After spending the last 5 years as President of the Association and Chairman of the Board of Management, I have decided that I will not seek re-election to those positions for the upcoming season. My decision has been taken after a great deal of thought. I think it will be of benefit to the Association to have a fresh perspective and ideas as the competitions continue to grow and expand. It is now also time for me to move more into the background as I continue to enjoy my involvement in local cricket. I will however remain available to the Executive if required for any ‘special projects ‘.

The last 5 years have been greatly enjoyable and I am humbled to have been given the opportunity to represent the Association. During this period there have been many eventful happenings – two grading discussions, a new 20/20 competition, the establishment and empowerment of a new Senior Committee, the impending new Association ‘headquarters’ , a revised and updated Strategic Plan and the introduction of the MyCricket system to name just a few of the many issues that have been dealt with.

I take this opportunity to express my admiration for the many people who happily volunteer their services in assisting with the many tasks required to operate an Association of this size. Quite simply, our various competitions could not take place without these volunteers. The same must be said about the hundreds of volunteers at club level where things would simply not happen without their involvement. A sincere thank you to all those concerned.

I must thank the members of the Board of Management who made me feel most welcome when I first joined the Executive. To join an Executive and in such a position whilst not having been involved at any level previously was somewhat of a challenge, however the Board members made me feel welcome from the outset and guided me through the initial stages. Their friendship and unfailing commitment has been appreciated far more than I can describe.

There is an old saying along the lines of ‘you only get out what you put in ‘ – I am fortunate to have gained so much more over the last 5 years. Our Association is a great one, one that should continue to prosper and expand and continue to offer people of all walks of life the opportunity to play the great game of cricket. My small involvement over the last 5 years has been a privilege.

Ian Dench
24/5/2010