Dorset Schools Cricket Association AGM 2016

INDOOR CRICKET Report

For lovers of statistics, the growth of indoor cricket has been remarkable, doubtless pleasing the ECB and their drive to increase participation in the sport. This has caught on in Dorset and five competitions were on offer. The boys’ competitions were organised for U13s (14 schools and 18 teams) and, for the first time, Under 15s (10 schools and 11 teams). QE, Wimborne mastered the techniques which ensure success and won the U15 final before Christmas. St Michael’s Middle picked up the U13 crown in the Spring Term. The Spring Term also had an exciting and flourishing programme of 6 a-side indoor cricket, involving girls at Under 11 (12 schools and 18 teams), 13 (19 schools and 26 teams) and 15 (15 schools and 17 teams). The two older age groups were sponsored by the Lady Taverners, with progress through regional rounds to national finals. Once again we have to thank the DCB Office for their splendid work. Gill Jones and collated all the competitions from district level to the finals and Rob Newton oversaw the finals and coached both leaders and many players to a very high standard. Bournemouth University students were vital cogs in the wheel at finals, complementing Josh x 2 and Danny who were spending their year in the DCB Office. Chance to Shine funded the Under 11 competition, which was won by a dynamic Christchurch Junior whose batting was too much for St Michael’s Middle. Bournemouth School for Girls and Parkstone Grammar ended up in the final of the Under 13 competition, with the former maintaining their impressive form to win. The Under 15 competition was the best ever. We even had deliberate switch hitting and some interesting leggies during the day. QE, Wimborne beat BSG in the terrific final. QE went from strength to strength and made it to the National finals where they were runners up – a truly magnificent effort. Girls’ indoor cricket has come of age.

TJH

10/11/16

Dorset Schools Cricket Association AGM 2016

PRIMARY CRICKET Report

History tells us that one of these Kwik finals will suffer because of rain. On June 17th, the calculated risk was taken to go ahead, with the threat of rain and then a quick 20 minutes of the stuff around 10am. The Year 6 Mixed Final games were played at a good pace and the strictures about 20+5+20 were adhered to. Consequently the lunch break was 20 minutes ahead of schedule! Group A brought wins for St Michael's and St Katharine's. All were by scoring 246 (twice) and 242. The standard overall was really good. The playing areas are now much further from each other because the hitting is so much more powerful. The was even a switch hit and a ramp seen during the day. However, Broadstone Middle stopped St Mike's in their tracks with a single run victory over them. St Katharine's won all of their matches. Wyke put up a good show throughout, failing by just 6 runs to beat Broadstone. Group B brought wins for all the sides, which is always good to see. Thorner's and Baden Powell won two and Stoborough and Sherborne Py, one. Baden Powell won on run count, as did Sherborne Py. Group C also provided some close matches. Only St Osmunds found the going a bit tough after losing by just 8 runs in their opening match. Christchurch Junior played their games really well, winning all 3. Moordown hammered St Osmunds and Ferndown. So it had all depended on the first match, which saw CJS defeat Moordown by just 5 runs in a low scoring affair - 232/2 to 227/4. The afternoon session, always under threat from passing clouds, but with many players now wearing their new dry ECB tees, provided a fantastic series of matches throughout. No school dominated and all of the top six won one match in the process. The total scores of their 2 matches left St Katharine's in first place but just 1 run ahead of Christchurch Junior, with Baden Powell a little way behind, although they had beaten St Katharine's. The next three places went the same way - total runs counted and Broadstone emerged in 4th place, followed by Thorner's, who had brought a large contingent of supporters. I was told they had lost interest when it became apparent they could not win. Sadly they upped and left before the presentation, leaving their excellent member of staff and the organisers rather exasperated, particularly as proceedings continued to run 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Moordown finished 6th. St Michael's secured 7th due to an important win over Ferndown, whilst Sherborne py did their best against the two 'big boys' whom they would never have expected to find in their group in a play off! Stoborough scored 288/0 against a St Osmund's side which kept trying - in fact scoring 236/3 in that match. Wyke had also beaten them by 16 runs and thus ended up 11th in the county. Chairman, Tim Hill thanked Bryanston for providing such marvellous facilities, Gill and Rob for all their vital and exhausting work in organising the district competitions and leaders (although none could attend this final). St Katharine's went on to enjoy their day in Bristol at the Regional Competition, superbly organised by Gloucestershire CB. This is the only Regional Final held in the country. Perhaps the ECB should think again and make them official!

