In 2011 LBCC fulfilled 93 fixtures, winning 26 and drawing 7, with 1 tie. At face value these figures provide us with our primary playing challenge for the coming season, and I have no doubt that the upcoming winter nets will be extremely well-attended by athletes honing their talents and skills to razor sharpness!! LBCC scored a total of 13,813 runs and took 638 wickets. Mark Lambourne lead the way with a remarkable 1626 runs, in the process passing 10,000 runs for the club; my belief is that no-one has done this younger. At the other end of the career ladder, Graham Smart became the first player to pass 19,000 runs, for which hugest congratulations, and I hope very much to be able to present him with a landmark award for 20,000 career runs in 2 or 3 year’s time. 11 other batsmen passed 400 runs, with 11 centuries and 54 half-centuries being notched up. Chris Hollands led the bowling with 63 wickets, in the process passing 600 wickets, and at this rate he should become the next player to join the highly elite band of those to have taken 1000. 11 other bowlers took over 20 wickets, and there were 11 4-wicket-plus spells. This clearly shows that the club possesses plenty of talent, and we should all look forward to translating this into a higher win ratio next season.

2011 saw perhaps the most significant event since the club first fielded a 2^nd XI in 1967, this being the first ever representative junior team, who played 6 games during the first half of the season, notching up two fantastic victories away to Kemsing and Shoreham. This represents the culmination of several winters of intense practice, and the club owes a huge debt of thanks to Andrew Mew, our KCC coach, who will be working with us again in 2012. With Russ Snashall taking on the role of Junior Officer, we are looking forward to developing a strong group to support him, as our primary aim is to run two sides by splitting the squad into junior and senior age-groups. Many thanks to all those of you who have already volunteered to work with Russ to ensure that this initiative grows and gains further momentum. The group has developed close bonds of friendship, and it was a huge delight when we held our first Junior Club Dinner at Frankie & Benny’s in Farnborough, with 54 players, parents and siblings attending. I’m not sure the restaurant quite knew what hit them!! A further and equally crucial development was that 4 of our oldest juniors all made their debuts for the senior teams, and it is to be hoped that in the coming years this progression will become a natural and expected aspect of club life, giving new juniors a clear aspiration for their playing future, and strengthening the adult sides with a regular flow of talented young athletes challenging the established pros for places in the team.

Moving on to the Senior Club Dinner at the end of November, a record 65 members and guests convened at High Elms, where once again our friends at the club provided wonderful hospitality. Geraint Jones, former ashes-winning England & Kent wicket-keeper/batsman was superb, sharing many interesting and often humorous anecdotes, providing some fascinating insights into the professional game, and at the same time inspiring us that at our own level, we too can and should aspire to great achievement on and off the field.  It is a huge testament to the Club that, for the 4^th year running, we have attracted the company of a senior professional, and we hope very much to continue this in 2012. It was also a wonderful moment to see junior captain Thomas Custis receive his Junior Player of the Year award from Geraint, and I hope some of Thomas’s superb playing ability will have rubbed off on Mr. Jones! 

After serving as Chairman since November 2004, Gordon Snashall has stepped down to concentrate on the role of Community Officer, working with Bromley Council to secure the Club’s future through a new lease agreement. It is impossible to thank Gordon highly enough for all he has achieved in the last 7 years in pushing forward the Club’s intentions and wellbeing in so many areas, and along with the hard work of a succession of excellent committee colleagues in all posts, he has passed the club on to a new committee in great health. That committee is possibly among the youngest the club has had, and I am greatly anticipating working with these fine gents for the furtherance of our core aims.

The final highlight of 2011 is that Charlie Buck has passed his driving test, and will therefore join the ranks of those who over the years have ferried players all over Kent! Congratulations Charlie! I’m sure we all look forward to seeing where you fit on the “Glenn P Snashall” scale of ability to find your way on time to obscure away grounds... 

...Which allows me to move smoothly into the year ahead. We face a fantastic and exciting new challenge in the Kent Village League, which will enable us to renew playing associations against some old and familiar sparring partners, while also encountering a number of new teams at what we hope will be delightful village surroundings. Our weekend captaincy team now comprises two captains and 3-out-of-4 vice captains under/around the age of 30, which bodes well for the future, and is probably unprecedented in the club’s history. I have no doubt that all playing members will gladly and enthusiastically support them in ensuring the playing experience enjoyed by all is of the highest quality, and while I may return to this theme in greater detail closer to the start of the season, I would encourage ALL playing members that their primary responsibility in serving the club is to make themselves available to play as often as they possibly can, and once committed to playing, to do so except in the rare but inevitable event that circumstances change.

The committee has already set a target to run 5 sides a weekend during 2013, an ambition which would become increasingly achievable if every member could play an extra couple of games. In recent meetings, Gordon mentioned frequently how we should all be “talking the club up”, correctly identifying that we can all contribute to recruitment. To that end, you will all soon be receiving a copy of our 2012 recruitment flier, and I hope you will actively seek out recipients among your friends, colleagues, neighbours, local community, neighbourhood dog-walking groups, etc and so on. Players of all ages are welcome to apply.

Looking at the wider life of the club, we will be making greater use of sub-committees targeted to manage a specific area of activity. In particular, a huge focus on expanding our junior section will take place, centred on a full programme of winter and summer training sessions, with potentially 15 to 20 representative matches. This will provide numerous opportunities for members to lend a hand, and whether you offer to take on the management of an entire team, or to help run a single coaching session, your willingness to contribute will be gratefully accepted. As the range of targets becomes clearer, the committee will be delighted to welcome contributions and suggestions from all, and please don’t feel that any idea is too radical or trivial to raise. An early example has come from Dick Madgwick, for a “bring-and-buy” bookshelf in the pavilion as a way of raising funds for the club; a simple but superb idea, and hopefully the first of many which will enhance the LBCC experience in ways great and small. We plan to continue with the range of “sponsorship” ideas begun last year, and should anyone spot an opportunity to add to our fund-raising efforts, please let us know straight away.

Finally, may I thank you for accepting me as your Chair, and affirm my intention to serve the needs of the club to the best of my abilities.

Yours Sincerely,



Stuart