Avoncroft Cricket Club li Annual Report 2024 ## **Season Overview** Avoncroft Cricket Club’s 2023 Annual Report opened by noting that that season had been the wettest in a generation, with nearly a third of the 1[st] XI matches being lost to the weather. 2024 wasn’t quite as extreme, but thanks to another incredibly wet spring, the start of the season was delayed by nearly a month at Croft’s Stoke Heath ground and 5 1[st] XI matches were lost to the weather. As ever, the club were extremely grateful to the team of volunteers, led by curator Mark Taylor, who gave up their time in testing conditions to ensure that adult and junior members were able to access cricket training and matches once the ground dried out! Off the pitch, it is also important to note the contribution of other volunteers who keep the club afloat, whether that’s through administration behind the scenes, running the pavilion and bar, bringing sponsorship or fundraising into the club, coaching and managing junior sides or leading adult sides as captains or selectors. These people are the lifeblood of the club and all our members owe a debt of gratitude to them for their hidden contributions. On the pitch, there were mixed levels of success in adult cricket. The 1[st] XI struggled throughout the season but still managed to maintain their place in Worcestershire Division 3, whilst the 2[nd] XI and, to an even greater extent, the achieving more positive results with 5[th] and 3[rd] placed finishes respectively in their leagues. There was further growth in the club’s flourishing junior section. 60 boys and girls were again able welcomed to the club as part of the ECB’s All Stars Programme, whilst a further 100 or so juniors from ages 7-15 took part in junior cricket across 10 different junior sides in both boys and girls teams. This was the second year that the club was able to offer standalone girls cricket and it’s popularity in introducing new players to the game was great to see! **1 st XI Review** 2024 was a challenging season for the 1[st] XI with some player turnover, injuries and other commitments meaning that the club were unable to field consistently strong sides. As a result, whilst the side managed some impressive performances over the course of the season, there were also a number of disappointing ones which contributed to an overall 9[th] place finish. 2024 was always going to be a transitional year, with a number of the club’s big junior prospects making the step up to becoming first XI regulars. The fact that they settled in so quickly and contributed as equals alongside their more experienced team-mates can only stand the club in good stead to progress in future years. Captain Josh Cound led the way with the bat with 509 runs at an average of 36, whilst 15year old Ben Athey hit the biggest knock of the season, scoring an incredible 130 against league winners Netherton as Avoncroft chased down 327 to post their most impressive win of the season. With the ball, Josh Cound was also the leading wicket taker is 23 wickets however 16-year old Ben Huxley also deserves a mention for his 18 wickets as he quickly became a key cog in the 1[st] XI bowing line up ## **2 nd XI Review** The availability challenges that hit the 1[st] XI in 2024 trickled down to the 2nds as the team produced an inconsistent season – sometimes winning comfortably in weeks where most regulars were available whilst finding the going tough on weeks where availability was less positive. Despite these challenges, the 2nds still managed to secure a top half finish with 8 wins and 6 defeats to show for their efforts. As ever, the focus of both the 2[nd] and 3[rd] XI was to bring through the next crop of talented youngsters, whilst still offering a competitive cricket experience for those senior players not looking for regular 1[st] XI cricket. The success of our juniors was most obvious when reviewing the bowling performances of the team; two of the top three bowlers (Pete Smith and Carter Morgan) were Under 15s whilst the leading wicket taker, Max Jukes, also came through Croft’s junior sector a few years earlier. The runs were largely provided by the more experienced members of the 2[nd] XI, with captain Chris Pitt bearing the brunt of the batting responsibilities with 614 runs at an average of 68. ## **3 rd XI Review** Having been relegated back down to Division 9 (North) following a brief “dipping of the toe” in Division 8, the 3[rd] XI found the level of cricket more to their liking in 2024! 