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| Newsletters Make sure that you keep our membership secretary, Julie Schofield (julesar@sky.com) up to date with your e-mail address so that you can receive Andy Woolley's lighthearted but informative weekly newsletter. 17th December Christmas Opening hours and events With Christmas approaching quickly and all league sports fixtures complete for 2011 please find below details of the Clubhouse and bar opening hours. These can also be found on the link at the bottom of the update. Any days/times not listed will be normal Club opening hours. Thursday 22nd. Bar opens at 6pm and closes at 9.45pm after Bridge Friday 23rd. Clubhouse and bar open as per normal times. (Function in Cranston ) Saturday 24th. Bar opens from 3pm until 8.30/9pm Sunday 25th Bar open from midday until 2pm Monday 26th Clubhouse open until 8pm. Bar closed Tuesday 27th Bar open from midday until 8pm. COME DOWN ON THE 27TH TO WATCH THE FAMOUS 'BOXING DAY' HOCKEY MATCH BETWEEN CHESHIRE AND LANCASHIRE (VETS FOLLOWED BY THE SENIORS). FIRST GAME IS MIDDAY FOLLOWED BY THE SECOND AT 2PM Wednesday 28th Bar open from 6pm until 9.30pm Thursday 29th Bar open from 6pm until 9.45pm Friday 30th Bar open from 6pm until the end of the Liverpool match. LIVERPOOL PLAY THE GEORDIE'S AT 7.45 LIVE ON SKY. THE MATCH WILL BE SHOWN ON THE BIG SCREEN IN THE CRANSTON WITH FREE SPOT PRIZES DURING THE GAME. Saturday 31st Bar open from 3pm. THE CLUB IS AGAIN HOLDING A NEW YEARS EVE PARTY IN THE CRANSTON . TICKETS ARE JUST £37.50 FOR A DISCO AND A MEAL PROVIDED BY PICKLED WALNUT. A SMALL NUMBER OF TICKETS REMAIN. PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP TO SECURE YOURS Sunday 1st January - CLUBHOUSE AND BAR CLOSED ALL DAY Monday 2nd January - Clubhouse open - bar closed Tuesday 3rd January - Back to normal hours - MANCHESTER CITY V LIVERPOOL The above may be subject to change should the ice age appear again as it did last year. http://nestoncricketclub.co.uk/WeeklyDiary.aspx Wishing you all a great Christmas and the very best for 2012. 7th December WHAT AN ODD WEEKEND ON THE HOCKEY PITCH With the winter break only one match away, it paid to be playing for an odd numbered team last weekend. The only 'even' side that avoided defeat were the ladies second team who drew 1 - 1 with Timperley. The men's first team, dreaming of Turkey, Christmas Pudding and 'Scooby Snakebites' produced an excellent performance to beat Deeside 5 - 2, and that after being 2 - 1 down. Ben 'Cashback' McTaggart took some time away from confusing the bar staff to hit a hat-trick. Yet another 'youngster', Phil Connolly, made his debut in the game and made some lovely connections at crucial moments. His proud Dad only wishes he could transform this sort of ability to his life as a Spark. The ladies first team hosted Bowdon in a top of the table clash and, with the game finishing in a stalemate, they remained top at the half way stage of the season. Both the Badgers and the Beavers were in action against Oxton over the weekend with the Badgers drawing 3 - 3 and the Beavers demolishing their oppo 12 - 0!! Dates for your diaries Thursday 8th - Thursday Group Raymond Bonnard - My Life as a Toastmaster 2pm - everybody welcome Saturday 17th - Xmas Live Band Night in the Cranston - Tickets £10 with all proceeds going to charity. Tickets from AJ or behind the bar. Sunday 18th - Family Christmas Winter Hot Pot 1pm - Presents for all the Children from Father Christmas. Tickets from Justin Hussey, AJ or from behind the bar. Saturday 31st New Years Eve Party in the Cranston. Tickets from AJ in the office or behind the bar. All proceeds going to the Club Development fund. Christmas opening hours will be posted shortly. NATIONAL AWARD FOR CRICKET CLUB At a star studded gathering of over 600 people in Manchester last week, the Club received the incredible accolade of 'Club Mirror Cricket Club of the Year'. Head Judge Caroline Scoular said; 'Clubs across Britain have been celebrated for the pivotal role they play in the community, and for their ability to provide a safe and convivial environment in which to play sport and socialise. From hundreds of entries, from a readership of over 14000 clubs, finalists were singled out for excellence across 26 categories. CLUB MIRROR magazine, owner and organiser of the awards, has been an integral part of the club industry for over 40 years. The Awards are now in their 19th year and this year were presented by sports TV personality John Inverdale'. Winning the award gives true recognition to everybody at the Club. From those who play sport, to those who enjoy socialising whilst watching it. From those who give their time for the love of their sport, to those who have given their time to help develop the Club over the years. From those who have been members for many years, to those who have just joined. Well done to everybody for being part of such a centre of sporting and social excellence! As if to exemplify the social side of the above statement the President hosted yet another excellent Dinner the following night. More than a hundred people turned up to enjoy a great nights entertain. Club Insurer, Charlie 'Coulter' Hurst, toasted the Club with a performance that really should have been seen by a much wider audience. Charlie, it's never too late to apply for Britain's Got Talent - just look at SuBo! Congratulations are very much due to Mel Strong. Living with Mark for so many years is a truly wondrous achievement, but on the night Mel also picked up the well deserved award of Club Person of the Year. After countless years organising the fabulous Summer Ball Mel has handed the baton to her successors. A very tough task to follow but I am sure Mel will still pop her head in the tent to see that everything is OK! The night ran so smoothly that not one item of food was thrown at MC Jim Hughes. Quite handy really considering the starters arrived in