The Year 6 Girls Final was on Friday June 24. The sun shone for the day at Bryanston, which was a pleasant change from the previous week for the Mixed Final. Poole High School were in attendance to provide the Leaders and did a terrific job umpiring and scoring. Sadly, Christchurch Junior called off at the last minute which left 11 teams to fight out the day. Group A was dominated by St Michael's Middle, who won all of their matches. Tight bowling and good fielding meant St George's and Elm struggled to get much past 200 and although Baden Powell scored 244, St Michael's cemented their top position with a powerful 299/0. Group B was fortunate to have gained Branksome Heath as a late replacement and they showed how small margins determine finalists. They grasped their elevation to win all of their 3 group matches, with Southill, St Gregory's and St Katharines all winning one. Final positions emerged from a run count. Southill from the West ended up in the play off for the last 2 places, whilst St Gregory's took second and St Katharines, third. The last group, with just 3 teams saw Talbot beat Ferndown by 20 runs and then St Mary's by 10. Ferndown then discovered themselves and posted 271/3, which St Mary's could not catch, despite putting a gallant 256/3 on the board. After the distribution of ECB tee shirts at the lunch break, the second part of the competition took off and there were some fantastic matches. The standard had again risen, reflecting how much girls enjoy this sport. Skills get better every year and the enjoyment is palpable. The odds on favourites were St Michael's and they showed that was justified. Playing their games in succession, they beat Branksome Heath by 12 runs and Talbot Heath by 31. Talbot then beat Branksome Heath to take second spot overall, which was the best they have ever achieved. Those competing for 4th, 5th and 6th, provided a titanic struggle, with Ferndown triumphing in their matches. Baden Powell scored 286/0 v St Gregory's. St George's were 7th, with two excellent victories over St Mary's and St Katharines and the 10th/11th places were fought out in the 2 innings 'test match' between Southill (276 and 279) and Elm Academy (224 and 264) – a great way for them to end the day. Chairman, Tim Hill was helped in the presentation by 2 of the Southern Vipers (Fi and Izzie) who had arrived at lunch time and spent the afternoon coaching the sides when not required to play. That was a wonderful venture and provided the players with a terrific, unexpected experience. The Southern Vipers were to go on and win the inaugural Kia Trophy in August. St Michael's went on to the Regional Final held at Clifton College Gloucestershire CB (see above?).

July 6th was another lovely day on which Wimborne CC played host to the Year 5 Kwik County Final. It is a wonderful venue and memories should linger long enough for some of the visitors to think about joining the club in the near future. QE provided the highly efficient Leaders, while Danny and Co from the Office oversaw matters because TJH was flitting between Canford as Manager of the DCB U17s and Wimborne. The morning session produced a very rare set of results in which all 3 groups had a winner victorious in all their 3 matches, followed by second place winning 2 and third 1. That meant the bottom side had to wait until the afternoon to get that warm feeling of success! Familiar names came top in the morning - St Michael's, Christchurch Junior and Baden Powell & St Peters. The standard is improving and there were some very encouraging over arm bowlers - both spin and 'pace'. The play off rounds saw some really exciting close matches and the enjoyment of players and parents was a delight. All sides had won through to the final from their Districts and that tends to be forgotten if things go a bit wrong. These are the best 12 in the county and should be proud of their achievements. The last 3 places were well contested, with Sherborne Py having 2 convincing wins over Wyke and Milton on Stour. St Katharines were impressive in their 2 wins to secure 7th place. They played an epic match against a more than useful Moordown St Johns, where the scores were 274/0 to 262/5. Dorchester Middle had come alive to give Moordown a lesson in the first round, winning by 263/3 to 190/8. 4th, 5th and 6th were decided by run counts because all sides won one match. It was extremely close. Stoborough edged it with 483, to Broadstone's 479 and Allenbourn's 470. St Michael's became County Champions after they defeating both Christchurch and Baden Powell. Their bowling and fielding put pressure on their opponents and so both struggled to get a decent score. Christchurch then beat Baden Powell by 2 runs to secure second place. TJH arrived back from Canford and gave the prizes away, thanking all those from the DCB Office who had helped on the day, as well as Gill and Rob for their fantastic efforts at District level and with the Leaders. It had been a marvellous day for everyone.

