Mortimer West End Cricket Club

Award Ceremony This years award ceremony will be taking place at on Friday 29th October at Goring and Streatly Golf Club (RG8 9QA) and will be in the form of a Award and Quiz night Please note this date in your diary. I expect a significant attendance from members in view of the outstanding performances of both teams and by several of our cricketers.

This event has been cancelled partly due to the absence of several key people.
It is hoped that an evening can be set aside for the Colts awards at the pavilion a little later in September. Watch this space for an update.

Unfortunately the final colts training session on Thursday, August 26th has been cancelled due to the weather.
by Anthony Dench

To celebrate the end of a successful season for the Club in style, you can all enjoy fabulous Indian cuisine home-cooked by the Paliwal and Gupta families. From 7.30 pm this Saturday 28 August you are all invited to the party. For those wishing to eat prices are £3 per head for colt members and £5 per head for senior, associate and non members. The bar will be open as normal for those just requiring liquid refreshment.
Raffle tickets will be available and don't forget your tickets for the Senior Awards Night at the Elephant Hotel in Pangbourne on Saturday 9th October. Buffet and disco included.

MWECC became Berkshire League Champions for the second time in 3 years when their victory against Woodley on Saturday gave them an unassailable lead in the Premier division. Skipper Kenny Allsobrook's victorious team has become the most successful in the club's history having won the championship in 2008, 2010 and were runners-up in 2009.
Sharing in the team's success was colt Johnny Hayes who in his first appearance for the first team entered the score sheet when he held a catch to dismiss one Woodley batsman and nearly dismissed a second when he just failed to hang on to a powerfully driven ball. Johnny excelled in the field and having established himself this season as a regular in the Second XI this I am sure will not be his last appearance playing for the First XI
Also on Saturday the Second XI were victorious against Berkshire County Sports cementing their position in the second division as the best 2nd team in the league.
To round of a brilliant weekend for MWECC the Sunday team outclassed Wargrave beating them by 8 wickets. Jamie Stead opened the innings for Mortimer and achieved his 5th Sunday century this season, this one being undefeated.
Fast bowler and Sunday Captain Nick Kingston celebrated his second 5 wicket haul of the weekend leading his side to another convincing win.

THIS SATURDAY - 21st August

Don't forget LADIES DAY - this Saturday 21st August. Champagne and nibbles

NEXT SATURDAY - 28th August

A TASTE of INDIA - traditional Indian cuisine to celebrate the end of the league season.  

SATURDAY 4th September

Cancelled - see news item dated 26 August

www.mwecc.co.uk/events.php

13 year old MWECC colt Luke Samuel starred for Mortimer in Sunday's friendly game. Sadly he was not playing for Mortimer West End but playing for Mortimer in the local derby.
However it was great to see the youngster bowl and bat with confidence becoming the second highest scorer for Mortimer after being caught out for 28.
West End won the game by 88 runs

Next Saturday, August 8th there will be a Cocktails and Casino Night after the match.  This is a new event on the MWECC social calendar so come along and have a flutter!  Blackjack and Roulette tables will be available.

Also - some other social events on the calendar:

Saturday August 21st (pm) Ladies Day
Strawberries and champagne, relax and enjoy the afternoon.  Cricket watching optional!

Saturday August 28th (evening) A Taste of India
A traditional indian meal prepared by our very own Gupta and Paliwal families to celebrate the last league game of the season.

and last but by no means least
Saturday October 9th  Senior Awards Night
The end of season celebration which this year is being held and The Elephant Hotel, Pangbourne.
Tickets £22 including buffet and disco available from the club bar.

For details of all socials click here
by Virginia

This week both the Under 11 and Under 13 teams won victories over teams from Newbury and Sulhampstead respectively.

The Under 11 team were particularly elated as this was their first win of 2010. In a close fought battle their bowling held steady to deny Newbury the four runs they needed in the last over.
 
Congratulations to the Under 11 team for a great all round performance.

The Under 13 side struggled to a relatively modest total with Callum Ferguson once again producing an outstanding performance with the bat. Seemingly heading for victory Sulhampstead rapidly notched up half the required total in a handful of overs when suddenly the West End bowlers took wicket after wicket to dismiss the stunned Sulhampstead team.

