Cricket Club Issue 42 | Page 54

bromham FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/CRICKETCLUBMAG Bromham CRICKET CLUB B romham CC has enjoyed a strong league campaign so far this time around and will be looking to build on this over the remainder of the season. We caught up with their Chairman Thomas Cardwell to gain an insight into what has been behind their success. Involvement He told us, “I first joined the club in 1999 at the tender age of 14. I joined because my older brother Ed had been playing there and naturally wanted to play cricket with him, added to which it avoided any parental favouritism disputes on who was watching who on a Saturday afternoon.” Challenges “I’d say the most challenging aspect of my role is trying to ensure we have a steady flow of new players coming through the door on a year on year basis without losing the club ethos we have. I couldn’t comment for bigger clubs, but as a small club which only post one side out on a Saturday afternoon and one midweek side, it’s hard to make sure we 54 Issue 42 always have the pool of players needed to ensure we can play at a competitive level. It’s inevitable your players and friends at the club move on to new lives in London, Dubai, Australia, have children, get married, new careers etc. so you can never account for the forthcoming season, and always have to be on the lookout for new players of all ages and abilities.” Rewards “The most rewarding aspect for me is seeing the guys turn up on a Saturday morning at the ground. It’s like they haven’t seen each other for years; a handshake, a hug, cup of tea and the odd bit of banter about what happened last Saturday night after the game, where did ‘you’ get too…? …and then playing cricket with honestly the best bunch of chaps you could ever meet in a lifetime, and all each applying ourselves for your best mate standing next to you in the field, making sure you dive and stop that piece of leather so your mate doesn’t have to run and fetch it instead, batting your heart out so that the bowlers are fresh as a daisy when they need to be, and the win, nothing tops that, the chat you have after the game, in the bar, hearing about some of the howlers people had and more so some of the great balls bowled, catches taken and runs scored, all of this then rolls into the evening and the rest inevitably becomes a blur… until the following week.” 2015 “This year, our aim is to win the Four Counties League Division 2 (FCCL), it’s a long shot but with a good wind and the right mentality behind us I have every confidence we can do it. I’m also in the process of organising another cricket tour, on the back of an extremely successful two week tour of Sri Lanka in November 2013, playing in Colombo, Seenigama and Kandy, the interest in the next one is sky high. I’m aiming to be flying us all out there again in December 2016, hoping all goes well and the lads give me their cash, we will be there.” Community “We are certainly a community club, we have in the past held a stall at the Bromham Village fate selling cakes Bromham Club Info - www.bromham.play-cricket.com