The Twelfth Man 2018

5 Glamorgan. Those wishing to eat and drink in the bar should arrive at the inn at about midday. We will aim to start the meetings at 1.45pm, getting you all ready for home at 3.30pm when even in the darkest months there should be half an hour of daylight left. We expect to welcome no fewer than eight present or former First Class cricketers in 2018-19, not to mention young players on the brink! And the Ardsley Oaks is still the Wombwell’s official clubhouse, with meetings starting at 7.45pm. Our coaching scheme for young players continues to place us in a different bracket from other societies, and it was an evening with a difference for Yorkshire County Cricket Club President, Richard Hutton when he came to present the end-of-term awards to our own young players. Our heartfelt thanks to Richard, former Yorkshire fast-bowling all-rounder, who must have come so close to becoming an England regular and who had a word for every young player. The Society thanks to our coaching squad, who are at the core of all we do -- Darren Crossland, Coaching Co-ordinator, Mick Lindley, Brian Marsh, Richard Skipworth, Mark Shevill and John Ambler...but remember that Beryl remains so crucial to keeping up with the admin. I would like to thank all of the officers and Committee for taking on board all that you, the members, say, and for making things happen. Ron Firth stood aside from the vice-chairmanship, but he stays on as Events Organiser. Jack Tunnicliffe will be an ever dependable Vice-Chairman to me...not that I intend to miss too much! The programme looks too good! Brian Sanderson, the Treasurer, finds just the right touch in a job that is never going to be glamorous...he may give a sidelong look at an item of proposed expenditure, but at the end of the day he knows that the Society is there to be enjoyed. Neil Whitaker as Editor of the Twelfth Man is filling a more vital role than is often realised. Members who can no longer get along to our meetings for reasons of geography or health pick up the magazine and they ARE still with us. And so are their subs! And thank goodness that Tom Hudson is still compiling the meeting reports to make this possible. Ali Saad as Membership Secretary is like an Assistant Treasurer: his records tell us where we are and how this will affect budgeting. Richard Griffiths and Norman Hazell are conspicuous for what they do as well as what they say, and we were delighted to welcome to the Committee former Nottinghamshire bowler John Howarth, who apart from making his own debut as a speaker will be pivotal in enhancing the Society’s link with that county. We are a Society. A team. Our song shall be cricket...and we sing it together! James. M. Greenfield