League restructures boost for the 1sts

Great news from the Kent Regional League, as both the Saturday and Sunday 1st teams benefit from restructuring.

Following the loss of teams from the leagues, the Saturday 1st team has been given a well deserved promotion to the Championship East for next season. This follows four seasons as runners up in their division and a best runners up position across the league last season. They now sit just two promotions away from the Kent League. 

With the Kent Village League going through a similar process, our Sunday 1sts have been promoted two divisions to Division 4 for next season, cementing the triumphs of the last two seasons, winning Divisions 6 & 7. 

As both team will be playing in higher standard divisions next year, we will need as many players as possible to make themselves available, so get yourselves geared up - and if you know of anyone who can come along, please do encourage them.

Looking ahead to 2015

As we move into the new year, we need to continue our fundraising efforts to deliver the improvements needed on the clubhouse. Our lovely new changing rooms (above) have made such a difference, so if you, friends, family and companies are able to help out, it would be much appreciated. Please click on to read, and share the poster below.

Our presentation evening in Aylesford was well attended, with some impressive stats showcasing the best performances last season. All the award winners are listed on the home page of the website here.

The latest round of 100 club winners has been announced:

September - Clifton Phillips
October - John Underwood
November  - Paul Brivio

Please contact Paul Chell to take part: Call him on 01622 762228  or  07967 698036.

Presentation and AGM evenings

As we move quickly into the winter months there’s sadly no more outdoor cricket, but, before the 2014 season is formally concluded there are a couple of important club events that require the support of the membership.

First, on Saturday, 8 November the club will be holding its Annual Presentation Evening. This event covers both the junior and adult sections of the club and will be a chance to celebrate our team and personal successes this year. The highlight of the season was the Sunday 1st XI winning Kent Village League Division 6, their second consecutive title, losing only 1 game in the league. The Saturday 1st XI also lost only one league game all season but ultimately finishing 2nd in the league.

The Saturday 2nd XI had their best season for a few years winning 8 of 17 games played to finish a creditable 5th in the league. The Sunday 2nd XI succeeded in introducing a few more new kids to the block and together with a few diehards, and dads, they managed to pick up three wins in the season. Our junior sides picked up their share of wins too, so overall we can be really pleased with our performance right across the club.  

The presentation is a chance to celebrate this and catch up with friends you might not have seen since those warm September days. The presentation details are: Saturday 8 November. 19:30 Aylesford Village Club (57 Rochester Rd Aylesford ME207BS). This is the location we have used for the last couple of years and you’ll remember that we will be in the hall at the back, with parking accessible down the very narrow alley to the side. 

There will be a buffet and a small charge to cover the cost. Among the trophies to be presented are the Batsman and Bowler of the year for each of the teams, Clubman of the Year and the various other achievement awards. Based on previous experience, it will be a fun night. 

The final piece of business for the club will be the Annual General Meeting. This will take place on Thursday 13 November at 20:00, and will be held at the pavilion. All paid up adult members are invited to attend and make their voice heard. 

2014 has been a momentous year for the club with the construction of the new changing facilities and there will be plenty of information on that project and the work that needs still needs to be put in to finish it off. 

There will also be the usual reports from club officers so you can see what’s going on. The last thing will be the election of the new committee to take the club forward in 2015. If you are interested in standing for election for one of the roles (listed on the web site), please contact the club via hbbhcc@hotmail.com. In any event you’ll get to vote on those who do and remember “decisions are made by those who show up”. This is your chance to have some input to the running of the club.

Make a note in your diaries for each event - we look forward to seeing you there!

End of season barbecue 21/9

It's the final chance this season for you to drop ketchup all down your whites!

All are welcome - bring friends and family too - for a nice social evening of burgers, buns and beers on Sunday, September 21st from 7.30pm.

We really want to crack on with refurbishing our facilities during the close season, so your support for this event is very valuable.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Welcome!

This is the new blog for Holcombe and Blue Bell Hill Cricket Club, where we will keep you up to date with club developments and social evenings, as well as fixtures and results. Feel free to comment or send cricketing articles or stories - it's all about you!