It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our 2023 season.

I hope I find everyone in good spirit and ready to enjoy a summer of good cricket and friendship. There is quite a bit of news I would like to share with you so here goes.

Let’s start with news that we have re-laid our square.

The Committee decided to address the repeated challenges the grounds team were reporting and having taken professional advice took the bold decision to dig up and relay the square. This involved addressing the deficiencies of the sub soil; levelling the square and introducing specialist grass seed. Following an intense work period utilising the skills of a specialist contractor we now have a square that should rival any in the County and more significantly provide a legacy for future generations to benefit from. A recent ECB Pitch Inspection has endorsed the progress which has been made. 

Thank you to all involved.

We are very fortunate to have such a committed and hard-working grounds team that take great pride in their work. This is evident to see from the exceptional presentation of the ground which is so much enjoyed not only by our members but from our many visitors. Please join me and make sure you say THANK YOU to the team of PJ; Hilly; Charlie; Keith and others who work so hard for you.

Laying a new square has re-ignited an energy to revisit the feasibility of replacing the clubhouse. A working group has been formed and chaired by Jops. Together the group have already reached some new feasibility milestones and have set the first benchmark of securing a planning consent. Planning has yet to be submitted however it is hoped having secured a planning consent we will be well placed to secure the significant funding required to build the clubhouse. Your views and support will be sought in due course so please engage in the process. The working group and readers of this should be under no illusions of the task ahead in securing funding but are to be congratulated on the progress to date. Keep at Jops and team.

A key part of the funding success will be demonstrating community benefit and inclusivity. Our recently formed Ladies section and our renewed Clubmark status are excellent examples of this work in action. Central to embedding these values and culture within the Club has been Jimmy May.

Jimmy has been instrumental in reshaping the club and its values ensuring we are truly inclusive, and that cricket is accessible to all. He remains a tireless champion of these values not only at TCC but across a much wider audience. It therefore gave me great pleasure to confer Honorary Life Membership upon Jimmy at the clubs annual Dinner Dance. This is the clubs highest honour and our recognition of the time Jimmy has dedicated to TCC and everyone who wants safe access to cricket. Please do congratulate and thank Jimmy when you see him – he deserves it.

I feel the Club is very fortunate to have such motivated members and active supporters however it is always prudent to keep looking ahead and planning for the future. As I have set out above there are some significant projects and decision making to be taken over the coming years and succession and continuity will be key parts of that process. I am therefore pleased to report that three new directors were appointed at the clubs AGM in November. Congratulations and thank you to Mrs Nic Fice; James Hope; and Jack Stirling who between them bring an exciting breadth and depth of knowledge and contacts. As directors of the company they are the custodians of the Club and sit outside the committee providing counsel on strategic direction. Their role is also as ambassadors for the club promoting our vision values and ambitions. The Club now has six directors myself; Jimmy May and Mike Denford being the other three.

Our two senior Saturday sides will this year be competing in the A Division and D Division East and our Ladies team enjoying their second season of competitive league cricket. The 1^st XI enjoyed a very competitive 2022 season finishing a credible 6^th in the A Division and our 2^nd XI securing promotion as champions. There was also success in the 20:20 format winning their league. The ladies section continues to go from strength to strength attracting more participants and we are hoping for continued success again this season.

For our 2023 season we extend a warm welcome to Jack Geraghty as our overseas cricketer. Hailing from Queensland Australia Jack is a 23 year old all rounder. Comfortable as a top order batsman he can also bowl a brisk medium pace. Jack is also a qualified coach and studying to become a teacher.

Welcome to Thorverton, the UK and Devon Jack. Enjoy your time with us and look forward to you making many memories to take home you. Good luck.

I must at this juncture extend a very genuine thank you to Becky Rice who very selflessly not only hosted Jason last year but has very kindly extended the same invitation to Jack this year. Becky we are very grateful.  Thank you.

As I have already mentioned the Club is very fortunate to have such hard working members which may I remind everyone is a voluntary role. It was therefore with great joy that we learnt that Bob Rice; Imogen Daldorph and Isaac May were all recognised by Devon Cricket at their annual awards for their contribution to the game. Congratulations and thank you.

Much of the clubs recent successes have been founded upon the strength and depth of our youth section with many of the clubs senior posts and offices being held by those coming through the ranks. It is incumbent upon me to remind you of the importance this section and to encourage everyone to invest in our future. The range of opportunities that require support include helping organise matches, learning to score, assisting with admin on a Friday evening, catering or even coaching.  We are always in need of more volunteers and leaders so please step forward as your club needs you.

