The Twelfth Man 2018

3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Dickie Bird A s I settle down to write yet another greeting to all members of our great Wombwell Cricket Lovers Society, looking across my garden at the ‘far away hills’, amazingly it’s snowing! With the First Class cricket season starting next week - and I know many Counties have already started playing friendly matches with University teams, yet is early April, Easter Monday and yes, it’s snowing in Barnsley. Cricket lovers often remind me of that famous time, when I was umpiring in Buxton, that was in June and we lost a days play because of snow, which really was a freak. However, while I don’t suppose, or at least I hope we will never see snow in June again,with the crazy way fixtures are now arranged, whereby the real Championship starts in earnest next week (Yorkshire v Essex at Headingley, Friday 13 April ! - we might be lucky) The format of first class cricket is changing dramatically with what many of our members consider to be ‘proper cricket’ now squeezed into the months of April and September and the best part of summer devoted to one day games. Designed to attract new patrons, although I suspect of no great appeal to most of our members. I must congratulate my good friend, Ron Firth for once more rounding off the Wombwell season as always, at the Coaching Evening with his traditional pie & pea supper. A fine evening, when so many promising young cricketers attended with their parents, thrilled to meet Richard Hutton, Yorkshire President and it was typically kind of Chairman James Greenfield to invite me to propose the vote of thanks. Included in my remarks was an appeal for Richard to guide the County to another Championship. At that well attended meeting, Chairman James made a presentation to one of our very special members. Young Mick Pope has for more than thirty years shown dedication, tackling any job with a smile and knowing him as I do, am sure he will continue as a very active member. I am delighted to add my personal thanks to Mick, to those of James. As to the long-term future of the game? Well of course I worry, like many of our friends as money seems to be driving more and more changes. The eighteen first class Counties seem to be in danger, or at least ten of them, for those not classed as Test Match Clubs could well end up as just another type of Minor County. I hope not, but I am afraid of what might happen in the hands of a small, powerful group based down in London. Finally, I want to say how grateful I am to have been elected President for a further year. I pledge myself to support the members of the Committee and to join you at our meetings as often as possible and of course look forward to meeting you at Headingley, North Marine Road or especially at Shaw Lane, for I never miss the Second team match there. President Dickie Bird