Category: Updates

South African rising star Wandile Makwetu signs for Ashfield

South African rising star signs for Ashfield

Moseley Ashfield CC are delighted to announce the signing of Wandile Makwetu for the upcoming 2023 season. Makwetu joins an Ashfield side determined to regain their Warwickshire League Premier Division place after a disappointing 2022 season. Makwetu is a batsman keeper of some pedigree who currently plays for the Lions franchise in South Africa.

He made his name for the South Africa under 19s team rising to prominence in the 2018 World Cup tournament with an innings of 99 against the West Indies and has also scored an international u19’s ton against Zimbabwe. In domestic cricket Wandile has registered a first class ton and list A ton. Still only 24 years old Wandile will arrive in the UK with a hunger to work on his game and go back to South Africa a better player for the experience of playing in English conditions. Wandile’s only previous experience of English conditions are a pair of u19 internationals in 2018 against England where he averaged 46.

Makwetu appeared in recent weeks for a South African invitational XI that played against the touring West Indies test team. In 2020 he picked up the award for Domestic Newcomer of the Season so comes with an impressive CV.

New Ashfield skipper, Hayden Evans commented, “we are absolutely delighted to nail down the signing of Wandile for the upcoming season. I would like to thank the Chairman, committee and our sponsors for showing their intent for the upcoming season. Wandile has been an absolute delight to deal with in our discussions and his personality will fit in seamlessly with the lads we have at the club. I know that they cannot wait to welcome him. The fact Wandile wants to immerse himself in all aspects of the club including coaching our juniors is really exciting.”

Makwetu is expected to arrive in Birmingham in good time for the season opener on 22nd April.

Anyone wishing to join Moseley Ashfield CC or interested in sponsorship for the 2023 season should contact the club on our Membership and Sponsorship pages.

Warwickshire League U13s Champions 2020

Exciting Times for Junior and Youth Cricket as 2022 sees new Girl’s Team.

Moseley Ashfield Cricket Club are once again looking forward to an exciting and busy season in junior and youth cricket, with opportunities at all levels for boys and girls aged 5 to 18. This year is particularly significant to the club, as for the first time we will be fielding a Girl’s Under 11 Softball team.

Whether your son or daughter is keen to get started in the game, or has played before and is looking to develop their skills in the hard ball game, we have something for players of all ages and levels.

Become an All Star

For younger members, Moseley Ashfield CC will once again be running AllStars Cricket on a Friday evening at the Yardley Wood Road ground. It provides a fantastic first experience for all children aged 5-8 years, where they are guaranteed eight weeks of jam-packed fun, activity and skills development and commences on Friday 13th May at 5.30pm.

There is also to be a dedicated girls only AllStars session held on a Saturday morning at the Centenary Ground, Britannic Park.

The programme is designed to introduce children to the sport, teaching them new skills, helping them make new friends and have a great time doing so; plus, every child that registers will receive a backpack full of goodies.

For more information about All Stars Cricket, click here

 Dynamos Cricket – New!

In addition to All Stars Cricket, we will also be running a Dynamos Cricket programme on the same evening, though with a later start time of 6.30 pm. It provides a fantastic next step for all those graduating from All Stars Cricket and the perfect introduction for all 8-11 year-olds new to the sport!

Find out more about Dynamos Cricket here, click here

To register in advance for All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket at Moseley Ashfield CC, click here

League cricket

In 2022 Moseley Ashfield will also be fielding soft ball teams at Under 9 and 10, and hard ball teams in the Under 10, Under 11, Under 13, Under 14, Under 15 and Under 17 age groups. In a new and exciting development, for the first time in the club’s history, there will be a Girls team, taking part in the Under 11 age group league.

All teams will be playing their league cricket in the Warwickshire Cricket Board Leagues.

Following a highly successful 2021 season and with members of the squad included in the Warwickshire county age group squad, the Under 11s will play their league cricket in the Warwickshire Premier League as will the Under 15s. The Under 13s will take part in the Warwickshire Championship League. The Under 17 representative team will play their fixtures in June and July, timetabled to coincide with the end of GCSE and A-Level examinations.