jam jars! And of course to last years debutant, Aiden Henderson, who managed to find his way to the gents toilet without any help from an AA Route-master (or did he just wear a nappy?!). Many thanks to everybody on the night who dug deep for Sue Saul's collection which raised over £350 for her ongoing treatment in Germany. Thanks also from the girls who staged the Macmillan coffee afternoon on Friday which raised over £400 for the charity. Don't forget a number of other excellent events that are coming up over the next six weeks or so. 16th December - Sportsman's Lunch in the Cranston with all proceeds going to the Club Development Fund 17th December - Charity Band Night in aid of Help For Heroes 18th December - Family Father Christmas afternoon New Year's Eve - Welcome in the New Year in the Cranston. All proceeds going to the Club Development Fund For further details or tickets for any of the above please let me know ASAP to avoid disappointment. Until next time CAN ENGLAND COMPETE WITH THE WORLD CHAMPIONS? With the Premier League taking a break this weekend all football focus turns to Wembley on Saturday when England host Spain. Even playing against an understrength squad, England will do well just to get a draw against the current World Champions. The game is live on TV and kicks off at 5.15pm. To accommodate any ladies wishing to watch the game the weekend wine deal has been brought forward to the kick off time and will be available until the final whistle. Any large bottle of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sav Blanc, Merlot or Shiraz are on offer at just £11. The same offer applies on Friday night from six until seven. There were some good results from the HOCKEY teams last weekend with the star performance going to the men's fifth team. Despite playing against 22 men (a team from Stockport and Bramhall) John Hayley's boys hit double figures whilst only conceding one! The first and third teams both lost by the single goal whilst the the other four teams won apart from the fourths who were held to a draw. The first team ladies could only draw against Oxton ( I can see another offer of champagne is needed to boost the efforts!), whilst the second team held Oswestry to the same scoreline. The third team battled hard but were eventually beaten by a strong Lymm team. On Sunday the pace slowed somewhat when the Over 40's entertained Oxton in a veterans game jointly sponsored by Ovaltine and Tubigrip. On this occasion the visitors prevailed with a sedate two nil victory. After 5/6 games the SQUASH and RACKETBALL teams have produced some strong performances. The men's first team have powered to the top of their division and the second's and fifths are competing for top spots. The season is still young however and all sides are expected to improve. The 'Phoenix' ladies team are also doing really well and are also competing near the top of the table. The team are still on the lookout for new squad members so if you fancy a game please let me know. Dates for your diary On Friday afternoon between 2 and 4pm Carol, Kate, Jo and Jo are holding a Coffee Afternoon in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. There will be a number of stalls on show and you are all welcome to pop down for a cuppa. (All cake donations or raffle prizes will be most welcome) Moving into the evening the Presidents Dinner is being held in the Cranston when amongst other things the Club Person of the Year will be crowned. Aiden Henderson has promised to perform another magic trick which he says will top last year's when he actually made himself disappear in front of our eyes. To make it a little harder this year all cupboard doors will be locked. Don't forget the Christmas events including the Sportsman's Lunch, Charity Band night and New Years Eve Party. Please let me know if you would like any further information or tickets. Until next time HOCKEY RESUMES AND DATES FOR YOUR DIARY A reduced HOCKEY fixture list last weekend saw three wins, two draws and no defeats! After the recent half term break all the teams return to action this weekend hoping to maintain this excellent form. A particularly pleasing aspect of the section at the moment is the progression of the juniors who are now reaping the rewards of all the excellent training and support they receive. Jonny Crick and Luke Foo-Davies, 16 and 15 respectively both appeared in the first team recently, and with James Knight and Max Dutton, both 17, already in the squad the future looks bright. Father and son combination Jonny (57) and Paddy (7) both appeared for the fifth team whilst proud grandfather Jack cheered them on from the sideline! The list of important dates for your diary continues to grow and with some excellent televised sport also on the cards, NCC is the place to be over the coming months. Please see below for those dates. Saturday 5th November - England v Australia Rugby League 3.30pm Sunday 6th November. Over 40's Hockey match against Oxton at home. 1pm Friday 11th November - MacMillan Cancer Support Coffee Afternoon 2 - 4pm Friday 11th November. Presidents Dinner - Handful of tickets remaining. Saturday 12th November - England v New Zealand Rugby League 6pm Friday 18th November. Cricket AGM in Tea Room Sunday 20th November - Chelsea v Liverpool 4pm Sunday 27th November - Liverpool v Man City 4pm Friday 16th December. Sportsman's Lunch in Cranston - very few tickets remaining. Saturday 17th December. Charity Band Night in Cranston - over 50% tickets sold. Sunday 18th December - Xmas Ploughmans and Father Christmas Saturday 31st December - New Years Eve party in the Cranston. For further details, or to purchase tickets for the above events, please contact me on the e-mail address below. LAST UNBEATEN RECORD FALLS AS LADIES SUFFER FIRST DEFEAT The ladies HOCKEY first team suffered a shock defeat ten days ago to end their superb start to the season. Having previously only collected