It’s been a busy summer at Savernake, home of Marlborough Cricket Club. As the 2024 cricket season draws to a close, below is a round-up and reflection of the season. What’s happened on and off the field, recognition of successes and notable achievements. It has been a season of milestones and also a milestone season.
Seniors: On the playing side, the club continues to run four senior teams and has successfully fulfilled every fixture throughout the season. Many clubs forfeit one or multiple matches during the season, so this is no mean feat.
There have been several notable cricketing milestones this year, and the club would like to acknowledge these fantastic achievements:
- 100 Caps – Zak Tunmore
- 200 Caps – Steve Jones, Paul Smith and David Slater
- 100 West of England Premier League Wickets – Paul Smith
- 100 Club Wickets – Harry Glenn
- 400 Club Wickets – Paul Smith
- 700 Club Wickets – Ben Head
- 5,000 Club Runs – Andy Crabbe
- 8,000 Club Runs – Pete Day
- 10,000 Club Runs – Nick Crabbe
Congratulations to each one of them and let’s hope for many more to come.
There have been centuries, half-centuries, five wicket hauls, great catches, run outs and thrilling results, none more so than the single run victory by the 3rd team on the last ball of the season – an amazing way to finish the season……
Other notable achievements include youngsters Will Miller (14) and Zach Collister (15) making several appearances for our senior 1st team. Both joined the club as juniors and it’s with great pride that the club sees them doing so well in their cricketing endeavours.
Juniors: For the Juniors it has been a ‘re-build’ season. Marlborough Cricket Club have brought cricket into the community via free cricket sessions in schools and the Community Centre. It has been great to see the positive response and level of interest in cricket. The number of juniors members has been growing and there will be junior teams competing in the league once again next year.
The club has made great efforts to develop girls cricket, something the club is passionate about and this season girls cricket has started to take off. There was a great take-up of the two-day girls cricket camp in the summer, which was enjoyed by everyone and the club would like to thank Wiltshire Cricket for their support in helping make this happen.
The club is very pleased to see so many girls register as junior members and for the first time in their history, Marlborough will field a girls’ team next season – a wonderful milestone for the club. The girls are already bringing an energy, enthusiasm and positivity to the club which is excited to embark on this significant new chapter together.
In the juniors area the club also ran the ECB’s All Stars (ages 5-8) and Dynamos (ages 8-11) programme over the summer and this will be done again next season, in 2025.
For more information about the junior teams and opportunities for junior players, or to find out about the All Stars and Dynamos click here to visit the club website.
Off the Field: It’s been busy off the field too, with continued improvements being made to the pavilion, grounds, equipment and facilities. The club would like to thanks to all sponsors, both old and new, for their support.
This makes a huge difference, not only financially, but having the support and enthusiasm of local businesses which helps the club to grow and offer more back to the community in and around Marlborough.
The club and members have enjoyed several socials during the season too, the highlight of which was the ‘Big Cricket Picnic’. Great to see the community support for this event. Juniors enjoyed free cricket sessions during the day and enjoyed training with the seniors too. Everyone enjoyed both the on-field cricket and off-field activities, food and entertainment. This will become a fixture, and is planned again for next year so the club will again welcome all to a picnic at Savernake.
Marlborough Cricket Club welcomes all to matches (as well as picnics) at Savernake. The club is open to everyone on every match day, and they would love to welcome you. Bring a picnic or enjoy some hot food from the barbecue, bring relax in your favourite camping chair and enjoy the cricket, a drink or two from the pavilion bar or an ice cream, all with beautiful views of the Wessex Downs as the backdrop. It really is a beautiful spot right on our doorstep.
Looking Ahead to 2025: The 2024 season may have come to a close, but preparations are already underway for 2025. It promises to be another exciting season. Both boys and girls teams will be added, the club will be running All Stars and Dynamos, offering holiday cricket camps, continuing free cricket in the community sessions, further investing in the club and planning more socials too. The club looks forward to welcoming the community and they wish everyone a wonderful off-season. In the meantime, They would like to finish with some thank you’s.
The Big Thank You: The Club Committee would like to express huge thanks to everyone who has played their role during the season – the captains, grounds team, umpires, scorers, administrators, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, parents, supporters and Wiltshire Cricket. The club couldn’t run successfully without everyone who has played a major and important part.
A special shout out goes to current Chairman, Jamie Tunmore who, after several successful years in the role is passing on the baton. Jamie’s unwavering commitment to the club stands as a shining example to us all. The club hopes to continue to build on the strong foundations he has laid whilst giving a huge thank you to Jamie from everyone at the club.
The club wants to be at the heart of the Marlborough community and are always looking for more help to improve what they can offer. If you’d like to join the team in a playing, volunteering or sponsorship capacity, they would welcome hearing from you. Please contact Marlborough Cricket club at marlboroughcc@gmail.com
Here’s to next season – we can’t wait!
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