I hope all our older Members are recovering well from their Covid Jabs and that it will not be too long till some semblance of normal Hill life can resume. The President and First Lady have received their injections and there is talk that Maria will let Tom go out soon....
The Board continue to meet on Fridays via Teams in order to ensure the immediate business of the Club is taken care of. These meetings have three headings – the House and Grounds, Finance and Cricket. Any questions or observations please get in touch as below.
The absolute top priority for the Club is to rectify the Flat Roof issue at the front of the Pavilion. Our Crowd Funding Appeal has got off to a fantastic start, and now stands at over £4500, the Board could not be more grateful. We hope to achieve further support from Sport England and other bodies but it is great that so many Members and Friends of BHCC have dug deep into their pockets. Please help to spread the word, we have a set ourselves a steep target but this is a vital project that will set us up for years to come.
For more information go to https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/replacement-of-clubhouse-lounge-roof-1?tk=ff791c78100f9cf7133eab4ed491a8c61ceeae24 there are some fantastic rewards for donations including :
- £500 or more, get 5 years membership of Benwell Hill CC (5 only)
- £375 or more, get an advertising board for the 2021 season at the ground for your business (5 only)
- £125 or more, get a Newcastle Falcons Hospitality Package
- £125 or more, get 1-2-1 coaching session with Kyle Coetzer (3 only)
- £100 or more, get a will writing service from Ncholson & Morgan (1 only)
- £100 or more, qualify for matchball sponsorship (3 only left)
- £50 or more, get a 4 ball at Prudhoe Golf Club (1 only)
- £45 or more, get a Durham CC package, including 2xT20 match tickets (2 only)
- £30 or more, get 24 cans of alcohol free Heinken lager (1 only)
- £30 o more, get a 10% discount of your food bill at Solomans Restaurant (2 only)
- £20 or more, get a free Gents dry cut at Joe's barbers (1 only)
- £15 or more, get a £20 food voucher for the The Stables at Whitby (1 only)
- £10 or more, get a Hill beanie (1 only)
We are massively grateful to a host of organisations and individuals for being so generous in our hour of need. Please do not be shy in claiming these rewards!
It has been great to see cricket hitting the headlines and back on terrestrial TV – with a bit of luck a new generation of young players will be attracted to the game by witnessing the heroics of Joe Root, Jimmy Anderson and co. Our Junior Section is full of talented players but there is always room for more.
Onto other news, I heard from former BHCC legend (his words) Steve Dunsford the other day- he has had to undergo surgery on his carotid artery which was not much fun. Fortunately all went well which is good news for the Hill bar.
Kyle Coetzer was in touch with former pro Jacques Snyman the other day – he is in Pakistan preparing to make his 20 20 debut for the Proteas. The three game series starts at 1pm on Thursday 11th Feb, with the second game on Saturday 13th Feb at 1pm and the final game on Sunday 14th Feb also at 1pm, all games are live on Sky Sports, we wish him well.
Finally, we hope to be able to stage an AGM before the end of March – the issue of course is whether we have to do that conventionally or virtually. Please watch this space – your input is vital.
Stay well and safe and warm!
Simon Lunn
BHCC Chairman
email simon.lunn@live.co.uk mobile 07797 683827
