Welcome to the latest Nomads newsletter which can be found on the club website and through the Media channels. In this edition we hear from our Chairman Paul Hird, our four League Captains, the Junior Section and our Head Groundsman, Dan Birrell. There is also word from the Bar and Kitchen.

But First your Press Officer Opens the Door!

2022 was a funny old season to be a soppy Nomads cricket fan. There were some incredible highs but also times where, as a club, we were completely out of sorts. There were no less than two Saturdays where we experienced reverse clean sweeps and we ended with two sides in the relegation slots. Not something we are used to at the Spen Cama Memorial Ground. I am sure our Skippers will delve deeper into that in their reports.

Away from the SCMG it’s been an interesting year for four intrepid overseas Nomads explorers. In high summer our own Dan Birrell went on an African odyssey with his native Jersey seeking World Cup and T20 World Cup qualification. He visited Kampala, Windhoek and Harare in a trip of a lifetime. The T20 competition was a step to far but it can be reported their 50 Over World Cup bid is still flourishing after a huge campaign in Uganda. The squad will face the next part of their journey in 2023 which we will follow. You never know Jersey could end up in the World Cups finals in India November 2023.

Our Club Captain Navin Patel and Jaedyn Bartosh Short were picked for the England Indoor World Cup Team for Melbourne Australia in October. It was tough going for the English team as the hosts ran out ready winners. Our very own Dan Ibrahim has been very busy since the Sussex CCC close season. In September he got picked up by the Gwadar Sharks to play in the Pakistan T10 competition and then on 28^th November he flew to Abu Dhabi to join England Young Lions. His upward momentum is gathering pace!

It’s always an honour for me to pick my Press Officers Player of the Year award. There is a plate to be awarded which is currently at the engravers. Our Third Team under the effervescent Faisal Khan had the most perfect season when taking promotion from Division 7 back to Division 6. The team gelled extremely well both with bat, ball and in the field. With the squad taking 12 victories along the way its top order generally gave Faisal confidence in setting and chasing big totals. One batsman stood out with his 564 runs as the cornerstone of success. Form, which was constant all season, brought important late season victories at Felbridge and Doormansland. Not only dominating with the bat his 20 catches behind the stumps were hugely significant across the season. And of course, this player is highly regarded throughout our Club and he is always polite and cheerful, playing the game with a huge smile on his face!

The 2022 Press Officers Player of the Season Award. Michael English!

Talking of awards huge congratulations to Rosalind Eaton, our Juniors Secretary, who picked up the 2022 prestigious Chairmans Award which was presented at the Volunteers Nite. See more below.

It’s been a blast following you guys around the County and beyond this summer. We were very lucky with the weather I hope you will agree, hardly any of the wet stuff to contend with. For me the highlight, was watching James pick up the Sussex T20 Trophy at Hove on 4^th September. Jaedyn batted with distinction and Ravi took three for 22 as our Twos stormed to victory over a strong Middleton unit. There were a lot of us ‘in house’ which added to the drama and excitement.

Another awesome day came on 20^th August at sunny Felbridge where Faisal needed a big performance. English and the skipper got the day off to a flyer, but a mid-order wobble caused problems. Ziggy calmed any nerves with some big hitting as the score rose to 199 all out. In response the team fielded like demons with five great catches and expert bowling from the experienced Jamie Patrick won the day. A tremendous game of cricket where both teams gave it their all.

I want to put on record my huge congratulations to Faisal and his 3^rd Team squad for securing what was an exciting and close Promotion season. Faisal worked extremely hard to get his team ready and focused for Saturday games and was rewarded with 12 victories on route.

Junior Sussex Finals Nite, Blackstone. Friday 24^th June. Our U13s and U15s did the club proud as we took the old one two for the 2^nd season running. There were a huge number of Nomad supporters in house, and I am sure you all would have had a great time that evening.