In addition to this, each age group will have weekly training, predominantly on Friday evenings, but with additional net sessions available (see Training for details) and a series of friendly matches also arranged during the season.

As always, Moseley Ashfield CC welcomes players of all abilities to join them, so if your son or daughter is interested in joining either the All Stars or Dynamos programmes,  the older age group teams, or you would like any further information about junior cricket at Moseley Ashfield, please feel free to contact us using the details on this website.

University of Birmingham Women’s & Moseley Ashfield Partnership

‘Old Joe’ to light up blue to celebrate!

A formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Birmingham Women’s Cricket Club and Moseley Ashfield Cricket Club will take place on Wednesday 28th April to formalise links to further promote women’s cricket at the two clubs.

Club Captains: Alice Fox and Alex Perry

To mark the occasion, the clubs will light up Old Joe clock face, the University of Birmingham’s famous clock tower, blue – shared by both clubs in their club colours.

UBWCC and MACC have enjoyed a very successful and collaborative working relationship over the last few years, and the MOU will bring the two clubs closer together.

MACC Director of Cricket, Ian Carey is delighted that this agreement has been formalised. “With the introduction of the new agreement, the two clubs can develop an even closer working relationship,” he said.

“We are keen to support the development of the women’s game at the University and also to provide opportunities for women to play cricket for the club into the future.”.

In agreeing the MOU, Ellie Harris, President of UBWCC said: “in adopting Moseley Ashfield Cricket club, so near to the University, as our home, we will have access to the club’s two excellent grounds, and to the high quality net facilities at the club. This security of access, year on year, will enable the club to flourish, developing women cricketers of all abilities.”

Both clubs have enjoyed recent successes. UBWCC won the University Pride Award for the year in 2020, whilst MACC had title successes for both their 1st XI and 2nd XIs in the Warwickshire County Cricket League.

2nd XI Warwickshire League (Birmingham Group C) Winners 2020

Double Champions!

Review of the 2020 Season

At the culmination of a somewhat truncated season, both the 1st XI and 2nd XI were confirmed as winners of their respective Warwickshire Cricket League Divisions : Premier League (West) and Birmingham Division C. For the 1st XI, this marked their 3rd successive title, following on from their successes of 2018 and 2019. The 3rd XI were placed in a very strong Birmingham Division E, but with a view for the future in mind, provided many opportunities for youth section members to play senior cricket. The 4th XI didn’t enter the league this year, opting for friendly fixtures instead with the emphasis on youth development and finished the season undefeated.

Here the respective captains Alex Perry, Phil Tompkins, Richard Bowpitt and Rob Green reflect on this incredible season…

In a truly amateur league this year, the Ashfield have really shown their ability with both bat and ball, being led by Oliver Thomas, Iltaf Rehman and Phil Jefferies. These consistent performances have been backed up by younger players such as Hayden Evans, Felix Shears, and a breakthrough season for Nick Pooley, who have contributed to see us over the line, or get us into a great position to win. We successfully won our Warwickshire Premier League Division West title, taking the team to a grand final against Coventry and North Warwickshire CC.

Ashfield won the toss and elected to bat, we posted a good score of 266, lead by Oliver Thomas with 139. Ashfield started the second innings well, reducing their opponents to 63-5 with some excellent new ball bowling by Phil Jefferies and Ian Carey who picked up 3 wickets apiece. Unfortunately, Ashfield could not kill the game and with some heavy hitting from the opponents’ middle and lower order and chances missed, Coventry & North Warwick took home the win with 3 balls to spare and 1 wicket remaining. Heartache for Ashfield, but a great experience for the younger players and a great foundation to build from, for next season, when it counts.

We Are Ashfield, This Means More……

In this strangest of years, the 2nd XI eventually prevailed as the champions of Birmingham Division C. We had an excellent first half of the season winning all five games in emphatic fashion. On the three occasions we batted first, we scored at least 240 with our smallest winning margin being the 99 run victory against Weoley Hill. Batting second, we had two 7 wicket wins after bowling sides out cheaply.

