We received a message from Sophie Keynes asking if anyone has any memories of her father Elliot Keynes. She was a small girl when he died in 2008 from a rare form of lung cancer. Elliot played for the club from 1991 – 1992 and briefly in 1993. In 1992 he scored 551 runs, the highest of any player in the club, including a century. Elliot would have been delighted to know that his grandson is very keen on cricket.

A good growth of mushrooms – must be the wet weather.

November

The grass is growing well on the square and protective netting has been put up. The leaves are falling all over the ground and our close relationship with the Redhill Probation Service is bearing fruit as they are providing teams to clear the leaves.

October

The annual bonfire and fireworks party was held on the 27th October and it really went off with a bang. Congratulations to James and the whole team for making the evening such a great village occasion.

Cricket on the 8th October? Why not when the temperature is in the mid twenties and you can play at Forest Green.

..and who do you meet? Colin Preece and his son Callum. Colin played for the club from 1984-1990 and looked after the square. He told us that he bought our old Stothert & Pitt sit-on mower for £90 which did sterling service until 2007 when we bought the Jacobsen from Mannings Heath golf club. He won the Brian Chamberlain batting award in 1989 and still lies 22nd in the club’s all time run scorers. He now lives in Cranleigh and has strong connections with his local club.

September

On the 28th September our groundsman, Derek Heselwood, completed the autumn preparation. Now we need some warm weather and gentle rain to get the grass growing.

The season on the Brocus concluded on the 16th September with a celebration of cricket.

The afternoon started with a pairs cricket match between the under 10s and 11s on the artificial pitch. At the same time, protective netting was put up and the Flicx pitch laid and a Kwik Cricket match was played by the under 9s and All Stars. The junior presentation followed (see junior section for full details). The under 15s then played a 20/20 match against a mixture of Saturday, Sunday, Ladies and Midweek players. This was curtailed to twelve overs due to fading light. Iain Shields cooked 200 burgers and sausages and a wonderful salad was laid out in the pavilion. The senior awards were held in the evening and the festivities continued. The weather was perfect which was fortunate as it rained on the following day and cricket was cancelled.

On Friday, 16th September Newdigate CC Dads took on Dorking CC Dads in a fun match.

On the 7th September the bowls club invited the cricket club to a bowls match. We had great fun and enjoyed the match. We were well looked after and finished with a nice barbecue.

Congratulations to our Chairman, James Penfold, who came second in the Unsung Heroes category at the Cricket Collective Awards ceremony held at the Oval on the 3rd September. Aiden Jones was nominated for the Rising Star category but unfortunately didn’t make the final short list of four.

August

Ruky Wickremasinghe wasn’t going to play in the second team match against Whiteley Village on the 26th August as his knee was giving him trouble. A very late drop out and a plea from the captain persuaded him to turn out. What a decision that proved to be as opening the batting he scored 169 not out mostly in boundaries. This is the third highest score in Newdigate’s history. It also meant that his team recorded a much needed victory.

On the 9th August 2023 David Cowan played for the midweek team against Thales. It was exactly 50 years ago that he played his first match for Newdigate in 1973 against Tadworth.

Ken Cloke who regularly walks around the ground gave us a copy of a composition that his father Vic wrote whilst at school in 1935. Vic’s name is commemorated on a plaque on the sight screen and a picture of his wife Olive is shown with Derek Underwood, on the wall in the corridor, when our nets were originally opened.

July

Look at these amazing pictures of the ground.

Newdigate Under 10s won the Sunday South Central league without losing a game. In addition Newdigate Knights have been crowned champions of the under 11 Surrey Junior Cricket Championship Tier 3 South. We can do no better than repeating Holly Hunter’s excellent report:

Knights are crowned League Champions…..
By Holly Hunter
……despite a last-minute chink in their armour.

The U11 Knights finished top of the league this season and were undefeated until their last match against Oxted and Limpsfield on Monday night where they narrowly lost by 7 runs.

It was a tough match, with the opposing team slightly ahead for most of the game. Bowling by the Knights was good with Freddie taking one wicket and Isaac smashing middle stump with the last ball of the innings. Two catches by Austin and a run out created a total of 6 fallen wickets but with a final run total of 293, Oxted and Limpsfield had set the bar high, and the Knights knew they would have to work hard to beat it.

