Catus Cricket Club

Review of Season 2015

 

Beginning with the Club's performance on the field, Catus was extremely competitive reaching two cup semi-finals and finishing runners up in the Southern League. In both semi-finals Catus were beaten by a very strong Bordeaux side with a talented bowling attack and very able batsmen. Hopefully in 2016 Catus can become more competitive and challenge the stranglehold that Eyment and Bordeaux currently have on the major competitions. Finishing runners up in the Southern League was a big disappointment as Catus had convincingly beaten Toulouse away from home and , despite having them at less than 50 for 7 in the return fixture, contrived to lose the game which in turn cost Catus the league title.

There were some fine individual performances particularly the batting of Farouk Hussein, and the Club has developed a formidable bowling attack, the star performers this season being Rahim and Artiq. The team was superbly Captained by the universally popular Rob Allen, who combined this with some fine wicket keeping displays.

It would be very easy to become pre-occupied with Catus Cricket Club's performance in League and Cup Matches, and thus fail to appreciate that the lifeblood of a Club depends on providing playing opportunities for all the Members. Friendlies against other ACCSO Clubs are always enjoyable, but touring sides add another dimension, and a fair criticism would be that 2015 saw too few touring sides and only towards the end of the season was this situation addressed. There were two excellent weekends with games against Andorra and Nutfield, and it is pleasing to confirm many more touring sides are coming in 2016.

Financially, Catus Cricket Club is in a healthy position and this was greatly assisted by combining the Andorra weekend with the Annual BBQ thus raising over 1000 euros. The almost monthly quiz has seen a rise in numbers and this in turn has made a significant contribution to the coffers. It is also worth noting that although Catus does not have a formal social membership, we do have a hard core of very generous local people who support all our functions.

Looking towards 2016 Catus, like most of the Clubs in ACCSO, does not possess a huge strength in depth in terms of playing Members. We are a rural side strengthened by the loyalty and committment of the young talented Bangladeshi Members from Toulouse. The Club managed to recruit some new players locally during 2015 but lost others through retirement. It is clearly the case that with people in the UK having to retire from work later than they would perhaps like, that, should they decide to move to France, unlike previously, they may consider their cricket playing days are over. That said Catus must seek to try to recruit players of all ages and, in turn, seek to provide playing opportunities for all.


Martin KAVANAGH