New Season Guide
Dear all,
A new outdoor season of cricket in Luxembourg soon approaches. As Chairman of the Optimists Cricket Club, I thought it would help if I published a summary of information for existing and new members ahead of the new season.
Membership
To enjoy the full benefits of Optimists Cricket Club, membership is required. The details of which can be found via this link. http://www.optimists.cc/pages/page_20963/Membership-Conditions.aspx As a continuation of an existing successful policy, new members do not have to pay any fees for the first year of membership. This is to encourage new players to join the club and become fully involved in the process. For any questions, please contact Club Secretary – Wayne Codd. It is worth noting, that in order to play for the 1st team in the Belgian league (the highest form of cricket in which the Club participates), players need to be OCC members and then the club can officially register you with the Belgian league.
Ground Preparation
We are very lucky to have an excellent ground in Walferdange and the support of the local Commune. But it always needs care and attention especially in the spring. There are 2 scheduled preparation days where help is needed. These are:-
Saturday 11th/Sunday 12th April 10.00am onwards – when we try to repair the damage created by the moles and roll the outfield;
Saturday 18th April 10.00am inwards – when we take care of all other aspects of ground preparation ahead of the first matches.
Your help will be vital!
Training & Selection
Training happens on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6.30pm at the ground. The first session outdoors will be Tuesday April 21st. Tuesday is open to anyone, Thursday is also but a priority is given to first team players. The Club’s selection committee members always try to watch training on Tuesdays to enable the selection process to be completed afterwards. We have a number of members that are now ICC Level 2 trained coaches who will aim to be available to make training enjoyable and useful.
Fixtures & Availability
The Club’s fixture list is available here http://www.optimists.cc/fixtures/default.aspx It currently shows all Club 1st team games in the Belgian league and expected friendlies. It is likely to be changed from time to time so keep an eye on the list. To be considered for selection, you have to follow some simple steps:-
1) Become a member (see above). When you have done this, you will be given a logon ID and password.
2) Using this, you must then update your availability for selection via the website. This is critical otherwise selectors assume you are NOT available.
3) If selected, you will receive direct information about the fixture and any related duties from the captain.
Optimists 1st Team
Our first team plays in the competitive Belgian League system. Currently, the team is in Division 2 but would like to gain promotion this season. This is competitive 45-over league cricket against good players from all over Belgium. The 1st team is captained by William Heath. The league process involves 8 games across the summer, 4 of which are away from home.
Club shop
The Club has a wide selection of clothing available via the webshop https://seriouscricket.co.uk/teamwear/stores/optimists-cricket-club/
The club policy is always to wear full whites for matches. For 1st team fixtures, a Club match shirt is also mandatory. Anyone making their 1st team debut will be awarded a Club Cap by the skipper of the day. We encourage people to use the Club Shop as the Club gets a little bit of financial benefit from it, so it is also a good way of supporting the Club in general.
Volunteers
The Club only survives and prospers based upon people volunteering. This can take many forms including match manager duties, training juniors, ground preparation and committee membership to name a few. The Club welcomes players who are willing to contribute both on and off the pitch so please ensure you do so. I would be happy to guide anyone on this subject as needed.
Big Events
The Club organizes lots of events during the year and here are just a few upcoming examples for your diary:-
First match April 26th – Traditional Friendly between the Chairman’s XI vs the Captain’s Xi
First Belgian League match 3rd May – Optimists 1st XI vs Greens CC – Home match with 13.30pm start
Optimists Cricket Club Golf Day – May 30th
U13s International Tournament – June 13/14th vs Belgium and Switzerland
LCF/OCC Six-a-side Tournament – June 27/28th
Juniors Cricket Academy – July 21-25th
As Chairman, I would like to warmly welcome any new players to the club and the Luxembourg cricket community. We are all looking forward to a good summer of cricket and to continue to build the Club as we approach our 40th Anniversary in 2016.
Best regards,
Rob