During the season I see many games and speak to many players and parents. The strongest messages that I keep getting is that overwhelmingly:

• Players are enjoying playing cricket with the SSJCA;
• Players are playing the game the way it is meant to be played; i.e. playing hard, playing fair, behaving very well and showing respect to opponents and umpires;
• Parents enjoy being spectators at our matches;
• Games and teams are 'running like clockwork'.

Such things do not happen by accident, so I want to congratulate and thank:

• all players for their enthusiasm and sense of fair play;
• all parents and club executive for their part in equipping players and parents with the skills needed to manage the games so well.

Congratulations to the Gymea Bay Cricket Club on winning the Club Championship for the second time in three seasons. This year the makers of Weet-Bix ran a cricket sponsorship program and this too was won by Gymea Bay. It just shows that "when you're hot, you're hot". Weet-Bix will be giving Gymea $20,000 to spend on facility development. I understand that the club will be improving nets at Gymea Bay Oval. So if this competition is run again next summer it would be good to see another SSJCA club win.

This season also saw two new cricket fields become available to the SSJCA. Sutherland Council, the SSJCA and the NSW Department of Education are working together to upgrade cricket facilities in public schools and then make them available to local cricket associations. Caringbah Primary School and Endeavour High School now have a field that we can also use for training and for matches. In the near future we may also have access to Cronulla High School and Illawong Primary School (for more than Under 8). These new fields will help us to accommodate the growing number of players and will enable the SSJCA to give more teams a home ground somewhere near their home suburb.

Thank you to all the parents who give up so much time to coach teams, manage teams and to assist on Saturdays. Thank you for your help and support. Thank you to all the umpires, both the volunteers and the dedicated members of the Umpire's Association. Finally I wish to thank the members of the SSJCA Executive who give up so much time so that so many young people can enjoy a good game of cricket and experience the life-long benefits of playing a team sport.

Tom Croucher
Competition Manager

 

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2007/08

Congratulations to Engadine Dragons, Club Champions this season for the 3rd time in 4 years. Congratulations to all teams who played in the 20 finals; there was a great atmosphere at every game and even those who didn't win still enjoyed the day.

The SSJCA competitions are going from strength to strength. The number of players grew by more than 12% this year from 1,451 to 1,631 players. This meant extra grades in Under 10, 12 and 14. More players tried out for the Representative teams and the Development Squad adding more depth to the Representative teams.

There were over 70,000 visits this year to the cricket software, Cricket Online, showing how this form of recording results and viewing scores is proving to be very popular. One change that has encouraged people to enter the data earlier and has added an element of fun has been the 'Croucher Voucher'. Thank you to our major sponsors Harry Solomons and Harry Peters for their generous donation of 10 vouchers each to encourage those volunteers who do all the data entry.

For next season the most notable changes will be:

• Major improvements to Cricket Online with a simplified and improved appearance for public visitors; and online tutorials for coaches and managers using the system for the first time.
• The re-launch of SSJCA.com.au with news pages, online forums and access to coaching resources all designed to develop communication within our local cricket community and to provide new means of helping players, parents, coaches and managers.

The major challenges facing the SSJCA are:

• How best to provide help and support to new coaches and managers.
• How to get all coaches to be suitable qualified for the important role they perform.
• The acquisition of new fields by working with Council to develop suitable grounds within local schools.

These changes and challenges may keep us busy but it is a rewarding experience to see the continued improvement in the playing and the management of Cricket in Sutherland Shire.

I want to thank the Umpire's Association for continuing to provide umpires for many competitions matches and finals. The involvement of these volunteers is very much appreciated.

Thank you to all SSJCA Executive Committee and all members of the Club Committees who so generously volunteer many hours so that young people of the Shire can enjoy many hours of the most wonderful sport of cricket. I want to encourage all players to never take for granted the work that so many people are doing so that you can develop the skills needed to play cricket and enjoy participating in a team sport. To all parents may I encourage you, if you are not doing so already, to help out with a team or club or the association; I can guarantee you a very rewarding experience.

