Ladies, gents, LNZCCOBs, members of the whakapapa
Match Report:
A good game vs Hartley Wintney on Bank Holiday Monday - match report and ipad scoresheets will be posted to the website shortly.
 
Upcoming games:
The next match is on Sunday May 10th vs Honourable Artillery Company at their historic and lovely ground at 2 City Road in the City of London.  LNZCC Supporters - if sunny, this is a very good game to bring a picnic and enjoy a little time on the side of the pitch in the deckchairs.  The LNZCC side to play is:

Sam Martin 43 caps
Tom Gibson 14 caps 
Peter Simmons 6 caps
Luke Vivian 13 caps
Greg Collinge 21 caps
Brenton Thompson DEBUT
Chris Hamilton 20 caps
Richard Brooks 19 caps
Andrew Barkle 94 caps
Mark Epps 7 caps
Gerard Walsh 76 caps
 
You will recall that we have worked with the NZ Society to help Brenton with a small grant while he is playing cricket here in the UK.  The NZ Society is able to make a ‘sports grant’ and we applied for one which we’re happy to disburse to Brenton as and when he has cricket-related costs.  We’re very pleased to see Brenton make his debut for us this Sunday.
 
Matches to follow:
Please sign up via the website in both places; via fixtures calendar (http://www.lnzcc.org/fixtures-calendar.html) and via the registration page (http://www.lnzcc.org/fixture-registration.html)
 
Vs Ibiza Cricket Club: May 15-16
The following side then travels to Ibiza for matches against the Ibiza CC at their new ground – the Ibiza Polo Club.
Luke Vivian, Cheyne Voss, Liam O’Donnell, Chris Hamilton, Richard Brooks, Sam Martin, Sam Jeffries, Jarrad Bourke, David Harrigan and I; supported by tour management Charlotte Walsh, Sophia Vivian and Matthew Pender
 
On Sunday May 17th – Josh Wright is skippering the side vs Broadhalfpenny Brigands at Hambledon.  Thanks to those of you who have signed up via the website.  Josh knows who you are and will be in touch.
 
Sunday May 24th- Chris Hamilton will be in charge of the selection to play Harefield CC.  Please click on his name to enlist.
 
Double header
1)      We are playing a one-off match vs the touring Wellington Wanderers side on Saturday May 30th at Clavering in Essex.  Tony Penman is managing the selection and this is near full already.
2)      The next day,  Sunday May 31st, Richard Burgess is selecting vs Hampshire Hogs at their ground in Warnford.
 
More detail on the rest later...
 
Good reads:
Not necessarily our cricket, but village cricket …
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/11578224/Bad-cricket-is-brilliant-and-heres-why....html
 
And an exceptionally well-written great read about (probably) the fastest bowler that ever lived….on a day when he was angry…
http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/668721.html
 
And a really really really good article about rugby league in the 1980’s and a guy named Olsen Filipaina
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/apr/30/the-forgotten-story-of-olsen-filipaina

All the very best
Gerard

Friends, New Zealanders, not New Zealanders, ANZAC brothers and sisters, members of the whakapapa and LNZCCOBs
 This issue:

1.          Signing up for matches
2.          Social Calendar – MONSTA! Hamish Marshall Benefit Year Dinner and ‘Summer                  Celebration in the Sky’ at NZ House
3.          Match Result vs Wimbledon
4.         Team for Hartley Wintney
5.          Our big brothers on tour

 Signing up for games:
For the moment, while we fix a bit of back-end logic on the website, please do two things to sign up for games.  Please use the online selector tick-box widget here AND also email the match manager directly here
 
Social Calendar:
Event One:  Please contact Chris directly to get your tickets for the Hamish Marshall Benefit Dinner at The Grange, St Pauls on Thursday June 4th – [email protected] Tickets are £115 and there is already a large contingent of LNZCC members attending.  (Black tie or Blazer and bow tie)  There are likely to be one or two rather good cricketers from NZ there on the night in support of Hamish, who has already played for LNZCC once this season.  Get stuck in. 
 
Event Two:  Summer Celebration in the Sky on Friday June 19th.  We are one of the very few sporting clubs able to host a function in The Penthouse of NZ House.  It is a real privilege and the event itself is a must-attend; bring your mates, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, flatmates, indoor netball team, work colleagues, neighbours and anyone else who is a ninja-level expert in social combat at altitude.  This is our big FUN-raising (not a typo) event of the year. 
 
Tickets are only £25 (we have been able to hold them at this price for 5+ years) Cash bar serving NZ beer and wine at huge discounts.  PLUS the Meat Raffle is on again.  Beef.  Lamb. Frozen chickens. (NB – chickens frozen at start of night.  Unable to guarantee Arctic chickens by the end of the night.)  Other things in the raffle too – including an hour’s tennis coaching with Michael Venus, NZ’s number one male tennis player - but the chickens have a certain social cachet.   Buy ticket to gig.  Buy raffle tickets.  Win chickens.  Simples.
 
Match Result:
Sam Martin’s match report and the scorecards for the game vs Wimbledon are here.
 
Upcoming games:
Jarrad Bourke has the following team (strong!) for the match vs Hartley Wintney on Bank Holiday Monday.  Welcome to Pat McCarthy and Ryan Smith who making their debuts, and congratulations to Guy Gibson and Andrew Haines, both of whom will notch up Nottman Caps in their 5th game

Jarrad Bourke 10 caps
Pat McCarthy DEBUT
Tom Gibson 12 caps
Guy Gibson 4 caps (Nottman Cap match)
Andrew Haines 4 caps (Nottman Cap match)
Mark Epps 6 caps
Jonty Vavasour 17 caps
Tony Penman 185 caps
Peter Tippen 101 caps
Ben Orton 1 cap
Ryan Smith DEBUT

• May 10th vs Honourable Artillery Company is full
  
• May 15 – 16 vs Ibiza CC is back to full touring strength
  
• May 17 vs Broadhalfpenny Brigands at Hambledon – contact Josh Wright – [email protected]
  
• May 24th vs Harefield (Sunday of the Lords test so don’t double-book yo’self) – [email protected]
  
• May 30th vs the Wellington Wanderers side (touring from NZ) This is a Saturday game at Clavering in Essex – TP is in charge [email protected]
  
• May 31st vs Hampshire Hogs : Richard Burgess has this one [email protected]   

New Zealand Team on Tour in England
Following the finest year in NZ cricket history, our big brothers are here in May and June.  I know many of you will be at Lords for the first test – wherever you are in the UK, get out and support the team and wear your club colours at a every opportunity.  The blazers are almost always picked up by the TV cameras especially at Lords and the Oval.  It could be a cracking summer for NZ cricket so let's support the team as much as possible.

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend!

Regards Gerard