The second half of the season was more of a struggle but demonstrated our strength in depth and the resilience of the team. On two occasions (away at Lyndworth and at home to Pickwick) the lower order came to the rescue and got us over the line when it looked like we would fall short chasing modest totals. We also suffered our only two defeats of the season, against Kings Heath and Attock. The behaviour of our opponents in these two games meant that there was a sense of karma when the game between Kings Heath and Attock on the final day was cancelled due to a Covid-19 protocol breach. This meant that a win at Weoley Hill would see us overhaul Kings Heath and win the division. John Pemberton’s magnificent 182 not out in a total of 309 meant that the result was never in doubt and the socially distanced celebrations could begin.

Whilst the notable performances above highlight the contribution of a few individuals, the real feature of the season was the attitude, energy and performance of all 19 players, with everybody making a telling contribution at some point. With a good blend of experience and younger players like Ruari Shears, Zayd Maflahi and Basit Mohammed continuing to develop in senior cricket, the prospects for next season look good.

The uncertainty surrounding the pandemic meant that the decision was taken not to enter a 4th XI into the leagues for the 2020 season, but with many youth players keen to take their first steps in senior cricket, friendly matches were arranged. The poor August weather led to 3 of the fixtures being cancelled, but matches were played against Solihull Blossomfield, Harborne and The Old Moseley Arms Fitmen and in each case victories ensued. In all, fourteen members of the youth section represented the 4th XI at various times; each performing with great distinction and ably supported and guided by a relatively small number of senior players.

Star performers with the bat were Dan Addis, Charlie Beard, Jon Terry, Ash Patel and with 103 not out, Hassan Idrees, but it was the bowling and fielding that particularly impressed, especially in the first match against Blossomfield when a total of 110 was successfully defended. Top performers with the ball were Will Terry, Rohan Ahmed and displaying masterful control over the difficult art of leg-spin, Shafiq Hussain. It was also a fitting end to the season that the final match against Harborne was played at The Graveyard on the wicket that had been prepared for the 1st XI’s abandoned match with Attock and that the younger members of the squad were able to showcase their talents in front of a good sized (socially distanced of course) group of spectators and club dignitaries.

With even more talented youth players ready to make the step-up into senior cricket in 2021, the future looks bright indeed.

1st XI Warwickshire League Division 1 Champions 2018 and 2019

The 2019 Season saw the 1st XI retain their Division 1 title. It was quite a journey, as captain Oliver Thomas recalls…

Another successful season came to an end with the first eleven being crowned Warwickshire League Division 1 champions, bizarrely, for the second season running. Due to league re-structuring the team were placed in the same division, and were given the unusual task of competing for the trophy that already sat in the bar at The Graveyard. As always, the lads set about that task with great commitment and enthusiasm.

The season began with a short trip to our closest neighbours Kings Heath. As is customary for most opening batsman, there were moans and groans about the green tinge to the playing surface. This is usually just a coping mechanism to soften the blow, as you miss a straight one early on, get hit plum centre of the pad and get given your marching orders. However, it must be said that for once there may have been some merit to the grumbles of discontent. The pitch we arrived to play on was without exaggeration, the worst surface I have ever played cricket on, including the years of backyard cricket at Chez Thomas. Although I would say that, as a pea-roller was good enough to see me off, as well as three other top-order batsman! We scrambled our way to 164 all out thanks largely to efforts from Shah and Jefferies and we knew we had something competitive to defend. After tea the usually irresistible duo of Carey and Jefferies were getting extravagant movement off the pitch but not their usual flurry of wickets. Thankfully Paull and Akeel picked up six wickets between them to help us squeeze home. Very importantly, twenty-four points claimed for our first win of the year.

