Ferguslie Cricket Club

Dear Playing Members,

As your cricket convener I am writing to provide you with information for the 2012 season, which is also our club’s 125th anniversary year. To commemorate 125 years of cricket at Meikleriggs, events will be held throughout 2012 culminating in a special annual dinner to be held at St Mirren Park on Friday 23rd November.

For the second season in succession domestic cricket has been restructured. The Scottish National Cricket League (SNCL) has been renamed the Cricket Scotland League (CSL) consisting of four conferences – Western Premiership, Western First Division, Eastern Premiership, Eastern First Division – each of eight teams, playing each other home and away. The thirty-two teams competing in the CSL will also compete in the Scottish Cup. An initial group stage of eight groups of four teams (one team from each of the four CSL conferences) playing each other home and away will determine the eight group winners to progress to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup and the eight group runners-up to progress to the quarter-finals of the SCU Trophy.

Cricket Scotland have released the fixtures for both the Cricket Scotland League and Scottish Cup, the competitive matches commencing on Saturday 21st April with a round of Scottish Cup matches. Full details of the CSL and Scottish Cup fixtures can be found on the Cricket Scotland website, http://www.cricketscotland.com/csl, http://www.cricketscotland.com/scottishcup2012 respectively.

Our 1st XI (Ferguslie) will compete in Cricket Scotland League Western First Division and Scottish Cup Group B.

The new national structure has led to a new regional structure. Our 2nd XI (Meikleriggs) will compete in Western District Cricket Union (WDCU) Cricket Scotland Western First Division Reserve League, mirroring our 1st XI league fixtures. The Western Cup is to be expanded with matches to be played on Scottish Cup weekends. For our 1st XI the West League Cup will now be played midweek and the Rowan Cup will remain as a midweek knock out twenty20 competition. As a result of our 1st XI and 2nd XI matches being played on Saturdays or midweek, to ensure cricket is played at Meikleriggs on Sundays the club has taken the decision to continue fielding a 3rd XI to compete in the Strathclyde Sunday League.

The WDCU are still to release the fixtures for all of the WDCU competitions. Full details of the WDCU competitions fixtures will be found on the WDCU website, http://www.wdcu-cricket.net/.

However, prior to the competitive matches our match secretary, David Love, has arranged a friendly away to Dumfries on Saturday 14th April.

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in December David Stafford and Gregor Preston-Jones were appointed as 1st XI Captain and Vice-Captain respectively, and Gavin Mories and Tim Preston-Jones were appointed as 2nd XI Captain and Vice-Captain respectively. Following the later decision to continue to field a 3rd XI, a Captain and Vice-Captain are still to be appointed.



During the winter months the club has been working hard to source an overseas professional and overseas amateur for the 2012 season. I am pleased to announce that the club has reached an agreement with current Zimbabwe internationalist Malcolm Waller to be our overseas professional. Malcolm is a middle-order batsman and off-spin bowler for Zimbabwe and his club team Mid West Rhinos. At the time of writing he is on tour with Zimbabwe in New Zealand. I am also pleased to announce that, with the help of former 1st XI Captain Duncan Forrest, the club has engaged Michael Homewood to be our overseas amateur. Michael plays his cricket for Surfers Paradise – Benowa Cricket Club on the Australian Gold Coast.

This season Cricket Scotland League matches will be played in traditional whites, but Scottish Cup matches will be played in coloured kit – the club having placed an order for both. For those players who indicated their requirements the sum of £40 can be paid to either Gavin Mories or myself at your earliest convenience. For those players who missed out there will be another opportunity to order cricket clothing closer to the season.

I look forward to the 2012 season and hope that it will be a successful season for all our teams. To achieve success the club needs your support/contribution; therefore, the training plan for the new season is attached, and I would encourage you all to attend as often as you can. The club has booked Hutcheson’s Grammar School on a Friday night for indoor cricket practice, Friday 2nd March being the date of the first of five sessions, at a cost of £5 for seniors and £3 for juniors per session, or £20 for seniors and £10 for juniors for all five sessions payable at the first session.

As a reminder, membership subscriptions for 2012 are now due, and by now you should have received a membership renewal form for completion and return for the attention of Jim Rooney.

The club is always on the look out for new players. Please encourage anyone that you know is interested in joining the club to come along and join us at practice.

I hope to see you at training, but for the latest news, including details of a quiz night being organised for Saturday 17th March, visit our club website http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/fergusliecricketclub/.

Yours faithfully,

David Sturgeon

(H) - 01418844551
(M) - 07720431091
E-Mail - dwsturgeon@btinternet.com