There is just a month until our first league game - the Men's Saturday 1s are away to Stowupland for their first Division Five fixture on April 18. That game is followed by 21 more tough league games over the successive weeks - can Tom Sidhu and the boys make it two titles in a row?

The Men's Sunday 1s are bidding to make it three titles in a row and their Hunts Division Two season starts on May 3 at Long Melford.

The Men's Saturday 2s do not start their league fixtures until May 9 when Eddie's team are at home to Brightlingsea 2nds. Before that we have a friendly T20 at Framlingham College on Friday April 24.

Overall there are plenty of fixtures and plenty of opportunities for everybody to play their part in a busy season - make sure you are up for it. Go to https://meltonstaudrys.play-cricket.com to see all the fixtures and perhaps peruse your past performances and statistics. Set yourself some targets for 2026. Make sure you are registered as a member of the site for full access.

Men's training continues on Wednesday nights (7.30 until 8.30 at Woodbridge School dome) and we will start outdoor nets after Easter.

But to make all that possible on the field we have a momentous but exciting challenge off it - to raise enough money to help buy the ground. We are in negotiations with Hopkins Homes as part of the Sports & Social Club and a number of individuals are putting in a huge effort to make it possible. We hope to secure various grants but the target is still a long way off. But every one of us can make a difference - are you supporting YOUR committee and officials to secure the future of cricket at Melton?
Go to https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/staudrys-club-freehold and back Melton's Big Appeal. Individuals or businesses can donate as much or as little as they can manage - every little helps.

And, of course, we have our 24-hour net practice challenge on March 28-29. I hope we can rely on everybody joining in, either by taking part, turning up to offer support - or just by donating. We have four players who are planning to carry out the full 24-hour challenge - Tamsin, Charlotte J, Lily M and Natty - and they have organised their own sponsorships. Why not give them a boost by making a donation? In addition Eddie and Mark are both taking on 12-hour stints as coaches/organisers.

Thanks to some great work by our various managers and coaches all of our age groups are taking part and there is considerable rivalry to see which group can raise the largest amount. Many thanks to Woodbridge School for making this possible by offering the use of the sports dome.
This is a great opportunity for the whole club to work together - make sure you play your part. Because it is the weekend when the clocks go forward the full challenge is from 8am on Saturday to 9am on Sunday - that last hour may be the hardest of all. Can you turn up and cheer them on to the finish line?
And it is also a great opportunity to carry out some intense personal training. Coaches will be on hand to offer advice and the bowling machine will be available on request. Of course you will have aches and pains afterwards - but you will have earned the right to be proud of those minor inconveniences as they demonstrate that the summer is edging ever closer.

To set you up for the season I encourage you to look at the link below, written over a century ago.
Twas ever thus!
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/08/from-the-archive-1921-the-return-of-cricket

Malcolm Grubb, Chairman MSACC

Eddie and two Toms are stars of opening win

Malcolm has once again done a grand job in compiling all of the Men's and Women's scorebooks and stats for the full 2021 season. Click on the buttons below to find out who took the wickets and catches and who scored the runs!

Malcolm has been busy tracking down and compiling all of the Men's scorebooks and stats for the 2020 (half) season. Click on the button below to find out who took the wickets and catches and who scored the runs!

A winning start

The rescue plan for recreational cricket made a good start with a six-team group taking part in a mini-league. We took on old friend Sudbourne Hall - after a few years absence - and there was a great atmosphere throughout as a throwback to the days of friendly cricket. Every player had a bat or a bowl, there were a number of youngsters (and a few from the opposite end of the age scale) including a father-son combination on both sides. Sudbourne batted first and got off to a fast start thanks to Mick Peck (as always against us!) and Ben Tester. A cracking catch on the boundary by Josh B earned the breakthrough and Ralph then broke through the breach by snapping up four wickets with a fine spell. Newcomer Khalid enjoyed his spell and Owen enjoyed his spell even more as he picked up his first wickets for the club. Josh S had a couple of stumpings including an odd one when Matt D sent down a wide delivery to his brother Dan who remained outside his crease as Josh threw down the stumps. Josh S then led our reply with another impressive innings. He reached his second half-century in two innings this season before chipping a catch for 60. Phil then kept up the good work with a very good half-century, hitting the winning runs with a couple of overs to spare.