Tom Croucher
Competition Manager

 

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2006/07

Congratulations to Gymea Bay for winning the Club Championship, their first such win since the 1990/91 Season. It is very pleasing to see clubs develop and challenge the currently strong clubs. Congratulations also to the 16 teams who won their SSJCA finals; and a big "Well Done" to all players and helpers who all contributed to making 2006-07 such a good season. It is very obvious as I visit different ages and grades that players are enjoying playing cricket and that skills are improving each season.

With this year being the 50th Season of the SSJCA I am thankful to Russell Waddell for organizing the 50th Anniversary Dinner and for writing the commemorative book. The dinner was a very fitting way to celebrate 50 seasons and the book is a very fitting way to pay tribute to the men and women who put in place what we perhaps take for granted.

Our 50th season saw a number of changes aimed at developing the skills of players, making the game more enjoyable and making it easier to administer.

• The major change was the introduction of the internet program, 'Cricket Online', to manage all player, club, team and match paperwork. I want to thank all the managers for the patience and willingness to attempt something so new. Players also embraced the new technology with the site having 2,000 to 3,000 visits per week.
• MOD cricket commenced this season replacing Introductory, Preliminary and Modified Cricket. The main aim of the change was to reduce the number of versions of the game and also to reward the team that scores most runs rather the team with the best average. This change has also been well accepted by players and parents; except in the 12E's where the response to it was 'mixed'./li>
• 14D's played a mixture of two-day and one-day games where the response has been less then enthusiastic.

The trial of one-day games in 14D and MOD cricket in 12E is under review. I have surveyed players and parents in both grades and a full report will soon be presented to the SSJCA and clubs.

There are three major challenges for the 2007-08 and following seasons.

• The need to provide more support for people who are coaches and managers for the first time.
• The need to provide more support for people using the 'Cricket Online' for the first time.
• The need for the SSJCA to work more closely with Sutherland Council and all winter and summer sports associations to encourage the maximum participation in sport while preserving the best possible conditions of all sports fields. Public sports fields areas are a finite resource and they are in a fragile condition. All sports need to look at alternate training venues and better rotation of over-used fields. At this stage I believe that there will not be any changes to the number of fields available or the length of the season for 2007-08.

But what would life be without a few challenges!
Tom Croucher

 

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2005/06

Congratulations to Engadine Dragons for winning the Club Championship for the second time in succession and congratulations also to the 16 teams who won their SSJCA finals. It was very pleasing to see that the team batting second won more than half of the finals. This is a dramatic change from previous years when the team batting first won approximately 85% of the finals. The one hour later start appears to create a much more even contest.

It is also pleasing to see the continued growth in the SSJCA Competitions. The numbers of players and teams has increased each year for the last three seasons. I am also hopeful that Sutherland Shire Council will be able to provide a few more fields for the coming season in the Menai area. This will certainly help to accommodate the growth in player numbers.

Again this season, as I visited many games from Under 8’s to Under 16’s, I was impressed by the excellent behavior of all players; the obvious enthusiasm for the game; and the skills shown by players at all levels. Seeing all ages and all grades enjoying their Cricket so much is a great encouragement to the many people who help make the Competition work so well.

The major change for the coming season will be the introduction of our own Internet cricket software. This will enable clubs to register players, nominate teams and enter match results using the internet. The association registrations forms, match result sheets and annual statistics files will no longer be required. Players will be able to look up their own results and the results of other teams within hours of play finishing.

Thank you to all the volunteers from every club for your time, effort and support; without you there would be no weekly cricket matches. Finally I want to express my thanks to the four recorders (John Worton, Anthony Chapman, Mark Wissam and Michael Ryan) who give up significant time after each match to check result sheets, collate the scores and forward them to me so that competition results are readily available to all clubs.

Tom Croucher.

