Now the dust has settled on the 2017 season it seems a good time to reflect on what has been a challenging, yet thoroughly enjoyable year as Chair of Cricket for Malahide CC. I have made a few notes below on my highlights, low-lights and hopes for 2018. 

But first I'd be keen to hear yours. As an Executive, we are trying to be as open and transparent as possible, which I why I have been delighted with the feedback received at the Town Halls and Cricket Strategy Forums. With this in mind, please can you spend a couple of minutes completing the online survey (link below)? I welcome honesty, ideas and anything that will help us improve.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z9TFL3K

2017 Review;

On the whole 2017 has been a mixed bag of on-field performances. The Men's 1st Team winning the National Cup is an obvious highlight with Sean Davey saving his performance of the season to the very best moment. It was also great to see Cameron Shoebridge back in Malahide colours and pocketing the last two poles in that tense final. The only thing topping the result was perhaps the celebrations that evening. Whilst the lads were bitterly disappointed not to gain promotion, the improvement in the team has been clear. They have developed a positive brand of cricket, attacking from the off. Alan Reynolds as captain has lived and breathed this mentality and I thank him for his efforts this year. He has been a particularly strong advocate of promoting youth and it's great to see so many young guns flourishing throughout the teams.

Whilst the 2nd XI's relegation is a 'low-light' there are positives to be found, with several juniors taking key places in the team. Michael Hingston’s own contribution as captain did not deserve to end how it did. However, that's sport and the lads will come back stronger. As Nelson Mandela says, "I either win or I learn".

A key highlight of mine has been the performance of Fintan McAllister as Senior Coach. Finto has really stepped up. His practice sessions have been excellent, and he's really instilled a positive mentality and atmosphere. This really helps young players step up the ranks.  David O'Halloran, SJ de Klerk, Zak Woods-Oliver and Riley Shoebridge have all made first team appearances this year. There has been a developmental strategy employed by the selection committee, giving these players exposure at a higher level in the 1’s, allowing them to spend time at the crease in the third team and giving them responsibility in the 2nds. I'm grateful that the selection committee has believed in this and have had confidence in our youngsters. 

Mary Waldron has again led the Women's 1st XI from the front scoring an unrivalled amount of runs, but also being a fantastic role model for a very young team. The introduction of the 50 Over competition is a new challenge but one that will develop better cricketers. The women's section of the club is clearly going in the right direction and whilst we have some work to do, I'm very positive that the future is bright. Getting the right structure in place is a priority for the club in 2018. For the first team we employed a Women and Girls lead coach, and I'm hopeful that the club members see this as a positive move and one that will be sustained in 2018.

2017 has seen the introduction of two new teams linked to the club. Neil Carrick has been a leading light setting up both the Development Team and re-introducing cricket to the Malahide Community School. His energy and enthusiasm for cricket is infectious. I am absolutely thrilled to see the club providing more opportunities for participation and I thank Neil for providing a really positive development this year.

The Junior section goes from strength to strength and is possibly the envy of most clubs in Leinster. The Junior teams are pound for pound among the best in the country, and with some structure around player pathways and individual development plans we can become a market leader for player development. The foundations are solid with the number of Leinster representative players and Irish Internationals improving on 2016. Congratulations to all those who earned their caps. What has really impressed me are the programmes such as Bitesize and the Camps. These continue to provide vital opportunities for participation but also solid income. Ann McCormack and her volunteers have put a phenomenal amount of work into this, and a bottle of gin doesn't scratch the surface of how appreciative I am of her work.

There is a lot to be positive about. That said, we aren't perfect and at the last town hall I rattled off a good few (about 20) learning’s from this year. Here are the top 3:

Key learning’s and aims for 2018:

1. Main Pitch Usage- It is clear that Malahide members need to be playing more matches on the main pitch. We haven't done enough this year.  In 2018 we aim to increase Malahide main pitch match days by 24% and deliver 44 adult games on the main pitch. This would include; ALL Men’s 1, Men’s 2 and Women’s 1 home games on the main pitch + at least 50% of the Women’s 2, Men’s 3, Men’s 4 and Men’s 5 games. We may have to be creative with our fixture planning but the needs of Malahide members will come first in our fixture planning for 2018.

2. Cricket Development Officer- Each year seems to bring at least one if not two new CDOs to the club. Whilst new ideas are positive, continuity is vital and we must recruit CDOs on multi-year contracts to achieve this. With this in mind I will be formulating a proposal to employ a CDO on a full time 12 months-in-the-year contact. Initially on a two year fixed term deal, this will be a more attractive package for potential candidates and will ensure continuity. But it will also require additional investment from the club, which the executive is working hard to secure. If we are serious about developing our players and helping them reach their potential then this investment is a necessity.  

3. Cricket Strategy and Player Development Plan- The club is a sleeping giant and has a great ground swell of participation at a youth level. However, there is a lack of a developmental pathway for players to reach their potential. The priority for the next few months is rolling out a 5 year cricket strategy and a Player Development blueprint for the club. A final cricket strategy survey will hit your inbox early next week).

Thank you to everyone that has supported the club this year and those that have offered support, guidance and advice. There are simply too many selfless souls to mention. 

Keep the faith and winter well.

Gary