We now look to all members making their avaiability known so that everybody can get a game over the next two months - contact Eddie & Phil (Saturday 1st team), Malcolm & Mark (Saturday 2nd team) and we also have two T20 teams. As well as ladies matches and plenty of junior matches. Let us know!

Hello! Hello!

A unique season actually started on July 11 with an enjoyable inter-club friendly. Team Stokes were triumphant against Team Bowyer in the battle of the Joshes.

There was some good cricket played at times, several neatly-taken catches and the usual fireworks from Jothi. We slowly got used to the new routines including six-over breaks for hand sanitiser, not returning the ball around the fielders, etc. Most people got a bat and/or a bowl, a few looked like they may have played the game before while others looked as if it was the first time they had ever seen a cricket bat!! The teas were great (everybody brought their own) and a cheeky bottle of beer afterwards went down well. And with an 11am start it was all done and dusted by 5pm. That could be the way forward - we shall see.

We have a 10-match programme against local sides to come, with two teams in action. Let Phil/Eddie and/or Malcolm/Mark know your availability and we can look forward to some good times on the cricket pitch in July, August and September.

Tickets are on sale now for the annual Club Dinner, to be held at the club on Friday 22nd November, from 7pm.

Join in the celebrations as the whole club acknowledges the stars of 2019.

There is a two-course dinner, followed by our annual club awards for Men's and Ladies' teams, as well as a raffle.

Dress to impress!

MENU:

Main Course

1/ Roast turkey with chipolatas and bacon roll, homemade sage and onion stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, cranberry sauce, bread sauce and gravy
2/ Poached salmon supreme with a prawn dill and cream sauce
3/ Homemade puy lentil and nut roast with a fresh tomato and basil sauce

All of the above are served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes

Desserts

1/ Homemade Apple pie with cream, custard or ice cream
2/ Homemade Christmas pudding with custard, cream, ice cream or brandy butter
3/ Chocolate and orange cheesecake
4/ Fresh fruit salad

Fresh filter coffee / tea and mints

Tickets are £22 per head (£17 for under 18s) if paid for in advance* - why not book a table? To book your tickets please phone Dot Andrews on 01394 411037 or email Deane Weller with number of tickets required and your menu choices, by 15th November.

* or £25 / £20 if paying on the night. To pay in advance please transfer the relevant amount to the club's account online (20-98-07 | 13479102) or give cash / cheque to Dot or Deane.

N.B. For senior players currently paying by monthly standing order, one ticket is included free in your subscription - additional tickets can be purchased for £22.

A highlight of an improved season has been the progress made by a series of younger players. Josh S demonstrated that he has arrived as a top-order batsman with his first century for the Club. His 114 provided the backbone to an impressive 233 for six and took his season's tally to 466 at 35 - a great effort. It is obvious we can build our future on the players coming out of Eddie's fantastic youth programme. Three players moved on to teams in higher divisions at the start of this season but they have been replaced by others - Josh S and Josh B, Will DT, Tom S and others can take on starring roles in the future.

Josh is a fearless opening batsman who is willing to take the attack to the bowlers. It has paid off with half-centuries against Long Melford and Bardwell and he quickly took the next step when he reached three figures at Dellwood Avenue. Having put on 53 with Josh B for the first wicket he shared further half-century stands with Matt and Adie to reach 193 for 3. 

It was a fitting demonstration of the state of the Club to be witnessed by former captain Justin. Returning for a short break from his home in the US he came in for a cameo red-inker innings (who taught him the value of not outs?) and then made sure Felixstowe did not challenge our total by taking four wickets. Jothi took three and the home innings ended on 188, Justin having the last word by bowling the final batsman.

Full scorecard

Report by Malcolm Grubb

Tickets are on sale now for the annual Club Dinner, to be held at the club on Saturday 29th September, from 7pm.

It's sure to be a fantastic night for everyone!

There is a two-course dinner, followed by our annual club awards for Men's and Ladies' teams, as well as a raffle.

Dress to impress!

Tickets are on sale now for the annual Club Dinner, to be held at the club on Friday 29th September, from 7pm.

It's sure to be a fantastic night for everyone!

There is a two-course dinner, followed by our annual club awards for Mens and Ladies teams, as well as a raffle and a live band after dinner.

Dress to impress!