Rugby Cricket Club Programme - 2023

RUGBY CRICKET CLUB

ABOUT THE CLUB

We were founded in 1844 and celebrated our 175th Anniversary three years ago. We’ve got a beautiful old wooden cricket pavilion and a great facility to provide cricket for the people of Rugby and the surrounding villages. We’ve got a proud history and heritage having played host to county cricket, international matches and numerous famous individuals and players. We still host a prestigious biennial fixture with the MCC.

TODAY

We’re a thriving modern club. We have seven senior sides, four on a Saturday, one on a Sunday and two playing in the midweek league. We offer youth cricket for all ages, including three junior age group sides and a bustling All Stars section. We launched our women’s section last season and were delighted by how many new cricketers that brought into our club. We can’t to see that grow further in 2023.

ASPIRATIONS

As we look ahead as a club, we’ve got a great foundation to build on and we are taking our club to the next level with the vision of being the best amateur cricket club in the country. We want to ensure that every child in Rugby has the opportunity to try our sport and, if they like it, take that passion as far as their own interest and skill level will go. To do this, we’re constantly developing our facilities, coaching programmes and community outreach to make sure that we can provide a fantastic introduction to the sport and reach people who would otherwise not get the opportunity to try our game.

We are proud of the family atmosphere we have at RCC, where the club can feel like our second home. With that in mind, we plan to run a fuller social calendar this summer, bringing us all together to support the club and have plenty of fun together.

We are proud of our club and look forward to welcoming you at Webb Ellis Road.

Thanks to the efforts of Charlie and the committee, RCC is in a great place emerging from the COVID period. Charlie has stepped down to focus on a busy personal year ahead and his impending nuptials. He’s done a fantastic job for the club. I’m excited to play a part in leading the club forwards with already strong senior, women’s and youth setups.

A big focus for the committee this year is to make the club simpler to run, engage all our membership and put fun at the heart of everything we do. We’ve appointed new social and fundraising positions and put in place a structure around the bar to mean we can be open more often and more consistently, especially on Saturday afternoons during matches. We look forward to welcoming all our members and guests as we get into the season. We are a members club, organised and run by our members and I’d encourage anyone to reach out in any way to offer to help.

On the field we are delighted to welcome Wes Landsdale back following his tremendous season last year and he will be our Head Coach. We’re also bringing in Divan Posthumus as our 2023 overseas

MATT EWER CLUB CHAIRMAN

player, a seam bowler who will focus on coaching and nurturing our next generation of young fast bowlers… It’s no secret that the current crop of 1st/2nd XI seamers are beginning to age and creak, myself very much included!

We’ve already enjoyed a really positive few months of winter nets and it’s been great to see youngsters mixing and holding their own with senior players. The potential that’s coming out of our youth system is really exciting, a reflection of the work our volunteer coaches put in. Our women’s teams are running both softball and hardball this year as part of their continued growth – there’s a lot going on!

As with any community, communication is key. Please come forward with ideas and thoughts you may have and involve yourself in the future of our club. Above all else, enjoy the coming season and let’s reflect in September on how we all made 2023 RCC’s best year yet.

Please come forward with ideas and thoughts you may have and involve yourself in the future of our club.

Scholarships now available with access to means-tested bursary funding up to 100% at both Bilton Grange and Rugby School

COACHING TEAM

WESLEY LANDSDALE HEAD COACH 2023

Wes enters his third season at RCC and has already made a big impact both on and off the field. As an ex-professional with a first-class double hundred to his name, he brings a wealth of playing experience and coaching skills to our club. Before moving to Rugby, he coached some of the top youngsters in South Africa and helped to develop his club into arguably the strongest in Johannesburg with multiple premier title wins. They did this with a philosophy of developing from within and creating a culture that attracts top club and youth players to want to play for them, a mentality that fits perfectly with our own ambitions. Since joining RCC, Wes has already been recruited by Warwickshire to support their youth cricket section and his reputation is quickly growing in the area. In addition to his role as Head Coach, Wes will also be our Safeguarding Officer and Head of Women’s Cricket in 2023..

NICK TESTER LEVEL 3 ECB COACH

MICHAEL POWELL FORMER CRICKET SCOTLAND BATTING COACH

We are also lucky enough to have the coaching expertise of Michael Powell and Nick Tester regularly supporting the club throughout the summer, two highly qualified coaches who work at Rugby School. Former Warwickshire captain Michael can also be seen donning the whites and playing for the club outside of school term.

DIVAN POSTHUMUS OVERSEAS PLAYER 2023

We are delighted to have signed Divan for the season ahead. As Matt mentioned in his welcome, most the club’s leading seam bowlers are now on the wrong side of 35, so our South African import was recruited explicitly to address that issue. He made his first class debut for Easterns two years ago and became a regular in the team recently, taking 4/50 and 3/18 in the final match of the season in March. On the field, we can’t wait to see him spearheading the 1st team attack, whilst off the field he has a specific focus on coaching the next generation of RCC seam bowlers. As we’ve seen during the winter nets, there are some very talented youngsters in the club and with Divan’s expert support, we hope to see them turning into 1st XI stars of the future.

DIVAN’S Q & A

WE HAD A QUICK CHAT WITH DIVAN TO INTRODUCE HIM…

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A PLAYER?

I am very passionate and always feel that a contribution from my side is a must whether it is batting, bowling, fielding or even just to ensure that I give back to the team off the field.

WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST CRICKETING MOMENT?

Making my first- class debut was super special, it was a dream come true and a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.

WHAT ARE YOU AMBITIONS FOR THE SEASON AT RUGBY CC?

I am looking forward to be part of Rugby CC this coming season. I would like to make a big impact and hopefully help the club end on top by the end of the season. I would like to learn as much as possible and share knowledge and experience with the younger players coming through for Rugby CC.

WHAT IS YOUR COACHING PHILOSOPHY?

I believe that determination, hard work and attention to detail is a recipe that will get you to the top.

OUTSIDE OF CRICKET, HOW DO YOU FILL YOUR TIME?

I love the outdoors, the Kruger National Park is my second home, here I’m surrounded by the amazing wildlife I get to play a round of golf and do some tiger fishing on the river. Sitting around the campfire with family is always special and a nice way to clear the mind.

Divan and Wes will work with our brilliant and committed team of junior coaches, led by Tom Binding, all of whom volunteer many hours to support the youth section of our club.

SENIOR CRICKET

SENIOR CRICKET IS THRIVING AT RCC. LAST SUMMER SAW 2 MORE PROMOTIONS FOR SATURDAY SIDES AND WE ENTERED A 4TH XI INTO THE WARWICKSHIRE LEAGUE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

The 2022 season was a huge success for our Saturday teams. Two key ambitions were to get the 2nd and 3rd XIs promoted and we achieved both. This is testament to the quality we have throughout our senior squads and some great cricket that was played in both of those teams.

Their captains Bhavik Rathod (2nds) and Liam Slaughter (3rds) both stepped into their roles midway through the season and led their respective teams admirably. We know they are both excited to lead their teams again this summer, tackling the new challenge of a higher division.

Another significant success last year was the creation of our 4th XI. This was a crucial step forwards for RCC in creating an easier transition for youngsters to start playing adult cricket and more playing opportunities for the whole membership.

Jag Barhey captained this side and did a sterling effort in creating a fun and inclusive environment, whilst maintaining a competitive spirit. Lots of youngsters got their first taste of adult cricket and, as a result of our outreach work at Dunchurch Park Hotel, our first Afghan player made an appearance too.

The 1st XI had a mixed season, finishing 9th in a very competitive Warwickshire Premier Division. The standard has never been higher in the WCL and, had we not lost a number of very close finishes by the odd run or wicket, we could easily have been in the top half. Looking ahead to the 2023 summer with a full bill of health in the squad and some exciting new signings, we are full of optimism.

All of last year’s successes have set up an exciting season ahead. The 2nds and 3rds will be playing at a higher standard, which is just what we want. It provides challenging and competitive cricket for everyone. With numbers looking strong in the winter, youngsters eager to start playing senior cricket and some impressive new recruits, all 4 teams will hope to compete at the top end of their respective divisions. Who knows, we might even be talking about a 5th XI soon!

1 ST XI FIXTURES

The DAM Foundation was set up in honour of David Alexander Mackenzie, friend and former RCC member who passed away following sudden cardiac arrest. The Foundation welcomes those looking for ways to raise money for worthy causes through sporting endeavours.

Our mission - to raise funds for the installation of defibrillators in areas of need and partner with sports clubs on projects that grow participation at the grassroots level.

WE WOULD LOVE YOUR SUPPORT.

@thedamfoundation

info@thedamfoundation.co.uk

2 ND XI FIXTURES

3 RD XI FIXTURES

MIDWEEK 1 ST XI FIXTURES

MIDWEEK 2 ND XI FIXTURES

WOMEN’S & GIRLS SOFTBALL

YOUTH SETUP

The club enjoys a vibrant and ever growing youth section, playing a crucial role in the RCC community and day to day life at the club.

We run three junior age group teamsu11, u13 and u15 who play competitive fixtures in the Rugby & District League and who regularly feature as Cup and League Champions! The juniors train every Friday night up at the club and RCC are extremely lucky to have so many experienced and highly qualified coaches, admirably supported by so many parent volunteers. Look out for our junior social events and we hope to make good use of the new built in barbecue on Fridays! There is no need to worry once the summer is finished as we run a junior winter net program all the way from Oct to April indoors.

We also took a huge step forwards last year in the cricket we offer girls and women. For the first time in our history, RCC fielded a girls’ team in a competitive softball league and women’s team in a hardball development league, run in conjunction with the Warwickshire Cricket Board. We were delighted by how well this went, welcoming

a lot of enthusiastic new members to the club, some trying cricket for the first time and other more experienced players. We are excited to see this section grow in 2023, having appointed our first official women’s captains and committee members.

Alongside competitive league cricket, the club also runs our very popular Kwik Cricket and ECB Allstars sessions on Sunday mornings, aimed at younger children looking for an introduction to the game. Parents are welcome to come and relax in the sun and enjoy a coffee and refreshments. This has played a crucial role in bringing youngsters right through the club all the way into senior cricket.

Via our partner, the Rugby Cricket Academy, various summer and holiday camps take place up at Webb Ellis Road, so the opportunities for youngsters to grow and develop their skills and importantly have fun are endless.

A big thank you must go out to all our coaches and parents for their continued support. We look forward to celebrating with you all at the Junior celebration party later in the year.

OUR SPONSORS

The club could not function and develop as we move forwards without the generous support of our sponsors. We are hugely grateful for what you do for the club.