Congratulations to the Under 13 team for sticking to their guns and never giving up hope. Another great all round team performance. 
by Ray

 I am delighted to announce that the Club is soon to benefit from generous donations of equipment from two of our members, Kamal Gupta and Vinod Paliwal. They are providing a Professional Bola bowling machine and a scarifying cassette for a Dennis FT610 mower that we will soon be purchasing. The purchase of a brand new mower has been made possible by an earlier donation to the club made by Kamal and Vinod, and by significant corporate sponsorship gained by Kenny Allsobrook, and a grant from the Berkshire League.
The bowling machine is the top of the range Bola Professional with a mains adaptor/charger. It has a self feeding hopper holding 28 balls and is capable of being operated by remote control by the batsman or coach. It can be used in outdoor nets, on the square (using a 12 volt battery) or in indoor nets. The club should receive the machine later in July. http://www.bola.co.uk/cricket.html 
The mower is an all bells and whistles machine that will be capable of looking after the square and cutting playing strips. With a changeable cassette system the donation made by Kamal and Vinod will enable the machine to be converted to a scarifier.
I think most members will know Kamal who nearly made his maiden 50 for the 2nd XI  against Sonning and picked up 2 wickets in a tight bowling spell. Kamal has also played several games for the 1st XI. Vinod can often be seen on a Thursday evening watching his two sons Neil and Nikunj practicing with the colts or on a Sunday morning watching them play.
On behalf of the Club I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to both Kamal and Vinod for these donations that will potentially benefit every cricketer in the Club.

MWECC is delighted to see so many new colts and parents enjoying our facilities this year. We want to say thanks for being with us. So on the evening of Thursday 22nd July we are going to provide a complimentary Summer Buffet and BBQ for colts and parents. The idea is that the training sessions will continue as normal but before or after these the young cricketers can eat their fill. During the training all parents are welcome to have some food and meet some of the other members of the club that they may not yet have met. It is hoped that the League Captains, Welfare Officer, and members of the Promotions and Events Committee can attend to answer any questions you may have regarding the club.
by Ray

The Saturday 1st XI continue to dominate the Berkshire League adding two more crushing victories against Stoke Row and Crown Wood after their winning draw against Woodley.

Stoke Row were beaten by a convincing 123 runs with Andy Hobart (84) and Paul McGee (78) smashing a 119 opening partnership.

Crown Wood was outgunned in every department and West End's excellent performance was highlighted by outstanding catches from Nick Bielby and Nick Kingston.

The Saturday 2nd XI whilst outclassed by division leaders Mortimer, were unlucky to lose against Bradfield. It is very encouraging to know that 5 colts regularly play in this team and the regulars have been joined by Jonny Hayes who is giving a good account of himself with the bat, the ball and in the field. This bodes well for the 1st team as ageing superstars look to be replaced by younger blood in the seasons to come.
by Ray

West End League teams continue their winning ways. The 1st XI remains unbeaten after attaining a winning draw against an athletic, youthful and talented Woodley side. This victory leaves the 1st XI well clear at the top of the championship.
The 2nd XI gained a hard fought victory over Berkshire County Sports. Read Captain Mark Gillon's epic and enthralling account of the game in the fixtures section of this website.
Tales of daring do peppered the Chilli and Bingo night in the pavilion on Saturday evening when a most convivial evening was had by all participants. Once again we were entertained by Reg's professional bingo calling when the old familiar favourites of "doctors orders number 7", two fat ladies 74" and the unforgettable "all the twos 38" echoed around the pavilion. A great night and thanks to all those who supported the event.
The Sunday 1st XI suffered a narrow loss to Brightwalton despite a masterful innings of 90 by Rohan Wijeratne and a great knock by skipper Nick Kingston. Some wayward bowling by West End and excellent batting by Brightwalton  decided the result.

Yesterday during a Sunday Millenium League game against Wokingham Chestnuts  the author witnessed a batting partnership between Rohan Wijeratne (17) and Alex Prinn  (16) that will be talked about for years to come.

Alex joined Ro on a score of 58. The partnership ended when Ro was bowled out for 100. and the partnership had achieved an awesome186. Alex went on to achieve his first century for the club and ended his innings 105 not out.

It is difficult to express in words the maturity of both innings. Each of these two youngsters played with great concentration. Both produced almost flawless innings. They dominated the bowling and played an array of breathtaking shots that more experienced players would have been pleased to emulate.

