Many of you will know that the question of VAT on the new building has still not been settled.. The contractor’s VAT advisor was certain that as this is clearly a community project then it would be zero rated. However HMRC think otherwise and the ~Trustees are going to have to go to a tribunal. This really beggars belief. From day one the building was designed to be so much larger than every neighbouring cricket club pavilion in order to cater for the wider community use. Both Biffawards and the London Marathon Charitable Trust only gives to COMMUNITY projects and even on the Sport England application one whole section is dedicated to the applicant demonstrating community use. As far as general fund raising was concerned at least 90% came from the community and just 10% from the cricket club and scouts. We have also received letters from the church requesting to use the building and the Village Hall wants to use it as an overflow for bookings they otherwise would have to turn away (this has already happened). A pilates group already has a regular booking and shortly short mat bowls and table tennis will be started. Villagers have already booked the building for a christening and a number of parties and new bookings are coming in for 2016. The fact that the cricket club only uses the building for five months of the year and that the hall is used by scouts, beavers, cubs etc, has been ignored. Despite all this HMRC say that it is a cricket pavilion and as such should not be zero rated. Let’s hope common sense prevails when all the evidence is taken into account.

November

The new community pavilion and hall was opened up for the village to come and view the new building. This was our way of thanking so many village organisations who had helped with fund raising over the past few years.

On the 13th November the club filled two tables at the Annual Fuller’s Awards Dinner at Sandown Park. Roger Dakin was the MC and the broadcaster Pat Murphy was the main guest

Allan Cooper collects the 1st XI league trophy and Will Bowley took the most wickets in the 2nd XI division- Pat Murphy is presenting,

Mike Cooper, John Callcut and Bill Turner admire the trophy which they won in 1993 whilst playing for Carshaltom CC.

Our award’s dinner was held in the new building on Saturday, 7th November. Tricia Kehl and Christina Wood provided the food and a packed audience enjoyed the entire evening.

View from the balcony

Tricia Kehl receives the Club Person of the Year Award

First team skipper, Allan Cooper, presents his awards.. Allan Cooper, Justin Renwick (Player’s Player of the Year) and Roger Bailey

Craig Jones presents the Second Team Award. Collected for Finn Osborne by his father.

October

Once again the cricket club organised the village bonfire evening. The weather was fine and record crowds turned up to see an excellent display of fireworks and enjoy perhaps the best fire we have ever had. We sold out of burgers, sausages and mulled wine and the fun fare and stalls were busy all evening.

You will, no doubt, have seen lots of Jackson-Stops & Staff notices around the village advertising the Bonfire Evening on the 23rd October. There were twenty notices in all and in return they have made a generous donation to the cricket club.

John Callcut achieved an OSCA award for Outstanding Services to Coaching from Surrey County Cricket Club to acknowledge his 25 years of coaching. He was put forward by the county for a national award and the grand event was held at Lords on the 12th October. Over four hundred people sat down for a gala dinner hosted by Jonathan Agnew. John didn’t make it through to the shortlist. Amongst the guests were Andrew Strauss, Eion Morgan, Charlotte Edwards, Katherine Brunt, Downton Abbey actor, Jim Turner and Colin Graves.

Jonathan Agnew and Eion Morgan

John Callcut, ‘Mr Carson’ from Downton Abbey and Jim Harmer from Reigate Priory CC

Groundsman, Derek Heselwood, has put the square to bed. Hopefully we will have good growing weather over the coming month. Autumn is reall here. This picture was taken on the morning of the clear up day – 3rd October when a small group gathered to cut the hedge, put equipment away and do numerous other jobs.

September

Dorking Cricket Club staged an eighteenth century cricket match on the Cotmandene to commemorate the painting in the Long Room at Lords. Pierre Tartari, resplendent in costume umpired the match and not only was it publicised in the Dorking Advertiser but it actually made it in the Times and Pierre was in the picture!

On the 19th September a farewell party was held in the pavilion for Tom O’Malley who returns to Australia on the 4th October. It has been a real pleasure to have him at the club throughout the summer and he has been a great asset to young and old alike. Bon voyage Tom and we hope to see you again next year.

The club was represented on the 4th September at the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of former vice-president, Ian Peterson.

August

On the 21st August our girls were invited to be guard of honour at the Oval for the second day of the England vs. Australia test match. On the same day John Callcut received an award from the ECB in recognition of his many years of coaching. Former England skipper, Mike Gatting presented the certificate.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 21: during day two of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on August 21, 2015 in London, United Kingdom.

During week commencing the 17th August we held our second summer camp. This was organised by Tom O’Malley and he had lots of assistance from many coaches. The weather was kind a numbers totalled from between 20 and 40 participants. On the Thursday we were privileged to have a visit from Jonny Gale who opens the batting for the England Disability Cricket Team. He gave an inspirational talk to the youngsters and we hope that this might pave the way for future events.