Sadly each season we learn of friends and former members who’s innings have permanently closed. For those who passed in the last year we remember you and thank you for your contribution to our club. One of those members was Denise Lesniak who adopted Thorverton CC alongside Exeter City and Exeter Chiefs as her team. Denise or Denny as she was known embodied how sport should be celebrated and was a shining example of the fellowship and friendship you can foster. RIP Denny.

As I conclude my 2023 welcome message it is always difficult to capture every aspect so apologies for any oversight it was certainly not intentional.

My best wishes to everyone for a fun filled and enjoyable 2023 season.

CK

Chair  

Unsurprisingly, following the recent conditions our friendly at Exmouth on Saturday has been called off due to the persistent wet weather making it impossible to get the host’s Maer Ground fit for play.

We remain hopeful of a decent pre-season as we field two XIs away at newly amalgamated Bradninch & Kentisbeare next Saturday & host Premier Division runners up Sandford on 29th April.

We would like to invite all residents of Thorverton & the wider community to enjoy a complimentary cream tea during our friendly fixture at home to Sandford on Saturday 29th April.

The fixture will showcase some great local cricket as we take on last year’s Devon League runners up from 12:30pm

The club is keen to open it’s doors to all to showcase what we have to offer from a social membership point of view & to aid establishing long-lasting connections with the community. The bar will be open and teas & coffees will be available.

From an on-field point of view, we have open age teams playing league & friendly cricket, women’s softball cricket and junior cricket for ages 5-16. If you’re keen to give cricket a go, please get in touch!

Whether you’re a staunch cricket fan or are yet to learn your yorkers from your googlies, we would love to see you at the ground on Saturday 29th April. Why not bring a friend?

If you can’t make the 29th April, admission is free to all of our league fixtures, weekly on Saturdays from 6th May until 2nd September, so feel free to join us to watch some cricket!

Please note both the fixture & cream tea day are dependent on the weather – if this fixture & the cream tea day is cancelled, we will communicate this via our website & social media platforms.

I am very much Looking forward to this years Softball League and Women’s cricket at Thorverton.  

Last year was our first league season and it was great to see so many of us enjoying the Tuesday nights training, friendly’s and league matches.  We narrowly missed out on winning the tournament that we hosted in September which was a great success.

The softball league in Devon has grown significantly.

This year we have been placed in the Central Division and will be facing some new and experienced teams.

All our fixtures can be found HERE.

Ladies Training will get underway on Tuesday 4th April 6.30 to 7.30pm and we welcome new members.  We are also looking to offer some girls only training on a Tuesday evening before the ladies training and will be looking to enter one of the festivals this season.

If you would like to find out more please get in touch – womenssoftballthorvertoncc@gmail.com

I’m itching for the season to begin as the 2nd XI embark on the next stage of our development journey following our successes of last year. Celebrating on the field with the group following our title clinching win was one of my favourite TCC moments.

I am under no illusion that the D Division will pose a sterner test as we face off against sides our 1st XI have played in recent memory. In order to compete in a league with six 1st XI sides, we need the good availability of last season to continue into this term. The fantastic attitude of 1st XI regulars who dropped down to the 2s last year was a breath of fresh air and I look forward to this continuing.

My life was made considerably easier last season by the efforts of Alan & Rich as umpires and Bob as scorer. Thanks guys.

The on-field growth of the club in the last 5 years has been fantastic and we must now work on sustaining the levels of cricket at which we play. Our junior set up has been short of an ideal number volunteers for a few years and it would be great to see some new faces getting involved; it’s a rewarding & enjoyable experience. If the club is to maintain our current standing, a steady flow of youth is an absolute necessity & that cannot happen without adequate volunteers.

I look forward to seeing how our younger players continue to develop, in particular Erin Vukusic who has been selected for the Western Storm EPP, national U18 champion Imogen Daldorph following a great 2022 season with the ball & Henry Squire who has recently returned from the Devon U15s South Africa tour. I’m also eager to see how many of our U15 plate winning side can force their way into the 2s over the summer.

James Meredith & Keith Cudby have done a great job of compiling a healthy looking Sunday friendly fixture list. I would implore any young cricketers to make use of the opportunity to play in these matches, especially as we plan to reintroduce a 3rd XI over the next couple of seasons.

There was a fantastic atmosphere around the 2nd XI & the whole club last year. Let’s ensure the club continues to be such a great place to spend time.