I want to place on record my apology to Mal and our new Women’s Team who have been gracing the SCMG on Sunday afternoons. They have been a winning machine, totally enjoying their cricket with huge smiles. Unfortunately, I never managed to get out to any of their matches, so the girls were never featured on the Media channels. Let’s get that rectified in 2023!

On the flip side there were occasions where our performances were a little ‘vanilla’. Giving away our wickets cheaply, bowling offline and offering far too many extra’s. It all added up to a lot of losses in the book and frustrated Nomads on Saturday evenings. Cricket is all about doing the simple things right and consistently. Unfortunately, on occasions we fell short!

Going forward the Chairman has neatly summed up our position ‘ THE FUTURE OF PRESTON NOMADS CC IS IN YOUR HANDS!

Cobo PNCC Press Officer.

Chairman Paul Hird sends word.

Chairman’s waffle

Well, it is time to quietly to reflect on the season, the high’s there were many, the lows plenty and it is time to look at how we can improve and be better prepared for the 2023 season on all levels.

The covid years are now mostly behind us, but have left a legacy of lost loved ones, created mental anguish, changed working patterns and from a Club perspective a shortage of members willing to help and give of their time, the team of volunteers/junior managers/ captains/ coaches who do so much great work, know that there is lots more that can be done to help around the club. So please, for 2023 and beyond, think what you can do to help your club.

On the playing front, the Senior XI’s had mixed fortunes, much of this was to do with consistent availability over the season and mixed results because of this. Our 1^st XI, under new captain Nav Patel, finished mid table but made finals day in the T20 cup and missed out by 12 runs to a good Middleton team. Our Second XI finished up in the relegation spots in a strong division despite winning many games and losing a couple of low run chases which winning either would have saved them. The good news is that the promoted team do not have the facilities to play in the division and therefore we get a welcome reprieve. James Mckemey guided his side to finals day also and the team performed admirably against Middleton 2’s to lift the trophy. The 3^rd XI under the irrepressible Faisal Khan, had a very good season and gained promotion on the last match of the season, many congratulations to all of those who played during the season. Our 4^th XI stuck bravely to their task all season, helped by many of our Juniors who made their debuts this season in senior cricket. Stephen Oliver’s enthusiasm has kept everyone going and we hope that more father’s and sons will appear for the team in 2023.

The friendlies played by the Sunday XI and the Chairman’s XI were enjoyable days played in the right spirit and may just have tempted some dads to play some league cricket in the future.

Our Junior section, I can only heap high praise on, they are well managed, well trained and have a great team helping with all the administration off the field. Long may it continue, their achievements in every age group have been what the coaches would expect and more. Colin Bowman will expand on this success elsewhere in his report. It is great to see so many attend training sessions both at Nomads and in the winter indoor nets. I joined the team managers for a meeting followed by a curry night and the enthusiasm of all involved was there to see.

We shall be losing our Director of Junior Cricket, Nav Patel, who is stepping down after many successful seasons. We should give many thanks to Nav and congratulate him on a well-deserved promotion where he works. The Cricket committee will announce his replacement during the off season.

We have had a very successful first season with our Ladies team, who went the whole season unbeaten, under the guidance of Malorie Short. So well done to them, they are all true Nomads as their ability to celebrate their wins are becoming legendary. Please contact Mal if you are interested in joining the squad.

One of the areas for improvement is our playing facilities, Dan B has inherited two squares that had insufficient care and attention on them and his absence during the season hasn’t helped, but now after timely and extensive renovation work post-season we are able to provide higher quality wickets in 2023. With such high usage of both squares during the season (it is not often you see the Chairman up at the ground at 7am preparing wickets for an U13 game!) we shall commit to bring in further resources to maintain the quality and quantity of wickets that are required as well as an advisor to oversee the work. There is an area of this where we require volunteers/members to help set up the ground’s pre-match (covers and stumps etc). One area that has proved successful is the live streaming of games from Nomads during the season, we are working on being able to pick up sound from the game as well for 2023.