 

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2004/05

Congratulations to Engadine Dragons the new Club Champions and to the 15 teams that won their respective finals. Congratulations also to all award winners: but most of all I want to congratulate and to express my thanks to all the players who took part in the SSJCA competition. Matches were played in the best spirit and good sportsmanship was always evident. For the second year in a row we have not had one incident report about the misconduct of any player.

I want to express my thanks to everyone who has helped make our competition possible. Thank you to Sutherland Shire Council who have done an excellent job providing 46 fields in good condition, despite the continued of drought and severe water restrictions. Thank you to the members of the SSJCA committee who give up many hours each year to ensure all players have a well run and enjoyable competition. Thank you to all coaches, managers and other volunteers who give up many hours to assist teams so that 1.218 players can enjoy their cricket each week.

One major change this year was the introduction of the compulsory use of helmets in all grades from Under 10 to Under 16. The issue had generated much debate for several years. But as 26% of all reported injuries over the previous two seasons were head injuries to batters, the committee felt compelled to make a decision that took the choice out of the hands of players. parents and clubs. Despite concerns that it would be an unpopular move the decision has been very well received. It is pleasing to report that during the 2004/05 season no batsman sustained a head injury while batting in a match.

The other major innovation this year was the introduction of the computer-generated file for each team with the individualised team list, season draw and summary sheets similar those found in our scores books. The overwhelming majority of teams had no trouble correctly completing the information and returning the file to the SSJCA by the date requested. The provision of information in this manner greatly simplified the end of season administrative tasks, and will produce a similar saving of time and effort at the start of next season. The challenge now will be to put procedures in place to assist those teams who struggle with the electronic approach.

The area of greatest growth in the last few seasons has been the number of players in the Under 8 competitions. It is a delight to see the enthusiasm of these young players and their obvious delight in playing cricket each week. The challenge will be to provide an environment that encourages these young players to continue playing cricket through to Under 16's and into the senior ranks. .

Finally I would like to thank the four recorders: John Worton, Michael Ryan, Anthony Chapman and Mark Wissam for their assistance in checking result sheets and compiling the results after each game. My job was made so much easier because of their good work.

Tom Croucher.

 

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2003/04

I want to start by thanking all players who competed in the SSJCA competitions this season and all the adults who assisted in any way to help get teams onto the field. I hope that every person enjoyed their role, whatever it was, and that the efforts you put in were rewarded by an enjoyable season.

Congratulations to Illawong who finished the season as the Club Champions, just ahead of Caringbah Sports and St John Bosco. Congratulations to the teams who made it to the finals; and even more so to the teams that won their finals. Every club had teams in the 15 finals and 11 of the 12 clubs had winners on the day. Parents, friends and family attended the finals in their hundreds and the atmosphere was brilliant. The enthusiasm and excitement of players and parents at the 10C and 10D finals suggested that having finals for Introductory Cricket was a good move.

It was very encouraging to see a significant increase in the number of teams and the number of players this season. There were 1,258 players in 106 teams and this is the first increase for 4 years. There were 11 teams in Under 8's compared to 4 teams in the previous season.

A most pleasant aspect of the season was that the Match Review Committee did not have one single complaint or Incident report regarding the misbehaviour of any player. This does not mean that everyone's behaviour is perfect all of the time, but it does mean that players, parents and clubs are all attempting to play the game in the right spirit and that this good example is being observed and copied. Congratulations to all for this wonderful record and for the attitude it demonstrates.

My major concern, this season, was the list of injuries. I received notification of 58 injuries. With 1,258 players and 545 games the number of injuries is quite small, but it is no less painful or inconvenient for the few who did have serious or repeated injuries. I would like to encourage all players, coaches and parents to be actively involved in reducing the number of injuries in future. This can be done by:

• equipping players, at practice, to adequately defend themselves while batting,
• encouraging players to wear protective equipment appropriate for their age, grade and skills.
• discouraging players from swinging their bats around indiscriminately,
• encouraging all observers to be active in preventing risky behaviour.