two points, Wilmslow were not expected to cause many problems to a Neston team who had won their first four games whilst scoring 26 goals! Even the mightiest can have the odd shocker however (just ask Sir Alex), but with the early season pamper break now in progress the girls have travelled to the Caribbean to recharge their batteries. The men's first team continue to show mixed form having suffered another home defeat last weekend. To be fair to the boys they do have a lengthy injury list, particularly in the forward department. Rumour has it that ex-Chairman Eddie 'Sherwani' Byrnes may be making an appearance on the bench this week to at least bolster the tactical side of things. The SQUASH season is well under way with the men's first team looking more and more like promotion candidates every week. The reborn ladies first team have started the season well, backed up with a win last Monday against a top of the table side. The table football game is now fully operational and the amazing 2011 CHARITY CHALLENGE is now open to members. Carl and Dicky will be available to play all-comers for an amazing prize of a free week in Carl's villa in Jolly Harbour Antigua. (subject to availability - flights not included) All a couple has to do is beat the boys in a best of three match. If they are the only pairing to do so they will win the week in Antigua. Each challenge costs just £2.50 of which £1.50 covers the cost of the games with the other £1 going to charity. The boys will generally be available on a Wednesday and a Sunday between 7pm and 8.30pm but please contact Carl first to confirm. (07900247542) Carl and Dicky reckon they are unbeatable but should more than one pairing beat them there will be a play off, or draw, to decide who wins the prize. Carl and Dicky are waiting you call.....! Dates for your diary Thursday 3rd November. Illustrated talk by Glyn Parry entitled 'My travels in China' all club members and their friends welcome 2pm in the Cranston. Thursday 3rd November. Tennis AGM in Tea Room 8pm Sunday 6th November. Over 40's Hockey match against Oxton at home. 1pm Friday 11th November. Presidents Dinner - Handful of tickets remaining. Friday 18th November. Cricket AGM in Tea Room Friday 16th December. Sportsman's Lunch in Cranston - very few tickets remaining. Saturday 17th December. Charity Band Night in Cranston - over 50% tickets sold. For further details, or to purchase tickets for the above events, please contact me on the e-mail address below. Until next time CAN THE ENGLISH FOOTBALLERS MATCH THE RUGBY BOYS? That is of course on the pitch and not off it! A big weekend of televisual sport kicks off on Friday evening with the England footballers travelling to Podgorica knowing that just a point will secure qualification for the Euro Finals next summer. The match kicks off at 8pm so why not watch the game at the Club and cheer the boys on. Make sure you bring your better half to take advantage of the 'early doors' members special offer on wines between the extended hours of 6pm until 8pm! (Continues on Saturday and Sunday between 6pm and 7.30pm) After England try to overcome France on Saturday morning the action returns to the astro after a mixed set of results last week. Both the ladies teams in action secured victories with the first team taking their new league by storm! The men's teams were not quite as successful and hope to get the season up and running this Saturday with a good set of results. The SQUASH season is now fully underway but due to a technical hitch with the website last weeks results are not yet to hand! Hopefully this will be resolved shortly as the men now have a team in Division two and a new sixth team is treading the boards. Dates for your Diary Thursday 6th October at 2pm the Thursday group welcome June Lancelyn Green to speak on the 'The Great Houses of the Wirral - 'lost or re-invented'. All members and their guests are welcome to see if their house is talked about! The end of season Cricket Presentation Evening takes place this Friday in the Cranston from 7.30pm (The AGM now takes place on Friday 18th November) The Presidents Dinner is to be held on Friday the 11th November in the Cranston. Please contact the President to secure your tickets or on the e-mail below. In line with last year there will be a number of events over the Christmas period. These include a Sportsman's Lunch, a Ploughman's lunch with Father Christmas dropping in and a New Years Eve Party. The latest addition to the festive period is a Christmas Band Night on Saturday 17th December featuring the excellent 'Deltatones'. This will be a charity night to raise money for 'Help For Heroes' with all profits going to this worthwhile cause. Tickets are just £10 and with demand already high please contact me ASAP to avoid disappointment (nearly half have already gone Further details will follow about the other Christmas events. New Club Facilities As advised in previous updates the new Fussball game is now up and running and is presently in the tea room. A number of tournaments are planned as well as the amazing tournament which will see one lucky person win a week in a villa in Antigua! Investigations are continuing into a table tennis table and after a number of generous offers from Club Members this should also be in place soon. There will shortly be a coffee machine behind the bar which will enable customers to warm up with a hot drink before going on to the hard stuff! And finally... We now have the facility to take debit/credit cards over the bar so there is now no excuse to say you have run out of money! There is a minimum transaction limit in place, (to stop Harry Beddard buying a pack of fruit Pastilles on his Barclaycard) but there is a cash back facility subject to available funds in the till. Debit card transactions will be free but credit card purchases will incur a small fee. Until next time SUMMER ENDS - WAS IT EVER HERE?!?
