Banbury Cricket Club and Banbury Twenty Cricket Club are
pleased to announce the amalgamation of their cricket playing interests. The union, effective immediately, was made
after votes from the membership of each club at their respective AGMs. The move
has been made in order to provide the best possible standard of cricket within
the town.
The amalgamated clubs will play under the name Banbury
Cricket but the cricket grounds at White Post Road, Bodicote and Ermont Way,
Grimsbury will continue to operate under their original management with the
existing contacts to be used for facility hire.
The Club will field sides in the Home Counties Premier
League and Divisions 1, 3, 5 and 7 of the Cherwell League. White Post Road will
host the new club’s 1st and 2nd XI while the 3rd
and 4th XIs will play at the XX Club ground at Ermont Way. The New 5th
XI will play at the Sports Ground, Horton View. The youth, ladies and social sections will
operate from both main grounds. The new club is confident that this move will
provide residents of the town with increased access to recreational cricket.
Martin Phillips and Brian Griffiths will act as joint
Chairmen of the newly formed Banbury Cricket Club and Ian Hawtin will continue
in his role as 1st XI captain for the 2012 season. Phillips said:
“The main reason for the amalgamation is to ensure that good
club cricket is available in Banbury for years to come. The two clubs have
produced great cricketers over the years, from Brian Jefferies to Keith Arnold
to Robert Cunliffe to Luke Ryan. Protecting both clubs’ proud histories is
important, but more so is ensuring that Banbury’s stars of the future have as
good, if not better opportunities than those who have gone before them.”
While Griffiths commented:
“The idea of an amalgamation was raised by our committee at
the end of the 2011 season. We have been delighted with the reception the idea
has received from the membership of both clubs. Everyone has been focusing on the
many positives ahead and we are excited at the standard and variety of cricket
we will see at both grounds in 2012.”
The first activity of the new club is the start of men’s
winter training on Sunday 29th January, 7pm at BGN School. All club
members are welcome.
You can see members of the new committee larking about at Ermont Way in the Gallery section of the website.