The next couple of weeks saw a combination of Carey and Jefferies and Carey and Shears run through Nuneaton and Aston Manor teams. The latter being the arrival of the latest Shears off the cricketing production line. Young Felix opened the bowling and gave a great display of away swing bowling and claimed his first league 4fer. This was shortly followed by a thumping home win against Water Orton as the visitors were dismissed for 60 and Ashfield duly chased down the total inside twelve overs, thanks to some hefty blows from Brown and Paull. So a great start with four wins from four games.

However June proved to be a far trickier affair with defeats to Hampton and Solihull and Bablake Old Boys coming in quick succession. On reflection, we got we deserved! This was to be indicative of the topsy-turvy season that was to follow. The season, more than any other I’ve been involved in, was a true collective effort. Not a single batsman went onto dominate like previous years and the bowling unit led by the experienced Carey, Rehman and Jefferies combo shared wickets at regular intervals. This Championship season was certainly no cake walk! There were many fine individual performances along the way but it was the team-spirit and togetherness that got us to a point in the year where we were as per usual, vying for top-spot with our main rivals Solihull Blossomfield.  Effectively the summer’s cricket culminated in a one-game shootout for the league title. A winner takes all affair, with the added spice of other teams still mathematically able to gain promotion too. What was to follow will hopefully be spoken about for many years to come during post game refreshments.

We arrived at Widney Lane and as of yet hadn’t decided what we’d do if we won the all important toss. After thoughtful discussion with the vice-skip we decided to go against our favoured plan of attack and inserted the hosts. The mind games had begun, as we were certain the oppo’s preparation would revolve around chasing totals. Having had them 101 for 7 we were pretty disappointed to have allowed them to finish with a respectable 176 from 50 overs. Despite this, we were quietly confident we had what it takes to get over the line. Paull and Shah opened the innings with the latter receiving a lifeline having smashed one into his pad (sorry Kais) and duly caught only to be given not out to the dismay of the fielding side. With both players scoring quickly, Ashfield counter-attacked their way to 50 for 2. However a comedy run-out (or not run-out if you listen to Brown) put us in a tricky spot, with 125 runs still left to chase. That brought Baker and Thomas to the crease with the pair adding 90 together for the fourth wicket. Luker won’t play many more important innings in his life. Whilst I was at the other end struggling to find the middle of the bat, Bakes took the lead and manipulated the field to his advantage and slowly clawed the target into sight. A great knock from a young man who before this season regularly batted in the lower order. So, 141 for 3 and we’re only 37 runs short of a memorable victory. Things have proved never to be that simple in an Ashfield shirt with Baker miss-timing an off-drive straight to short extra cover. Two quick wickets fell shortly after and the opposition were really applying the pressure. Strolling to the crease, young Raqeeb Khan. Despite attempts to rattle him, Raqi played with complete calmness and assurance, a great sign for the future that these youngsters can play such significant roles in the most important of games. Raqi guided us to 168 for 7 and I can assure you that the nine runs required for victory still felt miles away!  A sacrificial run out of Iltaf meant we had reached 175 for 8 and fittingly joining me at the crease, one of my oldest friends Phill Jefferies. A very tense affair finished with a clip through mid-wicket for the runs required. Ashfield win the league again!!!!!! We ran off towards the rest of the lads after shaking hands and the sense of relief was palpable. We’d done it!  

The hard work and attention to detail required to consistently be successful should not be underestimated. To win leagues in sport at any level requires a group of people to consistently work their behinds off in order to achieve their common goal. For that, I would personally like to thank all of those who played under me during my time as skipper. It has truly been a great honour to captain this fantastic cricket club and lead a great bunch of blokes. Here’s to many more trophies and promotions for the Ashfield.

Signing out,

OT

Season dedicated to the memory of Alan Thomas and Haroon Haider, both sadly no longer with us.

JustGiving Appeal

Moseley Ashfield Cricket Club have been playing cricket in Moseley since 1900. But, due to the financial impact of COVID-19, our future is under serious threat. Please give generously so we can get back to providing cricket for the Moseley community.