With the seasons seeming to blend ever more into one the CRICKET teams finished their respective campaigns last Saturday, whilst the HOCKEY & SQUASH sides continued their preparations for the months ahead. The TENNIS section are a hardy bunch and continue to use their facilities all year round!
The cricket first XI went into the last weekend of the season knowing that they had already secured Premiership cricket for next year. The second team however knew that if the results went their way they could add the league title to their recent cup win. Unfortunately a combination of a win for their nearest rivals, and bad weather in their game, meant that the double was not to be. Paul Sullivan's third team completed the season unbeaten, having won the league a couple of weeks ago and congratulations to the Sunday 3rd XI who won their league at the first time of asking!
The Cricket Section's presentation night, including a curry and disco is being held on Friday 7th October in the Cranston. Please contact Ritchie for details and tickets on 07811 350602.
Even though the league TENNIS season finished months ago there is still great activity on the courts with competitions, social matches and very hardy youngsters playing throughout the winter. Once such budding star is 7 year old Lara Wedd who is taking the tennis world storm. Click on the link below to read about her latest success.
The men's league HOCKEY season gets underway this Saturday with the section under new leadership from Tony 'Bonecracker' Bush. Do not panic however as our old friend Eddie Byrnes has promised to remain on site for all those looking to benefit from his wealth of knowledge on just about everything! The ladies teams started their season last weekend with the first team producing an amazing 11 - 0 away at Whitchurch after having been promoted last season. The Beavers hosted Southport and were a little sloppy in conceding two goals but it didn't really matter as Neston scored 16! Steady lads!
And so to the bar......
On Saturday EVERTON travel to Manchester to take on CITY, kick off is 12.45pm and the Sports Bar will be open for the match. City's not so noisy neighbours travel to Stoke for the 5.30pm kick off.
Does anybody fancy winning a week in a villa in Antigua? A new addition to the Club will shortly arrive in the shape of 'Foosball'. (A table top football game!) This will be based in the tea room but will on occasions be moved upstairs for tournaments/live football nights. More details will follow shortly but a very generous member has offered his villa in Antigua for a prize draw which one lucky person will definitely win!
As the nights draw in the Club is also looking to purchase a table tennis table for all those not so keen to carry on their sport outside. This will be available when the tea room is not is use for teas/meetings/hire etc. If anybody has any good connections in relation to buying a table, or has one to sell, please contact me on the address below.
To welcome in the darker nights we will be running a number of Friday/Saturday specials to ease the pain! This weekend, on Friday and Saturday night between 6pm and 7.30pm, will see a reduction in price to members of their favourite bottle of wine (75CL). On top of the usual 10% members will receive a further 20% discount during the happy hours. Leave the car at home!!
After months of customer research from the Bar Manager, real ale drinkers will shortly get a third choice of beer. After the closure of the Tetley brewery in Leeds it has become evident that its popularity here has plummeted and as a result we will now stock two 'guest ales'. We will continue to keep a barrel of Tetleys each week, however if demand continues to fall it will be removed completely. We do have a wide selection of ales to select from but if you have a favourite please let us know.
Until next time UNDER 17'S HOST NANTWICH IN FINAL Tonight Luke Camden's Under 17 team play host to a strong Nantwich team in the final of the John North Cup. The match starts at 6pm and, with fans flying in from all around the globe, be sure to arrive early to support the lads! Tomorrow the first team entertained Grappenhall in a crucial match towards the wrong end of the table. Any signs of nerves quickly dissipated with both openers, Jacko and Andy Murphy, smashing the ball to all parts in an amazing opening stand of 263. (120 and 137 respectively) The archivists were sent packing to find details of the last time there was a double hundred first team opening partnership, with the majority pointing towards a small picture in the tea room. Any guesses?? The second team suffered a heavy defeat away at Grappenhall but the third and fourth teams secured excellent victories with a number of outstanding performances. For all details please go to http://nestoncricket.co.uk/default.aspx The TENNIS league season drew to a close at the end of last month with the section once again producing same great results. See below; 1st team are runners up by just 5 points behind Hoylake who take the title for the 1st time.
2nd team have missed promotion to division 1 by the narrowest of margins just 1 point behind Hooton.
3rd team had an incredible season winning division 3 without losing a match (the only team in the mixed leagues to do this) and are now promoted to division 2.
