Old Club, New Direction 10/5/09

A new look and a new direction is how the new City United President Tony Higgins describes the exciting developments which are, although in their infancy, firmly underway following the club’s Annual General Meeting held recently at South Tamworth Bowling Club.
“City’s 08/09 season across the grades revealed we can be competitive and with a growing wealth of juniors moving up to occupy key places in 1st Grade, its time for us to embrace new ways of doing things,” Higgins said.

This new direction will be based around the Club credo of “The Spirit … The Club … The Team … The Player”, a hierarchy which recognises the importance of all of the elements of the game but places them in an ordered priority. Players are important but not more important than the team they play for and so on up the line. In the end, everything and everyone is a servant of the game.

Communication will be a hallmark with City in the coming seasons and will be enhanced by a multi-faceted approach. A City United website will be up and running before the season starts and it will overflow with photos, player profiles, results, team information, trivia and all the possible news which players, officials and supporters might want or need to know.
Greater use will be made of text messaging and mobiles in addition to the more traditional means like landlines, newspaper releases and club newsletters.

“We have retained all our good young players who earned their stripes in 1sts last year and along with the seasoned, cool heads who know their way around the grades and an enthusiastic Executive, City is off in a new direction,” said Higgins.

Some new hands have been raised to hold up the enthusiastic spirit which was glowing strongly from City at last season’s end and push it further up and beyond.

Higgins is central to a leadership team which adds Peter Langston’s experience as Secretary and keeps the thoughtful Claude Orenstein in place as Treasurer. Terry Skewes as Vice President and Simon Hood as Chairman of Selectors keep the line of consistency and accumulated cricket knowledge rich.

1st Grade will have a new skipper, with Dan Mitchell taking over from Adrian Sippel who has stood aside owing to work commitments. Mitchell, a teacher by trade, is brimming with ideas for his new role and his confidence and enthusiasm will infect his team mates faster than Porky Pig in a sombrero.

Paul Fisher will lead the 2nds who performed well last season, despite losing key players at important times. His experience, man-management skills and on-field instinct will again serve his team mates well.

Glen Ryan is the 3rds skipper and like Grant Scarborough in 4ths, he will be charged with the complex role of building performances, discovering and nurturing talent and drawing on knowledge from lined and familiar faces with a few seasons behind them.

City United Cricket Club is building, not re-building and on foundations of success. It’s their intention show how much their further success is based on the strength of a club spirit or ethos where all players are equal, where all results are valued and where you may stand in a group of fifty or sixty blokes at a BBQ at South Tamworth Bowling Club and everyone knows your name.
Next meeting will be 10th June at South Tamworth Bowling Club and all club members are welcome.

For more information contact:
Tony Higgins or Peter Langston