Another missive to bring Members up to speed with recent events at Benwell Hill CC ……..
On the House front I am grateful that Members continue to respect the arrangements that have been put in place in these extraordinary times. The recent outdoor event featuring the Emerald Thieves was an outstanding success and my thanks goes to all those who made it possible – most notably Phil Haves and the ever hard working bar staff. We learned some valuable lessons from staging the event as you would expect but we will definitely run something similar next summer.
Squash is back up and running and Martin Avery reports that demand for court time is exceptional and we have a healthy number of new members. Promotion has been secured to Division 1 of the Northumberland Leagues which is a considerable feat for a one court Club.
Pat and Ann are back in terms of the Wakes business and have adapted the service to comply with Covid guidelines. That process has not been entirely straightforward but as you would expect they have risen to the challenge.
The Hon. Treasurer reports that the Bank Account is in reasonable shape but of course we are never far away from a significant bill – the Club House roof remains out top priority whilst the annual hefty Insurance Bill is looming. Matchball Sponsorship has been received from a host of Members and Swift Motor Engineering have agreed to support the Club both this year and next. Special thanks to Ben Mussett for securing the latter and Philip Nicholson the former.
On the cricket front results have been mostly positive but from the Chair the important thing is that the game is being played and enjoyed. I have been fortunate to witness three memorable centuries from Finn McCreath, Joe Anderson and Hayden Mustard (aged 14 – he owes us for the Dressing Room Window) whilst Joe Moore added to the list playing at Felling for the 2’s. Tons tend to be scored on good wickets and Geoff Chambers continues to play a blinder. New Club Captain Pete Halliday has been leading from the front and Director of Cricket Kyle Coetzer reports that Practice Nights have been both popular and constructive as we start building to 2021.
We hope to stage Presidents Day on September 20th but please watch this space for further news.
Slowly but surely things are slowly getting back to somewhere near normal but I would ask that all members remain vigilant as we move forward.
Finally some sad news to close – Social Member Mick Cusack died suddenly last week and our thoughts extend to all his family.
S.A.Lunn
email: simon.lunn@live.co.uk
mobile : 07791 683827