MWECC leading batsman Tom Prinn and Alex's older brother was astonished and immensely proud to see his sibling produce such a powerful and graceful innings.
by Ray

Next Saturday 12 June, the league matches are starting early so that participants can watch England's first World Cup match in our pavilion. We are going to provide a low cost BBQ from 7pm onwards. Al members and friends are are welcome to attend.
Please support this event and let us see if West Ham's 4 -2 win over Germany to win the World Cup in 1966 can be beaten?

Andy Johnson was duly elected as Club Secretary at the EGM held at the pavilion on the evening of Tuesday 11 May.
My thanks to those members who attended and gave Andy their support.
I would like to take this opportunity of welcoming Andy to the Executive Committee and look forward to working with him on the team.
by Ray Roberts

This is to remind Full Members that there is an EGM tomorrow evening (Tuesday 11 May 20:00 hours) to vote on the candidacy of  Andy Johnson who is standing for the Executive Committee position of Club Secretary.
There needs to be 10 full members to enable the meeting to proceed. Your attendance would be most welcome. The bar will be open for beverages and snacks.

Senior outdoor nets are held at the ground in Church Road, Mortimer West End every Tuesday. Cricketers usually arrive from about 6pm onwards with the session ending at dusk. The bar will be open for refreshments including West End Wopper quarter pound burgers and convivial conversation.

New members of all abilities are always welcome. Just turn up and say hello. You will be made to feel at home.

Saturday 17 April dawned warm and bright providing an ideal day for the start of the season. It was fitting that our opponents were Theale and Tilehurst. They have been sparring partners to MWECC over many years and both teams were to enjoy an excellent and most enjoyable warm up game played in a friendly spirit as always.
You can read Mark Gillon's match report by selecting the Fixtures tab and then select the MWECC Second XI in the teams drop down box. There will be a link to the photographs at the end of his report or you can click the link below this news item.

MWECC v T&T Photos

At this time of year it is common that chiildren have grown out of kit and you there is a need to replace some items.   If you have anything that can be donated or sold on, then please bring the items to the Club where we can then advertise the list, as For Sale or Wanted.
by Gary

MWECC are hosting a Berkshire Under13 40-40 game on Sunday 30th May. Mark Foster, Berkshire Community Coach, County wicketkeeper and Falkland CC captain made the request to use the MWECC ground through our own Berkshire County Under 15 coach, Paul Bew. By accepting this request it increases our club's visibility at county level and is another feather in West's cap as they seek ClubMark recognition.
by Ray

Mark Gillon has finished organising the Devon tour for September 2010.The location is to be Exeter with games being arranged in the surrounding villages and all 4 games have now been confirmed. Places are strictly limited so if you want to participate drop Mark an email, confirm your willingness to join the tour and your place will be secured on receipt of a deposit. Mark can advise the details.

A min bus has been arranged to take us to Devon and transport us to each venue so nobody has to drive.

If you can only make part of the tour please contact Mark to make suitable arrangements.

In the nineties we toured every year and had great fun. It will be great to get back into the touring scene. Please give your support to this event.

Wartch this space for more news.

Yesterday evening Gary Belcher accompanied by myself Ray Roberts, attended the Annual Meeting of Mortimer West End Parish Council. The evening proved rewarding in that it was clear the cricket club was highly regarded by the council who were keen to show there support for its activities, particularly those related to youth cricket. Gary presented his summary of the Club's performance during 2009 and it was clear to me that over the past few years, Gary Belcher and Virginia Bray have developed an excellent relationship with the council that can only benefit the club. After the meeting an informal exchange of information  revealed a useful funding source and encouragement for the club to approach the council on planning issues particularly if there were demonstrable benefits for youngsters and the community in general.

2010 Membership forms are now available. Please help the club's pre-season cash flow by paying your subscription before April 17th.
MS Word Version        PDF Version

Committee Meeting Minutes 25 Jan
Committee Meeting Minutes 01 March
Committee Meeting Minutes 22 March
Committee Meeting Minutes 10 June
Committee Meeting Minutes 29 July

The award winning MWECC Premier XI gained more plaudits with the publication of statistics for the quality of the ground, teas and sportsmanship. Opposition teams playing away at MWECC make the assessments after each game. However the MWECC Second XI team did even better by finishing top of the Second Division table. Both teams scored 4 or more points in each category of scoring. A feat no opposition team equalled in either division. This is a great achievement and we should all feel proud to belong to a club that is recognised as simply the best! For full information follow the links
Premier XI BCL Stats 2009
Second XI BCL Stats 2009