It’s taken 51 seasons but finally Wollaston Cricket Club is playing with the big boys in the Northamptonshire Premier League!

Having won the second tier three times in the sixties, once in the seventies and being denied promotion, we finally got our just reward and were crowned Division One Champions.

This was a dream come true for many individuals, including me, who have been with the club for so many years. As with the last two seasons, the final ranking went to the final week. We were in competition with Wellingborough Indians and Brixworth for the top spot - all three of us with a good chance of being Champions.

The last match saw us at home to Geddington, knowing that only a win would do. In the end, all of the scores went our way and Wollaston were Champions at last!

A big ‘well done’ to all players who’ve played for the first team this season, and to Andy Luck whose hard work and vision took Wollaston from a team fighting relegation 7 years ago to the league winning team of today.

The Second Eleven were facing their own battle, at the opposite end of division three. With a poor run of form, and the weather playing against us, the Seconds had to win their last game of the season to be certain of avoiding relegation. We came together as a team and held our nerve to achieve a match winning result against Rushden Seconds. One minor outcome means that there will be no trip to Wicken next season – but that’s cricket, you have to take the rough with the smooth!

Wearing my other hat, running the U15 side has not always been easy, but the invaluable assistance from Paul Clarkson and Neal Perry has helped. Having won just one game, keeping the lads motivated was tricky. The highlight of the season for me was seeing Daniel Dawson and Chris Hilliss take apart the OWs’ bowling attack with some fierce hitting. The star of the side was David Clarkson; his all-round performance was invaluable. With some new faces coming through from the other youth teams and new members to the club, next season will present a new challenge. Neal has done a fantastic job with running and co-ordinating all of the youth teams. It’s been great to see some of the former youth cricketers taking vital roles in the Championship success of the first team.

I would like to thank Chris and Neal Perry for the fabulous efforts with the Chance to Shine scheme. Their involvement in this excellent initiative to encourage more young people to play cricket also enables them to promote Wollaston Cricket Club in local schools. In conjunction with other accreditations, such as CLUBMARK and Focus Club, this will mean that Wollaston is high on the list of potential clubs for talented young players.

As Chairman it’s always gratifying to hear praise from other clubs on the condition of Wollaston’s ground. When this praise comes from Premiership Champions Finedon, as it did when Wollaston played them at home in the Twenty 20 semi-final, it’s even more rewarding. This couldn’t have been possible without all the hard work and commitment from many individuals; but to name a few - Dick Underwood and Andy Luck for producing an outfield worthy of a Premiership club, and John Hodges for his unfailing efforts to produce excellent cricketing pitches.

There has been a fantastic effort put in this year by the fund raising committee. They have organised various events throughout the season that not only bring in funds that are crucial for the running of the club, but also help to promote the values on which the club prides itself - a family and a friendly atmosphere which few clubs have.

David Ward was awarded the N.C.L Ian Davidson Trophy which is awarded for promoting NCL clubs in the media. As well as the paper publications and the liaison with the Evening Telegraph, David has rocketed (!) into the 21^st century and edits the Wollaston CC website this year. For anyone who hasn’t already visited the site, you can find a wealth of information about Wollaston Cricket Club past and present at www.wollastoncc.co.uk. The site looks really professional, with links to our sponsors’ websites, lots of photos, and entertaining reports on the cricket season and the social events from throughout the year, making it a joy to browse.

I would especially like to thank our umpires – Dick Underwood, Malc Fowler, and John Hodges; and our scorers – Les Underwood and Judy Rowe, for all their help and support during this season.

The committee continues to work hard to improve the facilities and ensure the smooth running of the club. I’d like to thank Treasurer John Hutcherson, Secretary John Pike, Simon Parsons, Dick Underwood, Paul Jones, Chris Perry, Neal Perry, Harmit Bahra, John Hodges, Matthew Jones, and Simon Driver.

All in all, this has been a fantastic season for Wollaston Cricket Club. All teams have shown real team spirit in their achievements this year. We’ve also improved our standing in the Fair Play award with a mid-table result. I hope to see the spirit continue and grow into next season so I can be as proud of Wollaston Cricket Club and its members then as I am now.

Andrew Silsby