A little tougher than last year…but no less exciting
As was to be expected, with three teams playing at a higher level this year, the going has been a little tougher so far for our adult men’s teams. Nevertheless, there have been some great performances both collectively and individually. Our 2s have won two from three, with Richard Ambrose on fire with the bat and last Saturday our 4s clinched a dramatic first win of the season when they beat Stoke Green by one run, thanks to a final last wicket dramatic run out. I was lucky enough to play in that game and it was the perfect reminder of why – at my tender age – I still love to put on the whites and turn out to play competitive cricket for TPCC. There were so many great things about the game – though sadly none of them concerned by own batting! Ben Bezani played refreshingly carefree for a glorious 45, while the sight of our captain and inspiration, Andy Grout, crunching cover drives through the offside, was a thing to behold – as rare as cheap pint in London, but no less joyous when you come across it. Out in the field, we simply were never in the game…until a few wickets fell….and then a few more…and suddenly the balcony got noisy. It practically lifted off with the final run out. Reflecting on the final moments of the game, I’m still in awe of the coolness under immense pressure shown by Steve Wale and then young Jo Maggs to effect that final winning wicket. A match that will live very long in the memory.
A little earlier the 1s had also achieved a great win, which at one point had also appeared somewhat unlikely. A great effort from Rory Criddle with the bat and then Steve Clark with the ball got the boys up and running for their first win of the season. Most folk will be aware that poor Steve Dutch snapped his achilles heel playing for the 1s a couple of weeks ago. Our hearts go out to Steve, who has had a terrible run of bad luck with injuries of late. The whole club wishes him a full and speedy recovery. With Steve out, we needed a quick back up plan and it’s great to be able to welcome two new keepers to the club: Miles Doe (17) who made a fantastic debut for us this weekend in the 1’s, taking 3 x catches behind and a stumping to win the game, and Chloe Hill (22) who is Worcestershire Ladies Keeper. Chloe is due to make her debut for us next weekend in the HCPL - a number of members will already know her Dad Paul Hill. Thanks to all who worked to facilitate these arrivals and to Simon Wastling who, as always, did a fantastic job of getting the paperwork processed so quickly.
Its been great to see more young players such as David Burnell and Scott Rolfe joining us, and also to have the likes of Laurence Snookes and Josh Camm making their way back to the club. There has also been a big push to get some more of a talented Youth Section up into the adult teams and a massive thank you to all Managers, Coaches and Team Captains who helped with that process.
Elsewhere it’s been great to see the match reports coming in thick and fast from the Junior section and we even have our first ‘trophy in the cabinet’ with a tremendous win for the U11s in the Goddard cup. Ladies cricket is also on the up with dedicated training sessions and the first games coming up on June 16. Junior training on a Friday night continues to be one of the biggest joys of being a part of TPCC. And our new midweek 20:20 team, led by James ‘Wheels’ Wheeler has had it’s first outing in the coloured clothing. Brilliant work Wheels.
So…despite the tougher adult leagues, our great one club spirit still shines brightly. C’mon the Park!

Town Sixes
The weather could have been kinder, but we still saw 14 teams take part in the annual Town Sixes at the club last Saturday. The Rugby Club ran out winners, with Tring Athletic taking the plate competition.
A huge thank you to Gareth Darby and Benn Kempster for all their hard work on putting on the event and to the members who turned up to help on the day including, Andy Brooks, Tony Dunkley, Stuart Quilliam, George Bezani, Ben Bezani, Chris Powell, the Seagrave family, Ben Langdon, Athlete, plus Dave Connell, Chris Bushe, Joe Shearman, Same Payne and Jack Doodson, who all pitched in.
Also, a huge thanks to Andy Grout and Stu Seagrave for helping with the morning tidy up and to Gordon Dutch for his unrelenting efforts on raffle ticket selling which helped generate over £1,000 for club funds. Robbie Grout was the winner of the top prize – a pair of tickets to three days of this year’s Grand Prix at Silverstone, while Annie Kempster picked up the second prize of a pair of tickets for a day at Champneys. Annie has yet to reveal who she is taking with her…….John Stack and Lizzie Cooper were among the Tring Brewery beer pack winners.

Digital upgrade – the new TV is being installed
Thanks to the generosity of some ten members, led by our President John Overy, the club has been able to purchase a new 75” TV (with gratefully received help from Mark Bater) in time for the Champions League Final next weekend, between Liverpool and Spurs and then the Cricket World Cup, which as I’m sure everyone knows, is just about to begin in earnest. If all goes well later this week, the existing TV will be moved to the left-hand side of the pavilion bar so that we can offer even more choice for sports fans going forward. Again, thanks to Gordon Dutch for pulling in some favours to arrange a quick and cost effective installation.
Note: Cricket World Cup final day is Saturday July 14.

Members Lunches
Our first Ladies Lunch on June 22nd is a new initiative, led by Jeannie Kempster and that looks like it’s shaping up to be a winner - thanks to all those who have bought their tickets already. If you’ve not got yours’ yet (and you fit the criteria!), just click on this link here. There will be a complimentary glass of Prosecco on arrival, courtesy of Nikki Pistak and the Tring Bootcamp.

More important social occasions: July 20th is the date for our Ex Players and Social Members lunch and then Aug 10th is the date for our Vice Presidents and Social Members lunch. Notices for both are in the pavilion, along with details on the website and Facebook. Would be lovely to see a good turnout at both these events.

Dog Mess (fraid so..)
Yes, the topics dealt with by your management team are rich and various! One of Doyley’s least favourite jobs is clearing up unwelcome left behinds from those who think it’s okay to walk their dogs on private land…and leave their mess behind. Seriously and sadly…it’s become a major problem.
There’s no issue with club members walking their dogs on the ground, because we know you respect the fact that this is a sports field, but could I ask that our responsible dog owning members, indeed all of us, to not be afraid of challenging those who appear on our ground with their dogs and who are not members. Encouraging them to join is the best way to control the problem.

Membership
..and on the topic. Thank you to all those who have paid their membership subscription in timely fashion. Membership is the lifeblood of the club and is the only way we can sustain the culture and the quality that we currently enjoy.
As things currently stand, we’re doing similarly to last year on the adult playing side, a little down on Juniors and quite a lot down on Social Members and Vice Presidents.
Both these latter categories are key, especially Social which costs a mere £30 per year. Currently, we have 43 paid up Social Members. Thank you to each one of you. To others who use the clubhouse on a regular basis, I’d urge you to join. Perhaps you enjoy the fantastic sports coverage in the bar (Sports channel subscriptions cost the club 7k per year!) or perhaps you still enjoy coming up and watching some cricket and enjoying the balcony, even though your kids no longer play? We love having you here, but please join. If you come with your partner, one membership fee is fine. It’s a sign of your ongoing commitment to the club and helps to pay the running costs. It’s super simple. Just offer your debit card at the bar and in return you’ll get a huge smile…plus a membership card that gives you a 20% discount at Oakman Inns, as well as other benefits. One day I’d love to report our 100th Social Member has just joined the club.

Barrie Pinnock
Sorry to end with sad news, but our condolences to friends and family of Barrie Pinnock who recently passed away. I didn’t know Barrie personally, but gather he was another of TPCC’s great characters, who very much loved his cricket.

Summer is about to kick in. Let’s all enjoy it.
Best wishes
Nick