| At the turn of the year, the 1stX1 were hoping to build on their solid return to the Premier League in 2019. With a couple of exciting new additions and some good winter preparations, we had the hope of climbing the table in 2020 and cementing our place as a Premier League club again. Alas, like so many things across the world, the global pandemic put an end to all of our preparations and only caused uncertainty. We finally got the green light to play in the middle of July, with our first league game on the 25th July. The revised format would be for an eight-team league, with each team playing each other once and no league winners or relegation. Our first game against Sunbury was a rain affected T20 defeat. This was followed by a heavier loss against Reigate. However, the teams were much closer than the score line suggested with the only difference being a terrific innings of 120 from Reigate’s number 3. A solid all-round performance against Weybridge gave us some confidence for the remaining games. The first of which against Ashstead was abandoned without a ball being bowled. This preceded an excellent team performance and win against Banstead. However, our final two games both resulted in losses to eventual table toppers Wimbledon and last season’s champions East Molesey. Although we challenged in both games, they ended up being relatively one-sided affairs. Overall, it was a tough mini season for us. Of course, the minimal preseason preparation and lack of availability did not help us, but we must be honest with ourselves and admit that at times we did not play or prepare as well as we should have done. It became clear throughout the season that the issues that we had had as a team in 2019 were still present and arguably were even more prevalent this year. However, there were some positives to come out of this year. The first being that we know as a group the areas we need to improve on going into 2021 and we will do what we can to amend these over the winter. Secondly, there were some good performances from many individuals. Praise should go to Freddie Harrison; he took to Premier League cricket with ease and made some strong contributions with his leg spin and lower order batting. Andy McCallum also, made some solid runs at the top of the order and Nathan Roberts performed consistently with the bat. Khurrum managed to return after a year out with a knee injury for the final few games, we look forward to having him back to full strength next year. Our challenge for next year will be to put strong performances together more consistently. If we can do that, I have no doubt that will be able to push the teams in the top half of the table. Finally, it would be remiss of me to finish this season’s report without a few messages of thanks: First, to the clubs committee. It would take too long to mention everything that you did but the effort that was put in by the small group to ensure not just the first team but the whole club were able to play matches, to train and do so in a safe environment was huge. We are all incredibly grateful for the time and effort that was put in to keep our club running throughout 2020 and I hope that your contribution is recognised by everyone. Secondly, to everyone who donated to the various charity events that were run throughout the summer. In a time where financial constraints are likely to affect everyone, your contributions were hugely appreciated. Finally, to the players. Thank you for turning up week in week out under difficult circumstances and for continuing the positive atmosphere we have in our team and the club. |
