This one is a big one!
Every New Year is a cause for optimism but for members and friends of NDCC, this is our Centenary Year and a year to be enjoyed and celebrated. For one hundred years the Club has developed talent and fostered excellence, while being a really positive organisation to be part of – whether playing or supporting cricket. NDs reaches the Centenary as a leader in cricket in NSW, and highly regarded within the cricket world, and this should make all members proud. While we are full steam ahead with the season at hand and current projects, this will very much be a year to reflect as well.
Centenary Events
Our Centenary Committee, chaired by Mark Taylor, has been working together since 2022 to bring together events and activities to make the Centenary the celebration it ought to be.
Your diaries should already have marked Saturday 6th September for the Centenary Dinner. Booking details will be available very soon. Gather friends and form a table, but do not miss it!
You also need to mark Saturday 20th September, which is the date of the Centenary Match.
Mark Taylor Oval
We were overjoyed to return to cricket at our home ground this summer. Starting with 5th Grade, we worked our way through the grades until being comfortable with First Grade playing there. While it has played well at times in the early part of the season, we now need to take some matches off the oval to enable work to ensure the surface is robust. The surface performed poorly in the matches leading into Christmas. While disappointing, management of new wicket tables is a complex exercise.
We have never shirked short-term inconvenience at the expense of better long-term results.
To be without Mark Taylor Oval for three seasons was a huge sacrifice. Rightfully the club and its players expect a suitable return. Having a quality surface to play on is of enormous importance to the Club. I can assure all players that we are actively working with Hornsby Council to help deliver better outcomes and we look forward to getting our oval back very soon.
Austen Hughes Room Mark II
Our work to rebuild the clubroom into a modern facility together with canteen, storage and public toilets commences very soon. The facility is expected to be officially opened on the day of the Cent.
New will set next to old, as the new clubroom building will be opened 97 years after the Pavilion, which the Club and Council funded and built, and was opened in 1928.
We are also planning to have a new electronic scoreboard to open for the Centenary activities. There’s no shortage of work to be done!
Happy New Year
Can I wish all members and friends of the Club a happy, safe and prosperous New Year. We look forward to gathering during 2025 to remind ourselves of the important role NDs has played in our lives and the good work it continues to do.
Cheers,
Jeremy Hook
President
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