Primary competitions also have the famous Under 11 8 a-side Hardball Pairs, now sponsored by the Saracens Foundation. Many thanks to Bryanston for producing 2 marvellous pitches and for ensuring the weather was the best for around 10 years as the 4 teams (from the 17 original entries) round robin final took place! The day began with a tension-laden draw and the sides went off to the First team pitch or the Junior pitch, both replete with billiard table outfields. It was good to see some girls playing more than their part during the day and the experience must have benefitted their cricket generally. Castle Court had an impressive team and overwhelmed Epiphany but the latter kept smiling, and ended up improving their game as the day wore on. Christchurch established their superiority over Baden Powell, who can be notoriously slow starters. BP gave Epiphany a tough time in the second round, piling up 294/2, the highest score of the day. However, Epiphany worked hard and reached a very creditable 247/6. Castle Court and Christchurch was obviously the most significant game of the day. There was some excellent bowling and batting from both sides, and the fielding was particularly sharp. It was very close and passions were running high. Suffice it to say that fine margins led to a CJS 4 run victory. The last matches brought an excellent, well fought encounter between Castle Court and Baden Powell which the former won by 4 runs. CJS were exuding confidence and beat the gallant Epiphany by 65 runs. Tim Hill ended the proceedings by presenting The Saracens Trophy - a new shield bought by DSCA to mark the new national sponsor. In many ways the highlight of a long season is the Under 11 Pairs Hardball Plate Final. It is a showcase for those just starting out on their hardball career. The Plate is important because it provides a few more matches for sides losing in the main competition. Broadstone CC hosted this little epic. St Katharine's proved to be an organised outfit, batting sensibly and attacking the poor ball. They built up a formidable score which Ferndown always had trouble trying to reach. St Kats bowled tightly and fielded well to win a thoroughly sporting and enjoyable match.

TJH

10/11/16

Dorset Schools Cricket Association AGM 2016

SECONDARY CRICKET Report

Summer Term competitions are about outdoor cricket, weather permitting. DSCA continues to offer a magnificent range of competitions, all bar one of which are backed up by a Plate or Vase, and two festivals. The girls are catered for at Under 13 with a softball festival at Dorchester CC and the U15s have a hard ball festival at Canford, which was again to be generously sponsored by Ward Goodman. However, wet weather forced the Ward Goodman Girls’ Festival to be cancelled after three efforts to re-organise it. The Girls’ Under 13 Softball Festival also had to be re-organised but proved to be a great success at Dorchester Rec, although fewer schools could attend. Ferndown Middle, over seen by the redoubtable Simon Higgins, who had eventually managed to persuade Senior Management to relent with hours to go, were well rewarded by a fabulous unbeaten day. After abandonment due to a storm, the boys’ Under 15 Vase Final eventually was played in the Sir David English Sports Centre in October, when Highcliffe defeated Bournemouth School for Boys. BSB originally had intervened as the rain pelted down because it seemed unfair that a decision was to ruin Highcliffe’s chances of emulating their run rate in 5 overs after they had scored 173. Their sporting gesture backfired rather cruelly. Numbers do fluctuate slightly from year to year, but the Under 13 Girls’ Festival has 13 entries and the U15 Festival, 9 schools but 10 teams. The Under 11 Hardball Pairs has 17 entries, the Under 12, 16, the Under 13, 18, the Under 14, 14, and the Under 15 T/20 had 18 altogether in both main and Vase. There are still too many schools entering and then failing to play their fixtures which rather ruins the point of organising these competitions and is very unfair on the opposition. We have had to reconcile ourselves to the loss of Dean Park which was a significant one for the flagship Under 14 competition, but a crafty scheme for a venue was hatched, only for rain to intervene. Huge thanks are due to Clayesmore for their willingness to get the game on and make it such a special day, topped by a scrumptious tea. The Under 13 competition lost its Minor Counties sponsorship and that put pressure on the bank account. However, it provided an opportunity to remember Andy Kent’s 13 year old son. (See Under 13 final below). One last gripe! Yet again over 10 schools had to be chased for their entry fee, with the last complying in mid April. The closing date to avoid being a bad debtor was February 26! Many thanks must go to our excellent band of DACO umpires, and, most importantly to Don Crawford and Graham Symons for selflessly monitoring the competitions. Graham did have to concede he was too ill at one stage and just 10 days of standing in reminded me of the plethora of problems which constantly arise. Good communication is of the essence.

