Cricket Club Presentation Evening

The playing season may have ended but there has been no shortage of off field activity in the cricket section in the past month with the presentation evening and the AGM taking place within a few days of each other.

On Friday 27th September the whole club, Juniors and Seniors, gathered to celebrate all that has been achieved this year at both team and individual level. The Chairman, Coaches and Captains expertly managed the balance between giving the award winners the recognition they deserved and keeping the evening interesting for everyone as they worked through the multitude of trophies that were presented.

Whilst no season is without its challenges, 2024 has to be recognised as one of the most successful in the club’s history. The number of junior teams reached a record level with competitive fixtures for all age groups between U9 and U19 and they weren’t just making up the numbers as the U11s and U13s both finished top of their league and only an untimely rain shower prevented the U15s from achieving the same. The number of these juniors making the step up to senior cricket for the first time, through both the Friendly XI and the Saturday 2nd XI, was particularly pleasing to see, not least because these players started their cricketing journey through the All Stars and Dynamos schemes. A great deal of time and effort has been, and continues to be, put in to delivering these ECB schemes and seeing participants follow the pathway all the way through the senior cricket is a superb reward.

Looking at the senior teams, the 1st XI finished in a commendable fifth place in Division Three of the Two Counties Championship and whilst they were never in danger of relegation, they could never quite close the gap to the promotion places. The 2nd XI, however, did spend the season at the business end of Division 9 West and, subject to confirmation of league arrangements, should move up to Division 8 thanks to their 2nd place finish. League re-arrangements also mean the Sunday XI move up a level to Division 3 of the Suffolk Cricket league after they secured 3rd place in Division 4.

Cricket can, of course, be about the individual achievement as much as the team, which we saw when Adam Howe became only the second player to ever score a double century for Walsham and broke the 40 year old club record for the highest individual score in the process. There were a number of fine individual performances through the season and the very best of them have been recognised in the roll of honour below:

U11s

U13s

U15s

Seniors

5 Wickets

Hundreds