Grimsby and District Cricket League Handbook 1977

• • .. 0 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN GRIMSBY & DISTRICT CRICKET LEAGUE Seven years ago your League officials were preparing for the Golden Anniversary season with 70 teams. At my first annual general meeting as your chairman, in 1969, the League had 65 teams so I was pleasantly pleased at the upward trend. We have heralded the New Year, there is a light covering of snow outside, and this week the secretaries of 109 teams will receive their fixtures for the 1977 season. League Secretary, Jack Swain, had a mammoth task compiling the 818 matches necessary to cover 38 Saturday teams, 65 Midweek teams, and 6 teams in the newly formed under-19 Division. With 57.8% of the teams requiring public pitches, and some of the teams having sides in the Lines. League the task becomes increasingly difficult. In only seven years 39 new teams have entered - 6 Saturday and 33 Midweek. Although I am delighted at the progress we are making you will appreciate the problems we are facing with the increasing number of applications for admission to our League. Stan . Thornalley, Grimsby Borough Council's Director of Works, has been informed, and it is hoped to have an extra pitch at Bradley for the 1978 season . It was the Council's intention, and still is when funds are available, to develop the land surrounding the Ambulance Station in Westward Ho so as to give .an extra cricket square. Unfortunately, however,the economic situation has frustrated these plans for the time being, although the Director of Works is hopeful that at sometime in the future this scheme will be able to go ahead. So you will see that with only nine public pitches at our disposal, on any one day, we have reached saturation point for teams without grounds, and the position will have to be watched very carefully in the future. Representatives from six clubs met under my chairmanship before Christmas, and it turned out to be a very fruitful meeting. It was agreed that the annual general meeting of the Grimsby and District Cricket League be requested to approve the formation of an under-19 division of their .midweek league, and as this is a "special division" any under-19 player will still be eligible to play for another midweek team. This scheme was given unanimous approval, and has the blessing of cricket lovers in the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area. Finally, hearty congratulations to all the award winners in 1976, and good luck to you all in our 57th season. COLIN KENNEDY Chairman . 2