The ESCA/David English Under 12 Final on Tuesday June 21was a 25 overs encounter between BSB 136/5 who beat Gillingham 104/6. Somehow a good grass wicket was produced at The Delph after the overnight rain. Well done Keith and Rob. This became an engrossing final when Gillingham woke up. BSB batted circumspectly, establishing a useful first wicket partnership of 47, with Axel Deam the man around whom everything revolved. A cultured 45 contributed significantly to what is now fashionably called a 'par score.' Gillingham seemed cowed by some good fielding, eschewing the 2 for a safe 1 or even potentially safe singles. From a slow start, Gillingham started to get a grip of the attack through George Cornell (33) and Toby Jeans (27), who both batted without fear as they reached the hundred mark. Perhaps the most exciting 'discovery' was Joel Hood, a natural leggie, who began with 2 wicket maidens in an extraordinarily controlled spell. BSB held their nerve and catches. Next year they will represent Dorset in the U13 Regional round.

The DSCA Under 12 Plate Final was held on Thursday July 7 at The Delph, Broadstone CC. No mercy was shown here as Poole HS struggled to 81, helped by 32 extras. Only Master Reid (13) reached double figures as McGrail and Powell took 2 wickets each. In reply for Winton, Beau Powell then displayed his credentials to be one for the future with a brutal knock of 32, supported by S. Savage (25*) as Winton won by 9 wickets. It was all over rather quickly!

The DSCA Under 13 Final on Tuesday June 21 was also at The Delph, Broadstone CC. This was a match ultimately dominated by the excellent Tom Prest. However, he could only get a good score (128/7) because Poole GS approached the game with some attacking zest, particularly through Ronan Graven, who lit up the proceedings with a forceful 62, including 9 boundaries. He was helped in a stand with Pauloski (21). H Stock bowled well taking 3 wickets. Perhaps T. Stroud can count himself unlucky to be wicketless, because he bowled an impressive opening spell. Prest prevented any idea PGS batsman might have had of raising the run rate and took 2-13 in 5 overs. This time last year Tom Prest scored a century. This time he seemed comfortable with his partners, allowing them the strike but controlling the pace of the innings. PGS were particularly profligate with wides which were comfortably the second highest score. The policy was to try and make it difficult for Prest to score - wides can help, but cost 2 per ball! Good balls were despatched with a mature serenity. He developed partnerships with 8 of his fellow men, who seemed content to be actually batting with the 'master' as he hit 12 x 4s and 2 x 6s in his 81* with a neat acceleration as the target drew near, but as manpower had dwindled. Master Katuppalia can be very pleased with his bowling figures of 3 for 24. However, Tom selflessly allowed young Hennesey his moment of glory, as he smeared a 4 with his only scoring shot to win the day for St Michael's (132/7). Just before Christmas, Ed Kent, son of Paula and sister of Becky, died of an asthma attack. He was 13 and at Lytchett School. The MCCCA Shield was renamed ‘The Edward Kent Shield’ with a small explanatory plaque put on the back, courtesy of Moor's Brothers of Westbourne. Ed's parents and sister attended the match and presented the medals, certificates and the shield in a moving tribute to a much loved and missed son.

