50 days until the season - What you need to know!
This off-season has arguably been the busiest off-season in Edgware Cricket Club's history. 2022 will see Edgware compete in the Hertfordshire Saturday Cricket League for the first time, as well as fielding it's usual Sunday XI and T20 XI with a Tour to La Manga pencilled in for late October.
With so much going on, we though we'd summarise what players can expect in 2022 and what key information and dates you may have missed!
Fixtures
India v ROW
Edgware's annual inter-club fixture takes place on Saturday 9th April at Paddington Recreation Ground. The inaugural fixture was won by India last season in a high scoring contest in damp conditions. ROW will be buoyed by the return of Sajith Sriwickramasekaran this season, whilst India will welcome back Nakul Jilka in what should be a mouth watering contest. We anticipate squads for the fixture will be made available in late February/early March.
Hertfordshire Saturday Cricket League
Edgware will compete in Regional Division 12 South of the Hertfordshire Saturday Cricket League in 2022 (League Table Below) with 18 fixtures split between our Saturday A and Saturday B sides (historically our Sunday First XI and Sunday Second XI). This is a fantastic opportunity for fringe players and new joiners to get more playing time than has been possible in previous years. If Edgware can finish 1st in the league, it will see the club promoted 2 divisions to Division 10 ahead of the 2023 season. Any players interested in playing Saturday cricket in 2022 will need to register by 1st May 2022 to ensure they are eligible for selection. Please contact Ciaran Hosty ASAP if you have not done so already.
Chess Valley Cricket League
Edgware joined the Chess Valley Cricket League in 2018 and secured back to back promotions in 2018 (Division 5) and 2019 (Division 4). The pandemic forced the abandonment of the league in 2020 and Edgware endured a tough return to league cricket in 2021 as they finished mid-table in Division 3. This year sees the club seek promotion to Division 2 in what would be a major achievement in the club's short history.
Dharmish Memorial Fixture
On Thursday 26th May, the club will play a special remembrance fixture to mark the one-year anniversary of club legend Dharmish Bhatt who sadly passed away last year. We thought of no better opposition for the occasion than Watford Town Cricket Club, not only the first club to ever play Edgware but also a favourite stomping ground of Dharmish himself. In fact, in three innings at Woodside, Dharmish averaged 37.5 with the bat and a highest score of 37 (the highest of his career).
The fixture will start at 2pm (flexible) and will be a 35-over encounter with fund-raising held throughout the day to raise money for Cardiac Risk in the Young. Whilst we appreciate it can be tough to get availability on weekday afternoons, we'd like to think we can get an XI together to mark this special occasion.
Tour to La Manga
Edgware will visit La Manga Club in late October 2022, a sports complex recognised the world over. As part of the tour, Edgware will play local side La Manga Torrevieja who play in Spain's ECCL (the premier cricket league in Spain) in two 35-over fixtures. Players need to register their interest and pay an initial deposit by late March, with full payment required by early September.
Summer Cricket Nets
For the first time in the club's history, Edgware will be hosting formal cricket nets at Paddington Recreation Ground and Merchant Taylor School during the summer months (mid-April to late August). The nets will take place every Wednesday between 7-8pm (Paddington Recreation Ground may vary as block bookings cannot be made more than a week in advance). The venue of the weekly nets will rotate on a bi-weekly basis to cater for all players who are increasingly spread across London. All nets will be on a first-come-first-serve basis and players will need to reserve spaces via Eventbrite (£4 per session). The link will be shared a week before each session.
Subscriptions
As per previous year's, the club will align its annual subscription* with the number of fixtures played by players in the previous season. Therefore, player's who played 15+ fixtures in 2021 can expect to be in the highest category (Category A) and pay £50 for the 2022 season. Furthermore, player's who do not appear in the subscription categories (below) ahead of the season will be expected to pay a £10 subscription for the season if they play 5+ fixtures in 2022. The subscription will be added to the match fee of the 5th match. The introduction of the subscription is to ensure the club continues to remain self-sufficient, i.e. sustainable without external funding. We hope instead that any funding can be used to improve facilities and fund long-term projects. The subscription categories and associated players for 2022 are as follows:
Category A (£50) - 15+ matches played
Ananya Dixit, Ciaran Hosty, Rahul Kothari, Vidanda Galgamuwa, Alpesh Gorsia, Dean Veerapen, Sajith Sriwickramasekaran, Sagar Raghvani, Nakul Jilka
Category B (£40) - 12-14 matches played
Kishan Varsani, Shuraj Vekaria
Category C (£30) - 8-11 matches played
Raj Parmar, Sunny Halai, Kabeer Soni, Suraj Kerai, Deep Shah Players are expected to pay their annual subscriptions by 1st May 2022. Failure to pay by this date will make any players ineligible for selection until the subscription has been paid. If you have any concerns, please contact Dean Veerapen.
*Under 18s, full-time students and unemployed players will be charged at 50%.
It's set to be an incredibly exciting season in 2022 and we can't wait to see you on the pitch in April! Keep checking the website for future updates!
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