FOOD FOR THOUGHT OVER LINCS LEAGUE TEAS

Teas were a talking point at the mid-season meeting of the Lincolnshire County Cricket League, with one forecast that they might have to be taken off the menu eventually.
It is some years since the league introduced a £25 flat fee per team for teas, but there has been a big rise in the price of commodities, including bread.
The Management Committee raised the issue for discussion, pointing out that a rule change would be required at October’s AGM to increase the amount.
Acting general secretary Glen Sands read an email from one club suggesting £30 might be a suitable figure.
During the debate, Mike Campion (Appleby-Frodingham) said it was becoming more and more difficult to find tea ladies and he wondered whether that might prove impossible for many clubs in the future.
It was pointed out that in some leagues the cost of teas rests with the home team and no cash is collected from the visitors.
The mid-season meeting was held at Rase Park, by kind permission of Market Rasen CC.
Lincs League chairman Bob Welton (pictured) offered his congratulations to the four teams involved in the Bob Welton Cup Semi Finals on Sunday, July 17th - in very inclement weather and to the umpires concerned in ensuring that both games produced results in what were far from ideal conditions.
The results secretary reminded clubs of the need to still ring in the result of their games, as well as ensuring they were in putted on the Play Cricket site.
A letter was read from the Lincoln Umpires’ Association requesting teams be reminded that match officials must be given their expenses no later than tea-time and NOT after the game is completed.
Scothern’s inquiry about applying to enter a second team in the league next season was reported and their representative was reminded of the closing date for applications – July 31.
Although not present at the meeting, Acting League Statistician Neil Simpson forwarded a couple of requests to clubs.
They were asked to use the “Match Report” section on Play Cricket when adding the umpires’ and ground marks.
Neil also requested that clubs check their stats packages to ensure their players show the right ones for each division.
Results Secretary Nigel Fisher reviewed the first few months of using Play Cricket to handle scorecards and registrations online, rather than traditional paper scoresheets and forms.
He said generally things were working well but also explained that leniency had been shown to clubs this season for deficiencies in providing information, which would have resulted in fines in previous seasons.
Following a suggestion by the Chairman, it was agreed leniency should remain in place for the rest of the season.
A discussion then took place about whether some information contained in the league handbook could, instead, be put online, such as league and individual records.
It was pointed out that if the Lincs League, the South Lincs & Border League and the Lincs ECB Premier League produced only one handbook, instead of three, costs could be greatly reduced.
However it was felt the Lincs League would lose its identity if all three were amalgamated and the matter was left in for possible further discussion at the AGM.
The Chairman then informed the meeting that former General Secretary Jeremy Slater (Keelby) had expressed an interest in returning to the post at the next AGM, the league having failed to replace the retiring Mike Savage at last October’s meeting.
The 2011 AGM will take place at Market Rasen CC on Wednesday October 19th.