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

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!

Thanks for your help, Eddie. We were one short until Eddie volunteered to join our ranks, making it three fathers and sons in the line-up at Nacton. We batted first but Mark was late because he had detoured to Kesgrave (why?) and so the two Nicks opened. Nick S enjoyed the opening over which saw 12 runs on the board. But with a very strong cross wind it was not easy and the home team hung onto a series of good catches. At 39 for five we were struggling, and 51 for six was not a lot better. Geoff HC struck three legside boundaries but it was still only 94 when the ninth wicket fell. Enter Eddie to add six overs and 11 runs to the innings for a Jack Leach-type innings of 0. Seth scored 16 not out to take our total into three figures, and 105 gave us something to defend.

Despite a good opening spell from Seth it took Conor to make the breakthrough with a good catch by Rupert. Mark hit the stumps to make it 53 for two but it started to rain and soon it was sweeping across the ground. We carried on but conditions were worsening. Conor had one for two from four overs, but was finding it hard to hold the slippery wet ball and ended with one for 10 from six - a great spell. Ethan also picked up a wicket and it was good to see the two young spinners working in tandem.

After 24 overs common sense prevailed and the match was called off with Nacton 90 for four. Well done to all for sticking it out for 20 minutes in very wet conditions - and thanks to Nacton captain Billy and his team for accepting the abandonment with grace.

Plus signs despite heavy defeat.

It was hard work and in the final analysis we were well beaten, but there were a number of positives.

First the negatives: Losing the toss on one of the hottest days of the year with a noon start and then having to field for 40 overs in very high temperatures against strong opponents.

Now the positives: The whole team stuck to the task, never gave up and produced some good cricket at times.

The Kesgrave openers came out swinging, but they both took one chance too many against Prasanna who claimed both wickets, one thanks to a solid catch by Nick B. Opposing captain Ryan batted sensible, conserving his energy with a series of boundaries. Ethan bowled tidily and Richard slowed things down in the middle, both claiming a wicket - a return catch well claimed and a safe catch by Conor. Fynn claimed Ryan's wicket nine short of his century thanks to a fine catch in the deep by Mark. However, the runs kept flowing and a daunting total of 252 was posted at the end of the innings.

The reply was twice derailed by run outs, both with direct hits from distance which was unfortunate. Deane hit three fours and then a six and out, while last man Fynn struck three fine boundaries before being well caught trying to hit a fourth.

It was not an easy afternoon but the attitude shown was first class and there were sun-burnt but smiling faces at the end.

An enjoyable trip to the seaside.

We had a very enjoyable afternoon at Felixstowe. The home team were good hosts, everybody had a chance to bat or bowl and there were a few very good performances.

After the two Nicks had given us a steady start - at least it was a big improvement on the previous week - Ethan looked good in partnership with Richard. The Captain helped take the score to 124 for five and then shared a 60-run partnership with Deane who had another of his disputed LBWs - the ball may have gone under the wickets as it lodged between his pads six inches in front of the stumps. The real revelation was when Alex arrived and started stroking boundaries on both sides of the wicket. At 184 for seven Malcolm retired when he reached his 50 and there was time for Alex to get within one hit of his half-century when he was caught behind. Seth hit a couple of fours when batting with his dad, Geoff, and a final score of 209 for seven off 35 overs looked very competitive.

Seth and Alex opened steadily with Seth taking a deserved wicket in his sixth and final over. Conor and Ethan bowled well together, with Ethan taking the second wicket. Conor might have had a third but Deane spilled the catch. Ben Read, who had deserved his two wickets earlier, went on to hit two sixes and eight fours in his 53. When he missed a straight one the reply slipped to 149 for seven by the close, with Richard and Nick B both picked up their first wickets for the team and Deane making up for his earlier miss with a fine tumbling catch at mid-off.

The match was played in a very good spirit and we look forward to next week. Eight players are already selected.

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.