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the views of bill quay chairman - peter brown
half term report 2006
With the season just past the halfway point time to reflect on the first half performance. Despite many interruptions from World Cup football and the programme being re-arranged also for the One Day International at Riverside we will now be faced with several double weekends. Whilst this means that the cricket will still be played it plays havoc with our Third team as it is very nearly impossible or us to turn out 3 senior sides on a Sunday. However this will need to be addressed when the meeting takes place of the Hetton Lyons Sunday League as in its present format leaves much to be desired with the lack of League tables being the root cause.
Looking at the First team we are doing quite nicely in 3rd place as at the 15th July just 14 points behind Murton who are surely everyone’s favourites and this is a “must” win for us when we meet in a couple of weeks time. Several of the fancied teams have come and gone with Dawdon, Silksworth and the Park slightly off the pace. Castle Eden are second and they will not want to give up their title without a fight. A big blow to us was the loss of David Brown and we have tried hard to come up with an answer but from a player who took 70 odd League wickets last season he is a big miss. However instead of moaning young Sam Wraith has been tried and others such as Chris Little and David Hunt have bowled spin with some success. Neil Cuskeran at 15 has also made the first team and certainly there are signs that Michael Orridge is back to his old self but his Police shifts mean that he misses some games. Being a Club that has brought up many Juniors several of them that play regularly all are friends anyway and we lost 6 players last week as they had all gone to Spain but they are now back and available. Spain is now back to leading quieter lives!! Jeff still leads from the front and is still Gordon’s rabbit but what would we do without his runs or Bill Gardner’s prowess behind the stumps being a much quieter lad now that he has settled down with a good woman. Backed up by skipper David Hunt and Sean the pro we are going to surprise quite a few people.
The Seconds and Thirds have had many changes during the season but they soldier on well with particularly the seconds operating with a very young side but they are still in several cups. The Sunday thirds have seen their season “messed” about by events already mentioned but they still perform a very important function within the Club.
The most encouraging aspect of the Club is in our juniors more particularly our younger juniors and for the first time the Club has started an Under 11 side and whilst a victory has yet to be achieved they should be given every encouragement. We have also recruited several 14/15 years old players mainly from in term coaching at Hebburn Comprehensive given by Chris Little and Jim Hewitson. Jeff, Michael and the two previously mentioned should be congratulated on all the hard work which they carry out during the winter months and on Sundays during the season plus added help from parents. It is much appreciated and I feel that the Club is now on the right lines to proceed further in the years to come.
The tracks at Bill Quay are at their very best and despite the very dry spell have produced some very high scores. How’s this for 4 days consecutive cricket on the same track. Thursday firsts score 254 for three against Ryton who reply with 170 odd from 20 overs; the next day the County Under 14’s score 294 for four and the visitors reply with 203; Saturday the seconds score 202 and the opposition make 192 and finally on the Sunday in the Ralph Walton final Murton score 334 with 160 from Houghton. Surely this is testament to Colin’s fine preparation which is sometimes not appreciated.
Off the field we are performing very well with takings well up on the previous years but we are still watching the “outgoings” in a very tight market. Long may this fine weather continue. Keep supporting the Club. We have also applied for grants and keep our fingers crossed that we are successful as all this is aimed towards our junior work at the Club and into the schools which benefits us both.
This report was started some days ago and I was not aware that David Brown has rejoined the Club which is tremendous news. Let us hope for success at the end of the season.
A look ahead to the 2006 season
WE LOOK forward to another season at the Quay with renewed optimism as we do every season. The field now looks more like a cricket field after the first cut and hard work carried out last 
Saturday has got the whole place looking spick and span. With a good deal of help, especially from younger players, all the seats have been painted (plus a little of the floor), scoreboard now complete with numbers waiting to be turned, perimeter nets in place thanks to Jeff Tudor complete with sun tan and Bob Smith plus Chris Forshaw, the covers have been completed and in place with Colin and Chris Little completing the job, garage/Umpires room all painted, dressing rooms and showers all repainted and awaiting Easing ton’s visit on the 29th April. I have rolled the playing surface several times and gave the square a final cut and until Easington’s “track” is started no more cutting will take place but Colin will give the square a good roll to get our pitch up to the high level that we have enjoyed over past years. With the coming of spring the whole place has dried up considerably considering the ground was under water with a mixture of snow and rain just two weeks ago - remember Sunderland’s match was called off. We look forward to all teams having a good season and wish all Clubs the best of luck.