The ESCA Under 14 Final was due to be hosted by Canford. This will be a minimum of 35 overs A call at 7.20am on the morning of the already re-arranged final provided the gloomy message no- one wants to hear. Heavy rain had hit Canford. However, finalists Clayesmore seemed to have missed most of it and offered to host the match against QE, Wimborne. An amazing amount of activity went on behind the scenes - transport was found, an umpire swapped and a pitch prepared for a 12 noon start. Well done to everyone, because the game went ahead without a hitch. The track was a bit damp, so Clayesmore inevitably inserted QE. Their diet of 20 over matches caught them out, because dot balls played on their mind. The bowling did not have to be that good and chances were offered - some taken. Nevertheless, there was some mid order resistance from J Bailey (17), .H Neary (15*) and a number 9 bash of 18 by A Drew. However, QE strugggled through, to end up with 98. Jacob Gordon took 4 for 16 and 2 wickets apiece were taken by Jefferies, Berry and Perrin. To their credit, fortified by the stunning tea, QE attacked and removed the top 3 cheaply, aided by a needless run out, but that provided a stage for the excellent pair of Jacobs. No lambs these as they slaughtered the bowling. Jacob Berry was very impressive, with a brilliant cameo of 45*, picking the ball up and despatching it over midwicket with consummate ease, as well as keeping the score ticking with singles and 2s. His partner in crime, Jacob Gordon, more than played his part with an entertaining 18*. As Clayesmore reached 102/3. Both these boys will have a lot to do next year with bat and ball when Clayesmore represent Dorset in the ESCA U15 rounds. We wish them well. DSCA Chairman, Tim Hill, warmly thanked all concerned, especially Messers Conway and Green, for so brilliantly salvaging the day.

The DSCA Under 14 Plate Final was held on Thursday June 23 at The Delph, Broadstone CC. In a 25 overs match, Thomas Hardye 88/9 (Hood 3 for 6) lost to BSB 90/8 (Baker 21). Thomas Hardye's won the toss and elected to bat. Again, many thanks are due to Keith and Rob for making the ground and grass wicket available. From the start the bowlers were on top, with some excellent fielding restricting the run rate. David Gray was caught by Tuberville off Arjun in the second over, and Orlando Bailey, who had found the boundary twice then found Tuberville's grateful mits, off Cole's bowling. Cook and Tuberville continued to pile the pressure on the batsmen, Cook taking a return catch of Message and then trapping McNab in front. Jon Stewart contributed to the chaos by getting run out. Will Simpson hit 10 off 14 deliveries and the score crept to 88, courtesy of 38 extras, 30 of which were wides - not a game for the purist, although young Hood purveyed some effective leggies to take 3 for 6 towards the end! BSB set about the chase with some purpose, putting 15 on the board in just over 3 overs. Sutton was then caught by Moffat off Stewart. Baker continued to enjoy himself, making 21 from 25 deliveries before losing his poles to Stewart. However, BSB were half way there in only the 9th over. Hood stood firm, battling away until he was sunk by offering a catch to Oliver Tucker off Orlando Bailey for a sensible 20. However, the score was then 77 for 7. Wakefield was helped by a wild throw which brought the only 5 of the day and then Cook was bowled by Message. 1 run to win and 2 wickets left and Message, anti-climactically produced a no-ball and BSB had won what became quite a close encounter, played in an excellent spirit.

The ESCA Under 15 20/20 Final was again held at the Ferndown Wayfarers CC. Michael Harvey is a tireless worker throughout the day ensuring the semi finals and then the final and play off can be hosted in the best of circumstances. We are so grateful to him. Whilst the match for 3rd and 4th between Winton (141/8) and Poole GS (142/6) was played with a degree of gay abandon, the two heavyweights indulged in a game of chess. It is a tough day's cricket and maybe the semi final had taken more out of the boys than they thought. However, a combination of accurate bowling and pretty good fielding by Canford meant that Sherborne never really got going in the way they would have liked. Tadgh Patten continued his excellent day (90 in the semi), but the fact that he had to grind out his 32 was symptomatic of the pressure they were under. A brief interlude lit up their day, when the splendidly named Hunter Strand smote 24, but perished with a shot he had to regret. In the end Sherborne mustered just 105/4. This had all the making of a repetition of the previous year's low scoring epic, when anxiety won the day. Canford came in blazing away, but that was short lived. Once again good bowling worked its spell as 3 wickets fell by the end of the 7th over for just 30. Charlie Millar, who had scored a ton in the semi against Poole GS, took 2 for 15 and suddenly Canford were facing possible defeat on 56/4. Nevertheless, strong minds prevailed as Canford built their way towards respectability and 104/6 in the 18th. Nerves were tingling, fingernails were bitten and mothers turned ashen as Canford lost another wicket and played dot balls. The tension was released when Canford connected with the penultimate ball and reached a winning 106/7, but for Sherborne, this was a sad way to end the day. Canford went on to represent Dorset in the Regional Round, but came a shade unstuck.