In an attempt to reduce the level of injuries the SSJCA has agreed to be a partner with the University of NSW in a research project investigating Injury Risk in Junior Cricket. (Funded by Cricket Australia) The proposed project has support of Cricket NSW.

As part of our efforts to improve every aspect of the game a meeting was held in May to review the previous season and to discuss suggestions for next season. I look forward to the continuing improvement of our competitions and the administration of them.

Finally thank you to the rest of the SSJCA Committee and the Association Recorders for their efforts and their support.

Tom Croucher

 

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2002/03

For me, in my first year as Competition Manager, the most positive feature of the many games that I saw was the obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment displayed by the players.

This was clearly demonstrated in the positive and aggressive style of batting, and the enthusiasm of the fielders. The style of cricket played by the Australian Test team is obviously being copied by coaches and players. On the other hand I am concerned by the number of injuries that players are experiencing at the game and at practice, both on and off the field. This must present a challenge to coaches to ensure a safer environment and to equip all players to meet the situations they may face in a game. However there is also a challenge to all parents and by-standers to intervene before off-field games or behaviour result in the predictable mishap.

The major challenge facing the Association and all clubs is the decline in the number of players involved in Cricket in the shire. Four seasons ago there were 155 teams, while last season there were 97 teams, a drop of 37% over three years. As a result of this the SSJCA has set up three committees to meet over the next couple of months to consider all the issues and to determine strategies to reverse this trend. I encourage all clubs and supporters to be actively involved in this process and to positively support the changes introduced for next season.

To all players may I encourage you to not only to enjoy the game and to play to the best of your ability but also to play in a manner of good sportsmanship out of due respect to the game, your opponents, the umpires, your team, your club, your family and those who have made it possible for you to be a part of the game. This spirit has been demonstrated recently in the 16A Final when Brody Harwin of Como-Jannali 'walked' when a fielder indicated that he caught the ball cleanly. Likewise, in the semi-final of the World Cup, Adam Gilchrist brought great credit to himself, his country and the game when he 'walked' in similar circumstances. We all benefit if this spirit is encouraged.

May I also encourage all clubs to continue to encourage all coaches, managers and parents to put good sportsmanship, honesty and fairness foremost in their thoughts and conduct so that everyone may enjoy and be attracted to our game and our clubs.

On behalf of the SSJCA committee and the players I would like to thank Sutherland Shire Council for the provision and maintenance of more than 50 sporting fields for our use on Saturday and Sunday mornings. At no expense to SSJCA they performed extensive ground improvements to Grays Point, North Caringbah, Gwawley East and Kareela South. All fields used in the finals were mowed and maintained shortly before the finals. The support of the local community through our Council is very much appreciated.

Finally I would like to thank the Committee of the SSJCA and the representatives of each club for their support, encouragement and patience. It is this good spirit among all those involved in this great game that makes the many hours of work so rewarding. I would like to especially thank the three recorders Terry Chalmers, Anthony Smith and John Worton for collating results after each game and getting them to me quickly so that results were available to clubs shortly after each round.

Tom Croucher

 

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2001/02

My report for this season is penned with a degree of "sadness" as it will be my last for the Association in this role.

I would like to congratulate Sylvania Heights Cricket Club on winning the Club Championship, and all of those players who will follow in the Annual Report for their personal achievements.

This season, changes were made to the under 8 competition when it was melded into the U10 competition - although to some this was new, to those of us who have been around for some time, it was in fact reintroducing practices that were in place some seasons ago. Under 8 players had an opportunity to register for Have-A-Go cricket at several centres established throughout the Shire or to register for U1 0 cricket, primarily working through a structured competition of Introductory, Modified and then Traditional cricket competitions.

A review of U8 and Sunday cricket, undertaken with representatives from the clubs, recommended that U8 competition be re-introduced, and Have-A-Go be extended to include some competition games after the Christmas interval. The Management Committee has endorsed this for the forthcoming season, and I am hopeful that this will assist the clubs in their registrations for next season.