I would like to go on record to thank all the volunteers and Trustees for their hard work during the year, especially the bar team who worked tirelessly to make sure you got a warm welcome whenever there was a game on at the ground. Phil Brown and his team are excited for the new season and watch for news on a new wine they will be selling. We have also created a new social committee to organise more events at the ground, please support all of these initiatives.

I would like to thank all of our sponsors who have supported us this year, especially Chris Goodman at Focus Group and all of the Green family at Hayward and Green Aviation, their support has been immense with new covers ordered, extra coaching and coaches organised, and it has also enabled us to provide teas to our players and the opposition during the season. The upside of this is that we collected donations from our players and opponents for the chosen charity, Lymphoma Action.

The future of our club is in ours the Committee and your hands, we need to increase the number of Senior members that we can pick teams from and carry on encouraging the pathway for Juniors into Senior cricket. Our coaching set up is very experienced and committed to developing the skills of each and every one of you. Please play you part by working to get new members into our great club, at all ability levels, and learning to play the Nomads way.

Paul Hird

Chairman

November 2022

On that theme, we will be actively trying to encourage new members for the 2023 season and following is the type of ‘campaign’ we shall be using. Please get onboard ASAP and try to entice friends, family and colleagues to join the club.

Lets Build for the Future !

Come and Play for the Nomads.

Preston Nomads Cricket Club want to recruit new members for the 2023 season and beyond. Our Club have a rich history in Sussex sport both on and off the field. Our 1st Team were Sussex Premier Champions in 2021 and Sussex T20 Trophy winners in 2022. All four of our Senior teams play in the Sussex League while our Junior Cricketers continue being very competitive.

However, after recent retirements and moves we are now looking to rebuild our Membership numbers and take the next step in our illustrious history. If you are new to the game or looking for new challenges, please consider making the SCMG your new summer home.

We can offer a full range of Coaching both indoor and in our wonderful outdoor nets with training sessions twice a week. Our four teams are well organised with weekly Saturday league matches from early May till early September along with Cup opportunities and some Sunday friendlies. Our Facilities out at Fulking are second to none and our Teas are quite legendary. Plus, you won’t play cricket with a better view as we tucked underneath the gorgeous South Downs.

Come and be part of a new chapter in the Preston Nomads Cricket Club story.

Navin Patel. 1^st Team Skipper.

PRESTON NOMADS CC – 1^st XI CAPTAINCY

It was my absolute honour and privilege to have been announced as the Preston Nomads Cricket 1^st XI Captain for the 2022 season. This fantastic club has a proud and decorated history and so to have my name now etched as one of the Club’s leaders was truly humbling and very special.

PNCC has established itself as a vital part of my life. As with many First Class Cricketers in New Zealand, I jumped at the opportunity to play cricket all year round and so searched for a deal to sign to play cricket in the UK. Preston Nomads Cricket Club happened to be the Club where I was fortunate enough to sign as the Overseas Pro. Ever since arriving in Hove and immersing myself in the Nomads culture I haven’t looked back. I knew the friendships I’d formed and the memories made were going to be cherished and everlasting.

Throughout my time at Nomads I have played under two terrific Captains, Jez Green & Dan Phillips. I’ve learnt and banked plenty of different skills off both which I feel will stand me in good stead as I take the reins of the 1^st team for this coming season.

In 2021 we played some outstanding cricket which culminated us in winning the Sussex Premier League Title. The defence of this was something that myself and all the lads had as one of our objectives for the season but knew a lot of hard work was to be needed.

2022 overall was a tough season filled with many obstacles and various contributing factors that unfortunately meant the 1^st team wasn’t able to play consistent cricket and establish ourselves in the top pack of the league. A mid table finish ensued, however the positive that can be taken is that our second half of the league was much stronger and to the standards that we pride ourselves on.

Another objective for 2022 that I wanted was for our side to be playing at the Sussex T20 Cup finals day under lights at the Hove County Ground. I was extremely glad we achieved this and did battle with Middleton under lights in the Grand Final. We unfortunately weren’t able to get over the line and some hard lessons were learnt. In cricket a lot of things are out of our control and its up to us as players to make sure we execute our skills in all three departments (bat, ball and field) to the best of our abilities on a regular basis. I hope we all take this key learning into 2023.

