Hunter Cricket News HOWZAT Dec-Jan 2012-13

Cricket enthusiasts, we’ve reached the half way point of the 2012-13 season and hopefully you are able to take a bit of time-out over the Festive Season to relax and re-charge the batteries. There’s been plenty happening in Game Development around the Hunter Region, at Domestic level with BBL2 up and running and on the National stage with the Test Series involving South Africa and Sri Lanka. Here’s an ‘over’ of updates...

TOYOTA GOOD FOR CRICKET RAFFLE There is still time to register for the 2012/13 Cricket NSW Toyota Good for Cricket Raffle to raise valuable funds for your club, association or school. The closing date for registrations, and to order new books, is 31 December 2012. To register today, visit http://toyotaraffle.cricketnsw.com.au. Toyota have generously donated a brand new Camry Hybrid HL as the first prize for the raffle, with your organisation retaining 100% of the money raised for every book sold. The closing date for the raffle is Friday 11th January 2013. All sold and unsold ticket books, along with money raised, must be returned to Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) by this dateto allow for the auditing of the raffle in accordance with state laws. Raffle Books It is the responsibility of clubs and associations to ensure that all tickets (sold or unsold) are returned to Charities Aid Founda- tion by Friday 11th January to Charities Aid Foundation, Level 10, 56 Berry Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 OR Locked Bag 962, North Sydney NSW 2059. Money All monies from ticket sales must also be banked by Friday 11th January 2013. All payments are to be made via the following link which provides for payment by Credit Card, EFT, BPay and Cheque. https://giving.cafaustralia.org.au/?fund=CAF073 Funds Raised Returned & Prize Winner Once the audit is completed, all monies raised by clubs and associations will be deposited into their nominated bank accounts by CAF. On 4th February the raffle will be drawn at the Cricket NSW offices. The winners will be contacted by Cricket NSW with their names also published in the Australian newspaper. On 8th February 2013 the winner of the First Prize will be pre- sented their Toyota Camry Hybrid HL at the Commonwealth Bank One Day International between Australia and the West In- dies at the .

WEETBIX T20 CUP MAITLAND Maitland Juniors Weetbix Cup mid-week Twenty/20 competition for U12 and U14 club teams commenced in December with two rounds being completed prior to the Christmas break. Two more rounds are scheduled to be played when club competitions resume in January. Initial feedback received has been really positive with clubs embracing the concept to include family BBQ’s on match evenings. There have also been a number of very close results involving high scores and wins with 1 or 2 balls to spare. Updated results will be posted on the Weet- bix Cup website over Christmas. Hunter Cricket News Dec-Jan 2012-13

KFC T20 INTERNATIONAL Following on from the success of last summer’s event, Cricket NSW is delighted to again offer clubs the opportunity to make group bookings for their teams to attend the KFC T20 International at ANZ Stadium on Australia Day. For every 11 tickets pur- chased, you receive the 12th ticket free. To take advantage of this offer, please complete the form attached and return it to:- KFC T20 INTL, Cricket NSW, PO Box 333, Paddington NSW 2021. The form needs to be submitted by 10th January 2013 and tickets will be sent to you by 15th January 2013.

T20 BLAST PILOT PROGRAM Maitland’s pilot T20 Blast program is well advanced with Robbins Oval booked for the Monday twilight sessions beginning in mid-February. The T20 Blast concept is for 8-12yo children coming out of Milo in2CRICKET who want to play real cricket but feel more comfortable facing a softer ball rather than a hard cricket ball. Games are played on small-sided fields with teams of 8-a-side. Games are over within 2 hours with all players involved in batting, bowling and fielding. The T20 Blast Program will be promoted during January and through school visits to be undertaken early in Term 1.