On a final sadder note, I will miss being out in the field and spotting Denise Lesniak ambling down the lane wearing a smile on her way to the ground. Denny was an attendee of both 1st & 2nd XI fixtures in equal measure and she will be sorely missed by all of us. RIP Denise.

All the best to everyone for the season. Make happy memories. Go well.

Jack Stirling

I am pleased to say that we are coming off of another very successful season on the field. We met our aim of staying in the A Division whilst supporting the 2s in their successful promotion push. Selection was extremely tough at times for both sides with the 1s using 20 players overall. Well done and thank you to everybody involved last season.

In addition to the success of the 1s and 2s, it was great to see the development of the women’s softball team. It was great to see the support and respect between all of the sides. I challenge us to go one further next season and show more support to the junior set up. Can more senior members help out on a Friday evening or be there to support junior matches? After all, in any given Devon League XI 40-50% of the players have come through our junior system. 

Last season Jason Van Der Meulen proved to be an incredible asset on and off the field as our overseas player. Jason has signed a deal to play in the Lancashire League this summer so we wish him well and hope to see him at Station Ground again one day.  

This year I am pleased to have signed Jack Geraghty from Queensland, Australia (pending visa). Jack is a similar player to Jason as well as being a qualified coach and teacher. He is coming over with great recommendations from previous overseas players Dan Beatty and James Grady. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to Becky Rice for her continued committeemen to hosting. 

Targets for the season have a theme of consolidation with both sides being relatively new to our divisions. The first priority for the 1s will be safety but if we perform to our potential then we can look to disrupt some of the big clubs in the top half. We start and end the season at city grounds Plymouth and Exeter – a real marker of how far we have come. Early signs indicate that there may be availability issues at the beginning and end of the season so please bear that in mind when booking holidays! 

With consolidation the aim in the league,  perhaps T20 can provide the most memorable moments in 2023. Last year we won the T20 mini league but crashed out of the Devon knockout cup in the first round at Bovey Tracey. This summer we have been handed a home draw for the first time post covid and I would love to see us make a name for ourselves in this competition, so please do make yourself available. 

Here’s to another successful season at TCC.

Jake Choules

We have today approved the departure of Dave Hooper, who has joined Cullompton.

Guernsey international Hoops scored 47 runs @ 5.88 and took 9 wickets at 29.55 in 12 league appearances across two seasons with Thors.

Skipper Jake Choules – “Dave was a great asset on and off the field and great to have in the dressing room. It is a shame to see him go, particularly taking a step down, but we wish him all the best”

The club wishes Dave all the best for his future cricketing endeavours.

The draw has been made for the 2023 edition of the Wombat Cricket Devon T20.

We have fortunately been granted a bye to Round 2 & will take on fellow A Division side Abbotskerswell.

We have been drawn as the home team & will host a DCL Cup fixture for the first time since a one-run defeat against Sidmouth in 2019.

The fixture will take place on Sunday 4th June, starting at 13:30.

We are delighted to announce that 23 year old Queenslander Jack Geraghty has signed as our overseas player for the 2023 season. Jack is a number 4 batter & medium pace bowler. He’s also a qualified coach & will play an integral role in our juniors set up this year.

Jack plays his cricket for University of Queensland CC, home of former Thorverton overseas players James Grady & Dan Beatty.

Jack will be sponsored by Twenty Twenty Property for the 2023 season.

You can learn more about Jack in his player profile below.

Highest score?

136 Not out

Best figures?

3-3

Favourite cricket moment?

Trying to bat for 2 days in a semi final, won the toss and batted. I got 36 off 236 and we batted 169 overs out of 192. Ended up winning the semi final and the grand final was cancelled due to covid. Making us the winners.

Worst cricket moment?

Dropping a catch in a one day semi final, straight after my good mate bowling said to me, “get ready it’s coming to you”. Dropped the catch, threw it back and said “well you did call it”

Favourite cricket tea food?

Coffee

Song recommendation?

6am by Channel tres

Tv or film recommendation?

Mr Mercedes

Cricketing idol?

Michael Clarke

Most used emoji?

😈

Other clubs played for?

Playing juniors at Kenmore, Valleys and UQCC. All senior cricket has been played at University of Queensland CC

What attracted you to Thorverton?

My good mates James Grady and Dan Beatty both have played seasons at Thorverton as overseas players and they both said they had an absolute blast.

We can’t wait to welcome Jack to Station Ground in April!

We are in the early stages of planning for a new pavilion project and an important part of this is consultation with key stakeholders – players, members, spectators, sponsors and local people.

If you could please help by giving your opinions via this short survey, it would be greatly appreciated.