On Friday (22/07) we celebrated an action packed 2016 season for Bushy Park Girls CC at the Udney Park Pavilion in Teddington. Expertly organised by our events manager Andrea Polley and President Natalie Raja it was a glittering affair full of achievement and affection for both the girls who are at the heartbeat of the club but also the managers and coaches who make it all happen.

First we honoured the girls who have made it to county level, and this year an impressive 11 girls represented the county from Bushy Park Girls. We are very proud of the extra work and commitment that these girls make to the game. There are extra training sessions throughout the winter, and during the summer matches are played all over the south of England. So it is not only the girls we honour but the parents who go the extra mile (quite literally). County caps were presented by David Holland (Teddington CC President and Mr Middlesex)  to  Bronnie Polley (U15), Lauren Avery (U15), Roxy Mather (U15), Ellie Lord (U15), Amee Vadgama (u15), Ella Waldren (U13), Amelie Munday (U13), Abigail Avery (U13), Erin Goodwin (U11), Eve Abbott (U11) and Imogen Higgins (U11).

Next Ted and Dawn Goodwin introduced us to the U11 team. Although they had 4 strong players at the start of the season it has been a year of transition with up to 25 new players arriving to play cricket. It is therefore to their credit and of coaches Nick Attenborough and Frank Davis that they have built a team that is coherent and competitive. Although the early season was difficult they eventually had a blistering winning run of results that saw them top the league table and be crowned Under 11 West MCA Champions. Congratulations to all the girls. This year the Manager’s Award goes to Ruby Oakley, the Most Improved player is Hope Jones and the Player’s player is Erin Goodwin.

Mark Avery talked us through the highs and lows of the U13 season. It has been a tough season for the squad that has drawn upon both the Under 11 and Under 15 players to bolster its teams on the pitch. Once again numbers have increased with many new girls joining the ranks and being thrown straight into hard-ball cricket. The season started well as Bushy Park Girls represented Richmond in the London Youth Games. After winning their 3 qualifiers in Harrow they proceeded to the final at Lords where they won a silver medal. The pinnacle of the indoor season saw Bushy Park Girls U13s win the Middlesex indoor title in Whitechapel, London. Both Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club and manager Mark Avery were honoured this month at the Richmond LYG awards ceremony, Mark was nominated in Manager of the Year category while the club won the Overall Contribution Trophy.

The summer season was a mixed affair as Bushy Park Girls entered the Boy’s League. Although a few games were close encounters we didn’t record any wins against Boy’s teams but were very glad of the games as it helped a broad cross-section of girls play matches at this higher level. It was all the more important that we had taken this bold leap as the quality and quantity of opposition in the Girl’s league dwindled due to circumstances beyond of our control. Saying this, the girls should be proud of winning the Under 13 West MCA title and remaining unbeaten throughout the season in this league. Congratulations to all the girls who have played for and been a part of the U13 team this year, training and matches are always a pleasure in your company. This year the Manager’s Award  goes to Ella Waldren, the Most Improved Player is Amelie Munday and the girls voted Jessamy Low as their Player’s Player.

Fabulous raconteur and Under 15s manager Ian Barton introduced us to his squad with his usual flair and wit. There were farewells to Lucy Barton and Issy Ryan as well as a Champagne Moment award for Ellie Lord. The Under 15 squad is the epitome of the Bushy Park Girls spirit, they engender such an air of fun and carefree abandon that it permeates through the whole organisation. This bonhomie is so infectious that by the end of the night it was not only Cerys Tudor Owen who was dancing on the tables but also our beloved club treasurer Jo Lord. In 2016 the Manager’s award from Ian was presented to Mille MacEacharn, the Most Improved Player is Cerys Tudor Owen and Player’s Player is Becs Johnson.

A special award by Dave Waldren was also presented to Hannah Munday who has achieved Level 2 Coaching this year. The final award of the evening was for the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ which was given to Jessamy Low by club president Natalie Raja. Despite missing out on county level this year Jess has worked hard throughout the winter and summer with TCC coach Josh Knappett and the BPG staff. She has performed with both bat and ball this year, often opening the bowling in hostile conditions in the Boy’s League and taking wickets throughout the season. She is loyal, reliable and hard-working. A real team player.

Thank you to everyone involved with Bushy Park Girls this year, from players to managers, coaches and parents and all the people behind the scenes who oil the wheels at BPG. Thank you to all our host clubs in Bushy Park. A final congratulations to Paige Goodwin who won Best Bowler for the Under 12 NPL (Teddington) team.

Good luck to the girls who will play at the League Finals Day in September and see you all for winter nets in 2017.