Tim Hill

10/11/16

Dorset Schools Cricket Association AGM 2016

SOUTH and WEST AGM Report

AGM attended by both Tim Hill and Graham Symons at King’s College, Taunton on September 25th

1. Report on South and West Team at the Bunbury Festival: Chris Twort reported on the Festival. Chris presented a paper with details of the selection process which had begun in March and was extensive, involving coaching sessions and trial matches. The South and West won the first match against the North by 62 runs and the next game against London and the East by 4 wickets. The South and West lost the 20:20 match against the Midlands by 7 runs and then the 50 over match by the narrow margin of 1 run. The South and West won the 3rd/4th place 20:20 play off against the North on the Friday by 38 runs. Overall the South and West had won the 50 over aspect of Bunbury and subsequently 5 of the South and West squad had been included in the combined South and West and London and the East side to play in the 3-day match against the North and Midlands at the end of August. Will Smeed (Somerset) and Fletcha Middleton (Hampshire) will be available again in 2017. Chris praised the work of Steve Williams, Pete Bolland and Matt Drakeley. Once again the meeting recorded thanks to Chris.

2. Nominations: Ted Ashman was elected as Chairman for the Region, with Malcolm Broad as Secretary. Messrs Twort and Ashman were elected to serve on the National Executive of ESCA.

3. Report from ESCA Executive: Chris Twort tabled a paper with details of the results of the school competitions. Kings College, Taunton had won the ESCA Under 15 Cup by 7 wickets, Millfield again won the T20 beating Warwick School in the final, Solihull School won the David English Under 13 Cup and Taverham Hall had won the ESCA U11 Saracens Hardball. Graham Symons explained the organisation of the T20 Regional matches and expressed concern that some of the personnel involved were not actually known to him or ESCA. There was some discussion about the situation as regards funding in the Isle of Wight. The finals week for the T20 will be the week commencing Monday 26 June. Chris reported that the Bunbury Festival would be at Stowe School and would be held in the week commencing 16th July.

4. Any other Business: Chris reported that the MCC Schools v ESCA match was likely to be played at Lords on Tuesday 12 September, 2017, the day after the end of the England v West Indies Test. Brian Johns gave a brief report on ESCA finances, including details that the Bunbury Festival will, in future, be funded by ECB as part of the Development of Excellence programme. ECB will also fund the matches after the Festival. ESCA do not receive any funding for administration, which is causing some tension for the overall ESCA finances. Tim Hill questioned the rising costs of the AGM. Graham Symons asked for a formal response to his paper with suggestions for the Executive, all of which, apparently, had been rejected.

TJH, With thanks to Hon Sec Malcolm Broad MBE

9/11/16

Dorset Schools Cricket Association AGM 2016

ENGLISH SCHOOLS CRICKET ASSOCIATION Report

The AGM in Durham was attended by both Tim Hill and Graham Symons on Saturday October 29th

1. 2015 AGM Minutes accepted.

2. Annual Report received and adopted.

3. Gift Aid – the advantages Gift Aid to ESCA, as a charity were emphasised, because the scheme adds 25% to the amount given by a taxpayer. Over £145 000 has been received from donations so far, but those who give must register to ensure Gift Aid accrues.

3. Memorandum of Understanding with the ECB This has not been signed by the ECB and will soon run out. The General Secretary has signed it. Effectively, the ECB controls ESCA because of their financial input, which has increased because they are taking over the Bunbury Festival. Paul Bedford is much admired but he has not been re-appointed yet in the ECB re-shuffle.

