Parkfield & Headstone Cricket Club

This mail is coming out to all on our website mailing list, whether you are paid up members, recent past members, occasional players for Parkfield & Headstone, or simply friends of the club. Please accept our apologies if it does not directly apply to you - perhaps you might reply to help us sort out the lists.

Unfortunately, we will have to make do without the considerable voluntary services of Alan Chidley for the next few weeks, and therefore all players need to tighten up on some of our procedures to ensure we continue to arrange teams to represent the club. Our captains will have to take on much of the burden in the short term, and they need all the help you can give them. If any member can offer help, please get in touch. The following paragraphs apply to all players all the time, nevertheless.

Availability.
Current players must tell their captain at the end of a match whether they can play in the next week's games. If you are unsure, make it clear and please contact the captain before 7pm Wednesday to clarify one way or the other. Failure to do this may mean that you will not be considered for the higher teams, and late availability may mean you being selected to play at a lower level, or not at all! The onus is on you to tell us, not the other way around. If you are an occasional player, it will also greatly help the captains if you and any others (friends, relations and passers-by) contact us to make yourselves available. Relevant telephone numbers and e-mail addresses are on the website etc. Also on the website is the Availability tab, which allows input by you against every match on the fixture list - please use it!

Selection.
Once availabilities have been collected from all sources, the captains will select the best sides they can, bearing in mind the balance of teams, and will then advise players of arrangements. It will help if players confirm and commit by return email, or if circumstances change, advise captains immediately. One simple thing everybody should do - make sure your contact details are up to date on the website! Please also do your best to be at the grounds at least an hour before games start, because there will be extra jobs to do which we normally rely on Alan for, and team talks and admin by skippers - even at away matches. 

Subs
We really should not be chasing people to pay their dues. The club is not a charity, you know the charges and we rely on income from players to cover the cost of teas, pitch hire, equipment, affiliations etc. so please make sure you are not the one we have to pursue. Subs and match fees are as much a part of turning up as your playing kit, so no excuses, please. Paid up members have precedence in selection over others, so don't expect to play in the top teams if you are in arrears. Speak to the treasurer if you have genuine financial hardship - don't let it drift, because you will be letting your team-mates down and may not be selected at all.

Communications.
Finally, the committee is also looking to recruit someone to handle club communications, such as putting items in the press, updating the website, putting together newsletters and generally making sure the club is in the public eye. Is there any club member willing to take this on? Please reply to this email.

Sorry this is quite long, but as you may now realise, we have taken a lot for granted. If players are more proactive in communication, the club will run more smoothly and we will all get along better. Please let's aim for that!

Gerry Bloomfield, Chairman
On behalf of the committee.