4th team have also won their division and are promoted to division 4.
5th team pulled in some great results in their last few matches to avoid relegation and remain in division 5. Please see www.nestontennis.co.uk for further information. Future events 19th August - Presidents All Star Cricket Match v Ladies Select XI (Bar Manager will be turning out for one of the teams) 20th August - Car Boot Sale - (Jo Race 336 2014) 20th August - Disco and Curry night - (Andy Roberts 07943673115) 21st August - Neston Select Sunday XI v Northern Nomads All-stars 28th August - Mark Doyle Trio's - (Steve Egerton 07764 906750) 2nd September - Junior Cricket Presentation - (Andy Crick) 16th September - Charity Race Night - (Andy Woolley/Sophie Byrnes) 17th September - Car Boot Sale - (Jo Race) Until next time OLD ENGLAND COLLECTING THEIR PENSIONS AGAIN!
By now the majority of you will have seen that our annual charity match against a star studded 'Old England XI' is taking place again tomorrow from 2pm. Randall, Emburey and Lever are just three of the big names taking part and when added to the likes of Davis, Davis and Hughes, who will be surveying the scenes from the balcony, it is sure to be a great day.
The bar will be open throughout the match and there will be a BBQ and Ice Cream stalls on the ground. Tickets can be purchased on the day priced £5 adults and £2 for children with proceeds going to North West Cancer Research.
The league TENNIS season has drawn to a close with Neston once again performing superbly and gaining a number of promotions. A full season round up will be available shortly at www.nestontennis.co.uk
The CRICKET season still has approximately a third of the way to go. The first team secured a much needed victory last weekend with a home win over struggling Oulton Park. Special mention to Luke Pav who become the first man in Neston CC's history to have a half century marked by a flypast from the Red Arrows! For a full update of the seasons results so far go to www.nestoncricket.co.uk
UPCOMING EVENTS
28th July - OLD ENGLAND CHARITY CRICKET MATCH
29th July - Cricket v Hockey cricket match 6pm
20th August - Cricket social night - Curry & Disco (Tickets from Robbo 07943673115)
16th September - Charity Race Night and Buffet - Tickets from behind the bar or Sophie Byrnes 07792381818
Until next time OLD ENGLAND LEGENDS RETURN TO PARKGATE TO RAISE VITAL CANCER FUNDS Former England cricket captain John Emburey will be among the players raising vital funds towards cancer research later this month. Emburey, who played 64 Tests for England, will be joined by fellow England legends Derek Randall and John Lever for the special match at Neston Cricket Club in Parkgate on Thursday, July 28. Stumps pitched 2pm admission is a very reasonable £5 for adults and £2 for children The game, which is preceded by a lunch for Merseyside businesses in the club’s Cranston Suite, will raise funds for North West Cancer Research Fund. It is the third year Old England have brought a team to Parkgate to play a Neston CC Select XI and to support the work of the charity. Neston cricket manager Bob Cooke, who is organising the match, said: “We are once again delighted to welcome Old England to our club to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. There are a number of new players taking part this year including former England captain John Emburey while old favourites such as Derek Randall have committed to return again. “The game will be preceded by a corporate lunch for local businesses in our magnificent Cranston Suite and there are still a couple of tables available for anyone interested in being part of this great occasion. The players will be joining us during the lunch to do a question and answer session and sign autographs. “We are also grateful to our sponsors, law firm Kirwans and accountants Duncan Sheard Glass, who will be supporting the event for the third time.” For more information or to book a table at the lunch please call Bob Cooke on 07723 914566. MARQUEE WEEK LOOMING It's already that time of year when even the toughest of socialites have to find extra levels of stamina. On Thursday 30th the week kicks off with the Sportsman's Lunch followed on Saturday by the ever popular Summer Ball. For those still standing, the Family Fun Day on the Sunday is a great way to finish off the week. The first two events have been sold out for some time but everybody is welcome on the Sunday when there will be the usual live entertainment, stalls, sporting events and of course a BBQ and various descriptions of liquid refreshments. Admission is free so make sure you bring all your friends and neighbours for a great day out. No doubt Andy Murray will be performing in the final at Wimbledon so the upstairs lounge will be open for people to watch his first Grand Slam victory. (please see below for bar opening times during the week) Events for your diary. Tonight - Neston v Northern ECHO Cricket 20/20 knockout. 6pm Sunday - Neston v Bowdon CHESHIRE Cup cricket knockout. 