, in both red and blue, with the club logo on it, we'd all be more likely to wear them out and about and act as advertising for our club. As cricket-mad as even I am, I wouldn't do that with whites. Again, there's sure to be more debate on this point, so let's keep talking!
The Matches Themselves:
Finally, we discussed increasing our weekly matches to 15 overs a side, testing out a soft training cricket ball for matches (as opposed to a tapeball) and the use of powerplays during our matches. These will all be ironed out on the field, so show up and have your say!
After the meeting, some of us went down to Lower Willow (in the cold, cold rain) and slogged about. The field is in remarkably good shape for April, and the rains (and this week's sun) are sure to get it off to a great start. Mick has offered the use of his roller, and we'll soon set out to cut and line some pitches.
Gonna be a great year!
So stay tuned, let me know any ideas that you may have about anything, and hope to see you next week!
Chris
