The success of a cricket club depends as much on the involvement of people off the field as it does on the performance of players on the field. The club relies on the great work of volunteers to keep operating successfully.Volunteers undertake a vast range of roles from:
coaching, committee roles, match scoring, ground management, applying and removing pitch covers, photographing matches and more.
Many of these roles take only a small amount of time and yet are so valuable for a small club like Balgownie.
If you are passionate about cricket, and have a soft spot for Balgownie Cricket Club, or are just looking for a family friendly club to spend your time with, please contact our club secretary, Matt Archer, 0423 078 446
Long serving Balgownie Cricket Club member, Lenny Hayman had this to say about his 18 years volunteering for the Club:
What made you volunteer for the cricket club?
One day I was driving past the ground and I sat there in my car watching them play and I didn’t know the score because no one was doing the scoreboard, so I walked over there and offered to start doing the scoreboard.
It was round 5. Bally was chasing 107 and they were 5/14
They had two new players starting that day and one new player got out for 50, his valuable knock got the team the win despite it looking impossible.
Intrigued to see how he went next week, I turned up and did the scoreboard again and they won again! The then president, Peter Gatwood, told me I had to keep coming to the games!
They won all formats that year. Next season, I was given a shirt and a cap. I felt so proud, they finally saw me as part of the club.
What roles do you perform for the club?
Hydration - I prepare the refreshments each week to the grade players during tea breaks.
Clean the sheds, both home and away
Mark the boundaries during the week
Put the boundary markers out
Put the water in the stump holes 1 hour prior to match time, as requested by umpires
Wash benches outside club house
Scoreboard - if no one else doing it
Around the grounds updates!! Use my connections to get other match updates
Player encouragement - try to build up their confidence before they take the pitch.
What would you say to other people thinking about volunteering?
The friends that you make through the club make it worthwhile. There is no perceivable age difference during cricket season, everyone is part of the same family, committed to the same cause.