4. a) Appointments - Mr JRT Barclay was re-installed as President of the Association. - Mr W Sillett (Durham SCA) was installed as the new Chairman of the Association. - Mr D Hill (Cheshire SCA) was installed as the Ex-Chairman of the Association. b) Elections - Vice Chairman – no nominations – General Secretary working on it. - General Secretary – Mr KS Lake MBE (East Yorkshire SCA). - Treasurer of the Association - Mr B Johns (Berkshire SCA). - Assistant General Secretary – Mr D Farmer (East Yorkshire SCA). - Assistant Treasurer – Mr D Young (Cheshire SCA).

5. Finance – the burden of the Bunbury Festival has been removed and the ECB can reclaim VAT. The finances of the Under 11 competition witnessed that pot running out of money in 2015. The matter has been addressed and the Saracens Foundation has committed £10 000 to it. Otherwise, reserves have dipped under £200 000 for the first time in 30 years. Nevertheless, the Auditor was happy with the current situation.

5. Presentation by Mr Colin Maynard, Assistant Secretary (Cricket) at the MCC. He traced the significance of the contribution of the MCC from 1948 , but gave the history of MCC from just 2 nets for 6 boys in 1902 coaching to 15 nets for 200 boys in 1912. All had MCC connections. Harry Altham, President of the MCC and ESCA, set about establishing good coaching methods and produced the first edition of the MCC Coaching Book in 1952. Serious consideration was given to improving coaching in state schools from 1951. A meeting at Lilleshall of 70 representatives of the counties decided that group coaching was the only way forward. A structure of coaching qualifications was introduced, including the Advance3d Certificate.. In 1994 the MCC set out to create 40 cricket hubs based in independent schools, which have seen 1239 players, of whom 151 have played for counties and 346 for districts. However, the gap between State schools and the MCC has been bridged by the many of the 300 out matches being played against them. The MCC has established Community Cricket Coaches, runs the MCC Young Cricketers and has taken control of the now MCC Universities system. It also has allowed the ESCA v MCC match to be played at Lords for the past decade. The MCC is very aware that 70 000 state school pupils play only 5 matches maximum a season.

TJH 11/11/16

Dorset Schools Cricket Association AGM 2016

HON. TREASURER’S Report

It is a bit like the Transvaal Government in 1877 or, indeed the Labour Government 2010 – the cupboard is bare, apart from £35.66. There are specific reasons for the problems this year. The Ward Goodman Girls’ Festival was rained off 3 times and never played, which meant we never received sponsorship. However, trophies and certificates had been purchased to the tune of £157.22. The boys’ Under 13 DSCA competition lost the backing of Dorset CCA, because they had ‘run out of funds’. That deprived us of the £150 which made it self-sufficient. A tricky situation was rescued by DCB a month ago because DSCA had organised and run the Under 13 Girls Softball Festival, which did manage to take place on its third re-organisation. There would have been enough money but for the problems above. However, DCB had received Vipers’ money due to their promotion of that winning women’s team and our girls proved to be beneficiaries. This enabled the Chairman to pay for B & B in Durham to the tune of £50 per night for 2 nights. This was as against the Marriott, where the ESCA AGM and Dinner were, at well over £100 per night. It also enabled outstanding expenses to be paid which had accrued during the season. Otherwise we must thank the Dorset Schools Sports Federation, the Dorset Cricket Board and the English Schools Cricket Association, whose affiliation fee remains unchanged, for the bulk of the money. Schools continued to pay £15 per school to enter any number of secondary competitions, although the failure of several to pay on time is continually frustrating and wastes a lot of time in chasing them up. The Treasurer is asking the meeting to allow an increase to £20. That will provide a financial breathing space next year when the same number of competitions are organised by DSCA. It will also guard against any possible reduction from ESCA. As a reminder, as well as the two festivals, DSCA organises the Kwik finals for Yr 6 mixed and Yr 6 Girls, as well as the Yr 5 final. Here all trophies and medals are supplied by the ECB. DSCA pays for the grounds. DSCA runs the Saracens Under 11 pairs Hardball and the Plate, David English Under 12 and Plate, the DSCA Under 13 competition, the ESCA Under 14 and Plate and the ESCA U15 20/20 and ESCA Plate. Trophies are getting expensive and costs could be saved a little if all competitions were simply given medals. The Under 15 20/20 day of 4 matches is inevitably the most expensive. All except the Under 11 Pairs have qualified umpires, who add to the sense of occasion and no-one does it free of charge any more. Out of courtesy, they are fed and watered if they attend for the whole day when they cover two finals. I must thank Mr Justin Perry ACA for producing our accounts gratis. It is a great help to our Association and he does it with exceptional good grace.