Many congratulations to Finn Osborne and George Warne. On the 1st August our 3rd XI were playing top of the table Burgh Heath at Forest Green and were facing a formidable total of 297. At 37-2 George Warne joined Finn Osborne and saw their team home to an unlikely victory. Whilst doing this the two 16 year olds recorded the highest ever club partnership of 261 which broke Dan Jones and Matt Ross’s 238 set in 2002. Martin Vanstone and Dave Puddicombe’s 3rd wicket partnership of 228 set in 1989 was also broken. Finn became the club’s fourth highest ever scorer with 167 no. Only Shane Gilkison (177 no), and Matt Ross (174 no and 169) have bettered Finn’s achievement. George scored 103 no and it was his maiden century. Quite a day.

Finn Osborne (167 no) and George Warne (105 no)

We really struggled with our final NatWest T20 matches. Holidays had kicked in and as a result availabilities dropped dramatically. Nevertheless it was good to see Thomas Ball and Alex Miller back playing cricket again and let’s hope that we will see more of them during the rest of the season.

July

Our NatWest T20 Under 19 campaign got off to a good start with a win against Leatherhead but we were brought back down to earth with a resounding defeat against a very strong Horsley & Send team.

Inspired by Tom O’Malley every member of the 1st XI have upped their game and are playing excellent cricket and the team spirit could not be better. As a result they are riding high at the top of the division.

Well done Cameron Osborne who after so many 90s finally scored his maiden century. May there be many more.

Congratulations to the u9s and u13s who have both won their respective league titles in the East Surrey Colts League

Here the under 13s are enjoying their cake.

June

Your webmaster has been away for the month of June and most of July. However, we were very sad to learn of the death of Vice President, Ian Peterson on the 27th June. Ian played his cricket at Beddington and Banstead then after a spell of working in Nigeria he played at Headley. He was a tall opening bowler and useful bat. He had lived in Newdigate for many years and was a prominent member of the Beare Green and Newdigate Choral Society who benefitted from his beautiful voice. Our condolences go to his wife Ann and his three daughters, at this sad time.

May

Spare a thought for Mark Rance. Playing against Chaldon CMO on Saturday, 30th May he single handedly nearly won the game. He scored 102 no out of a total of 172 as we fell just 18 runs short of the target. The next highest score was 12!!

Did you see the scoreboard at Headingley for the New Zealand test match? Dev Patel was there for the duration of the match ensuring that the scoreboard worked perfectly.

Many hands make light work – Tom O’Malley and Tricia Kehl painting the kitchen on Sunday, 17th May.

Barry Jordan appears in the Sky IPL clip – how did that happen ?

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/cricket/9809913/the -summer-of-cricket

Work moves on apace. The roof is complete and the windows installed. This picture was taken on the 10th May.

April

We are already for the cricket season – let’s hope that the weather stays like this.

The tiles are going on 23.04.2015

Junior coaching started on the 20th April. We had an excellent turn out but the weather turned pretty chilly. It was good to see the Brocus teeming with young people enjoying themselves. The next day coaching started for the girls and we had over twenty attendees.

The new season started on the Brocus with an u13 match. Five Oaks CC travelled up from Hampshire and enjoyed a very close match against our lads and lasses. Ably led by Jackie-Ann Goldsmid the match went right down to the last over with Newdigate falling just six runs short.

We were very sorry to hear of the death of Richie Benaud at the age of 84. On the 4th August 2013 he came to the club and formally opened the artificial pitch and then chatted to junior and senior players alike for nearly two hours. He played 63 tests for Australia and was a highly respected commentator in both his homeland and England.

In bright sunshine, on Easter Monday, James Penfold organised the village pram race to raise funds for the appeal. Lots of people from the village turned out to witness the spectacle.

Congratulations to coach Paul and Llywd Griffiths who despite horrendous conditions completed their Walk on Wales (WOW). They have raised money for Chance to Shine and the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team. See www.walkonwales.com/charity for further details.

