Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Year Book 2014

31 www.sheffieldcricketlovers.org.uk Sheffield Cricket Lovers’ Society As First XI Captain and Committee Member of Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club (“SCCC”) I recognise what a difficult animal SCCC is to run and the amount of time and effort spent by volunteers at all levels of the Club – committee, senior cricket, junior cricket and with the Michael Vaughan Cricket Academy. However, when I was handed a SCCC fixture card from 1969 (incidentally the year of my birth) I realised how far we as a Club have evolved in the past 44 years. Yes, I realise that all clubs will have developed in such a period but it was interesting to compare the fixtures cards from 1969 and last season to note the following:- 1. In 1969 Club ties were obtainable from Messrs W M Hobson & Sons Limited and pullovers and caps from Messrs H H B Sugg Limited. Today you can buy all equipment online from All Rounder. 2. The old fixture card named all Committee Members, three Saturday team captains (including our current President, Gordon Hall), two Honorary Members (C H James and E Mercer), one Life Member (R T Doncaster) and all Playing and Country and Vacation members. It also listed five “Proposed New Members” and all 20 of our “Colts Club”. The youngest of the Cult Club was apparently 14.5 years old – very specific! Heaven knows what the printing costs would be now if we had to include all of our junior members in the fixture card given that we have:- • Five senior Saturday league teams • one Mansfield league side • one Mid-week team • one under 17 team • 2 under 15 teams • 3 under 13 teams • 3 under 11 teams • one girls junior team • 3 under 9s teams • The Michael Vaughan Cricket Academy on Friday nights with boys and girls from 6 years old. 3. The opponents have changed somewhat too, save for most of the Yorkshire League sides, but there would have to be some serious imbibing for SCCC members to “drink back” the fixtures against:- Cromford Meadows, Craven Gents, Yorkshire Gents, Lincoln Lindum, Stowe Templars, Frogs, Grasshoppers and York Nondescripts. 4. There were 124 fixtures in 1969 including games in June/July on Tuesday evenings against the other Sports Clubs at Abbeydale. At present we have over 200 fixtures to fit into the five months of the cricket season which involves a mammoth amount of organisation. We are lucky at SCCC to have affiliated to the Club a current England Test Player (Joe Root), former England Test Captain and now media celebrity last seen on an ITV prime time programme for 20 seconds holding an umbrella and mumbling “Owzat” (Michael Vaughan) and newly crowned 2013 Umpire of the Year on the International Elite Panel (Richard Kettleborough) and not forgetting our international scorer (Michael Snook). We only need a match referee for the full set. They have all helped and continue to assist and give up their time for the benefit of the Club but there is always more to do to develop future players. We currently have Elliot Callis involved at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Academy and in 2nd XI cricket and several junior members in The Changing Face of Sheffield Collegiate CC Continued on page 39