Well here we are a third of the way through the season complete and we've seen some great performances already across all the sides. The 1st XI are finding their feet and settling into a nice groove and whilst some results haven't always gone our way, they are proving to be very competitive in every aspect of the game. The 2nd XI have made an extremely encouraging start to their campaign in a higher league and have a very nice blend of some older heads and some very promising youngsters who should form the backbone of the club for many years to go. After a disjointed start, the 3rd XI have settled nicely into their stride and a massive thanks must go to Charlie Ward Jnr for stepping up as 3rd XI captain. Captaining any team lower down the sides is an onerous task and I encourage you all to get behind both Charlie and Ian Bruce as these guys really keep the club going. It's fair to say that the 4th XI didn't make the best of starts but I have every confidence that there is enough talent and experience in the side to see them come good as have been shown in the past two weeks.

Since we launched the "Performance of the week" this year we've seen some great individual contributions. As a reminder, the May winners were as follows:

Week 3: Ryan Finn with 34 not out for the Under 13's v Wirral in the National Cup
Week 4: Rich Battersby with 5 for 25 for the 1st XI v Irby
Week 5: Graeme Keenan with 7 for 62 for the 2nd XI v Grappenhall
Week 6: Matt Ingram with a hat-trick against Premier League Neston in the Cheshire Cup
Week 7: Tom Maguire with 7 for 28 for the 2nd XI against Congleton

I must say, I really look forward to the email conversation on a Monday morning that takes place between myself, Simon McGowan (Junior Chairman) and Graeme Keenan (Cricket Chairman) where we 'debate' who should be the winner each week. There's always plenty of good reasons why each contender should win, but there can only ever be one winner so keep making this difficult for us and turn in those key performances.

From a junior cricket perspective, I’ve been really encouraged by what I’ve seen on Friday evenings. It’s not only the sheer numbers of children participating, but the support and encouragement shown by the parents who have endured some pretty cold nights, but always have a smile on their face. The work that Simon McGowan and his coaching team are doing is really paying dividends as we’ve seen some great results across all the teams and a steady flow of junior players performing at senior level of well. With this infrastructure in place, we really can provide a platform for the children to make the progression to senior cricket and thrive.

Off the field, June is probably one of the busiest months for me as I finalise things ahead of the Annual Marquee Weekend. For those of you who are either new to the club, or haven't spotted any of the posters around the place or seen the updates on the website, we put on a couple of events on consecutive nights at the end of June. The first being a Sportsman's Dinner where we are extremely privileged to have secured the services of former Liverpool player and manager, England international and current Sky Sports 'Soccer Saturday' pundit Phil Thompson. We've seen some great speakers since we started these dinners in 2001, but I have a feeling that "Thommo" will be one of the best. He will be supported by a great comic; Mick Monroe and there will be a three course meal plus a raffle and auction with some amazing items up for grabs. The following night is the time to dust down your tuxedo and party dresses and get along to the Summer Ball. The 'Ball' has proven over the last 14 years to be the real social highlight of the year and a great atmosphere is guaranteed as we welcome back The Trunk Monkeys to entertain us. Speaking with their frontman, he tells me that of all the gigs they do, ours is the one they enjoy the most. Numbers have been improving over recent years, but this year i'd love to smash the attendance records and create the biggest and best weekend the club has ever seen! To make things easier for me, can I urge you to contact me ASAP and certainly by the 17th June if you require tickets as I need to confirm final numbers with the marquee company and caterers. As a reminder, both events are open to non-members so please invite friends, family, milkmen, local shopkeepers and basically anybody you know!

And finally, I draw on a great quote from Henry Ford which I strongly back as we take the club forward as ONE CLUB..."If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."

Yours in cricket
Jez Lamb
Chairman