We refurbished the pavilion, put beer on draught, finished the year in the black and still found time to play rather a lot of cricket. Perhaps, as you will read below, slightly too much cricket for some, which is a sentence I never thought a cricket club chairman would write.

None of what follows is about me. Everything the committee does is done for the club, and for everyone who sails in her: our players, parents, volunteers, sponsors and Vice-Presidents, and everyone who simply loves a Saturday on the Green.

Club thank yous

Thank you to our long-term sponsors, Gullands Solicitors, Ferris & Co Estate Agents and Tallulah Creative, and a warm welcome to Nightingale Bathrooms and Hawkstone Brewery, who joined us this year. Thanks too to TCC for their support with kit, to Bearsted Fayre for their donation towards the pavilion, and to Kent Cricket for backing our pavilion grant. We remain very grateful to Bearsted Parish Council for their continued support of cricket on the Green.

Thank you to our President, Steve Pearce, who stepped in as acting Hon. Secretary in the summer while also captaining the 2nd XI, and to the committee: Tim Lush, Simon Barker, Alex Lush, Frankie Di Palma, James West, Dave Shutt and Will Terry.

We were also very sorry to learn recently of the passing of Rod Hewson, a former player, member and Vice-President of the club. Our thoughts are with his family.

On the field

Our 1st XI, playing in Division 1 of the Kent County Village League, finished third, just 13 points off the top, having stayed in the title race until a rain-off at the wrong moment. Last year it was one point; this year it was the weather. I fully expect 2027 to find a new and creative way to keep us on our toes.

The 2nd XI, under Steve, had a rollercoaster season in Division 4, a division that played like football’s Championship. At one point they were looking over their shoulders at relegation, at another they were eyeing the top two, and they held their nerve to finish third.

The 3rd XI were promoted from Division 8 to Division 7, while doing what they do best: bringing our young players into senior cricket alongside some wonderfully patient experienced heads. A huge thank you to captain Dan Skinner, who is stepping down, and to his vice-captain Jamie Baker.

Our Sunday XI, captained by Alex Lush with some “flexible” help from James West, Jamie Baker and, on occasion, Simon Barker, finished mid-table and enjoyed a run in the National Village Cup. Some weeks the most closely fought contest was working out who was actually skipper, but the players kept turning out, and that is what counts.

And then the 4th XI. This year James Tank ran a regular Saturday friendly side, and for 2027 the league has accepted a Bearsted 4th XI into Division 8, filling it to capacity. Who says village cricket is not in good health?

Thank you to our umpires, Jerry Shepherd and Ian Sayer, who stood week in, week out, and to Jac Wood, who has scored for several of our teams and wants to become our regular home scorer. We will be backing him with better kit to do it.

Juniors

Led by Alex Lush, our junior section now has around 120 players from U7s to U17s, with nearly 50 minis on a Sunday morning. Our U15s, most of them still U14-age, were runners-up in the pre-season indoor league, the Medway League and the Weald of Kent Cup, and third in the Weald of Kent League. And more and more of our youngsters are walking out in senior league cricket, and holding their own.

We also learned a lesson: some of our juniors were playing three or four games a week, which left too little time for training. So for 2027 we are simplifying, with most age groups in the Medway League, more focus on coaching, and more qualified coaches. A special thank you to Tim and Hayley Croom, who built our minis section into the thriving front door of the club that it is today.

Women’s and girls’ cricket

Under Frankie Di Palma, with Hayley Croom leading our softball, our women’s and girls’ cricket has taken important steps: a block of specialist coaching, hosting the Invicta Girls at Hollingbourne, and a community day in June. The club will continue to fund Friday coaching for our ladies’ hardball, with an ambition of around 30 women and girls playing across hardball and softball. We really want a girl who turns up at seven to still be playing for Bearsted at seventeen, and at thirty-seven.

Off the field

I have long harboured three hopes for this club: a pavilion we are proud of, a proper bar, and training facilities that let us compete with the bigger clubs around us. Two of the three are now well on their way.

Simon Barker led the refurbishment of the pavilion on the Green, with a new kitchen and electrics, and with help from a Kent Cricket grant it is now a space we can use all year round. Our opening estimate aged about as well as a September weather forecast, but the result speaks for itself. Simon has also kept both grounds among the best places to play cricket in Kent.

In partnership with Hawkstone Brewery we now have lager and cider on draught. The lager made its debut at our charity game in August and promptly sold out, which I am told is the brewery’s favourite kind of problem. We are working towards a club premises licence, and from April 2027 we are proposing an annual social membership, so that partners, friends and supporters can enjoy the pavilion all year round. Our monthly winter social nights are already under way, and our Club Weekend in September was another cracker.

We have also been streaming more of our cricket than ever. Simon has transformed the signal at Hollingbourne, which leaves just one technical challenge up there: our 3rd and 4th XIs, with youngsters not quite brave enough to touch the kit and experienced campaigners whose last camera was a Box Brownie. Laminated instructions are on their way. At Hollingbourne, we are also in the process of securing the land we use as our car park, protecting the ground and its parking for the long term.

The third hope, better training facilities, is still a work in progress. Our conversations with VIAT about indoor facilities have moved more slowly than we would have liked, so we are lining up other venues for this winter while keeping that door very much open.

The bigger picture

Thanks to our Treasurer, Tim Lush, I am delighted to report that the club finished the year in the black for the first time in a very long time, even after investing in a fully costed feasibility study for a new pavilion on the Green, and with every penny going back into the club. Thank you also to our auditor, Peter Judges.

That study told us a new pavilion would be a significant six-figure investment, which is beyond us for now, and is exactly why we spent this year making the pavilion we have a far better place to be. But the ambition is very much alive. It will take planning, fundraising, benefactor support and plenty of conversations with the Parish Council and our neighbours, and I would love the next two or three years to be when we start making it real. If you, or someone you know, would like to be part of that conversation, I would love to hear from you.

Looking ahead to 2027

Next year brings a 4th XI in league cricket, a clearer junior pathway, a growing women’s and girls’ section, and some exciting improvements to our facilities. Look out too for our Club Awards Night in the new year, where we will be introducing something new to recognise our longest-serving members. And if you would like to get more involved, in any way, please talk to any of the committee.

Personal thank you

This is my tenth year as your Chairman, which I am told makes me practically part of the furniture, though thankfully not the pavilion furniture we have just replaced. I am every bit as excited about what we can achieve together as I was when I took on the role in 2017. Thank you to every member, parent, player, sponsor, volunteer and Vice-President for making Bearsted Cricket Club what it is.

David
Hon. Chairman