1.30pm Thursday - Sportsman's Lunch Saturday - Summer Ball Sunday - Family Fun Day Sunday 10th July - Cheshire Shield Tennis Finals Thursday 28th July - Old England Cricket Match and Sportsmans Lunch Saturday 20th August - Cricket section Band Night Friday 16th September - Charity Race Night Please contact me on the e-mails address below for any enquiries regarding the above. Marquee Week Sportsman's Bar times Wednesday 29th 6pm - 10pm Thursday 30th Bar closed (Drinks available in Marquee from 6pm) Friday 1st 6pm - 10pm Saturday 2nd 3pm - 11.30pm Sunday 3rd Bar closed (Sports Lounge open for Murray win) Until next time WAR OF THE ROSES COMES TO PARKGATE! With the current County Championship match at Aigburth looking like being a convincing Lancashire victory, Yorkshire will be looking for immediate revenge. Their second team have the opportunity to do this in just over a weeks time, when Lancashire 2XI play Yorkshire 2XI at Parkgate on Bank Holiday Monday, the 30th May. The game starts at 11am and will take the form of a 20/20 but with the added bonus that there will be two innings per side. Any repeat of last years match will produce a stunning days cricket played under glorious skies. The bar will be open from midday and a BBQ will be fired up to soak up the orange juices. After a sluggish start to the season our own first team have won two games on the bounce to rise up the league. The resurgence coincides with Jack Smith's return to form who has scored 99 and 111 not out in the two victories. Jack has been well supported by the two Lukes, Pav and Cam, as well as skipper Robbo. Aussie, Luke Pav, has found his introduction to English cricket completely the opposite to that advised by his younger brother. Beautiful hot weather, rock hard pitches and stunning local girls was not what Damon had described. An additional problem is that Luke keeps getting mobbed in the street by girls who think he is Rock Band star, and budding NCC cricketer, Nick Roach. Pav's rebuff to the girls is quite simple, he belts out a few lines from INXS proving that he can sing and can definitely not therefore be Roachy! The only thing capable of defeating the second team at the moment is the weather. Still undefeated, Team GLS were denied a fourth straight victory by the Manchester rain. The first 'Derby' match between the 3rd and 4th team went emphatically to the 3rd's. The fourth team could only muster 158 which was easily surpassed by the thirds with the loss of only two wickets. The TENNIS teams have started the season very strongly with the first four teams all occupying either first or second spot in their respective leagues. Only the fifth team lie outside the top two but, as is always the case, continue to suffer from last minute call ups, injuries and cry offs. Having personally witnessed the fourth teams victory against old rivals Oxton on Tuesday, it is clear that our squads are very strong whilst combining a healthy mixture of 'experience' and youth! Diary dates Please note the following;- Hockey Quiz tonight in the Cranston. Car Boot sale Saturday morning. Tennis Function in Cranston - 10th June Sportsmans Lunch - 30th June Summer Ball - 2nd July Family Fun Day - 3rd July Until next time TROPICAL CONDITIONS TO REMAIN FOR OPENING GAMES After mixed results in the opening friendly matches the CRICKET season begins in earnest on Saturday when the first team entertain Toft. The weather is again set fair for the Easter Weekend so why not drop in and watch the new look Neston team. For those who don't want to miss the Manchester United v Everton game at 12.45pm the bar will be open at 12.30pm to show all the action. The Club will be fully operational on Easter Friday with the bar opening at 3pm for all those wishing to miss the Bank Holiday Pub crushes! Local celebrity Den Davies is laying on a BBQ for the All Star Racketball squad but if you are lucky, and fancy a nibble, I am sure Den might be able to find a spare sausage or two. On Sunday the bar will be open from Midday with a little light entertainment on the front pitch coming courtesy of the Sunday XI who entertain Upton. A number of reminders now for events coming up in the next few months. On Monday May 30th Lancashire 2nd XI again return to Parkgate for a two innings Twenty20 match. This year the match is against Yorkshire and is sure to be another great game. The Summer Ball on Saturday the 2nd July is proving more popular than ever with nearly three quarters of tables already sold. If you still wish to book a table please do so ASAP to avoid disappointment. Any details/bookings required can be directed to the e-mail below. The Old England Cricket Team return once again to play a 'select' eleven on Thursday 28th July. Details of teams etc will be released in the not to distant future. The County Over 40's finals are again being held at Neston on Bank Holiday Monday the 29th August. For all those who love the smell of Ralgex put the date in your diary now! Until next time SUMMER ARRIVES FOR PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES Temperatures at the beginning of the CRICKET season tend to hover just above freezing with moderately heavy precipitation adding to the joys of an English Spring. For the whole of last weekend however Parkgate basked in glorious sunshine and barmy temperatures. On Saturday the half time soup was cancelled in favour of iced tea, and the foot flow on the balcony exceeded the total for the whole of last April and May! The first team entertained a strong Bootle eleven on Saturday and posted a below par 206 on an amazing first match wicket. The opposition rarely looked in trouble and cruised to a seven wicket victory. On Sunday New Brighton were the visitors and were swiftly put to the sword by the Neston batsmen. Star of the show was our new Aussie, Luke Pavlinovich, who smashed his way to an unbeaten 162. First time visitor to England Luke is sure to make a big hit in the County League, but lets hope for his sake that the Perth like weather sticks around for a while! The first three teams are again in action this weekend, please see the link below for further details; http://nestoncricket.co.uk/default.aspx The section are again running the very popular Fantasy Cricket Competition and with entry at just £5.50 it is a great way to keep an interest in all four teams. Further details can be found at; http://fantasy.phennerweb.co.uk/cricket/nestoncc/2011 Late news in from the TENNIS section with further success in the winter leagues. Section reporter