Annus Horribilis (if it's good enough for Queeny...)

Well that's 2017 finished then. For Riddlesden CC it wasn't the best of years. But it's traditional to take a look back over the last 12 months at this time of year so here goes:

Jan - we began the year in good spirits having replaced the clubhouse roof and had JMS renovate the square to an excellent standard. A comprehensive list of additional improvements and maintenance jobs was compiled, and the winter nets were booked. All looked rosy

Feb - in a portent of things to come, Greg was contacted about a break in at the club. Fortunately it turned out to simply be the scoreboard hatch having fallen off due to age - another job added to the list. Marie sourced some rather nice chairs for match day, training began, and news came in of a former player - Rinku Singh - being signed for the Indian Premier League!

Mar - The home changing room was re-roofed and a new ceiling installed, plus the guttering no longer ran through it. At last a nice dry room. Barge boards fitted on roof.

Apr - Whole exterior and changing rooms freshly painted. Ready for the season - and it begins! Badly! We are seriously short of players and both teams lose their first two fixtures.

May - Defeats continue on the pitch and player numbers continue to decline, but those that were available showed grit and determination in the face of being outnumbered. A crisis meeting was held with many players contributing and it seemed a positive step had been taken, but sadly a week later we couldn't field either team. The end of the month saw us drop down to one team only. We also suffered a major break-in this month with significant damage done. On the plus side, Akeel was in terrific form with the bat and we launched our junior team.

Jun - The weather was good. The team continued to lose. Repairs to the clubhouse were completed.

Jul - The juniors got their first win! And so do the senior team! And it's against top of the table Cononley, with an excellent team performance. Then both teams do it again the next week. And to finish the month the seniors beat Embsay with a six off the last ball. We also hosted the Co-op softball challenge. July is the best month!

Aug - Defeats return. Manorlands Funday is a success.

Sep - More defeats, and the season ends with Riddlesden in last place and in relegation from the third division. Speed pool invented in the clubhouse. My ever popular series of end-of-season stats begins...

Oct - End of season maintenance is carried out and electric run to scorehut, plus new external lighting. Decision is reached that there is no chance of having a second team next year (or forseeable future given 4th division status) so begin discussions with a couple of clubs regarding leasing our ground on alternate weeks. Halloween party held.

Nov - Bonfire night was a huge success, particularly the fireworks. Just a shame someone started them too early... Agreement reached with Eldwick & Gilstead CC to play their home games from our ground.

Dec - good news: we're back in the Third Division as Sandy Lane have dropped down to one team (commiserations to them - we know how it feels). And a Christmas party - not well attended but it was a bit last minute. Bad news: the cold weather resulted in a burst pipe flooding the changing rooms. More clean up required and the ceilings need replacing again. Then to round it off we were broken into for a second time. Not much taken (we don't leave money on site and there's not much worth stealing) but yet more damage to the doors/frame/shutters. All expense we don't need.

So there you go. After a promising start the year has thrown a lot of #### at the club. But we come out of it about even overall (changing rooms, electrics, lights on plus side - losing a team on con side).

We clearly need to do a lot on and off the field for next year.

On the field we need to ensure we have the players ready and available for the start of the season - we'll be in touch shortly on that front.

Off the field we need to carry out more repairs and improve security enormously - we can't afford to keep being burgled simply due to the cost of the repairs!

Let's finish on a positive note and hope 2018 is an annus mirabilis (that's wonderful year if in doubt...), so Happy New Year everybody!