Cricket Club Issue 49 | Page 35

Outwood Outwood CRICKET CLUB A HIDDEN GEM IN THE SURREY COUNTRYSIDE Outwood Cricket Club is truly a hidden gem. Based in the village of Outwood on the border of Surrey and Kent we play our games on beautiful National Trust land surrounded by mature oak woodland. We have a modern pavilion and practice facilities and attract players not only from the village of Outwood itself but also from the surrounding area and South London. We run teams for all ages and abilities including two men’s Saturday league teams, two men’s Sunday friendlies teams, a women’s team playing league and friendly fixtures, a mid-week T20 team, an U21 team, and a host of junior teams, as well as men’s and women’s winter indoor league teams. By any measure, 2018 was a hugely successful season for the Club. Success on the field was led by the Men’s Saturday league teams, both of whom gained promotion as champions of their respective Kent County Village League (KCVL) Divisions. In 2019, the teams will play in KCVL Divisions 1 and 6 and judging from the enthusiasm displayed at winter nets both teams are well placed for the season ahead, with consolidation of the teams in their respective divisions being the minimum objective. The new Surrey Slam T20 tournament proved to be a hugely exciting and popular competition, with the “Outwood Outlaws” winning their round-robin league group and the South-East Surrey regional final. At the All-Surrey final the Outlaws only lost to the eventual winners, Spencer, a club more than ten times the size of Outwood CC. The competition also caught the imagination of the wider club, with home and even away matches attracting large numbers of Outwood spectators. Not only were the crowds entertained with exciting cricket, with many last over finishes, but the players and club embraced the full T20 experience with coloured clothing, painted stumps, Zing light- up bails, music, the BBQ fired up and the bar open late into the evening. Key to the success of the league and T20 teams has been the club’s long-term policy of youth www.sportip.biz 35