Ken Patrick confirmed that the men won their division with just one defeat all season. (Don't ask Ken which was the ONE game he played in !!) The Summer season starts on the 26th April and already the captains could be looking at selection issues. Thirty two men attended practice night but with just twenty places at stake, competition is sure to be fierce. Looking on the bright side it should mean that Eddie Byrnes will be able to concentrate on his tennis academy! (Places still available) Entertainment on our screens this weekend focus mainly on FOOTBALL. On Saturday at 5.15pm the FA Cup takes centre stage with a Manchester Derby. On Sunday at 4pm Liverpool travel to Arsenal where they will be expecting to end the Gunners lingering title hopes. Both games will be LIVE at the Club. The bar will open at 2.30pm on Saturday and 3pm on Sunday. Most of you will have already bought, mugs, plates, hats, bunting etc etc for the big event on Friday 29th April. Unfortunately the wedding planner could only get the church for a morning ceremony which is a little awkward for the rest of us trying to plan our day. We have had a couple of enquiries asking whether we can show the wedding on the BIG SCREEN. If you think you might like to do this please let me know ASAP so I can see if there is enough interest. Until next time SUMMER ON ITS WAY BUT CAN THE FAIR-WEATHER PLAYERS MATCH THE WINTER ACHIEVEMENTS?! As Parkgate returns to its typical subtropical conditions, the gauntlet has been thrown down by Hockey, Squash and Racket ball. Despite another winter of 'variable' weather our non-hibernatory players have been doing the Club proud! The HOCKEY season was a resounding success with two major achievements. Top of the pile must go to the ladies first team who stormed to the Championship title whilst remaining unbeaten all season. Their nearest rivals finished a massive twelve points behind! Many congratulations must also go to Kev Mothersdale and his team for winning their division and gaining automatic promotion. In a much tighter finish to the season than the girls, Kev's men knew they had to win the last game to guarantee the Championship. They duly did this with little fuss to ensure top spot was claimed by one point! After the last game Kev gave a number of reasons for this years success but many neutral observers felt that the crucial point came at the beginning of the season when Gavin Duff was selected to play in the third team for the year! The men's SQUASH teams also had a great season with a number of notable achievements. The first team won Division 3 South West and the fourth team won Division 5 South West. The third team also gained promotion from their division and the second team fought hard to stay up after last years promotion. The 5th team, which is the youth development side, went from strength to strength to finish the season strongly and will look to progress further next year. The section is having a get together on Saturday afternoon to celebrate this season success. Why not drop in and watch the GRAND NATIONAL and enjoy a celebratory pint? The RACKET BALL team missed out on their first league title by just three points but with more and more players moving over from 'The Dark Side', a title win is not far away! The Thursday Group is still going strong but always looking for new attendees for their Thursday afternoon get-togethers. On Thursday 14th April the group are welcoming a speaker who will be talking about the Wirral Ranger Service which includes a number of local parks including Birkenhead. For further details of the group please contact Jenny Woolley - 336 2188. The CRICKET season starts this Saturday with a couple of friendly matches against our old foes Bootle. The firsts and seconds will be playing on the front and back pitches respectively with both games starting at 1pm. For those wishing to watch the cricket, and the EVERTON game, the bar will be open from 12.30pm. On Sunday the Club is opening its doors to the people of Wirral for an OPEN DAY from 1pm to 4pm. You may have seen the full page editorial in the Wirral News this week which gives more details of the day. There is another friendly cricket match on the front and a junior game on the back. There will be opportunities for people to have a go at tennis, cricket, hockey and squash. Why not bring some friends down to show off the Club? Until next time A WEEKEND OF TOP CLASS RUGBY AND HOCKEY AT NCC! As both the Six Nations Rugby and HOCKEY seasons draw to a close the place to be this weekend is Neston CC. On Saturday the ladies first team will play their penultimate game of the season safe in the knowledge that they are already CHAMPIONS!!!! Being the professional outfit that they are however, they will still be playing at full throttle to maintain their unbeaten record for the season. Due to poor weather conditions before Christmas there are still quite a number of games to be played over the next couple of weeks. A full end of season update will follow soon. The SIX NATIONS Rugby reaches its climax this Saturday, well it does for all England supporters and all North of the Border collectors of non - metallic stirring utensils. Scotland's match with Italy kicks off at 2.30pm but the BIG MATCH starts at 5pm with Ireland entertaining England. Anybody who survives the scrum of these two matches may wish to hang around for the Wales v France match at 7.45pm. On Sunday the Club is to host the Hockey Cheshire Cup Final and Plate. Please see the details below if you are interested in watching the best in Cheshire! Just a reminder that the club is hosting the men’s Cheshire Cup and Plate finals on Sunday 20th March. The Cup final is a rare chance to see top level hockey on the Wirral, and will be the first time that 2 