This year, to date, we’ve pretty much been exceptional. And – as a club – we’ve gone from strength to strength with the atmosphere when I left for home on Saturday at about 10pm being one of pure happiness.

Seeing our blokes from First team down to Fourth team getting ready to head off to sample the delights of Aylesbury brought back some great memories. Any Aussie that returns to their bed at 5am on a Sunday after a game in the TVL will have DEFINITELY received vital life experience to go back to the Colony with! You’ll all do for me.

Coming in to the role of Club Captain at this late stage of the season is a bit of an odd one I suppose. It’s all been done, you’ve all played so hard and the foundations for what we can achieve in the next two rounds of League games has been set, but if nothing else, I suggest that we all approach these final games with a sense of pride and gratitude in what has been put in place for us to get to this stage.

Being in a position to win a League or being promoted is a huge privilege and an achievement for everyone but stepping of the gas now is absolutely not an option. Be the one to do it . . . . be the hero.

We have just a short time left playing this year so let’s bloody well smash it (sometimes literally, please!), bring home the bacon and have one absolutely CRACKING night of celebration with each other as players – as a club.

So……….

September 1st
Tring Park Cricket Club

I know we all have other stuff going on and possibly things to do on the Sunday also, but can I please ask that we have all four teams back to the club in numbers to have a few beers together that night. We don’t often have the chance and – win, lose or draw – we need to make an effort to get together and look at what we’ve done and how well we’ve done it. If you’re not playing but HAVE done this year, you’re included too. Be there.

It's also the club's first opportunity to recognise and honour players responsible for the big contributions on the field in front of their team mates - something I'm very passionate about in terms of making sure we can all enjoy that success together as players.

Traditionally, we've done this at the Dinner / Dance, but there tend to be far fewer players there to enjoy seeing their mates honoured. I hope this will be the start of a few new traditions. We can even bust out the club songs – and THAT can only be a good thing, can’t it?!Let’s pack the place out and raise the roof.

What makes Tring Park Cricket Club – and it’s always been like this – is the incredible people. The Players, Committee (I know…… Management Team; it’ll take me a while, that one!), Social Members and members of all the clubs associated to TPCC that we rely so much on and value so greatly. Without just one of them, the club is nothing.

“I should and can play better. That is going to be the challenge for me.” ― Andrew Strauss

Cheers and good luck everyone.

Benn 'Kempo' Kempster
Tring Park CC Club Captain