The second season of Sunday cricket and the introduction of a policy which restricted play on Sunday to one year only for new registrations in the U10 age group did a lot to settle that area of competition. This policy will remain in place next season, following the review of Sunday cricket.

The Girls competition was a little disappointing in the sense there were not enough numbers to schedule a "girls only" competition, however with the support of the clubs, we were able to register two teams - one in Introductory cricket, the other in 14E competition. If we are to succeed in this area, there will need to be some very active promotional work in the off season to recruit a significant increase in the number of girls registering.

Over the past six years, the role of Competition Manager has not only embraced the fundamental processes of chairing grading committees, structuring competition draws and overseeing matches but has also involved the continuing up dating of the Regulations and Laws of cricket in association with the Secretary.

Much has been achieved in these areas and I am grateful to the Committees that I have been part of, who have sought ways to improve the competition and have recognised the need to look to the future for initiatives that will continue the development and growth of junior cricket in the Shire.

I have often spoken about the need for communication between the SSJCA and clubs, and clubs and their officials - this is still an area in which I think we have some work to do. The website this season has gone a long way in "taking the word to the people" - my thanks to Peter Risby for his work in this area, but we as administrators along with club officials need to ensure that Managers and Coaches are well prepared for Saturday/Sunday morning cricket. So often, teams and or clubs are penalised for oversights on the part of team officials which could so easily have been overcome if they had been better informed about the MCC Laws of Cricket, Competition Regulations and procedures.

While I acknowledge that they are volunteers, so are those at the other end of the line, and we all need to try and pull together to provide the best possible outcome for our junior players.

With the resignation of two recorders at the beginning of the season, things were looking rather grim - I will always be grateful to Amanda & Steve Kelloway for stepping in to record for the U12 grade and Tim & Sharon Butler for recording in the U16 grade. Anthony Smith recorded for the U 14 grade and John Worton stepped up again to cover the U 10 grade for me. These people are tireless workers whose time and effort are immeasurable - many hours every fortnight are expended on recording and I thank them for their commitment to the task and their assistance to me.

The SSCUA again provided us with official umpires throughout the season in our more senior grades - thanks to Syd Edwards who as always has provided support to the SSJCA in this area.

This season, Sutherland Shire Council, at no cost to the Association, upgraded the pitches at Waratah Oval, Loftus Oval and Gwawley West. In addition to this, work was undertaken at Anzac 1, Kareela South and Kareela Central. While the impact on the allocation of grounds for the competition draw, was substantial, the surfaces on the grounds should be much improved for further seasons. My thanks, in particular to John Gordon and Kirin Lindop, who as always, have provided tremendous assistance and support to the SSJCA in attempting to meet our needs.

In closing, again I would like to thank those who I have had the pleasure to have worked with over what seems a "lifetime" on the SSJCA's Management Committee, for their support, assistance, respect and continuing commitment to junior cricket in both local and representative arenas.

New faces will appear on the SSJCA Committee in the forthcoming season and I am confident they will bring with them a new and refreshing point of view. I am hopeful that along with those views they will recognise the need to maintain the direction that has been taken in order to continue to achieve growth in the future.

To those who will register to play junior cricket in the future.- enjoy the game, and take from it a sense of team spirit and tolerance, a degree of personal achievement and most importantly a respect for and a love of the game.

Vicki Routh.

Competition Manager's Report

Season 2000/01

Congratulations to Engadine Dragons on their success in the Club Championship, to the Premiership teams and to those players who achieved their personal bests for the season.

The 2000/01 season of junior cricket has been both diverse and controversial - a season of one day games, the introduction of play on Sundays, the introduction of a Girls competition and the review of the MCC Laws of Cricket.

Difficult decisions made by the Management Committee were not always embraced or supported as may have been hoped although they almost certainly resulted in healthy and somewhat passionate discussions. The Sydney Olympics certainly impacted on our competition and forced us to revert to 4 one-day rounds, one of which was unfortunately washed out! Next season will see a return ·to the traditional 10 two day rounds.

