The 2002 season was a really memorable one for the club.  Above all, it was our first season with the new clubhouse open, our first season for many years with decent, modern facilities.  After two years without facilities, with nowhere to change, or shower, or have a beer after the match, let alone sit on a balcony and watch the cricket, it was luxury.  And, the icing on the cake, it was our best season on the field of play for two decades.  Perhaps this was a coincidence, perhaps not?

In 1st XI league cricket, we had a very solid season, eventually finishing third out of ten in Division 2B of the Thames Valley League.  We came off second best in our encounters with the top two teams, Hounslow and High Wycombe II, so I think that third place was a fair result overall.  Certainly, it was a big improvement on the 2001 season, when we only avoided relegation on the final day of the season.  Our overseas player, Nouman Habib, made an outstanding contribution, taking 65 wickets and scoring 504 runs, and putting in some remarkable individual performances, including nine wickets for ten runs against Maidenhead & Bray, and 155 not out against Falkland II.

In 2nd XI league cricket, we had an outstanding season, surviving a nail biting final day to finish second out of ten in Division 5A of the Thames Valley League, and secure promotion to Division 4B.  Early on, we were placed in the bottom half of the table, and a relegation dogfight seemed possible, but then a string of victories took us to the top of the table.  Agonisingly, three times we failed to take the tenth wicket, fielding second, to secure the victory which would have at least secured promotion and probably the championship, too.  And then, on the penultimate Saturday, we were defeated by Farnham Common II, the eventual champions, to slip out of the top two promotion spots.  So, on the last Saturday, we had to win our match against Wooburn Narkovians II, and hope that one of the top two teams slipped up.  We won our match, and Windsor III lost theirs, which secured the runners up position for us and promotion. 

It was a richly deserved triumph for skipper David Peters, in his eighth season as captain.  The outstanding players were our second overseas player, Adnan Khan, with 493 runs and 60 wickets, and Giles Payne, with 311 runs and 37 wickets.  They were a great bowling partnership, with Adnan’s flighted left arm spin complementing Giles’ accurate off breaks and seamers.  Simon Seabrook, Martin L. White and James Mallinder also contributed well with the bat but, overall, it was an outstanding team effort.

We fielded two XIs on Sunday throughout the season, but the cricket was a bit disappointing, overall.  The 1st XI was generally far too strong for the opposition, which led to rather boring matches.  Ironically, on the one occasion when we came up against a really strong team, a Club Cricket Conference fixture against Purley, we put in a wretched performance and were ourselves well beaten.  We had a good run in the Skinner Cup Plate competition, and reached the final against Dinton, losing narrowly by two wickets.  At the end of the season, we decided to apply to join a Sunday League, in the hope of raising the standard of Sunday cricket next season, and have been accepted into the Maidenhead Advertiser Sunday League.

The Sunday 2nd XI also had a disappointing season, for the opposite reason to the 1st XI, namely that we were generally too weak, especially in batting.  Further consideration needs to be given next season to address the relative strengths of the two Sunday XIs, and to encourage more integration, for example, a stronger 1st XI player perhaps making an occasional appearance in the 2nd XI?  Once again, Andrew Amor did a fantastic job as captain of the Sunday 2nd XI, but work commitments will prevent him from taking on this role again next season, so a new captain will be required, and it will be a hard act to follow!

Phil Noot once again did a tremendous job with the colts, ably supported by Keith Neave and Clint Fox.  However, more support from senior players, and parents, will be needed if the colts section is to really prosper in the years to come.  I repeat this point every year, and I understand how difficult it is to give up a weekend morning, for the colts, in addition to the afternoon match, but the fact remains that the club will not prosper if the colts are neglected.  The development of the colts section must be the top priority for the club.

David Banner did another fantastic job on the ground during the 2002 season, putting in long hours after work in the evenings and on weekend mornings; his dedication and commitment was again exceptional, and the club is greatly indebted to him for his efforts.  With the help of other club members, most notably Martin Cartledge, he also put up the new electronic scorebox, before the season, and a picket fence, at the end of the season, both of which have greatly enhanced the quality and appearance of the Chalfont Park ground.  For the second year in succession, David was effectively doing the job at cost, because he used an external contractor to look after the square, and this would have, at very least, used up any monies that he received from the club.  To some extent, the club is taking advantage of David’s generosity, and this cannot continue indefinitely!

Aside from the development of the colts section, our main goal for 2003 must be to consolidate our positions, both 1st and 2nd XI, in the Thames Valley League.  I think that the 2nd XI, especially, faces a tough challenge next season, and good availability will be needed from day one.  If the availability is good, then I think we should try to establish a new team, a Saturday 3rd XI.  We do not presently have a 3rd XI ground, which is a handicap, but there is no reason why we cannot play ad hoc away matches.  We must also, as a cricket section, continue to play an active role, all year round and not just during the summer months, in Chalfont Park Sports Association.  There has been a pleasing improvement in this matter recently, but there are still too many cricketers who do not participate in the club during the winter months, despite the excellent facilities we now have and the many social events.

As those of you who have heard me on my soapbox before will know, I believe that the dedicated committee member, giving up his time and money for love of the club or, if you prefer, the greater good, is becoming an anachronism in modern society.  Therefore, I believe that the long term aim for Chalfont Park Sports Association should be to become self financing.  By this, I mean that, for each section, income should exceed, or at least cover, expenditure.  For the cricket section, this means that a combination of annual subscriptions, match fees and any other income, needs to cover a shared amount of the clubhouse running costs, most of the groundsman’s costs, cricket equipment such as covers, sightscreens and practice facilities, and every day running costs, such as cricket balls and affiliation fees.  In the 2002 season, the cricket section undoubtedly was self financing, and generated a healthy profit for Chalfont Park Sports Association, but this was only because of David Banner’s generosity in doing the groundsman’s work at cost.  The logical conclusion to my thoughts is that the cricket section must generate more income in the future.  However, it is up to the members to decide how this should be achieved.