2012 Season
The 2012 season proved that we are taking the club in the right direction and we are on the road to where we went to be and what we want to achieve in the next couple of years.
At the start of the season the club lost a very bright star in Mindi Kundra. Mindi was looking forward to playing for the club again and so was everybody else. He will be sorely missed by everyone involved with DTCC.
The club also lost a dear friend in Maurice Young. Maurice was a major part of the junior section at Doncaster Town a number of years ago coaching a number of our current senior players. He will be sadly missed by many.
On the field matters
The weather played a massive part in the season with 31 senior matches and many training sessions having to be cancelled.
The 1st team improved massively this season finishing 11th in the league with 1/3 of their games being cancelled or abandoned. Alex Gosney took on the role of captain and steered the team in the right direction. One of the highlights of the season was James Stuarts 149 against Scarborough and the return of Ashley Knowles saw him take 35 wickets for the side. Throughout the season 19 players were used in the side including Alex Whiteman who came over from Australia to play. There was just one disciplinary during the season for the 1st team which was dealt with internally.
The 2nd team was captained by Alan Lockwood. 32 players contributed to the side finishing 5th in division 2 of the South Yorkshire League. Matt King was the 5th highest run scorer in the league with a top score of 114* which was the second highest score in the league.
The 3rd team captained by Fraser Bennett finished 9th in division 4 of the South Yorkshire League. The side again played their home games at Finningley with 32 players throughout the season helping to set the pitch up on match days. Andrew Jessop again played the role of vice-captain and he did a great job when required.
The introduction of a 4th team captained by Mark Harris, which played in division 3 of the South Yorkshire Alliance League meant that more junior players were given the opportunity to play senior cricket. Not only this but it led to a better use of the ground at Finningley. Beef was the 3rd highest run scorer in the league and the side finished 4th in the league which was a fantastic result.
The Barnsley League side captained by Lewis Brown with help from Gareth Cox struggled this season due to a lack of players wanting to play. On a large number of match days there would only be half a side on a Sunday morning with many pulling out the night before or simply just not turning up. 40 players were used throughout the season including a couple of people who happened to be sat at the bar 10 minutes before the match was due to start. Amit scored the 2nd highest score in the whole of the Barnsley League with 168. The side finished 8th in the league compared to 3rd the season before but credit to Lewis and Gareth, they both did a great job.
The Evening League, once again captained by Jonathon Redfern did the double winning both the league and cup by quite a large margin. Due to the weather and the availability of the ground nearly every game had to be rearranged but we managed to get every game played even if it was at the fourth time of trying.
In October last year the club entered the All Saints Indoor League for the first time. The side went onto win the league and they just missed out on the cup. I would like to thank Jem Free for running the side and for playing in the odd game when required.
All of the captains and vice captains have done a great job this year and you are all a credit to the club. I have been impressed with the behaviour of the players this season with only one disciplinary throughout the season. With the introduction of the 4th team and more juniors playing senior cricket it is vital that this behaviour continues as the senior players need to act as positive role models.
Scorers have an important role on match days and this season it was great to see junior players learning the ropes and scoring for some of our senior sides. Jack Woodiwiss and Ben Stoves both did a fantastic job as well as our regular scorers and I would like to thank them all for their hard work.
I would also like to thank Tim Hawkins for the umpiring that he has done for the club throughout the season.
Off the field matters
I must thank Ian Bird, Phil Gosney and Mark Dickinson for their continued hard work for the club. Unfortunately Mark has taken the decision to step down from his position as treasurer but I have a feeling that he will be kept equally busy with wedding plans and numerous stag do’s. I would like to thank him on behalf of the club for his time that he has put into the role over the past number of years.
Beef has again done a great job on the ground especially when taking into account the poor weather that we had over the summer. Thanks also to Dan Horrocks and Alex Whiteman for helping him out when needed as well as the players and Nick Cowan for helping him out on match days especially the 1st team who often found themselves at the ground at 8.30am in order to get the game played. Joe has done a fantastic job at Finningley, particularly as he had to battle the conditions with there being no covers. The players are also a massive help on match days.
The club hosted a group stage of the Yorkshire League 20/20 competition with all teams that took part on the day saying how well organised it was. This was a great day for the club and it meant that we could raise some money.
Sponsorship was hard to come by this season with each 1st team player taking it upon themselves to find a shirt sleeve sponsor.
The tea ladies once again put on a good spread at the club. Aileen’s teas at Finningley were once more the talk of the league, how some of the players can go out for the 2nd innings after eating so much is beyond me.
The junior section has had a complete transformation with Martin Hall taking over as junior co-ordinator, Janet Capstick as junior secretary and Carl Woodiwiss as junior treasurer. The amount of juniors that play at the club is remarkable but they wouldn’t be able to play if it was not for the managers, coaches, scorers and those that help out at training sessions. I would also like to thank the parents who continue to support the club.
I would like to welcome all the players that are transferring to the club for the 2013 season. To all those leaving, on behalf of the club I wish you well in your new ventures.
Finally, thank you to all the members of the committee who have contributed to the club throughout the season and I hope you continue to do so during the 2013 season. Matt King has decided to step down from the committee and I would like to thank him for the work he has put in over the past couple of years.
I do hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a prosperous new year.
Hannah