The shortage of fields and the desire to promote and grow junior cricket in the Shire led the Management Committee to make a difficult decision to schedule U8 and Introductory cricket games to Sunday play. Discussion has continued throughout the season on this issue and I am sure will continue for some time yet. It is apparent that the Management Committee will need to review Sunday play and make clear decisions that will assist clubs in registering players for the forthcoming season.

The girls competition commenced with a great deal of enthusiasm - proudly sponsored by Marine Product Marketing, all players were provided with a playing shirt and cap with the theme "Girls can too!" emblazoned on their shirts. Four teams were registered, with ages spanning 8 to 15 years. Having reviewed the season with Managers of the teams, next season will commence in September, there will be scheduled coaching sessions and the format will be more traditional. We will make a concentrated effort at primary school level to increase our numbers and it is expected that team numbers will double.

Junior cricket cannot survive without the efforts of volunteers in the form of Club officials, Coaches and Managers and I am grateful for the time that is freely given by these people, however I am once again drawn to comment that there is a need to establish a greater understandfng of the Laws of cricket and the regulations that are specific to this Association as well as adopt a uniform approach to the game.

The standard of recording this season was again to be commended and I am grateful to the commitment and efforts of Terry Chalmers (U16), SallyAnn Copp (U14),Debbie Watson (U12), John Worton (U10) and also Chris Danielson (U8).

Official Umpires were provided by the SSCUA at a record number of junior matches this season and it would be remiss of me not to thank Syd Edwards and his Committee for their commitment to the SSJCA.

In closing, I would like to thank the Management Committee who have assisted and supported me throughout the season and also to the Club Secretaries who hand in hand with providing me with some "food for thought" on several issues, have also provided support when required.

Vicki Routh.

Competition Manager's Report

Season 1999/00

Having completed the competition statistics for the Annual Report, it's now time to reflect on the past season.

Congratulations to Como Jannali on their success in the Club Championship, to the Premiership teams for their efforts, and also to those players who have been recognised for their individual performances.

It has been a season of change, particularly for the younger players with the introduction of some innovative changes to both introductory and modified cricket - all of which were directed at ensuring a greater degree of player participation in the younger age groups and grades.

With a view of becoming more "user friendly" and clearly more relevant to the scoring of junior cricket in this Shire, change was also witnessed with the introduction of a new scorebook.

It has also presented some challenges, not the least of which has been to maintain play on Saturday mornings for all grades of cricket, but with some careful strategic planning the draw was able to accommodate this. Clubs should however accept that the move to Sunday cricket will undoubtedly need to be introduced at some time in the future if the SSJCA is to fully maximise the use of better playing facilities for all grades of junior cricket.

Challenges also came in the form of the interpretation of Regulations and Laws of cricket. While acknowledging that there is a great deal of time given freely by volunteers' on Saturday morning, there is also a need to establish a better understanding of the laws and regulations and a more uniform approach to the game. This must be a co-operative effort on the part of both the clubs and the SSJCA - ongoing throughout the season.

One of our greatest challenges lies ahead in the introduction of girls' cricket. Towards the end of the season, Harry Peters (Vice President) with the assistance of NSWDCA planned the Association's first taste of girls' cricket by conducting a Gala and Information Day. "Lady Luck" was sadly not with us and because of the weather it was postponed, however the number of girls in attendance still rose above 40 and clearly with a concentrated effort in the off season, next year will see our first competitive girls competition.

The approach to next season's competition promises to be very different. Given that the Olympics will commence at a time when our junior competition would normally be scheduled to commence, the SSJCA has had to be more flexible and as a result our competition will be structured as 6 two day matches and 4 one day limited over matches.