As a 1^st Team we are role models and ambassadors to the rest of the Nomads family. It is a huge honour and so to be the team’s leader is even more special for me. I am grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait for next season to begin. 2023 will see change but hopefully a step in the right direction and a big, successful year for Preston Nomads CC.

Nav Patel

1^st XI CAPTAIN November 2022

James Mckemey Twos Skipper.

This was my 2nd year at the helm of the 2nd XI, and having suffered the ignominy of relegation in the first year, I was keen to right that wrong and rewin the promotion that my successor, the illustrious Ed Salkield had led us to in 2019. Alas, we weren’t to achieve this, actually we all but achieved the opposite. But the final league position was very much not the whole story, nor even reflective of the year.

The team would vary quite considerably throughout the year, with a fleet of experienced legends – Kashif Ibrahim, Stuart Faith, Jez Green, even the lesser spotted Wakeford – dipping in to furnish a side which more often relied on youth. In one game we fielded four U13s (Rudy Northcott, Stan Tucker, Adam Ibrahim and Charlie Davies) and two U15s (Arjun Kolani and regular Ziggy Anderson-Ager), losing by just 3 runs as we failed to overcome an inexplicably effective spell by a Seaford seamer and the umpiring in a low chase.

My team were, without exception(s that remain members of the club), a bunch of heroes. We did struggle for consistency in our bowling attack, despite some excellent performances, while the batting was generally better this year than last, with a few aberrations (Seaford and Rye at home). But the spirit we played in – we’re out there to have fun, competitive performances are more fun, the standard good enough to properly challenge now and then – made the whole year a joy for me as captain.

We started slowly in the league, a serious unit humbled by the less than intimidating Portslade side in the first game, then alternated between defeats and victories, briefly hit a rich seam of wins for a few weeks and ended in calamitous repeated defeats, interrupted by solidly thumping the promoted Crowhurst Park at home.

Ollie Gatting was our top run scorer, the brilliant leg spin of Baalaaj Khan took the most wickets, and while I don’t have space to name all the contributors (not cos I don’t love you Ziggy, Ravi, Baash, Borsoi, Stu, Jimmy etc etc!), I will name our most capped player – Adam Ibrahim. Picked early on as the only available specialist spinner, even if it felt a little soon for the diminutive 13 year old, it took about 3 games until he became a key part of our team. Adam took 19 (often eye-catching) poles with big turn and deception, and made memorable contributions with the bat, typically solid, but with a few outrageous ramp shots, one of which was against Rye’s overseas Carl Mumba, a 27 year old Zimbabwean Test seam bowler, during an unbroken stand of 80 with his dad Kash. At last, some cricketing talent in the Ibrahim family – I think it comes from Zuni’s side. (And thanks to her for monumental scoring efforts!)

We would end on 8 wins and finish 2nd bottom, by a solitary point, a farcical 124 points ahead of bottom (by comparison, we were 83 points off 1st place). Genuinely anyone could beat anyone (we beat winners Buxted Park at home, losing at theirs). Mercifully spared what would have felt an unjust relegation (we were in the running for promotion before the penultimate game) by a technicality, about which I have mixed feelings, but will take – we go again next year.

The cup competition was a different story. We were frankly dominant from winning on a stodgy wicket with a velcro outfield down in Lewes, through a 10 wicket win where we saw Plumpton declare on 30 odd, 9 down, to spare an inexperienced cricketer the intimidatory trauma of facing… [checks notes]… Ollie Gatting, and on, eventually, to a resolute thumping of Middleton’s 2nd XI at Hove.

