The 2003 season was slightly disappointing after the tremendous success of 2002.  The 1st XI struggled all season, for form on Saturdays and availability on Sundays, and the Chalfont Park square played poorly all season.  On a more positive note, the 2nd XI did much better on the field of play, both in the Thames Valley League and friendly matches on Sundays, and the Saturday 3rd XI played its first matches for seven years.  Away from cricket, the other cloud on the horizon has been the ongoing financial problems for Chalfont Park Sports Association.

The 1st XI finished 9th out of 10 in Division 2B of the Thames Valley League, a dramatic decline on 3rd place in 2002.  The simple explanation for this is that we missed Nouman Habib.  Bowling first, we were unable to exercise any control and usually ended up chasing big targets.  Batting first, we often posted good totals but were unable to bowl teams out or even defend the runs.  And our fielding was very poor.  On a more positive note, Zamir Khan (630 runs), Safi Ahmed (466) and Gavin Mander (452) all had great seasons with the bat.

The 2nd XI did tremendously well to finish 7th out of 10 in Division 4B and consolidate its promotion in 2002, especially considering that its two outstanding players from the 2002 season, Adnan Khan and Giles Payne, were not available in 2003.  There were no outstanding individual contributions, it was a superb team effort led by skipper David Peters.  Where the 2nd XI achieved its success, especially in comparison to the 1st XI, was that it fought tooth and nail for every bonus point throughout the season, and never conceded defeat without a fight. 

On the face of it, the Sunday 1st XI had a good season, winning more matches than it lost, and finishing a very respectable 4th out of 12 in our first season in the Maidenhead Advertiser Sunday League.  However, the reality was that availability was very poor, two matches were cried off and we were either weak, or one or two players short, or both, on several other occasions.  The MASL itself was also slightly disappointing, with three matches cried off by the opposition, others cancelled due to cup commitments, and very mixed strength opposition.    

The Sunday 2nd XI had an absolutely superb season, with a record ten victories and great availability throughout.   There were probably three factors in its success: a weaker fixture list in comparison to recent seasons, the regular availability of Neal Collins (629 runs) and the enthusiasm of Dan Webb.  Last year I said that Andrew Amor would be a hard act to follow, but Dan Webb did just that.  He brought many new members to the club, who enjoyed both their cricket and the social facilities at the club!  And, he did not stop there!  He was the driving force in getting the Saturday 3rd XI going again (we played four fixtures) and at the end of the season took over as Fixture Secretary.  He was the overwhelming choice as Clubman of the Year.

Phil Noot did a superb job again with the juniors, helped by Keith Neave and Clint Fox.  However, there are still not enough volunteers to help out with the juniors and, given that they are the future of the club, this is worrying.

The square did not play well during the 2003 season.  The balled popped alarmingly and the bounce was not consistent.  It was clear that the surface was not holding together properly.  Expert opinion seems to be that this is because there is a layer of thatch (dead material which stops the grass roots taking hold) just below the surface.  Because of the financial position of the club (see below), our options for dealing with this problem are fairly limited.  A tining chemical was applied at the end of the 2003 season, and it is hoped that this will improve matters, although it is unlikely to solve the problem completely.  The outfield has remained in immaculate condition and is a credit to the groundsman.  Away from the square and outfield, progress is being made on the ground.  Work parties last winter, led by David Banner, put up a splendid picket fence around the ground.  We received two new sightscreens via an insurance claim after a storm last winter, which was a bonus as the old ones were on their last legs anyway.  And we have the frames for some covers being made free of charge for us by a local engineering company, we will just need to provide the wheels, guttering and manpower to put them together. 

I have referred to the financial problems of CPSA several times.  We still have a significant debt to pay off re the new clubhouse, and this means that there are very limited funds available for the development of the individual sections.  The hockey section has a major problem on the horizon, because it is likely that the Newland Park astroturf pitch will cease to be available in a couple of years time.  The reality for the cricket section is that if hockey folds then cricket will fold too, because it could not cope with the running costs and debts of the new clubhouse on its own.  Furthermore, in recent years the cricket section has not been self financing, which has caused ill feeling in the hockey section and has not helped CPSA.  With these thoughts in mind, I believe that the cricket section should have the following development aims in 2004:

1.       Try to find a 3rd XI ground for the 2005 season.

2.       Consolidate the newly established Saturday 3rd XI by playing more friendly fixtures in 2004.

3.       If both the first two targets can be achieved, enter a 3rd XI in the Thames Valley League in the 2005 season. 

4.       Find more helpers and coaches for the junior section.

5.       Establish a fund raising sub committee to develop new financial initiatives, and make the cricket section initially self financing and ultimately profitable.

6.       Support the hockey section with its astroturf project.

Matthew Stevenson