With cricket activity suspended this season, our usual income streams have disappeared overnight. Whilst we are reducing our expenditure where we can, most of our costs are fixed, which leaves us facing a very significant cash shortfall. Unless we raise enough money to cover our costs, this historic club, that has been integral to the lives of generations of Moseley families, will not survive.

We know that these are difficult times for everybody. But if you can, please make a donation and help ensure that cricket is played in Moseley for many more summers to come. You can do this by following the link to our JustGiving appeal here https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/macc-covid19

COVID-19 – USE OF THE NETS

On 15 May, the ECB issued guidance to all cricket clubs on how we can make net facilities available for use, whilst complying with the government’s broader guidelines on social distancing. The Committee has reviewed the guidance and has established procedures and conditions of use which will allow members to use the nets in a way that is safe for everyone and is compliant with the guidance.

Please click on the links below to find:

1. Conditions of use and explanation of the booking process https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vSDldeoAHYrs5YKHrZiezCMrbJ2yw0ZGvCYuIiuI9wZ7WNolFHCDK13rCTohVr8-Q/pub

2. Nets booking request form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfB7l_ebye4i4ctLLUN-eh3JMCApPQB5BvcYpQL2gUvBSXm8A/viewform

3. Nets availability sheet (to be viewed before you make a booking to check availability) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mOGwwdDlBqarG04CadrJtsfY8OoylFTe1xZ0h7JUzwA/edit

4. The latest guidance from the ECBhttps://www.ecb.co.uk/news/1668576/ecb-guidelines-for-the-use-of-outdoor-cricket-facilities-in-lockdown

We appreciate that these procedures are very different to what we are used to and may seem a little excessive. However, it is vital for the reputation of the club and more importantly, the health of our members, that we comply with the ECB guidelines.

Moseley Ashfield Cricket Club Winter 2020 Update

Winter Training Update

Moseley Ashfield Cricket Club Winter 2020 Update
Winter Rain at Ashfield.

Hi everybody,

The Winter Training is now well underway in the Bishop Challoner Sports Hall. It’s been great to see so many attendees and some new faces too. Owing to the great interest we have rescheduled the sessions so that as many youngsters get the benefit of pre-season training as possible, as well as arranging some extra sessions. 

The schedule will now be as follows. Friday evening sessions will be from 5.15 – 6.15 (please arrive at 5.00 pm for a prompt start)

Friday 31st January U11’s and those planning to transition to hard ball (primary school age)Friday 7th February U15’s (school years 9 & 10)Friday 14th February U13’s (school years 7 & 8) Friday 21st February U11’s and those planning to transition to hard ball (primary school age)Saturday 22nd February 2.30pm U17’sFriday 28th February U15’sFriday 6th March U13’sFriday 13th March U11’s and those planning to transition to hard ball (primary school age)Saturday 14th March 12.30 pm U17’sFriday 20th March U15’sSaturday 21st March 12.30 U13’sFriday 27th March U11’s and those planning to transition to hard ball (primary school age)Saturday 28th March 12.30 pm U17’sFriday 3rd April U13’s.

Please let your respective managers know whether your child will be attending through the usual channels. Under 11’s, please liaise with me for now.

And in other news…

Though in the early stages of planning, we are engaging a female coach to provide dedicated training to our ladies and girls in order to enhance their enjoyment and skills. The plan is for this to be held on Tuesday evenings, which though not ideal for everyone, will allow for full use of the ground. More about this in the March newsletter. 

A former club of mine, which holds many happy memories for me,  Newcastle and Hartshill CC, just up from Trentham Gardens, is holding an Under 13’s festival, alongside a beer and gin festival, at some point over Easter and we have been provisionally invited. More details in the March newsletter, but it would be a great way to start the season.

Our nearby friends at Kings Heath CC have confirmed that their Under 9’s Festival will be held on Sunday 7th June this year. 