During the winter months the Club has had talks with another brewer hoping to takeover from Coors and supply us with beer. We received a very good written offer from Carlsberg Tetley and indeed put this to the members, as with another price rise in the offing, the committee felt that it could not merely keep putting up the price. However it must be remembered that we have bills to pay and expenses to meet as has any other business. The members mostly voted to change but when we took advice form our stock-taker some prices quoted by Carlsberg were not quite right and we were expected to plough into the price most of our profit margin. Coors were not wishing to lose the account and we negotiated a fresh deal with them. Not only did we manage to keep our prices the same but obtained a better long term agreement with Coors. Certainly the Club is trading a lot better than last year with figures well in excess of expectations but we cannot rest on our laurels. Indeed Saturday nights have been a cause for concern with dwindling numbers and increasing costs for the artists. So much so that the committee decided to cut its losses by dispensing with one of the bar staff and had planned to have an organist playing on a Saturday evening. However this did not go down well with our Saturday audience and, following a meeting with them, we have revamped our entertainment to try and make something available for anyone. From Karaoke, 60’s disco, vocalists and Ray Tones at the organ. This new line of entertainment will commence in early May.
On the playing side although we have not made any signings to reinforce our senior sides we have Paul Bentham playing full time. However Michael Shields still has ankle problems and will only play the odd third team game. However the exciting thing this season is the emergence of our juniors and we will for the first time ever run an Under 11 side which in the main is the Under 13 side from last season aided and abetted by some new members some of which have never played cricket before. The Club therefore are indebted to our coaches who have worked tirelessly in the indoor nets at Gateshead Leisure Centre and have unearthed some fine young talent including two 8 year olds who could turn into good “leggies”and three good under 15 players from Hebburn Comprehensive where we have been doing some in-house coaching . I am very confident of winning at least one junior trophy this season. 
My appreciate goes especially to Jeff, Chris Little, Jim Hewitson, Michael Shield plus Eddie Covell, Brian Hill and Bill Gardner who have passed on help and tuition to 35 under 14’s for the last 7 weeks.
The senior side has also been well represented and some older players are bent on reappearing this year and no doubt Charlie Basham will turn up for the first game of the season as if there hasn’t been a winter’s break. Four senior sides and four junior sides will turn out this year - not bad for a village side which prides itself on not paying any player apart from Sean Smith our pro who has been retained for another season – I wish Sean all the best.
On the other side of the coin, if my memory serves me correctly Jeff Tudor (left) must be beginning his 25th consecutive season at the Club which is a fine achievement. I hope I can unearth some statistics to back this up - watch this space.
The Future of North East League Cricket
NORTH East League cricket sees the long awaited report by Grenville Holland being discussed shortly which again suggests change instigated by the Durham Board. Grenville has met all Leagues in the area with suggestions as to where they are placed in the “pecking” order with the aim to provide a feeder league into the Premier League something which is not in vogue at present. The system at present allows the winners of the Durham Senior League/Northumberland Tyneside Senior League apply to join the Premier League for the following season. In the past Hetton Lions applied in 2004 for the 2005 season, had their ground inspected by the Premier League and would have been admitted last year but regrettably they did not win the Durham Senior League. This sort of system appears to be unfair to all parties and it could leave Leagues short of numbers and not knowing whether they would have vacancies. Grenville has tried to create feeder leagues throughout the area with each Club “tagged” so that they would be relegated or promoted `depending on their area but each League would retain its integrity, the building of partnerships between all leagues something which has been sadly lacking over many years. You only have to look back over the years to work this out culminating in Hylton been “poached” or given false promises to be encouraged to join another League and then to be badly let down. We ourselves were asked by the same league but felt that we were duty bound to the promise made by all members of the Coast League to stick together a fact that has not been fully explained to others who merely state that Hylton were let down by Coast League members but this was never the case. This all came by not speaking openly with other Leagues. I think the various options put forward by Grenville to all Leagues will be that they accept the need for promotion and relegation at every level of the Leagues structure in the North East. Thus at the top of the ladder would be the Premier League, the second tier made up of the Durham Senior League, the Northumberland/Tyneside League and the NYSD with the champions of each league being able to make representation to the Premier League providing their facilities were upto the same standard as set out by the ECB. The standards of each league are written in stone and clubs further down in the third tier would also have to adhere to the standards of the league into which they would be promoted. However there is a sticking point which I believe Grenville has not solved. If for example the leading team in the NYSD League wished to join the Premier League for the next season it could only do so if either Stockton or Norton finished in the bottom place as only one club is relegated and this it was agreed , back to the League from whence it came. I think Grenville’s system suits movement into the second tier from the third (made up of the Coast League and the County League) and from the fourth tier (North East Durham, West Tyne League and the Darlington and District league). However I will bring you all up to date once more facts are known.
Brownie