This term started with lots of questions and not a lot of answers. Which form would Dan take as President; chair throwing Dan or Instagram Dan? Would Akuma kit be any good? Would this year’s fresh be able to match the quality and quantity of the current finalists in first year? How would the club survive without Long Jon? And finally, would anyone be able to displace Toastie as ‘Quickest Wacker’?
Term 1 has answered lots of these questions and by most accounts has been a resounding success. With 156 members part of the club and with every circle having more than 40 Seshmen present, this term has been a great one. More training sessions have been added, both to accommodate the number of people that want to play cricket on campus and to try and support the performance end of our club as we look to solidify our place in Midlands 1A in the summer. Aside from the cricket, the charity side of the club has built on the firm foundations laid by Ferdi and the termly chicken-wing sesh has become a fixture in all our calendars.
This year started well with Sports Fair; I hit my head and an ambulance had to be called, but the rest of the exec carried on and the fresh just didn’t stop coming. A great group of Fresh have joined the club this year, both first years and quite a few second years who heard the rumours about cricket in their first year but now want to try it all out. The club’s Cov Indoor team is in a year of development, with new captain Jonathan learning the ropes and once he dropped Rory, results started to improve. Not quite on the road to Edgbaston this term, but next term we will be stronger and I’m sure the team will do better. Club meal was a spectacle; big turnout, great curry house and naïve Fresh aplenty. Rumours of reduced looseness were circulating until one brave spider said, ‘The table isn’t that bad boys, I’m fine’. And so Amogh was reborn that night at Warwickshire A&E and became Aragog. Other key moments of the term include the club securing sponsorship for the year from Luvbug and Teamo, and Aqueesh leading the football team in some enjoyable matches once we could get enough people. On that, if you are interested in playing a bit of football whilst part of the Cricket club please join this group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/500137710379261/.
Joe has had a great term. Mupdates regularly out before Friday, Cricket Ball was a great success, and he can even add diplomacy skills to his CV after managing to get the club out of a number of SU threats relating to various sightings of Chunder Dragons throughout CR2. It all started with a rammed T-bar at the start of term. We were waiting for a few fresh to arrive ready to buy the odd pint here or there but within 10 minutes T-bar was full and no-one could move, something we loved to see. Joe has pulled off some great events this year with Bowling, a mixed Skool Days circle and a joint trip to Kasbah with Ladies Hockey being some of the great successes, building on the inter-club relations Toastie et al. started last year. I hope you all agree with me that Cricket Ball was a great success despite the fact Clive and Monty were about as funny as Northern Jono and Rooty doing a stand-up act, and Monty was less informative about his playing days than Wikipedia. They are two Mugs that deserve to stay in the cupboard. It was great to see so many people there and catch up with the Old Boys. Jonny’s drunkenness and Stilo’s award ceremony were particular highlights.
I know for many of you it often slips your mind that we do play cricket as part of the club, but I suppose I better mention it. This year we decided to make Friendlies captain an Exec position with Sean taking on the role and excelling. Over 40 friendlies players turned up to the first few Friday sessions of term and this has led us to booking a second session on a Monday next term as we want you all to keep coming. Squads training has started off well with Louie taking on more sessions and coaching as well. The BUCS Indoor team, led by Mihir won 4/7 this term, not progressing to the next round but putting in some great displays (did Oli Warwick ever get out?), with many of the team playing the format for the first time. This year we have started early and are trying to work with Warwick Sport to help achieve our performance goals and get the club to be a performance sport club for next year. This has resulted in a professional run S&C session being set for next term, so I hope the potential 1st XI members out there don’t let themselves waste away too much over Christmas. Especially you Kieran. This will not only benefit the top levels of the club, but extra facilities and funding will allow us to help all aspects of the club. This year we will be taking part in a reformed Varsity weekend (21st to 23rd of February), hopefully playing our match vs Coventry in Desso Hall. This will be a great event for all to watch from the balcony in Desso as we bring home the points for Team Warwick.
One particularly ugly clubman has really had a stormer this term. I can safely safe that Nick Lawson should be one proud man. £2,439 pounds were raised during Movember, smashing all previous records and making us the 8th largest sports club in terms of donations in the entire country! Although the hair was at times putrid, it was all for a great cause and was a great effort. However, this was only the start. Tom also organised the club’s first 24 hour 1-hand, 1-bounce game in the piazza in support of MIND. We raised over £500 for the cause with many clubmen coming out at all hours to watch Mezza bat whilst watching the first Ashes test in absurdly low temperatures. A great performance in this year’s ‘Let’s Dance for CMD’ event led us to a 2nd place, sadly not achieving the triple, but who knows what might have happened if 1st team captain Mihir hadn’t messed up. We have sent him on a week-long course to India over the break, so he can perfect his moves to Jai-ho in time for next year. A big thanks to Tom for organising all charity events this term and thanks to everyone that has taken part or supported them. Get involved with the events Tom has planned for next term too as they really are worthwhile to be a part of. This includes the restarting of the club’s great ‘Coaching in Schools’ initiative which will involve some members of the club coaching an after-school cricket club in the local area once a week.
One of our major charity events for next term is the Warwick Half-Marathon on the 4th of March (Sunday Week 8). I will be aiming to break the recent trend of the President finishing last but would like to see as many of the club running it as possible and joining all the exec on the day. Squads members especially, there is no reason not to, it’s for a great cause and will be a great personal achievement once finished. Excuses can be delivered to me as a hand-written letter accompanied by a purple.
This term has also seen us supporting the development of a Women’s Cricket team at Warwick. It is something that should be a part of the sports scene at Warwick university and we hope it will become a stand-alone club in term 3 of this year. We have worked with Sophia, Amelia, Hetty and others to raise awareness of the sport for women at Warwick, even holding a Women’s Indoor tournament in Week 1 next term. They have a weekly Women’s only net on a Monday, and one net on Friday with the friendlies. They have played competitive matches this term in the Cov Indoor league and through Club development funding are on the path to becoming a full club this year.
Next term I am sure will be just as good. From a cricketing side there will be cricket sessions running every day of the week in some form except a Saturday, so please check the website and Teamo for all information on this. The new Akuma Stash will be here (we hope) for the start of term and I hope all you fresh continue to be a great part of the club whilst wearing the kit. Looking ahead to International Tour, Roche is working to make sure it is a great success with kit being sorted over Christmas and plenty of Tour socials in the works for next term. We smashed the 50 man circle this term, can we get it to a 60 one next term? We also hope to have a few Old Boys events in the coming terms, with a Ryder Cup planned in Term 2 and a historic Alumni celebration in the works for Term 3. The Historic Alumni celebration will hopefully have clubmen from all the decades of our existence in attendance. UWMCC recently passed it’s 50th Anniversary and we hope to mark this with a big event after exams in Term 3. If anyone who reads this knows any UWMCC Old Boys, however old, please can you get in contact with them or pass their details onto myself or Henry Bowen so that we can try and get as many there as possible as we hope it will be a great event.
I hope all of you have enjoyed this term as part of UWMCC, I’m sure many darbs have grown and many ties have been stained purple for life, as they should be. Have a great break and see you all in the New Year for another term of cricket both in and out of the nets.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all,
From your Teamo King,
Dan