9 wins and only 2 defeats saw the 3rds finish in 3[rd] place in the league which, although outside of the promotion places, in the end was enough to give the 3rds another shot at Division 8 cricket in 2025 following a restructure of the lower levels of the Worcestershire County League. 3[rd] XI cricket offers the perfect environment for younger players to take their first steps into adult cricket and for more experienced players to continue to access competitive cricket in a more relaxed conditions. Under the tutelage of captain Jason Patel, the 3[rd] XI squad found the perfect balance between playing success and social enjoyment across the course of the season. As with the 2[nd] XI, batting success tended to be driven by some of the senior players with Damian Hampton (436 runs at 48), Kunal Issar (209 runs at 104) and Brent Burford (199 runs at 40) leading the way. U18 Ethan Warman (171 runs) and U14 Joe Simon (146 runs) showed that the club’s younger players were also able contribute towards the run scoring! Wickets were shared around a number of players in the 3[rd] XI squad - Kunar Issar and Ravi Verma topped the charts but U13 Rhys Pate and U15 James Blow were not far behind. ## **Treasurer’s Report 2024** 2023 was another strong year financially for Avoncroft CC, with the club posting a surplus of £10,859, although this included an ECB grant of £7,976 provided to part-fund a new artificial wicket which was not laid until April 2025 so the equivalent costs will be reported in the 2025 accounts. The remaining profit will enable the club to meet the required local contribution towards the cost of the artificial wicket which will significantly improve the junior training and playing facilities at the club. The Accounts are attached to this report, however the key points in summary are as follows: - The club made a surplus of £10,859, with income remaining steady at £42,793. Excluding one-off grants, income increased by around £4.5k which was driven by an increase in the number of junior members contributing membership fees. The club also increased match fees which, along with a drier summer, contributed an initial £1.3k and saw bar profits increase by nearly £2k. - Excluding one-off expenditure linked to club investments, expenditure remained reasonably stable across the main areas of spend including ground upkeep and utilities. - Any surpluses, once a reasonable contingency is set aside in case of unexpected pressures on running costs, are managed through a development account which enables the club to fund improvements in facilities and other key investments to drive sustainability and improve member experience. In 2024, the key areas of investment through the development account were: - £1,995 on replacement doors and fire exit improvements - £1,470 on bar equipment - £711 on other minor items - The club’s success with its day-to-day finances meant that a development account balance of £19,036 was set aside for further investment priorities in 2025. As stated above, this includes a budget of £10,428 for a new artificial wicket. AVONCROFT CRICKET CLUB - CLUB ACCOUNTS INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 G¢neralAIC 2024 m¢ntAIC 2024 TOTAL 2024 TOTAL 2023 INCOME Main Grants Playing Cornrnitt•• Sunscripiions - 1st ￿ Match Ftts Indoof Nets Junior C¢)mmRtee 8 1.131ctt Fees Soclal & Funoralslng Commlltee - V￿e PreS￿ents i Donatons Sponsorsnip - 200 Club & Bonus Bal - Ground Hire -BBQ Clothing 6.324 2.T 3.941 745 2.7iO 3.941 2840 875 764 4764 QT 9764 6232 6,124 9.661 t,t86 1.186 1.000 1.945 33) 2.188 35 5250 1849 610 1393 75 448 t.945 320 2. 