From the cup run we have to highlight great contributions with the bat from Jiyah Raynor, sumptuous stroke play from Baalaaj Khan and a wonderful knock in the final from Jaedyn Bartosh-Short – a true, all-round hero. Whilst on the bowling side, Muadh Khan was genuinely devastating, in 18.4 overs of his around-the-wicket off-spin darts over the campaign he took 12 wickets at 5.08, going at just 3.27 an over. In a T20 campaign. Absurd.

For me the day at Hove was a highlight, not just of the season, but potentially more, as that evening I learned that, if all goes to plan, I may become a father next May. A spanner in the works for 2023, but Gatts has been briefed and, with the (current) blessing of the Mrs, we will seek to handle duties between us.

James December 2022

Faisal Khan 3^rd Team Skipper

2022 was one hell of a great season for the club and a special one for me to remember.

Being relegated twice in a row had given everyone hunger to improve and get back to where we belong.

As a team we all gelled together and worked as a unit, everyone played their hand and the teams promotion and had a combined contribution from everyone.

The experienced players showed their nerves of steel, the youngsters coming up showed that they are the real deal and of course the new comers were what the club and the 3rds needed.

We almost dominated through out the league campaign and the few games that we did lose were very very tight and would have gone our way if a few things were put straight.

I really hope when the team gets together in the 2023 campaign in div 6 we can get together as a unit again and work as one. Its amazing how energy brings positivity, positivity breeds success, and winners attract winners

Faisal December 2022

Stephen Oliver 4^th team reflections

When we gathered for the first game of the season at Colemans Hatch the 2021 season had been one of excitement (genuinely, ask the spectators!) and competitive results. And we started 2022 in the sunshine in the finest 4^th team tradition.

A team comprising at least 2 * U13 colts, 2 hockey friends and the hockey playing Mrs Barra Owen gathered at the ground. This is itself a feat, since the ground has no post code (so the opposition is told!) and is therefore virtually impossible to find. Our very own Mike Burney (who had attended lots of winter nets) then proceeded to open his seasons account with a straight 6 and never looked back scoring a personal 185 and propelling us to 310. Losing a couple of fielders to the evening hockey awards was simply par for the course and when the opposition were 203 for 5 the game was beginning to look a bit tense. But up stepped the colts. George took 3 wickets, Charlie took a blinding catch (although truth be told – the ball found him!) and we closed the game out with Hatch scoring 225 in total. The season had started as we had finished 2021.

The following week we had a low scoring and very tight game (less than 240 runs across both innings) with 7 LBW decisions – but still a good game and umpiring was to a high standard. But as we progressed through the season, the constant churn of players meant that we never quite had a steady nucleus to build consistent performance around.

Over the course of the season we introduced many more colts to senior cricket (and apologies if any have been missed) Sami, Zabi, Tate, Will, Ted, Luca, Jack W, Jack B, Arjun, Rupert, Will, Samuel, Rudy, Sam, Angus, and Stan. All of whom were able to contribute and gain valuable experience of how the game is different compared to age group T20 games. There is much talent in the junior game and it will be great when they are able to play for the senior teams on a regular basis.

The 4th team is great way to transition from age group T20 to developing a wider range and depth of skills. In particular the ability to adapt skills and change personal play to influence the game, because relative strength and speed are not enough.

Towards the later part of the season Arjan, Tate, Charlie and George became established members of the team. They have scored senior team 50’s and/or bowled successfully to take senior wickets. Our results did improve and as the colts contributed more we ended up 1 run short against St Matthias (cup finalists), 9 short against Copthorne and finally a victory against Streat.

My thanks to everyone who has supported during the year. Luke has a “black book” of considerable depth and on the days when Andy Garth can umpire (and play) it really helps relieve some of the pressure of working out how to deploy a team of youngsters (and oldsters) with variable knowledge of LBW rules. On the pitch, Jonah is great with his observations on fielders and fielding positions (and was sorely missed with his various concussions). Mal is a tremendous at being competitive and encouraging the youngsters to channel their energy. Along with Danny they fill the gaps and leave me to the coin flipping (and sometime shot hitting).

