Junior Cricket
With a few weeks left till the end of the season for the juniors, it’s wonderful to see the children enjoying their cricket. The junior coaches continue to do a great job and feedback from the parents and the youngsters has been excellent. Most age groups have had the opportunity to test their newly learned skills in in matches against other clubs, or in inter-club games.
Only a few months ago, we feared we may not be able to provide any of this and yet now we have ended up growing the Junior Section year on year. I’m sure everyone will agree that this is due, in no small measure, to the fantastic efforts of our Junior section head, Lizzie Cooper, who has been supported by a team of Junior Managers, who in Liz’s words have been “just brilliant”.

Women and Girls Cricket
Our women’s section, led by Sarah Woodall and coach David Goodchild, have also seen a growth in membership, along with tremendous spirit. One of the highlights of the season so far, is a magnificent century from Lottie Woodall in a recent game against Beaconsfield.

Adult Cricket
“Unprecedented availability” has also been the description for men’s cricket recently, where the toughest decisions have been around who is not selected to play. The most pleasing aspect again, has been the wonderful spirit across the club. Along with Toby, Steve Clark (1s), Mark Bater (3s) and Andy Grout (4s), ably supported by Benn Kempster (Club Captain) and the evergreen Stanners (Head Coach) have all contributed to what most are describing as the best one club spirit we have had for many years.
It’s always risky to single out individual performances, but some that spring to mind are Rory Criddell leading wicket taker in the HCPL, Solly Woodall’s maiden club ton against Hillingdon, Clarkey and Jack Rodnight batting for the the 1s, Toby Wastling’s bowling for the 2s, Tom Darling’s bowling, Tom PW all round, Harry Grinham and Harvey Graham batting for the 3s, John Graham had a great knock of 88 in a fourth team friendly and Rob Needleman took 3 wickets on debut for the 4s v Farnham Common. Sorry to those other great performers I’ve missed!

Pavilion development
In my last update I mentioned that thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Honorary Vice President and trustee Peter Haynes, and the support of his wife Ann, we have the opportunity to carry out a major pavilion enhancement: a bay window feature, to replace the existing scorebox, to create a stunning new panoramic view of the ground from the pavilion. I am delighted to report that Matt Partner has volunteered to lead on this project. Matt is currently wrestling with the challenge of how we secure a supply of electricity for the proposed new scorebox on the other side of the ground – these things are never straightforward. Fingers crossed we will still move ahead with the development this autumn.

Festival of Fire
A firework display has taken place at the club every year since 1964. Much as we would dearly love to continue that tradition, forces, as things currently stand, are conspiring against us. Despite this event being our biggest annual fundraiser, nothing is more important than staying safe right now and consequently our supplier Fantastic Fireworks are advising that it is unlikely that they will be supporting any events this year. If anything changes, we will let everyone know immediately.

Bar
Anyone needing advice on how to run a bar safely and efficiently, in line with government guidelines, should consult the TPCC Bar Team, ably led by Guy Masters, George Bezani and Andy Grout. Those who have used the bar over the past eight weeks will know what a great job this team has done, along with experiencing some super service from Lyndsey Darby, Phil Marriott and Richard Murphy. Getting the bar open again, has created a lovely atmosphere on the touchline at times, as well as generating some much-needed income.
On top of this, thanks largely to the efforts of Alex Laine, we have also managed to introduce the new membership card scheme, which at long last gives all members, especially Social members, a tangible benefit, in the shape of a decent saving on the standard bar prices, for joining the club. Even for non-members, standard bar prices are no higher than in a normal pub. Putting the decision to have the membership card in the hands of individuals, rather than rolling it up in other group schemes, also helps us keep down coaching fees, partner club fees and card production costs. In the future we are looking at how this card evolves to include more payments services and club member benefits. We’ll be tapping a few volunteers to try out some options.
Winter opening remains a topic under discussion. We very much want to have the bar open for us much as possible during the winter, not least to support our friends in the Hockey Club. The key issue is to ensure that we can open safely and that when we do so, we see sufficient income to cover the costs. Details will be shared as soon as possible. In the meantime, the tender process for the longer-term bar operation will be postponed until early in the New Year when we hope the operating picture will be much clearer.

Partnerships
Optimising the usage of our wonderful facility, for the good of the community, remains a fundamental part of our strategy. In addition to the Hockey Club, I have regular dialogue with the Chairs of the Running club and the Tennis club respectively. Each of us has similar, but also different challenges and we will continue to help each other deal with these, in a spirit of friendly cooperation.
It’s not just other sports clubs that play a part in our operating model. Bounce trampolining are back in the clubhouse with an enhanced timetable and Slimming World is set to return shortly. We’re also delighted that the Nursery has managed to re-open under the new name of Little Crickets, and our partnership with Mimi’s takeaway continues to work well.
The clubhouse is still an excellent venue for private hire such as parties, club and group meetings – albeit with restrictions right now - and we welcome all approaches for ideas about how to maximise the fantastic asset at the heart of Tring town.

Some important dates:
Vice Presidents and Volunteer Day – Saturday August 29th
Thanks to the generosity of our President Martin Abel, Vice Presidents and club volunteers will – weather permitting – enjoy a Hog Roast meal, while watching the 1st XI humble Chesham on Saturday 29th August. Martin’s kind gesture has also enabled us to put up a small marquee on the edge of the main ground, which will provide additional shelter for the last 4 weeks of the season.

Lord’s Taverners v Tring Park XI – Wednesday September 16
A celebration of the fact that we are all still alive and kicking! Thank you to Tim Cooper, Dayla Drinks and our very own Mervyn Ramsay for making this 20:20 match possible. The game will get underway at 1pm and will conclude with another Hog Roast and drinks from the bar, for as long as the weather allows.
Food on this occasion will be £10 per head, with ticket only, which members can procure on this link: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/tpcc/t-jdjeoj

Finally…
At the end of my last update, I mentioned there was light at the tunnel. I think it’s fair to say, we have come out the other side, blinked a bit and enjoyed some warm sunshine. Like any large family, there will be lots of views and opinions on how we best go about ‘doing stuff’. What I do know for sure, is that what has been achieved over the past 3 months at TPCC has been quite remarkable. While there are more challenges ahead, thanks to the way in which so many people have pulled together, the club will go into the winter months, on and off the field, in a much stronger place than for many, many years.

Facebookers among you will have seen the below already. This is what it is all about. VP and one of our most popular long-standing members John Adamson, recently bought his daughter Aley, a life social membership. This is what she had to say:
My Dad John spends as much of his time at the club as he can, and my brother and I grew up running around the old pavilion. I even used to do the teas & the bar in my teens (goodness I wish that didn't make me feel insanely old!).
I'm a parent myself now to a [hopefully soon to be sporty!] 20 month old, and I love that my family will have that same safe & friendly place to go. Dad & I thought that life membership was the perfect way to thank our lovely club as well as start my own journey as a proud parent!

Best Wishes
Nick