188 36 949 949 Ground & Pavilion Comrni 11a1 Giants 7.gT6 7.97 79T6 7976 11 650 993 8.020 TOTALAVONCROFTCC INCOME 34817 4976 41793 EXPENDITURE Main Covmrtt•• - Loan fepayrMts' Insurance - Fire C&wiiaKe - L￿enCeS Pest Control Sundries P*ing Cornrnitt•• League Fees Balls - TrwhEs l Med - Indo￿ Ne15 - Hire oiner Junior ConMnitt•• - League Fees - Courses - Krt i Equipmenl Tro Social & Fundraising Cornrnitt•• Sociaiilunaraising equiwEni Presentation evenin Ground & Pavilion - capiiai PurcThases - Ground Rent - Grouna NvorK i Expenses Pa￿liOn C￿aning - Pavilion MaiDlenaDce i exper UtiIrt￿S (Gas) - ubirtES (E*trKtyI Ivaier 170 7.327 1.930 3,281 67 677 1 930 2920 285 593 1 308 548 3281 67 6T1 1 170 202 32 t70 8.011 340 18 1 (r25 20 920 45 4S) 609 4S) 609 541 146 395 395 14134 17A99 27.165 2886 341 8039 458 10.015 105 2530 27g) 341 7.448 358 341 1.193 105 4413 275 105 275 TOTAL AVONCROFTCC EXPEPLIITURE 27.T 4176 31.ga4 39,025 TOTAL AVONCROFTCC PROFITI ILOSSI BEFORE INIERNAL IPANSFERS 6.059 10.859 2,861 TrANSFER TO DEVELOPMENTWC TOTAL AVONCROFTCC PROFITI ILOSSI 10.859 2,86 ' TThe club IoDk out a k)an Of£9 $50 rrom EWL3nd & waks Citkei Tmst in 2019 CO￿ olg￿nI] equipwL A% at31S1 DetemDer 2023 the CluD has repa￿ £8.204 ￿VIng a remaining liatylty of£1 446 TrEre ate 3 quartetty payrtwts c4rtgarKling. the ￿al pawTwI In Q3 of 2025 AVONCROFT CRICKET CLUB- CLUB ACCOUNTS MOVEMENT OF FUNDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 Bank Cash Total Opening balanc• at IstJanuary 2024 Split betsveen.. - General alc - Developmentalc - Baralc - soc￿1 •lc 2023 CFEque5 baDked- ItKottE 2023 Ctrwue5 presetrted I wntten back- EwetYJrtLre 2024 Ctrwue5 received bLI r￿1 yet barked- Incc 2024 Cwues sert bLrt Wl yel banked- Experx5bJe 23,863 1.704 25,567 11,926 10,236 1,125 576 1.205 13,131 10,236 1,624 576 499 12.016 35179 11.1571 547 10.859 38A26 Closlng balanu at31stDeceD*¢r2024 Splltbekn¥een.' G&noral alc Dovolopment alc Bar alc Social alc 12,328 19,036 2,002 2,513 24 12,352 19,036 2,525 2,513 523 AVONCROFT CRICKET CLUB - CLUB ACCOUNTS DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT- MEMORANDUM FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 INCOME 2024 EXPENDITURE 2024 OPENlhlG 8ALANCE Made up of.. - GeneR81 B818rtce - Groundresili8rKe fund 10.23$ 9.236 Grants E&W Cricket Trust- ￿tifiCial ￿￿ket 7,976 7.978 Sponsorshlp & Donatlons JP Legal Boumwlle Village Trust 4176 Glass Washer Doors Flre Escape 11 1.470 Advertising banners Presenl8Oon Evening Wall Plaque 146 395 170 Tran5f•rfr¢>m Genoral AcctyJnl SUB.TOTAL 12.976 4,176 BALANCE A48de up trf." . General - Artifjcial ivickfrt Grant + Club contrbutron . G￿￿￿￿￿s￿l1er￿e 19,036 6.608 10.428 Independent e¥arnlnerfs report to the charitytJUStees of Avonuoft CrKket aub I report on the accounts of the tharity for the year ended 31st December 2024. Respective responsknlltles of tharfty tntstees and examiner As the charitys trustee5 you are responsbi le for the preparation of the accounts in accordan￿ with the Charities Act 20111-the Acv). The charttvs tnjstees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Art and that an independent exarnination is needed. It is my responsibility to= • examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charitie5 Act • follow the applicable Dtrections given by the Charity Commission (under section 14515)(bl of the Act, and ' State whether partiajlar matters have come to rny attention. Basis of indepe￿Ient examinerfs stat•nent My examination was carried out in accordance with gerTreral Directions given by the Charty Commissi￿. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the tharity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also indudes consideration of any unusual items or disdosures in the accounts. and seeking explanations from the trustees conceming any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit. and consequently no opinion is giltn as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fairf view and the report is limfÈed to those matter5 Set out in the statement below. Independent examinerfs ststement In connection with my examination, no material matt￿S have u)me to my attention whith gives me cause to believe that in. any material respert: . the accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Charities Act; or . the accounts did not accord with the accounting records." or . the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the form and content of accounts set out in the Chartties {Accounts and Reports} Regulation5 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no COn￿rnS and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to whith attention sh￿Id be drawn in this report in order to enabfe a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: tel*A￿l Name".