The first pair, Isaac and Kaz, started strong but were kept in-check by their opponents who snatched 2 wickets off their combined score. Millie and Joe then took to the field with Joe scoring his first and second fours for Newdigate this season. Corey and Freddie kept the score board ticking over and there was one run in it after the 12th over. A clean bowl from the first ball however, showed the final pair (Austin and Frankie) that Oxted and Limpsfield meant business. The Knights put up a gallant fight though and in a nail-biting final over, with 3 fours scored off four balls they needed 5 runs off 2 balls to win. It was not to be, however, as another wicket fell and despite an extra ball from a wide, the Knights finished on 286 for 8, 7 runs short of their target.

There was undoubtedly some disappointment from the team in not maintaining their 100% success rate but in the words of MS Dhoni….
“A loss makes you humble. It tests the other batsmen and bowlers. Also, if you keep winning you don’t know what area you need to work on”

Ultimately the Under 11 Newdigate Knights are winners of the League. Isaac finishes top of the League table in bowling, having taken a very impressive 21 wickets off 27 overs and in batting, Austin finishes in second place with a total of 210 runs. We’ve welcomed Bryce, Charlotte, Kazuya, Leo, Millie and Ollie to the team this season, as well as some interesting headwear and personal accessories! A huge thank you to James for his coaching (and patience) and the fantastic support from the parents. All of the players should be very proud of what they have achieved individually and as a team this year; a brilliant season, bring on Summer 2024……!

Thank you DG Tree Services
By James Penfold

….timing can be everything

With the storm that hit this weekend, it seems like a great opportunity to thank DG Tree Services for their work cutting back a couple of the trees that sit prominently over the middle of the pavilion.

Duncan Gregory and his team did the work without charge, which was hugely appreciated, and bearing in mind the winds were gusting up to 70mph this weekend, from the quarry side of the ground, it may well have made the difference that means we still have a roof in one piece on the clubhouse.

June

Ben Haynes returned from university and celebrated with scoring a century against Cranleigh Gentlemen on the 25th June. Here he is in the centre with half centurions Tom Harper and Jack Bowley

A new club record was made on Sunday, 18th June in the winning match against Putney. At 77-8 Mark De Vrij joined Tom Harper at the crease. They put on 110 which is the highest ninth wicket stand in the history of the club. This beat the record previously held by Bill Sherman and Colin Preece (73) since 1986.

Tom Harper (90 no) and Mark De Vrij (15 no)

At the half way stage Newdigate’s under 10s and under 11s are top of their leagues. The under 15s lie in second place.

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We hosted the Dorking Schools’ Countdown Cricket Competition for years 5 and 6 on the 6th and 9th of December.

The first day was the boys competition and St Martins, St Pauls, Surrey Hills St. Josephs, St Johns and North Downs schools participated.

The matches were eight a-side and played in pairs. Each pair receiving two, five ball overs. No balls and wides were followed by a free hit allowing the batter to hit a ball from a cone. Five runs were conceded for each wicket.

Three matches were played at the same time and every team played each other.

The stand out team was North Downs who won all their five matches. St Martins lost one game and that was to North Downs 58-21. The most exciting game was a tie between St Pauls and St Johns – both teams scored 69 runs each.

The second day featured the girls from the same schools. St. Pauls emerged victorious winning all five games. St. Martins was close on their heels winning four matches. Their key match against St Pauls resulted in them losing 74-59. St Pauls recorded the highest score with 128 runs.

These were happy days enjoyed by the players, staff and visitors. Newdigate provided the four umpires Dave Wrightson, Pierre Tartari, Andrew Mjor and John Callcut for all the matches.

The pictures show Newdigate President Andrew Major and organiser Carolyn Stowell with the girls trophy. The other picture shows the boys in action.

The ground is now looking in great shape. We just need to start winning some games!

May

On the 27th May Richard Callcut copped a beamer whilst playing against Chaldon MO. A visit to Crawley hospital revealed that there was no lasting damage.

On the 22nd May the under 11s visited Felbridge & Sunnyside. A rare occurrence happened . The match ended in a tie. Here is the happy team:

Out? Or not-out? That was the question!

Following our successful grant application to the ECB all the lighting in the pavilion and scout hut has been replaced with LCD fittings. Proximity switches have been fitted in the changing rooms and toilets so that will mean lights cannot be left on. Just waiting now for the insulation to be fitted in the loft areas.

All Stars Cricket started on the 19th May. We had 25 registrations.

Good to see Matt Ross at the club on the 13th May, pictured here with Dan Jones. Matt was a prolific run-scorer and played for the club from 1999-2007. He scored 5700 runs making him the eighth highest run scorer in the history of the club.

