May Newsletter
In the April Newsletter, we shared the Club’s financial position in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps we were taking to mitigate a significant impact on our finances. In response, we have received a healthy amount of donations from both players and friends of the Club and for this we are truly grateful.
We also set out that we were exploring other funding streams from HM Government, Sport England and the ECB. I’m pleased to report that the Club applied for and was successful in receiving a grant of £10k under the government’s Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund. This is great news and helps us immeasurably in the short term. It means that we can cover our outgoings for this season without having to use any of our reserves.
However, we have recently received other news regarding a further delay to the start of the season - stating that cricket will not begin until 1 July at the earliest.
We are therefore being cautious. Yes, undoubtedly the grant provides some financial safety in the short term, but it is very difficult to predict the effects on cricket over the next few years. We recognise that this continued delay could knock the momentum of the last few years in attracting new playing members at both senior and junior level. We would therefore still welcome donations from our playing membership and friends of the Club.
Given that playing cricket is not an option at the moment, we want to engage as much as possible with our membership over the coming months. We have had some great feedback on the player profiles that have been shared on social media in recent weeks - if you haven’t done yours yet, do get in touch with Alain Taylor (southborough.c.c@gmail.com), no matter how long you’ve been with the Club or even if it's been some time since you played. There is a virtual club quiz scheduled for 15 May (from 7:30pm) and anybody interested in taking part should contact the social team to give them an indication of numbers and to also receive the Zoom meeting codes.
We have also been working to maintain engagement with our sponsors. Over recent weeks we have been running a Spotlight on our Sponsors series on our social media channels. Many of them have supported us for many years, and now that the economy is taking a hit we want to highlight their involvement with us. The financial situation is obviously going to be tough for everybody in the coming years, so engaging with local businesses is a really important thing to do. Shop local!
The final thing we've been doing is engaging with the local community by sharing information about cricket on the Common during the war years. From our research we have included information covering players, helping the war effort, life during the war and facilities and we will conclude this to coincide with VE Day this Friday. We hope you enjoy it.
We want this to be a club that people feel members of, even when we're not playing cricket, whether that’s during the winter months or at times like this. So while we’re all waiting for cricket to return, please don’t forget about us and do what you can to stay involved.
Junior Cricket
We had intended to send a communication to our junior members following the April newsletter, but with the recent news of the successful grant award have held off. We will though be sending out an email shortly. This will provide further details for our Under 13s on reclaiming the £30 (if you choose) for the lost indoor sessions, and for all age groups we will also set out some of the things we will be looking to do to keep our juniors engaged in cricket during this period.
150 Club
We have seen an increase in take up and now have 120 squares sold – this is brilliant and means we have only 30 squares remaining - get in now before they’re all gone! Quick reminder: each square costs £2 per month, draws are monthly (extra one at the Annual dinner) and the winning prize is £100. If you are looking to sign up, please speak with the 150 Club Secretary, James Rumbles southborough.c.c@gmail.com
Recent winners:
March Liz Pretty
February Jamie Brown
January George Marsh
December Joanne Leigh
November Susie Berendt