The fixtures are now made for round 1 of the Irish National Cup and we have an away fixture against Midleton on May the 9th;

The President, Officers and Members of The Hills are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gerry Harper.

Gerry was one of our true “Legends” — a proud member of the double-winning side of 1989 and a loyal, long-time supporter of the club. His contribution to The Hills and to the wider cricket community will always be remembered.

We extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the Harper family and to our friends at Balbriggan Cricket Club.

May Gerry rest in peace.

Details of the funeral arrangemnents can be found on the following link:

https://rip.ie/death-notice/gerry-gerald-harper-dublin-skerries-622112

Jim Bennett has penned a very interesting synopsis of Gerry on the Cricket Leinster web site;

https://www.cricketleinster.ie/news/gerry-harper-rip

The annual Christmas Raffle is taking place at the Santa Party in the Clubhouse on Sunday, 21^st December.  Draw cards and details are below.

Anyone who requires cards can get them by contacting George Kitteringham who is co-ordinating this effort.  Alternatively, you can print a card yourself, copy and send it to George.  Payment can also be sent to George by Revolut.

George will also arrange a day and time that he will be available in the Clubhouse if anyone wishes to collect cards in person.  All completed cards and money should be returned to George by Friday, 19^th December.

Finally, if anyone wishes to make a donation towards the raffle prizes they may do so, again by contacting George.

George Kitteringham

087 2742057

gkitteringham@gmail.com

Santa will arrive at 3 p.m.

The party will be followed by the draw for our Christmas Raffle.

We have just received the very exciting news that Fingal County Council have granted planning permission for the construction of our indoor training centre. Well done and congratulations to those members who supported this effort.

The following images illustrate what the centre will look like when finished;

The AGM of The Hills Cricket Club will take place on Monday, November 10^th at 19.30 (7.30pm) in the clubhouse at The Vineyard.

The main business of the AGM will be to elect a committee for the coming year and to review the past year’s finances and the various operations of the club in 2025.

Regarding the election of the committee we are asking for nominations for all positions, except that of Club President – our current President remains in office until the end of the next year.

Nominations are requested for the following;

1.President Elect, who will assume the office of President at the end of the coming year.

2. Chairperson

3. Honorary Secretary

4. Honorary Treasurer

5. A minimum of five (5) ordinary committee members who might be asked to take special interest, inter alia, in one of the areas which come under the duties of the general committee.

All positions are open to nominations from both women and men

Nominations may be made and seconded only by full members and must have the agreement of the nominee. Members may, of course, nominate themselves if they so desire.

Nominations, including the names of proposer and seconder, should be emailed to; secretary.thehillscc@gmail.com

We would be delighted to see some new, younger, faces coming forward to fill the various positions, and we would be extra pleased to see a greater number of our women members taking up the challenge of helping to push The Hills forward in all of the activities of a forward-looking club.

Bobby Swarbrigg, Hon. Secretary

The President, Officers, and members are saddened by the passing of our good friend, Stan Mitchell, and offer our condolences to Stan’s family and to the members of Phoenix Cricket Club.

More details on the following link;

https://www.cricketeurope.com/DATABASE/ARTICLES2025/articles/000024/002429.shtml

The Hills Cricket Club has a long tradition of volunteerism

Members have always been willing to sacrifice some of their personal time to serve the club in various capacities, be it helping with the ground, or painting fences, or even picking up a bit of litter as they walk around the place.

There has also been a willingness to help in the administration and management of The Hills. In recent years, however, we have seen a fall-off in the number of members putting themselves forward for Committee or for the various sub-committees. We often hear complaints that “it’s always the same old crowd on the executive” or “it’s time for some new faces at the table”. Well, I’m delighted to tell you that the long-serving committee members feel exactly the same way about that.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

On Monday November 10^th, the Annual General Meeting of The Hills Cricket Club (that’s YOUR club) will take place, and the opportunity to inject some new energy will be in your hands, you can’t expect your parents and grandparents to keep the place afloat forever. There’s a cohort in the 25 to 45 age group who could do wonderful work in any of the various areas of expertise required to manage an outfit like The Hills;

WOMEN’S CRICKET

There will be a need for a new Women’s Cricket Rep on the incoming committee, as well as for members of the Women’s Cricket sub-committee.

OPEN CRICKET

As in Women’s Cricket, there will be a need for a representative to the Executive, there will also be places to be filled in the Open Cricket sub-committee.

YOUTH CRICKET

The leaders in the area of youth cricket will always be keen to see new people coming forward to offer their services.

THE HOUSE COMMITTEE

This committee looks after the smooth running of the clubhouse in all areas including the bar, hall bookings, preparation for events, overseeing cleaning operations, and redecoration etc. The ladies who look after our renowned catering are always on the look-out for people to add their culinary skills in the kitchen.

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE,

 The job of Honorary Treasurer is a heavy load for one person to bear so there are places to be filled there, e.g. an Assistant Treasurer would be a great asset to the administration of the club.

If you feel you could fill any of the above vacancies and are willing to give a little of your time please contact

secretary.thehillscc@gmail.com or bobswarbrigg@gmail.com