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Chester le Street FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/CRICKETCLUBMAG Chester le Street CRICKET CLUB Chester-le-Street CC is a terrific example of a progressive, forward thinking and modern club that is successful both on and off the field. Cricket Club Magazine caught up with their President, Martin Taylor, to find out more about the good work the club has been doing. Involvement He told us, “My parents live near to the ground so I grew up being there pretty much every day, practising from seven or eight years old. I played through the junior sides, progressing into the senior set up before moving to London in 2002 which was when I finished playing. I continued to be involved with the club, helping them wherever possible and was asked to be President in 2011. I’m proud to hold that title and it is great to be able to put back into a club that has given me so much.” About the Club “Since the club went into the Premier League it has grown from strength to strength. We have teams on Saturday as well as mid-week and social sides. We’ve had to move with the times and bring people in to develop as a business. 8 Issue 51 Our turnover has increased significantly and is a position where it can continue to grow. The financial climate is difficult but Chester-le-Street has managed to keep people coming here on a regular basis.” Present “Ten years ago the challenges for us were the fact that we were competing against a lot of pubs and clubs in the area for revenue but many of them have closed now and we’ve been able to rise above that. We’ve had to move with the times and make some difficult decisions such as moving away from a non- members club which was met with some resistance. A lot of the people that came in socially at that point are now members and the decision brought people through the door. This is very much a community club and that has been a key part of our success.”