In closing, my personal thanks to:

• The SSJCA Recorders - Karen Bowmer (U16), Terry Chalmers (U14), Debbie Watson (Ul2) and John Worton (UIO). I rely heavily on their efforts at the end of each match and at the end of the season - it is not only time consuming but the degree of accuracy that is achieved must be commended.
• The Sutherland Shire Council who once again has been very supportive of junior cricket in the Shire and has endeavoured to work with us throughout the season. To this end, my thanks are extended to John Gordon and Kirin Lindop.
• The SSCUA who once again assisted the junior competition by providing appointed Umpires, and particularly Sid Edwards and his Committee. Umpire courses are conducted regularly by the SSCUA during the cricket season and I would urge all those who will be involved in this area to attend.
• The Management Committee of the SSJCA and Secretaries & Delegates of the each club for their support and co-operation throughout the 1999/2000 cricket season.

Vicki Routh.

Competition Manager's Report

Season 1996/97

It is with surprising speed that the cricket competitions commence and finish and the 1996/97 season was no exception - to say that the season has been challenging at times is certainly an understatement!

Thirteen clubs registered 125 teams - an increase of eleven (1995/96) and I would like to congratulate Caringbah Sports for once again topping off the season winning the Club Championship - "The Bertshell Trophy" - and Illawong for finishing second and Miranda third.

While an increase in teams is exciting and welcomed, there is a downside, with a limited number of grounds and limited playing times some competitions were regrettably reduced to 35 overs.

The condition of some of the centre wickets at the start of the season and the knowledge that they would require extensive work during the season (at the time impossible to program) resulted in the unenviable decision to withdraw grounds from some competitions where traditionally they had been allocated for some time.

The competition was not only strained due to ground changes resulting from works to upgrade wickets, but also because of an incre3sed incidence of vandalism. I believe that the next season we will attempt to continue to improve the standard of wickets in the Shire but on a smaller scale and so I am hopeful that the impact will not be as great. Vandalism on the other hand is a problem more difficult to overcome.

I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of communication between the Management Committee and the member Clubs - I think at times during the past season, there has been a breakdown in the lines of communication - perhaps non attendance at meetings and other various factors have contributed to this. Please support us in our endeavours to ensure the best is provided for our young cricketers on Saturday mornings by ensuring that the information circulated at meetings is conveyed as accurately and as quickly as possible.

On a more positive note, there has been tremendous support from SDCC - Barry Davison was responsible for the programming of another Gala Day's coaching for all Sutherland junior cricketers, irrespective of their age or skill level. Barry also provided representative players and Clubs with coaching clinics with the assistance of SDCC. A 'Level' coaching course was conducted and well supported by all Clubs.

SSCUA conducted an umpires course and as a result we enjoyed an increase in the number of official umpires standing on Saturday mornings.

I am confident that both these courses will be available next season and would urge all Coaches/Managers and interested parents to attend.

Managers/Coaches meetings were conducted at the beginning of the season and attendance was compulsory - this once again proved to be positive in providing information to those directly involved on Saturday mornings.

The standard of recording this season has been consistently high - not an easy task, especially U10 and U12 - and I would like to thank Ian, Lyn, Karen and Steve for their efforts.

I would in conclusion like to extend my appreciation to the Clubs who have supported the Management Committee, and to the Management Committee for their support and assistance to me throughout the season.

I wish all junior cricketers an enjoyable and successful season in 1997/98.

Vicki Routh, Competition Secretary

Competition Manager's Report

Season 1983/84

The 1983/84 season saw 135 teams take part in the competition, an increase of 5 teams over last season. A pleasing aspect is that we appear to have solved most of our teething problems in the introduction of modified rules for the lower grades and I congratulate the managers on the way they presented the result sheets and thank them for making our job a lot easier.

I firmly believe and have done in all the years I have been with this association that the primary objective of the S.S.J.C.A. is to give kids a game of cricket, and to teach those kids how to play cricket in the true traditions of the game.

As a means of achieving this objective we run a competition, and I stress, that in my opinion the competition is only a means of achieving the primary objective. Unfortunately, there appears to have crept in, an attitude that competitions must be won, regardless. This attitude can, and does result in the kids being denied a game of cricket in order to ensure a competition win. This defeats the Primary objective of the Association and can only be detrimental to the Association and cricket in general.