The ECB has been running a new funding scheme encouraging clubs to make their pavilions greener. We put in an application and have been granted nearly £8000. We will insulate the loft, replace all the lights with LED and put proximity switches in the changing rooms and toilets so that lights will turn off automatically. Hopefully we will see a reduction in our energy consumption.

April

Aiden Jones is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and is the third generation from the Jones family to play cricket for Newdigate. Below is part of his volunteering overview for D of E.

The Young Leaders in Cricket programme is designed to develop leadership and coaching skills in young people aged between 14-18 years old. The programme is run by the Cricket Foundation (alongside the ECB) and aims to provide young people like me the opportunity to take part in coaching and leadership roles in their local cricket clubs.

The programme involves a series of workshops and practical sessions that cover various aspects of coaching and leadership, including communication skills, game management, first aid and ground maintenance. We also have the opportunity to gain nationally recognised coaching qualifications through the programme.

By taking part in the Young Leaders in Cricket programme, I am gaining valuable skills and experience that can benefit me in a range of areas beyond cricket. These skills include communication, teamwork, and leadership.

The programme also has advantages for my cricket club, Newdigate CC. This year I will be helping coach the younger age colts and I will be using the skills I have been learning since starting the programme. I know I have a lot to learn away from the programme, but I am really excited to be helping the club that means a lot to me and my family.

Overall, the Young Leaders in Cricket programme is a great initiative that is helping to promote the development of young people and support the growth of local cricket communities like Newdigate Cricket club.

This is a brilliant initiative and we wish Aiden the very best of luck.

The ‘Get Set’ weekend took place on the 1st and 2nd April. Club members gathered at the club to start getting ready for the season. Due to the wet weather all work was restricted to the pavilion. Here are the workers.

March

Newdigate and Dorking Ladies join forces

As the world continues to return to normality post Covid, it’s no secret that the Newdigate Ladies team is struggling to keep numbers up, and had to concede a few League games last year, a position we don’t want to be in again in 2023.

Dorking Ladies are in their second year and following discussions we have agreed to support each other to improve numbers and support more ladies in the sport. We had our first training session in the Winter Nets on Monday.

Dorking remain focussed on Soft ball games this year and have entered some Soft Ball Festivals, and have a number of fixtures planned, we are happy to support them in these games using our ladies that prefer softball.

Newdigate have entered the Slam and Sunday League again, and will use some of the Dorking hard ball players to bolster our team. Although we continue to grow, we have lost 2 key players this year, Amelia is living her best life travelling in the Summer, we’re not jealous at all, whilst Anna Lewis has been successful in her Surrey County selection again and will play U18 and Ladies for Surrey, prompting a move to Reigate Priory where she can play at a higher standard. Again, not jealous!! We wish them both the best of luck for 2023 and will miss them on and off the pitch.

Karen Fordree

Who’s for cricket? – 8th March 2023.

February

On the 24th February a meeting was held at the club and via zoom to discuss the arrangements for juniors. It was agreed that coaching would take place on Friday evenings. All Stars, u9s, 10s and 11s would train from 6.00 to 7.00pm and the u13s, 15s and 17s from 7.05pm onwards. Coaching assistants are required at u9 and u11 levels. All coaches and assistants to take a safeguarding course.

Later that evening some of the junior parents were talking about Newdigate cricket at the Six Bells pub. James Dearsley, Mike Duthie and Andy Glen plus JC who took the picture.

Everybody was there for the next Russell Haigh Bursary session. It was brilliant. Nice to see Richard Hall coaching who has been a friend of the club for many years

Coaching tip – Harry’s hands are too far apart.

The Russell Haigh Bursary got underway on Wednesday, 15th February at the Surrey Cricket Centre in Burpham. Here is a picture of three of the players clearly having a good time.

January

Winter nets got under way on the 23rd January at St. Mary’s Reigate. There was a good turnout and the conditions are very good.

The AGM was held on the 20th January and was well attended. The Chairman outlined the progress the club has made over the past season with an excellent presentation. The officers and captains gave their reports. The committee remains the same with the exception that Stephen Kehl has taken on the role of first team captain and Dan Jones will be the Junior Co-ordinator. A clubmark group has been set up consisting of Annette Jordan, John Callcut, Pierre Tartari and Dave Wrightson. Good news is that subscriptions remain the same except social membership which goes up by £5.00. The following important policies were adopted – Anti Discrimination Code (go to Club Information / Clubmark Documentation) and a Selection Criteria (below).