A final note of thanks to all who have helped with teas at Fulking. At 4^th team level, the cricket tea is an integral part of the game and its reappearance has been welcome by both the team and our opposition.

Stephen Oliver November 2022

Junior Cricket Report from Roslyn, Hue and Ralph

On behalf of the Junior Committee and all the age group managers we want to thank you for making 2022 another very successful and enjoyable cricket season at PNCC. This season the weather was definitely on the side of cricket, with very few matches being cancelled in stark contrast to 2021.

As has become a custom our junior teams continue to be successful which we hope bodes well for the future of cricket at Nomads.

It’s been great to see so many people at the Wednesday and Friday night training sessions, not just watching your children train but enjoying the bar and food. When the sun is shining its a wonderful place to be. All that hard work at training meant that we saw nearly 200 juniors participate in League, Cup and Festival matches, with many joining the adults in the senior teams. Also our emerging and successful Ladies team is providing an excellent platform for Nomads girls to progress onto.

So in the words of the managers this is what happened in junior cricket in 2022 at Nomads:-

U9s
A great season for our U9s, we’re a pretty young team, a mixture of U7/8/9s and a few U10s here and there, we’ve had our share of wins and losses but overall we’ve all had a fun time and played some great cricket.
David Dale

U10s
Onwards and upwards: the u10s had 26 players represent the club this season. In the Saturday league we won all but one match with some close games including a thrilling last ball victory against St Andrew’s. In the u11 Sussex Shield the boys had their first experience of “formal” hard ball cricket and performed creditably including a win against Seaford.
Adam Rowland and George Close-Brooks

U11s
An amazing season winning 9 out of 10 league matches, and only missing out on the festival final by half a point. Huge progress has been made, and if we can continue this, next season can be even better!
Ralph Scrase

U11 Girls.
A season that ended with only 1 defeat showed that the determination of all the players to improve during the summer would elicit positive results. Well done girls.
Simon Murie

U12s
Looking back at the season I am extremely proud of the dedication, commitment and aptitude the boy’s have expressed. Fielding two teams every week and finishing the league table in strong positions gives me enormous pride and confidence moving forward to next season. Thank you to all the coaching staff, scorers and dedicated support throughout the season.
Peter Forsythe

U13s
Incredible season for the U13’s 3 trophies won, the league the plate and the Sussex ECB cup. A lot of fun had .
Phil Standen

U13 Girls
We are fortunate to have a very talented group of U13 players who really enjoy their cricket at Nomads. The girls played 6, won 4 lost 2 (but conceded 3 due to availability). Finished 4th in the league. This group will move up to U15s and to adult cricket in 2023.
Rupert Corney

U14s
26 U14 players playing the beautiful game of cricket this year; we came second in the League and 9th in the Festival. 4 squad members represented Sussex, several knocking on the door! Year highlight was Rudy Northcott’s ton in the Festival.
Tom Hutchinson

U15s
Fantastic season the U15s winning the ECB T20 county cup – and very narrowly losing regional tie to the eventual winners Wimbledon – and winning the league with 2 games to spare.
Rob Kusel

U16s
Starting our truncated season after the end of GCSEs, we won the 3 games we played and finished the league in second place. Most games were conceding by the opposition. We had availability issues during the Festival and our team was predominately 15s and under We still managed to finish mid table.
Individual achievements of note were a century each in the festival for Archie Eaton and Fin Coburn, and 51 NO in 20 balls for Joe Musto in a league game at Scaynes Hill. Thanks to Rob K for his help throughout the season.
Julian Musto

U18s
With no U18 League we looked forward to regaining our 2020 Festival title. Unfortunately we didn’t manage that but we had some great performances and the team enjoyed their cricket. We’ll be back in 2023.
Kash Ibrahim

THE EVENTS:
As ever Nav’s cricket camps were very successful. We ran four this year starting in the Easter holidays. There were at least 30 children participating each day and during the first August camp we averaged 60 children a day. They came from all over and for some of them it was their first introduction to cricket. They all benefited from Nomads expert coaching led by Nav Patel and supported by Dan B from the First XI plus Mal Short and several of our U18s. The feedback was extremely positive and we aim to repeat those 4 camps in 2023, again starting in the Easter Holidays.