National League sides have met on the ‘leisure peninsula’ since we ourselves graced the league over fifteen years ago. At 1pm, South Cheshire who play in the same league as our men’s 1st team, take on Tameside of North West Division 1, in the Cheshire Plate Final. As Tameside play in pink, and South Cheshire have often got the better of our team in recent years, I’ll leave it to you who you support! The ‘big’ game is at 3.15. With Bowdon (National Premier Division), taking on Deeside (National Conference North). In this one, ex-Neston player Tom McCurdy, is likely to feature for Deeside, whilst those with longer memories will recall former Shrimps, Stevie Smith and Ian Wilson, who may well turnout for Bowdon. Tea and Coffee will be available, and of course the bar will be open. This is a great opportunity for the section to showcase itself, so it would be good to have as many people down to support as possible. As you can see there are a few old boys appearing on the astro - why not come down and enjoy a belated St Patrick's Day Guinness with Greggy Brooker who will be directing traffic early doors before heading to the bar. Until next time Andy Dear member, I am hoping that anyone from the club who is involved in a business who is in the market for corporate entertainment might like to carefully consider this opportunity. On Friday 1st April we will be holding our Annual Spring Sportsman’s Lunch in the Cranston suite at Neston Cricket Club (sorry about date but April is chaos, two bank holidays at the end of the Month Royal Wedding and the Traditional one), and Aintree all in the space of four weeks. Our guest speaker is Mr David Trick (Ex England and Bath Winger) supported by Mr Gary Marshall an extremely funny man) our MC is our very own Pez Tellett of Radio City fame The event starts 12.30 for 1pm and the dress code is lounge suits. Catering is by Pickled Walnut and ladies are most welcome. A table for ten people is £500 or a half table £250. I trust that we can entice you along to join us for another memorable afternoon. If you would like to reserve a table or otherwise can you please let me know asap? For and on behalf of Neston Cricket Club Bob Cooke ( 07723 914566) P.S I am able to accommodate requests for the purchase of the odd one or two tickets. CAN ENGLAND MAINTAIN 100% RECORD THIS SATURDAY? After last weeks historic victory against WALES, all attentions turn to Twickenham where ENGLAND entertain ITALY in their second match of the Championship. It should be a formality but after narrowly losing to Ireland last week the Italians will start the match high in confidence. The game kicks off at 2.30pm and of course the bar will be open to show this live. The 5pm match sees Scotland entertain Wales. The third match of the weekend takes place on Sunday in Dublin however control of the remote may be dominated by EVERTONIANS who see their team travel to BOLTON which is LIVE on SKY from 4pm. After yet more goals the LADIES HOCKEY first team could all but secure the Championship this weekend. If results go their way they may only need a couple of points from their last four games. Get the Champagne on ice! The post Christmas form of the men's first team has also been impressive resulting in a rise up the table. Skipper, Roger Van de Odoreater, did explain that due to a restructure of the league even promotion is possible for the boys. A double celebration on the card perhaps? The men's SQUASH teams continue to have a strong presence in the North West Counties League however due to injuries, retirements and relocations the ladies have been suffering this season. Please see below a message from Chairman Kev Smith aimed at all sporting ladies in the Club, young and old who fancy playing squash. To All members of Neston Cricket Club the squash section needs "YOU". Due to a recent reduction in availability Neston Ladies Squash team are experiencing a severe shortage of players to compete in the Cheshire Ladies Squash leagues on a Monday evening. If anybody is willing to or knows of anybody who could step in to help out please contact Kev Smith Squash Section Chairman email kos1@live.co.uk or mobile 07736497124 The Thursday group have a couple of dates for the diary for the coming weeks. Next week a speaker will attend to give a talk on the 'Woodlands of Wirral' and on the 3rd March Jenny is organising a Ploughmans Lunch with all monies raised going to HELP FOR HEROES. A large number of tickets have already gone so please contact Jenny or myself ASAP if you wish to attend. If you are unable to come along, but would still like to make a donation, please let me know. Until next time SIX NATIONS KICKS OFF A FEAST OF SCREEN DELIGHTS As well as the heavy schedule of sporting activity on our own surfaces, this weekend sees three days of equally talented sportsmen on the TV. The RBS SIX NATIONS kicks off tomorrow with arguably the biggest fixture of the whole campaign. (for at least Dave Price anyway!) WALES host ENGLAND at 7.45pm as the Championship kicks off for the first time ever on a Friday night. On Saturday the 'minor' fixtures see Italy host Ireland and Scotland travel to Paris. The early evening live ESPN football match sees a top versus bottom battle as Wolves host Manchester United. This does clash with the France v Scotland Rugby match so bribes are now being accepted for control of the remote! There couldn't be a bigger match on Sunday when King Kenny's Liverpool travel down to play Chelski at 4pm. Will Torres score the winner against his old club or will KK inspire his in form troops to end the Blues lingering title hopes? The bar will of course be open for all these events so be sure to get down early to secure your favourite seat!
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