It is with regret that we advise that Geoff Eveling has decided to step down from his position as Chairman of the Two Counties Management Committee for personal reasons.  Geoff willingly stepped into the role following the death of long-standing Chairman Norman Atkins and all of the Committee have enjoyed an excellent, productive and successful relationship with him since he took over and we thank him for his contribution.  He will be sorely missed.

The matter of a replacement for Geoff is in hand and any appointment will be temporary until the position is voted in at the AGM in October.  We will advise on progress as soon as we can.  In the meantime please address any communication to the secretary at:

rickjones01473@gmail.com

The Pear’s funeral will be at Ipswich Crematorium IP4 2TQ at 2.15 on Thursday April 13th.  It is requested that all who attend wear something blue ………………

At a very productive meeting between members of the MSC and officers of the Umires Panel the following was agreed for all matches involving one or more panel umpires for the 2023 season.

There is a new Disciplinary Code and this can be found under the Umpires tab on the website.

There will be a Zoom Meeting arranged in early April with captains fron Divisions 1, 2 and 3 and representatives of the MSC and the Umpires Panel.  This will look at the new Disciplinary Code and deal with changes to the rules for the 2023 season.  There will be a fine of £100 imposed for failure to attend.

A note from Keith ………………..

The service for Trevor will be held at St Nicolas Church in Witham on Friday 24th March at 2pm CM8 2JS then he will be laid to rest at Witham Cemetery. The wake will be held at The Cross Keys in Notley CM8 1RQ – anyone wanting to pay their respects will be welcome.

There was an error in Rule 15c under the Rules tab which has now been corrected …….. Just to confirm, the time allowance to bowl 45 overs in Divisions 2 and 3 is 2 hrs 56 minutes.

My thanks to David Worne of Kesgrave for pointing this out, which was due on my part to dyslexia or fat fingers or a combination of the two!

We regret to advise you of the death of Trevor Merrell – he was a long standing and popular umpire on the Two Counties panel over very many years.  Our sympathies are extended to son Keith and all other members of the family at this difficult time.

Funeral arrangements will be posted when they are available.

Following inappropriate conduct at the recent Two Counties dinner and an independent review conducted by Essex Cricket in the Community (Dan Feist, Phil Knappett) and Suffolk Cricket Limited (Rob Jones), the Auctioneer, Chair (on behalf of MSC) and Secretary have been asked and agreed to send written apologies to Frinton CC.

Please remember if any member club(s) are unhappy with the conduct of an individual or the MSC committee as a whole then they can can exercise their rights to call for an Special General meeting as outlined in Two Counties rule 9b A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary at the request of six or more Clubs. Any items that require a decision will be decided at the meeting and shall be declared carried if more than 50% of member clubs voting are in favour.

I can confirm that all apologies have now been made

The rules for the 2023 season are to be found under the Rules tab on the website …..

Items where there are changes are highlighted in boldface and some are just in wording or reflect an up to date situation.

However you are asked to play particular attention to:

1. Changes in Rules 13a governing Player Loans.
2. Under Rule 13g the Youth Mobility Visa ban is removed.
3. Rule 14e now states that Umpires Expenses must now be paid before the start of the match.
4. Rule 14g introduces a Powerplay in the first 10 overs of the 50 over competition in Division 1. This reflects the wishes of the players’ survey taken some time ago.
5. The changes to Rule 15c reflect a tightening up of the wording regarding the time allocated to matches where there are Panel Umpires as well as the MSC desire to speed things up.
6. The points deduction for infringements specified in Rule 20 is now removed but the MSC will at their make additional fines for continual violations on a scale to be published shortly. Points deduction will be reinstated for the season 2024 should this new system be abused.

This information will also be sent out to Championship Representatives by email.

There has been serious damage to the clubhouse at Easton CC and, apparently, the insurers are refusing to pay out, leaving the club with a substantial sum to find to sort things before the start of the season.  Should any member or club wish to help by making a donation then follow the link below……

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/easton-cc-clubhouse