FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
We are aiming to deliver this newsletter to every house in Freuchie, but with something like 600 homes, it’s going to take us a day or two!
Centenary Year well under way, Seniors’ Day and our promised Race Night behind us, but we can’t leave the last event of 2007 without a mention – the Tour de Freuchie, our great Cycle Relay Race. Great in every way – great fund-raiser, great fun, great competitors, great supporters, great organisers, marshals, soup-and-pie-providers – even great weather, in marked contrast to the 2007 playing season. Thanks to all, and especially to the Race sponsors. The event raised £3,086, enough to pay for the refurbishment of our outfield mower and still leave a few hundred to help with other things.
Nor was that the only race. We hoped that half of Freuchie would be queuing for our “Freuchie 100” Centenary Whisky for Christmas presents, but it didn’t come off Santa’s sleigh until 21st December – a bit late for those who like to shop early. It’s going well, but if you haven’t got some, you still have a chance. “Freuchie 100” is in fact cask strength Tomatin single malt in numbered bottles. Special numbers are being kept back for special awards and auction, but we missed a trick; numbers 134 and 8 (our winning score from Lord’s in 1985) would have made a very special two-bottle lot, but by the time we thought of it, Blair Forrester had already bagged 134 to commemorate his personal highest score.
Why not join us for a weekend break? Our next big event is the pre-season tour to Northern Ireland, leaving on Friday 18th April and returning on Monday 21st, as much a social as a cricket event. We’ll have matches on Saturday and Sunday, with ceilidhs promised for both evenings. A great hooley, entirely. We would like to have a few more people coming with us – both to add to the party and, let’s be honest, to fill the bus. At the time of writing, we are about ten names short. All your transport, ferry, bed and breakfast and a great weekend for £200 – just your lunches, dinners and lemonade money to add. Come up to the club to book your place, or phone Alan Duncan on 01337 857006, or John Anderson on 01337 857 292.
What else? March 2nd for the Sportsman’s Brunch. March 7th for pool, darts, dominoes and boxing (Alan Wallace says you’ll have to come along to understand) with Glenrothes Cricket Club. Prize Bingo on Sunday 9th March, and hoping for one more (maybe 6th April) before the cricket season starts. Plans for an Easter Family Disco on 22nd March have still to be confirmed, Coffee Morning (maybe a Soup Kitchen) on 5th April, and a Ladies’ Night on 2nd May. Lots to look forward to.
It’s sad to have to report this, but we are seeing an increase in the fouling of our park by dogs. We know there are a few irresponsible dog-owners who allow their dogs to foul the park and make no attempt to clear up the mess. These people do not seem to care how objectionable this is for others, that it’s a danger for the children who play there, that it’s an offence under law. If you can help us to identify any of these anti-social dog owners, please let us know. Tell Dave Christie or any of our members.
We are delighted to report on our two-year sponsorship agreement with Campion Homes. The plan had been for Campion to give us £2,500 in each of the years 2008 and 2009, with our buying a training top for every one of our junior members and training suits for our senior players, this clothing to carry just our name and a very discrete Campion logo. The costs of this proved a stumbling block (manufacturers want their own logo to dominate all such clothing, and will sell “logo-free” only as a higher cost special), but Campion very generously upped their 2008 contribution by £550 to cover the added cost and still leave us some funds for other things. Next year’s contribution will all be for Club purposes.
The playing season is under way with our participation in the Scottish Media Indoor Sixes at Ravelston – two wins out of two so far, with the next round on 22nd February. Indoor nets start on 2nd March at Glenrothes, with a home game against a touring side and our Northern Ireland tour before the first league game, at home to Penicuik CC on 26th April. The Twos are away to Carlton CC Twos on the same date. We have still to resolve what’s going to happen about overseas players, all the avenues explored to date having turned out to be dead ends, so to speak.
Remember too that the Clubhouse is available for members’ functions – it’s a great venue for your own parties and celebrations – join us! Fees are due by end February, and Membership Cards should be with us very soon.
Stay up to date with events; log on to www.freuchiecricketclub.com/blog.
Contact us at the clubhouse (01337 858 226), call the secretary on 01337 857 292, or e-mail secretary@freuchiecricketclub.com
Technorati Tags: Cricket, Freuchie Cricket Club, Glenrothes, Glenrothes Cricket Club, Carlton Cricket Club, Penicuik Cricket Club, Campion Homes
Taking Guard
Most of the entries in this blog aim to be light-hearted, often downright trivial. This one is anything but.
Freuchie Cricket Club is fortunate in having Roundtrip Solutions Limited as IT supplier and sponsor. John Thomson, MD of Roundtrip, earlier this week identified a serious compromise of the FETA website – the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, which provides information on the Forth Road Bridge. Details of the incident involving hackers redirecting visitors to a malware server in Turkey and John’s investigation of it are reported in today’s Scotsman.
We tend to think that taking guard has to do with lining up our bat with one or more of the stumps. If anything is needed to remind us that there are more forms of attack than what the other team’s bowlers can offer, this is it.
If you have visited the FETA website within the last few weeks then you may wish to read John’s analysis and suggestions for checking your computer.
Technorati Tags: Forth Road Bridge, Freuchie Cricket Club, hacking, Roundtrip Solutions, Scotsman
Gone to the Dogs
The Race Night held on 2nd February was a big success. The bookies’ takings will be shared between the cricket club and the football club, and the bar was doing a brisk trade. Final tally-ups have still to come, but there’s big thank-yous due to organisers Willie Crichton, Dave Cowan, Dave Houston, Denis McLean and Pete McKinlay for their enterprise and their efforts, and of course to all the punters who came to the track. A nicht at the dugs, in the comfort of the Freuchie clubhouse. No’ bad, eh?
Results will be posted in a couple of days.
Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club