| If
you're a former pupil of Leighton Park School and you're looking to
play some regular cricket - be it competitive, friendly, jovial, mickey
mouse or even deadly serious - the Old Leightonians Cricket Club is
YOUR club. Whether you've just left LP or are perhaps of a more mature
vintage, we always welcome new recruits, and the good news is that it's
really easy to get involved. Just have a look at these not-very-frequently
asked questions:
Do
I qualify to play for the OLCC?
Qualification is pretty straightforward. So long as you attended Leighton
Park School, even if you didn't last beyond morning break on your first
day, you are eligible to join the OLCC.
I'm
rubbish at cricket. Can I still play?
Most of our members played cricket to 1st or 2nd XI standard at
Leighton Park but we've had quite a few OLs who never played at school
but who have since gone on to make their mark in the club both on and
off the field. Whilst cricketing ability is obviously a plus, the one
thing that all OLCC members have in common is an enthusiasm for the
game and the way we believe it should be played.
How
does the OLCC believe the game should be played?
We try to play with a smile on our faces...
even when our bowlers are banging the ball in halfway down a rock-hard
track* or when our batsmen are mericlessly flaying opposition bowlers
to all corners of the park*. Seriously, we describe our cricket as 'jovial'
but that doesn't mean that it's joke cricket. Winning is preferable,
of course, but it's not regarded as absolutely essential: our aim is
always to have an enjoyable match in which the game of cricket, the
opposition and the umpires are respected and in which all players are
given the opportunity to play a full part, either with bat, ball or
both.
* = this does happen occasionally
There's
actually a few of us who'd like to play. Is that possible?
Definitely! The great thing about the OLCC is that as well as meeting
and playing with OLs from a variety of different eras, it also gives
you the opportunity to play cricket with the friends you made at school
for years and years after you left. As far as we're concerned, the more
the merrier.
So
who are the OLCC's fixtures against?
The OLCC's fixture list has grown steadily over
the years, expanding from an initial calendar of eight matches in 1977.
The 2011 season promises to be one of our busiest: 27 matches encompassing
three tours, 11 fixtures at Leighton Park and a mixture of all-day games,
afternoon matches and 20-over thrashes. At LP we play the annual all-day
fixture against the school, the recently inaugurated Old Leightonians
Challenge Trophy (a triangular 20-over tournament against the school
and a staff XI), further 20-over games against local opponents Friend's
XI and Catcliffe Way, and a showpiece internal club match against our
President's XI. Away from our home ground we play a number of clubs
in the Reading area, plus we pack our kitbags three times a year to
go on tour.
Tell
me more about the tours...
OK! Touring
is an integral part of playing for the OLCC - we've been on 61 tours
since we first descended on Suffolk in 1977 and it's as good a way as
any of really making yourself feel like part of the club. In 2011 we
have three tours: a mini-tour of two matches in the East Midlands on
the May Day holiday weekend; our main week-long tour sees us return
to the North Norfolk coast at the end of August (in a hotel that has
its own tennis court, swimming pool and golf course!); and in September
we will be making
our biennial long weekend trip to beautiful Saumur in the Loire Valley,
home to Saumur Cricket Club, who have the only grass cricket wicket
in France and whose president is one Mr Mick Jagger (he played against
us in 2000!). In 2012 we hope to return to the fair city of Durham
for a weekend of high-quality cricket and even higher-quality joviality
after a successful first visit there last year.
For
recent leavers and current university students we realise that touring
can potentially be a wallet-emptying experience, so we offer a subsidy
to help you with the costs. If you're thinking about touring, don't
be afraid to approach the tour managers for financial assistance!
If
I join the OLCC, will I definitely get a game?
Almost
certainly yes! As a new recruit, you'll be pretty much guaranteed a
game if you sign up for one. All matches throughout the season have
a designated match manager who will ensure the team is picked fairly,
based on the number of games already played by each member that season,
if the game is over-subscribed. This allows as many members to play
in a season as possible.
The
only matches we have ever altered this selection policy for are cup
matches, when we have a panel of selectors who will pick the team on
cricketing merit. Our present cup competition is the 20-over Old Leightonians
Challenge Trophy, and the team for this will be selected on cricketing
merit. So, if you are hoping to play in this event, it would be a good
idea to start playing for the OLCC early in the season so that you can
get yourself on the selectors' radar!
How
much does it cost to join the OLCC?
The
OLCC is a non-profit organisation, but we rely on our members to cover
our essential costs: pitch hire, cricket balls and umpires. This means
that for every game a member plays, a small match fee is payable (and
new members and students can expect a discounted rate for most matches).
There is no compulsory joining fee or annual fee for membership, but
members who play regularly are asked to make an annual contribution
to the club, based on their ability to pay. Our club secretary Phil
Samuels (see details below) will be happy to explain further, and even
happier to take a payment!!
How
do I get involved?
That's the spirit! Unsurprisingly, joining the OLCC is simple. Take
a look at our fixture list, make a note of which games you'd like to
play in (you don't have to commit yes or no to them all straight away,
of course) and submit your availability to us online via this website.
To get all the latest news, you can also join our OLCC members' forum,
which as well as keeping you up-to-date with club events also provides
a hotbed of debate amongst our members on the issues of the day, be
it the state of the England cricket team or the construction of pedestrian
bridges in the Basingstoke area (I wish that last one was a joke, but
I'm afraid it isn't). Elsewhere, you could also join our Facebook group
and get yourself involved in the club that way. Here are the links you
need to get started:
*
OLCC 2011 Fixture List
*
OLCC
Members' section (contains availability form; email website@olcc.co.uk
for password)
*
OLCC
Members' Forum (email website@olcc.co.uk for instructions on registering)
If you have
any queries about joining the OLCC, please either email our club secretary
Phil Samuels (School House 1986-93, secretary@olcc.co.uk). Alternatively,
contact Pete Bulteel at LP and he will be able to put you in touch with
one of our club officers.
Is
there anything else I should know?
No, that's about it! Please do have a wander round our site to get more
of an idea of what playing for the OLCC is like. Get to know some of
our regular members with our player
profiles, look through a slightly out-of-date Rogues
Gallery, take a nostalgic look back at the LP pitch with our 360-degree
panoramic ground cam, and trawl through archives of all our past
results (over 500 matches!). Plus, there's a fully comprehensive
set of club statistics for you to see
who's done what for the OLCC over the years and identify which records
you think you could beat!
Better
still, ignore all that for now and get straight on with signing up to
join the OLCC. We're really looking forward to having new OLs join our
ranks to make sure that the next three decades are as successful as
the three that have gone before. We hope to see you soon!
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