The clubroom of Timsbury Cricket Club was packed for the annual Presentation evening with all three teams well represented.
The Club Chairman Austin Sage said that there had been a gradual increase in participation and the welcome influx of new players to the club meant there had been no problems in filling the three club sides. The national All Stars initiative had seen some very successful sessions with the youngsters and the success of the under 19s, who narrowly missed out on becoming county champions, had been one of the highlights of the season. Off the field the barbecues had provided welcome revenue for the club and the chairman thanked Gordon Stewart for his invaluable efforts with them.
Looking ahead the chairman announced plans to refurbish the club bar and to look at ways of expanding the clubroom. Sage paid tribute to the many people who had worked tirelessly for the club and in appreciation of their efforts flowers were presented to Ann Sage, Rita Day, Cheryl Bradley, Eve Bird and Claire Sage.
Greg Passingham reviewed the youth activities and thanked all those who had helped with the All Stars, Under 9s festivals, the under 13s and under 15s. Sadly the club had been unable to field an under 11 team for the first time. He said the under 13s had been particularly impressive with a great team spirit. For the second year running Sol Thompson won the award for the best performance by a Junior, Joe Kinnear was the outstanding teenager and Josh Bond-Kendall the most improved Junior.
There were some excellent speeches from the three senior captains. Ashley Davis who had again looked after the third team said that his side had finished a creditable fourth in their division and he had experienced no problem in fielding a side. He was voted Third Team Player of the Year.
Ben Hosford in his first year as second team captain led his side to the Bristol and District League Division IX title with plenty to spare. Altogether he used 31 players with a good mix of youth and experience. Nathan Hawkins was Second Team Player of the Year.
First team captain Steve Clothier welcomed the introduction of new players to the team notably Graeme Webb, Kevin Sibley and Tom Clark who had all made sizeable contributions. He said there had been a great atmosphere in the team but despite some inspired wins against Downend , Shirehampton and Frenchay in the League and against Chew Magna and Shapwick in the National Village Cup, the overall season had not gone quite as well as he had hoped. He felt there was still a need for improved coaching but was optimistic for the future especially if more new players could be attracted to the club.
Graeme Webb, after an outstanding debut year with the club, was voted First Team Player of the Year and also took the cup for the fastest fifty. Dan Hill another popular newcomer to the club won the cup for best performance of the year with his knock of 141 for the seconds against Westbury Old Bristolians.
Roger and Eve Bird wanted their cup to recognise the Junior Club Person of the Year and the inaugural winner was Dan Nesbitt who was congratulated on his willingness to help in so many aspects of the club. There was a popular winner of the prestigious Club Person of the Year award which went to the chairman’s wife Ann Sage for her hard work throughout the club.
Malcolm Tucker
The annual awards were as follows:
Youth section
Most improved Junior (Eddie Strong Trophy) Josh Bond-Kendall
Best performance by a Junior (Graham Bryant Trophy) Sol Thompson
Outstanding teenager (S G Taylor Memorial Cup) Joe Kinnear
Senior section
Club caps Kevin Sibley, Graeme Webb, Ashley Davis, Dan Hill and Tom Clark
Centurion ties Graeme Webb, Dan Hill, Rob Clothier, Jack Williams
Club ties George Webb and Oli Davis
Fastest 50 (John Newth Cup) Graeme Webb
Best individual performance (S G Taylor Cup) Dan Hill
First team Player of the Year (Sage Family Trophy) Graeme Webb
Second team Player of the Year (Malcolm Tucker Cup) Nathan Hawkins
Third team Player of the Year (Colin Weaver Cup) Ashley Davis
Clubperson of the Year Ann Sage
Junior Clubperson of the Year (Roger and Eve Bird Cup) Dan Nesbitt