TJH

15/11/16

DCB SCHOOLS REPORT 2016

INDOOR COMPETITIONS 5 Indoor competitions took place. Honours went to Queen Elizabeth’s School, Wimborne in both U15 girls and boys competitions; U13 boys was won by Ferndown Middle School; U13 Girls by Bournemouth school for Girls, with U11 Girls being won by Christchurch Junior School. Queen Elizabeth’s Girls won through to the National finals at Lord’s, where 3 teams finished the day with the same number of points, and despite not winning QE had a fantastic day and a very enjoyable experience. CHANCE TO SHINE COACHING 10 Clubs were involved in Chance to Shine coaching projects developing / strengthening links with local schools. Dorset Cricket board ran 3 projects including: girls; Special Schools and Table Cricket. 42 Primary schools; 26 secondary schools and 9 Special Schools received coaching. KWIK CRICKET Skills festivals for Years 3 and 4 continue to be hosted at a number of different venues. These have proved very popular with both staff and pupils. Staff attending received a number of resources to support the delivery of cricket sessions in schools. LEADERSHIP AND COACHING Young Leaders supported competitions and festivals across the County allowing staff more time to observe their teams and enhance their knowledge. Rob Newton continues to develop the leadership area of work with over 250 Young Leaders undertaking training. Excellent relationships have been established with a number of schools and Weymouth College; with some offering both facilities and leaders to ensure that competitions are able to go ahead. 2 student placements from Bournemouth University spent the year coaching and working schools. Feedback from schools was extremely positive and a further placement student joins us this year. CHANCE TO COMPETE SECONDARY COMPETITIONS Chance to Compete 8 a-side secondary school competitions, continue to be popular with the introduction of softball U13 and U15 boys / mixed competitions. QE again triumphed in U15 boys and girls; with Beaminster winning the U15 softball. St Michael’s Middle won both U13 softball boys and girls; with Sir John Colfox winning the U13 hardball. Both U13 boys teams went through to win Regional finals and compete in the National finals. COMPETITIONS FOR PUPILS WITH A DISABILITY Supporting competitions and providing coaching for pupils with disabilities and / or learning difficulties are an important part of our work. Table Cricket competitions run by Victoria Education Centre for those with a physical or pan disability in both Special and Mainstream Schools are very popular with schools. Pairs competitions are held in the summer, for U13 and U16 age groups; thank you to Milton Abbey for hosting. Special schools and mainstream schools played alongside each other for the first time this year, and it is hoped to repeat this in the future. Following coaching sessions held in schools the teams enjoy the 6 a-side competitions; with pathway opportunities for these cricketers to continue to develop their interest in the game provided through the disability hubs around the County. NUMBERS IN COMPETITIONS INDOOR U11 GIRLS U13 GIRLS U15 GIRLS U13 BOYS U15 BOYS TEAMS 18 26 17 17 11 ------KWIK YEAR 3/4 YEAR 5 YEAR 6 YEAR 6 GIRLS TEAMS 112 65 93 34 ------CHANCE TO COMPETE U13 GIRLS U15 GIRLS U13 U15

Softball / hardball Softball / hardball TEAMS 22 12 10 / 16 4 / 8 ------DISABILTY COMPETITIONS TABLE CRICKET U13 MLD U16 MLD SLD TEAMS 13 3 5 3 ------SCHOOL TOTALS PRIMARY SECONDARY SPECIAL PREP INDEPENDENT OVERALL SCHOOLS 114 (59%) 39 (75%) 6 2 5 170 (58%) ------Gill Jones Dorset Cricket Board