And, subject to ground availability, we will be hosting an Under 9’s and a Ladies Festival this year.
Exciting times ahead, though we can’t promise any international visitors, England players or trophies this year…yet…

Cheers everybody
Rob

August Club Update

Although the official league season is now over, many of you have been away on holiday and training has been scaled back, there’s been so many things going on at Ashfield and still more to come before the season ends with our Awards Evening on Friday 13th September

On Tuesday 6th August we welcomed our guests from Hanover Park CC in Cape Town and though the weather intervened with two downpours of biblical proportions to prevent the match being played, a memorable day was had by all, as has been reported many times already on the social media pages.

Fortunately, owing to a cancellation by another club, the fixture was able to be rearranged for Thursday 8th August. A closely fought match resulted in a win for Ashfield by 21 runs, but the match was noted for outstanding sportsmanship from both teams. The Hanover Park club gave their tour the hashtag #BreakingBoundaries and the two days certainly demonstrated that the spirit of cricket knows no boundaries.

In between these events, Wednesday 7th August saw our Under 10’s – though in reality Under 9’s – play against Harborne in a post-season friendly. We all know what a strong club Harborne are at every level, so a comprehensive victory by our boys and girls was particularly pleasing to report.

Before all this happened, on Sunday 4th August, our Ladies took part in their first competitive softball festival and finished as runners-up to Kings Heath, a much longer established and experienced outfit. Next year, we’re looking to secure coaching and new equipment for our ladies to make their experience all the more rewarding. Well done to Pippa Beard for getting all of this off the ground.

At the end of what seemed to be a ridiculously short and intense league season, great progress was seen by all of our representative teams. The Under 10’s finished 2nd and the two Under 11’s teams finished 3rd (Lions) and 4th (Tigers) in their respective leagues. The Under 13’s and 15’s fared less well in terms of results, but the standard in their leagues was far higher than in 2018 and this led to a much higher standard of play and consistency by the time of the final fixtures. Playing at this high level has also made the transition to senior cricket much easier for those boys that have played for the 2nds, 3rds and 4ths.

On a slightly less positive note, we need to inform you that there have been a couple of instances of poor behaviour at Friday night training (YWR) where what might be seen as horseplay has sadly resulted in one of the children being too distressed and intimidated to return to the club. Naturally we are rather concerned about this and we would value your assistance in impressing upon your children the need for good and courteous behaviour towards other children and their coaches/managers/helpers at all times, so that we maintain our reputation as a friendly and welcoming club.

As to the upcoming events, we have already mentioned the Awards Evening on Friday 13th September, which will run from 6.00 pm, but before then

Friday 23rd August

Birmingham Bears vs Worcestershire Rapids 20/20 Fixture at Edgbaston.

We are using this as a Youth Section evening out. Under 16’s go free and adults can use a discount code that has been circulated by our managers to gain entrance for £10. It would be great if we can all sit together for this derby fixture.

Sunday 1st September (we know it’s a clash with Moseley Jazz Festival)

4th Annual Moseley Ashfield Under 9’s Softball Festival (Supported by Warwickshire Cricket Board). This will start at 10.00 am and be run on the same lines as in previous years. Please let Rob Green know of your child’s availability. We are looking to put out two teams, maybe 3 if enough are available. Any help in managing the teams, scoring, umpiring and assisting with catering will be much appreciated.

This will be followed by Moseley Ashfield Youth Section Fun Day from 2pm to 6pm-ish. The idea is that there will be age-group Single Wicket Competitions and (time-dependent) a Lads vs Dads match and a BBQ. Again, please contact Rob to confirm your attendance so that he can get on with organising the fixtures.

And looking ahead to 2020…

There is little doubt that the winter nets at Forward Drive had a positive effect on the progress of many of our youngsters and we will operate something similar in the New Year. More details to follow in due course.

We are also going to start registration for 2020 on 1st January, now that we have our online registration process working well. This will help our managers to plan more effectively for the 2020 season, so that we enter teams into the most appropriate competitions, coordinate ground usage and not have the potential wasted “registration evenings” so that we can get the training started more promptly and effectively.

Finally, in addition to our own winter nets, Complete Cricket have just announced their winter programme, which we have appended for your further information.

Here’s to a successful close to the 2019 season and an even better 2020 season.