Harvey King
Chairman
South Canterbury Cricket
It is my pleasure to present the Chairman’s report for the 2007/08 season
With a solid foundation the association continues to administer cricket in South Canterbury in a positive fashion. It was a pleasure to chair such a positive solid all round board and my thanks go to all of them.
George Harper and Allan Annett are resigning this year. Their common sense and sharp business minds have been a real asset to us and I wish them well for the future.
Graham Broker has continued to run the day to day affairs in his calm and efficient manner. The sound financial position we are in is to his credit and we all owe him respect for knowing how to establish business credit so well. Having continuity in the Executive officer role for two years is certainly a benefit for us.
To our loyal supporters in the business community and gaming industry thank you for your continued support. It is very important that we acknowledge your help and continue to administer South Canterbury Cricket in an efficient way to warrant your continued support.
I would like to thank all the clubs for their contribution to a very successful season. It goes to show when the communication goes both ways issues are readily solved and we can all get on with playing and enjoying the game.
The club assist programme proved successful and we hope to build on the programme this year by using the Canterbury Cricket club development officer to implement more benefits to clubs by way of coaching and running practices. If we all continue to raise the bar then our game will grow stronger and continue to be attractive to new players.
Our senior rep team continues to perform adequately but has not reached their full potential. Chris Leonard has been the coach for the past two seasons and has done a tireless job. The same old issues keep raising their head. Player availability at crucial times and the lack of a regular manager affect the performance of the team. The board is determined to try and address some of these issues raised by Chris and the players so that we may once again challenge for the Hawke Cup.
On a positive note, two highlights of the season were Todd Elliotte’s performance in taking the highest number of senior representative wickets which is testimony to his outstanding career for South Canterbury, and Craig Davies double century against Mid Canterbury.
Our junior rep teams continue to perform with distinction and this is a credit to these players and the volunteer coaches and managers that look after them.
Richard Davidson’s development program continues to blossom and the number of contacts Richard has with schools is a testament to his enthusiasm and commitment. Richard’s coaching skills are there to be used and we encourage anyone who wants one on one or group coaching to talk to Richard. He is a level two coach and right up to date with all the new techniques.
The recent 25 year plan of Aorangi Park drawn up by the SGL Group highlighted the need for an upgrade of the Aorangi Park pavilion. This building has served its purpose and is in need of some major renovations to bring it up to modern day standards but these have been included in the 8 to 10 year stage of the development. Cricket will have to decide if we want to wait that long or find some money to bring the renovations forward. It also shows that we need to use the Aorangi cricket bowl more than we do and with better planning it is our intention to get as much cricket as possible on the oval.
To our Umpires and scorers who continue to give of their time thank you. It is always better to have umpires standing than players doing the job so if you are looking for something to do on a Saturday contact the local umpires through the South Canterbury office.
To all our grounds men who put in many hours around the district preparing pitches, your time and effort is greatly appreciated and we are very fortunate to have quality pitches for club and Representative Fixtures.
Congratulations to John Ward who has recently been awarded the honour of a Pillar of Pride at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch. This is a fabulous recognition of a wonderful career for New Zealand, Canterbury and South Canterbury and we all wish John, Shirley and the family all the best for the unveiling on the 18th September.
Despite Richard Reid shifting camps to the Highlanders and Otago rugby, the close relationship he helped to build up with the districts has continued and our thanks go to all the staff at Canterbury cricket. I am sure that Lee Germon’s close ties with South Canterbury will help continue this relationship.
In closing I would like to wish everybody involved with cricket all the very best for the upcoming season and look forward to catching up during the season.