The winter months are very important to the club, and the committee will be working hard to make sure we are prepared for next season. But it is a ‘Family effort’, and there are three specific areas that we will need all our members to help us with:

1. Player Recruitment – if you know anyone who would like to join us, please ask them to contact Stephen Finch (+44 7776 237790 or s.finch@rilmac.co.uk), our Director of Cricket in the first instance; Steve can then onboard them and ensure they are included in all relevant communications concerning playing matters going forward.

2. Sponsorship – we are seeking new sponsors for the club and/or various match day activities. This is a fantastic way for members and local businesses to support the club and local community while raising positive PR for your brand. In the first instance, please contact David Hodgkinson (+44 7554 425904 or David.hodgkinson7@btinternet.com), who can provide details of our various sponsorship opportunities.

3. Events – we have a whole series of events planned over the next few months, starting with the Christmas Party on the 3rd of December with Live Music, Mulled Wine, Santa and Mince Pies. Other events include Quiz Nights, ‘Hortonfest’, Pulled Pork Evenings and our regular Curry Nights. We will be planning to open the bar on Friday nights for members and local residents from January, which will tie into junior training nights running into the summer.

As many of you will have seen, last season, we invested in several improvements to the clubhouse. We hope you like the changes, so if you are planning an event, whether that be a birthday party, a wedding, or an anniversary, then why not consider the cricket club? If you would like to know more, please reach out to me (+44 7725 988956 or paul@thedasclan.com)

One of my first actions as Chairman was to review the current membership fee structure, and I am pleased to confirm that membership fees will remain unchanged for the 2023 season.

I am delighted to be working with the newly elected committee, who are all committed to providing the best possible cricket and social experience for members of the club and the local community. From an operational perspective, that is how the club will be managed going forwards. The playing and administrative sides of the club will be run separately. The senior playing section of the club will be run by our Director of Cricket, Stephen Finch and the junior section by the Junior Chairman, David Hodgkinson, ably assisted by the Head of Junior Cricket, James Martin. The rest of the committee will take on the running and day-to-day administration of the club.

I wanted to thank members of the committee who stepped down recently personally. Ian Scott, our President, stepped down after ten years at the helm. We will still enjoy his fellowship and Saturday evenings with the distinct smell of pipe tobacco. Also stepping down is Bill Scott from his role as Chairman. Bill has tirelessly served the club as Chairman, Bar Secretary, Scorer, and occasional player whilst having a three-hour round trip – it will be tough to find anyone who loves Horton more.

Rick Falkner is also stepping down from being the Head of Junior Cricket. Rick’s efforts have been transformational in the cricketing abilities of the whole junior section. This has culminated in Horton having 18 junior cricketers playing county cricket and a further nine playing at a district level. This year the U10s, U12s and U13s won their leagues, with no other junior team finishing lower than 4th in their respective competitions. In recognition of his service, the committee nominated Rick as a vice president of the club, which he accepted.

Finally, Trevor Finch has accepted the role of Club President. Trevor and his family have a long association with Horton. Trevor enjoyed playing cricket at Horton throughout the 1960’s and 70’s - in his capacity as Secretary of the Northamptonshire Police Cricket Club, for whom he played regularly against the club. Trevor joined Horton House in 1981 and enjoyed much success in our teams throughout the ensuing decade. He was an integral part of the team which won the Northants Cricket Association Cup in 1983 – defeating the Old Northamptonians on the final ball of the match at the County Ground. Whilst Trevor captained our Saturday sides for many years, Sue, his wife, was the club’s scorer for over four decades, and Steve, his son and our Director of Cricket is currently the club's longest-serving active playing member. In 2000, Trevor steered the club into the new century as Chairman, a role he fulfilled for ten years. You will also see Trevor’s wonderful granddaughter Isobel, working the club bar at the weekends. Trevor continues to umpire for our Saturday teams, and there is no better candidate to succeed Ian as President.

Thank you for being a member of Horton House, and I look forward to seeing you at the home of cricket in the coming months. #everyonewelcome

My warmest as always

Pd
paul@thedasclan.com
07725 988956