March

Throughout the country cricket clubs are preparing for the new season under the NatWest Cricket Force scheme. Despite poor forecasts the morning of the 27th March broke clear and the sun shone all day. At 7.00 am the ‘Sweet Sensations’ refreshment wagon arrived and in no time at all the smell of bacon cooking was wafting across the Brocus. Very soon a contingent of some twenty members of staff from Surrey County Cricket Club arrived headed up by Paul Taylor the Director of Cricket Development. Members of the cricket club started arriving and by nine o’clock there were some sixty volunteers and helpers, wearing their NatWest Cricket Force t-shirts, all ready to set to. We were pleasantly surprised to welcome our friend and supporter, Lucy Donovan from Reigate Priory, Jim Faulkner from the Surrey Playing Fields Association and Steve and Andy MacDonald from the main contractor who all donned gloves and worked with a will. The area around the car park was cleared of brambles and scrub and a new area for the barbecue was cleared. A team set about burning all the waste material. The nets were repaired, cleared of leaves and the surfaces washed and re-lined. The outfield was cleared and cut and the artificial wicket swept and re-lined. Some oak saplings which would have been lost when the car park is enlarged were replanted and scalpings spread across the entrance making a solid surface. All this was done with the new pavilion and scout hut rising magnificently and impressively in the background. Later in the afternoon when work was done and youngsters were arriving at the ground after school, Tim Linley the Surrey fast bowler and Vicki Howard, community coach for girls, started an impromptu game of cricket on the outfield. Shortly the match consisted of some thirty players and the sound of ‘good shot’, ‘well bowled’, ‘what a great catch’ echoed around the Brocus in the afternoon sunshine. The next day another contingent of helpers arrived and the final touches were made to the ground in readiness for the new season.

Spare a thought for Vice President, Ian Peterson. He has been poorly of late and he is now in a nursing home having had his leg amputated. This is very tough time for this former fast bowler and our thoughts are with him and his wife, Ann.

The roof is going up!

The roof is going up on the hall and storage area – 25.03.2015.

We are pleased to introduce Tom O’Malley who comes from Queensland and will be playing cricket for us during the 2015 season. He is a Level 3 coach and will be helping with the juniors …. he is particularly excited about the NatWest T20 U19 Club Cricket Competition which we have again entered. He will be arriving in mid April so please give him a warm welcome when you see him at the club.

Nets at Ifield Community College – 21.03.2015
Richard Callcut and Jack Bowley batting and Ruky Wickremasinghe bowling

The roof trusses being delivered – 20.03.2015

Kitchen and Back Door – 11.03.2015

Hallway – 18.03.2015

On the 8th March Roger Bailey, Andrew Major, Dev Patel, Andy Meads and John Callcut went to the Club Cricket Conference at the Kia Oval. We all attended the many workshops and Active Surrey asked John Callcut to talk about the cricket club and our fund raising activities….. so the club received a lot of publicity throughout the conference. Here we are with Richard Gould the Chief Executive of Surrey County Cricket Club.

On the 7th March our girl cricketers took part in the Swimarathon which was organised by the Dorking Deepdene Rotary Club. They swam 50 laps (100 lengths) which was a great effort and raised money for the appeal.

The Newdigate Lasses + Andy Breaden after their swim

The walls are going up.

Derek has been working on the square. It has been scarified and had its first cut but unfortunately rabbits have crawled under the wire netting and eaten some of the new grass. It has now been re-seeded and the netting re-secured.

The first nets session took place at Ifield Community College on the 1st March starting at 10.30 am. We also had one net reserved for a junior age group. The facilities are very good so come down each Sunday to get your eye in for the new season.

February

Flooring looking towards the Scout Hut

Pavilion flooring looking towards the nets – 28th February 2015

Many thanks to Sarah from the Plough at Leigh for hosting a fund raising quiz and curry evening on the 25th February.

Despite all the rain the flooring for the pavilion is nearly completed – 24th February 2015

Ring beams for the Scout Hut

Unloading

Ring beams for the pavilion – 18th February 2015

On the 3rd February the new committee met for the first time at the Six Bells. There is a mix of young and old and it promises to be a very active group as we move into perhaps the most exciting period of the club’s history.

The pavilion will sit on these caps

and this picture looks towards the Scout Hut – 8th February 2015

The ring beam and steel capping starts.

January

Panic – all work was put on hold when Southern Gas Network told us that we were screw piling too close to a gas main. Gas main – we didn’t know there was one, but apparently it runs from the top of the Brocus down pass the bowls club on the Ibstock side of the boundary fence. The situation was resolved when the Gas Network established that the piling was not causing vibration and allowed us to continue. Phew.

Did anyone see James Penfold on The Chase on television on the 19th January? Looking very natural, Penners said that his interests were supporting Dorking Rugby Club, playing cricket and jumping out the sky from aircraft! Considering that he appeared as the cannibal in Dick Whittington last year in the Village Hall it was surprising that he did not know the name of the former Lord Mayor of London who controlled the capital’s rats. He said… Boris Johnson. They did well until the final ‘chase’ when he and his partners just could not answer enough questions and ‘The Beast’ overtook their total with some time to spare. No more sky diving for James as he came home empty handed.

Marking up took place on the 13th January 2015 and the screw piling has begun.

There was a very good turn out for the AGM which was held at the bowls club on the 12th January. Our new chairman is Roger Bailey and Andrew Major was elected as President. All other committee members remained the same with the exception that Andy Wood has become Secretary and Tricia Kehl is our Social Secretary. The team captains are: 1st XI – Allan Cooper, 2nd XI – Craig Jones, 3rd XI – Charlie Major and the Sunday captain is Ruky Wickremasinghe.