Both the Funday and the End of Season Celebration were well attended and enjoyed by all. The Funday raffle was again very popular and we had some brilliant prizes donated. Amongst the top prizes were a hand crafted bat and a complete bat refurbishment by our own Dan Birrel.

The proceeds from these events contribute to the upkeep and running costs of the club and its facilities. The new nets being a good example and something that all juniors benefited from this season.

PLAYING SHIRTS
This year all players received a playing shirt which is for the duration of two seasons reflecting the tenure of the new Club sponsor. For the 2023 season each player will receive a piece of training kit. This will be decided by the Board and communicated to you later in the year.

SECOND HAND KIT and EQUIPMENT:
We did try to run a ‘second hand shop’ this year, but the donations were sparse. We will try again next year, so please keep anything that your children have outgrown or no longer need that you can donate. Arrangements for dropping off etc will be communicated nearer the time.

SAFEGUARDING:
We appreciate everyone’s help on filing in the ‘in /out’ sheets at training. Although cumbersome it is required. A reminder that Andy Smith is the safeguarding lead, supported by Zuni Ibrahim.
A copy of the Junior Cricket Policy can be found on the club’s website.

THANK YOU:
As well as thanking you all for bringing your children to the club and for supporting them and to the parents who coach and manage teams, we’d like to thank Phil Brown and Maggie for managing the bar and Jan and Sam for Friday suppers.

A particular big thank you goes to Nav Patel for his excellent guidance and coaching of all the juniors from U8 to U18s over the last few years. Sadly Nav is stepping down as Director of Junior Cricket, but will remain Captain of the First XI and is still available for 1-1 coaching.

Our next communication will be early 2023 with the dates for the Winter nets, information re signing up, subs and the social events that we are planning.

As ever with a club like Nomads it is run by volunteers. If you can help in any way please contact the PNCC Chair, Paul Hird, paul-hird@outlook.com

With thanks,
The Junior Committee.
Huw Cahill, Rosalind Eaton, Ralph Scrase. September 2022

Volunteers Let Their Hair Down. 11^th November 2022

The Stonham Public House Porstlade made the perfect backdrop to the Nomads 2022 Volunteers bash. An informal event kicked off with drinks followed by a delicious and plentiful buffet then as you can imagine plenty more drinks late into the evening.

Chairman Paul Hird made a quick speech to thank the volunteers for their hard work and recognised that the club couldn’t run with out them. He then announced his Chairmans Club Person of the year awards. In 2021 I was the proud recipient (held the trophy for 20 secs, bless) and for 2022 our Juniors Secretary Rosalind Eaton. Huge congratulations and well done to Rosalind.

An excellent evening unfolded where it was fantastic to catch up with friends and get the latest gossip. Many thanks to organisers Paul and Andy Smith and staff at the Stonham for looking after us.

View from the Bar! Phil Brown

RECORD SALES AND PROFITS FOR THE NOMADS BAR AS THE SUN NEVER STOPED SHINNING!

Well, it certainly was a busy summer for the bar staff at Nomads as the never ending sun meant the fewest ever number of cancelled matches. The success of our various teams of all age groups including the emergence of our women’s and girls’ teams led to a record number of games across the entire season and we managed to cover virtually every planned event.

With so many games to cover it seemed as if there was an event almost every day but the rewards were high as the bar enjoyed record sales and profits.

Net sales £27395

Net Profit £15144

Net margin 55%

All of these profits which were achieved without any price increases are of course ploughed back into club funds, Fulking is obviously very expensive to maintain in the manner we have all become accustomed.

My thanks to Jan for supplying copious quantities of bar food during the season which has again improved the match day offering and her sausage rolls have now reached legendary status with both players and spectators.