VALE CHRIS MUDD Its with much sadness that I report the passing of Chris Mudd. Chris lost his battle with Bowel Cancer the week before Christ- mas and Maitland and Hunter Valley cricket lost an outstanding servant of the game. There are many in Maitland cricket circles who knew Chris longer than me, however through my 15 year association he was first and foremost a friend, a tireless contributor to Maitland cricket administration, an astute coach involved in representative programs and in junior and senior cricket administration for the Hunter Valley. Muddy was an institution in Maitland at club and association levels, and Hunter Valley and Central North Representative Crick- et over two decades combining coaching with administration. He was a tireless volunteer and his knowledge of the game and administrative skills will be irreplaceable. Muddy was a Life Member of Western Suburbs club, Maitland & District Junior and Senior Cricket Associations recognising his enormous contribution to cricket in the Maitland area. Volunteers like Chris Mudd are few and far between, he made an enormous contribution and many friends through cricket and his knowledge will be irreplaceable. Our thoughts and prayers are with his sons Nathan and Lincoln at this time.

MILO T20 BLAST SCHOOL GALA DAYS & SCHOOL HEROES PROGRAMS T20 Blast school gala days continued in Term 4 with a mixture of Year 5-6 and Year 3-4 gala days at Cessnock, Maitland, Mus- wellbrook and Newcastle. Despite changes to timing and wet weather, team entry numbers are close to forecast with a few gala days rescheduled to Term 1. Multi-week School Heroes Programs have been well-received mainly in the Newcastle area and again, numbers are in line with forecast. There are a number of bookings locked-in for Term 1 from Newcastle through to Murrurundi and it is hoped that more schools in the Hunter Valley can be encouraged to take-up the program in 2013.

CA CLUB DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE A major focus of the NSW Game Development team is the support network around club cricket which has included initiatives such as the recruitment microsite, modified game formats, coach education, MyCricket and the Toyota raffle. has also been busy in this area and have just activated the first phase of a club development site for Australi- an cricket which they are looking to fully launch in July-August 2013. You are invited to have a browse by going to the link:- http://www.cricket.com.au/get-involved/club-development Hunter Cricket News Dec-Jan 2012-13

PINK STUMPS DAY Clubs and associations are invited to host their very own Pink Stumps Day to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation. By hosting your Pink Stumps Day, you will be helping to make a difference to the lives of Australian families experiencing breast cancer. To date, the McGrath Foundation has 78 Breast Care Nurses working in communities across Australia who have helped more than 16,000 Australian families experiencing breast cancer. The first 1000 clubs to register can select to receive a Pink Stumps kit full of pink goodies and valued at over $500. Be quick as registrations will fill fast!  1 set of hot pink stumps and bails  1 set of hot pink wicket-keeping pads  1 hot pink duffle bag  6 hot pink cricket training balls  15 hot pink caps  15 sew-on badges  Pink stumps day tattoos (enough for the team & spectators)  3 McGrath Foundation collection tins Plus, every club that registers will receive an on-line fundraising page which you can share with your friends, colleagues and students via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter to help you with fundraising. Register now at http://pinkstumpsday2013.gofundraise.com.au If you have any questions about Pink Stumps Day, contact the McGrath Foundation team on (02) 8962 6100. Together we can make a difference!

Festive Season - Plan B The Christmas holiday period is a great time to relax with family and friends. Its also a time of celebration and parties and whether or not to drive. The Plan B initiative is about reminding people that there are a number of alternatives to driving after having a few drinks. Make sure you have a Plan B this Christmas.

23 Dec Sixers vs Strikers 7pm 26 Dec Sixers vs Hurricanes SCG 7pm 30 Dec Sixers vs Thunder Stadium Aust. 7pm 7 Jan Sixers vs Heat GABBA 7pm 9 Jan Sixers vs Renegades SCG 7pm 15 Jan Semi-Final tba 16 Jan Semi-Final tba 19 Jan Final tba

Follow the at www.sydneysixers.com.au

Thank you for your contribution to cricket so far this season and your support of Cricket NSW initiatives and programs. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a happy and safe Christmas (possibly with a game of backyard cricket thrown in) and a prosperous New Year in 2013. Sincerely, Neil

Neil McDonald | Hunter Region Manager, Cricket NSW | Tel (m) 0425 297713 | (e) [email protected]