We have already invested in a new wine chiller for next season which will be used to store our brand new TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE Preston Nomads white wine which is an amazing wine produced by Court Garden Ditching and we could possibly be the only cricket club in the country selling it’s own wine with it’s own exclusive label. For those that take an interest in these things the wine is a delicious blend of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Ortega and following summer ripening the Chardonnay was barrel fermented in French oak adding a delicate hint of vanilla brilliant for summer evenings at Nomads.

Another significant winter development is the setting up of a social committee under the stewardship of Rosalind who will plan and coordinate the major social events of the year with the first event of the new season being a curry and quiz night more details will follow after Xmas.

Finally, my sincere thanks to Maggie I really couldn’t do it all without her unstinting support and to Martyn who keeps all our financial bits and pieces in the right places.

Phil Brown November 22

SCMG Kitchen. The heartbeat on Match Days.

Jan sends word

Teas in 2022 started off as they ended in the previous year, with players being asked to bring their own tea. The generosity of Jeremy Green and his family company reinstated the teas early in the season and with the wonderful summer we had, teas were provided at all games and were I think welcomed back by both home and away sides.

I was unable to cater for all the games due to previously booked events, but thanks to many volunteers stepping forward to help there was no break in the tea service. So, I would like to thank everyone who helped out-

Cassie & Maddie

Janis Green

Tracy

Steve & Joy

Ifrah

Ishrat

Jan & Colin

Rob Willsdon

Ros

The sponsorship of the teas also resulted in over £2k being raised from players’ tea donations for a charity close to the Green Family’s heart,raising money for research into lymphoma, a condition currently Simon Green is being treated for.

As yet I have no news regarding what will happen in 2023. The Sussex League have yet to decide so watch this space!

Bar food and Friday Night food will continue next year, and I thank everyone who has supported by purchasing my food at the bar and on Fridays.

Jan Smith October 2022

Dan, Our Man in the Middle.

After an extremely long and harsh summer of over 100 games of cricket, starting the earliest we have ever started a season and that being the joint hottest summer on record, the ground was well and truly put through its paces. To get this amount of cricket on at the ground would simply have not been possible without the help from Dan Phillips, Paul Hird, Nathan Poole, Paul Davies and GCB to name a few, without their help this season would have been quite simply a disaster and I can’t thank you all and everyone else who lent a hand while I was away. That being said this is a massive reminder that the club is simply nothing without the members and we all get by with a little help from our friends and this is something I will be pushing extremely hard in the 2023 summer, so if you have any free time or can help in anyway, please do so!

The ground is recovering extremely well with renovations being done nice and early in order to give us the biggest head start possible to allow us to get Fulking looking as good as the Brian days. With the addition of some fresh faces and a few more helping hands, I can’t wait to welcome you all back to Preston Nomads Cricket Club in 2023.

Dan December 2022

2023 Dates for your Diary Tony Doctors

League season starts on 6 May and ends on 2 September 2023

All teams have been entered into Sussex League T20 competition.

We have entered Royal London club competition.

Vice-presidents’ day is on Wednesday August 2 2023 when the opposition will be the MCC.

Likely start of season will be Saturday April 16 2023.

To sum up 2022 Preston Nomads CC shared a whole myriad of wonderful moments both on and off the pitch. There were some incredible highs through out a very dry summer which meant that virtually every game went ahead unimpeded. However, on reading through this newsletter you will note that there is a continuing thread of us all needing to do things better. As editor of this Newsletter, I wish all connections a very Happy Christmas and hope you enjoy the festive holidays. But season 2023 will be on us in a thrice and as our Chairman points out its time to look how we can improve and be better prepared for the 2023 season on all levels. For me that extends to attracting new membership, getting the SCMG picture perfect and for all players to play with pride for the Nomads Badge. I want to watch Nomad cricket teams who are very hard to beat where the W column far outweighs the L column.

The hard work starts now but together we can turn 2023 into something very special!

COBO Nomads Press Officer.