Rod Bransgrove, Chairman Hampshire Cricket looks back at 2003

Whilst we are left with a feeling of overall disappointment from our domestic cricket performances during the summer of 2003, it is important not to overlook the positive advances that have been made over the last year.

Our Academy team finished a creditable third place in the Gold Division of the Southern League after their first season in the top flight also picking up the "Timed Pennant" along the way. Two of our Academy players, David Griffiths and Kevin Latouf, were selected for the National Academy squads in their respective age groups further demonstrating the potential from this group. Further, Kevin Latouf graduated successfully to Second XI cricket where he impressed sufficiently to win a summer contract for next season.

Our Second XI won the Second XI Trophy and came third in the Championship League providing further evidence of the strength of our younger squad and the abilities of Tony Middleton and his support staff in developing young cricketers.

Another new addition to our contracted players next season will be Greg Lamb who impressed in the Second XI during the summer with both his batting and his off-spin bowling.

The gap, however, between Second XI cricket and the First Class game is significant. Whilst several young players had plenty of opportunities during the season, and some provided some very promising individual performances from time to time, we need to give ample time for our best young players to settle into the higher level of the game.

Paul Terry and Tony Middleton will combine to ensure that the sum total of our cricket development facilities from junior representative cricket through to the First XI will provide optimal opportunity for an individual's development. We must establish a "production line" which is optimised at every level and then trust the players produced by the system. Only by doing this will we remove the continual need to recruit "stop-gap" players from other Counties.

Obviously, the loss of Shane Warne before a ball was bowled was a critical loss and left the enormous burden of captaincy on the shoulders of John Crawley at short notice. John's commitment to the task was evident throughout the year and we are deeply grateful to him for his selfless dedication.

Warne's replacement, Wasim Akram, started brightly for us before being forced, through illness, to retire and the early retirement of Ed Giddins, following injury, disrupted our bowling attack significantly.

The season started on a beautiful spring day in April at Worcester. A tight match resulted in a draw which featured an excellent 146 not out by Nic Pothas and 93 by John Crawley. Wasim and Ed Giddins picking 6 wickets and 5 wickets respectively on their debuts for the County. A high-scoring draw at Glamorgan followed with Dimitri Mascarenhas scoring an unbeaten century and Robin Smith and Pothas falling just short of the three digits.

Rain affected draws followed at home to Yorkshire and against Gloucestershire at Bristol with Simon Katich scoring a fine 96 in the latter fixture.

A poor first innings batting performance at home to Somerset at the end of May handed the visitors the initiative. Despite a valiant 94 by Derek Kenway in the second innings (following on) we were well beaten. However, a fine 92 from Mascarenhas put us in a dominant position at home against Durham in the next match. On an exhilarating fourth day (having lost all of the third day to rain) Hampshire took 17 of the 18 wickets required to win the game and thus were denied victory.

On return to First Class duty, following the break for the inaugural Twenty20 Tournament, Hampshire entertained Gloucestershire at The Rose Bowl and took the points on first innings with Kenway scoring 115. However, Gloucestershire batted well in their second innings to force the draw in Wasim's last game for the Club.

July started with a visit to Northamptonshire where, despite first innings bowling figures of 6-55 by Mascarenhas, our batting let us down and we were comprehensively beaten. Returning to The Rose Bowl to play Glamorgan, we witnessed one of the most remarkable matches in Hampshire history when recording our first win of the season after following-on over 250 runs behind. A magnificent second innings knock of 121 by the injured Nic Pothas, splendidly supported by Mascarenhas (75) and the Southern League debutant off-spinner Richard Hindley, who hit a brave 68 not out, Hampshire were all out 197 runs ahead. With Chris Tremlett at his best securing 6-51, supported by James Bruce with 3-42, Hampshire won the match by 93 runs.

A rain affected draw at Headingly followed with Katich scoring a fine 143 and the same player featured heavily with scores of 117 and 79 not out in the next fixture at home to Northants. Sadly, in a match that we dominated throughout, the visitors scored the 330 runs required to win on a pitch that had become easier throughout the game. This result had a serious effect on our confidence, losing badly at home to Derbyshire in the next match.

Worse was to come at Chester-le-Street where Durham won by an innings thanks to an individual score of 273 by Martin Love and then conceded over 700 runs at Taunton against Somerset. Kenway's first innings 100 and Robin Smith's defiant 50, in what turned out to be his last appearance for the County, established a first innings score of 395 but our bowlers were well short of the mark and we were happy to leave the West Country with a draw.

In our last Championship game at The Rose Bowl we were comprehensively beaten by Worcestershire before ending the Frizzell season at Derbyshire with a resounding victory. Katich scored yet another fine century with James Hamblin falling just four runs short. However, it was the bowlers who took major honours on this occasion; both Hamblin and James Tomlinson taking career-best 6-wicket hauls in the first and second innings respectively.

In the National League, Smith and Tremlett were the heroes in our opening fixture here at The Rose Bowl when we beat Sussex Sharks by 43 runs. Robin Smith was again at his imperious best in the next fixture against Middlesex Sabres, scoring 92 in a game that Hampshire dominated until a late onslaught by Razzaq reversed the result.

At Old Trafford we were defeated comprehensively but bounced back against Somerset at home where Kenway scored a fine 115 and Mascarenhas took 4-33 to set up a 99-run win.

Robin Smith took the Man of the Match Award at Edinburgh when he scored a match winning 82 not out to defeat the Scotland Saltires and skipper John Crawley set up a fine victory at home against Durham Dynamos with 102. Mascarenhas taking another 4 wickets in the latter fixture.

A further victory followed at Northamptonshire against the League leaders but Nottinghamshire Outlaws brought us back down to earth when they took the points at The Rose Bowl. However, we had immediate revenge at Trent Bridge a week later winning a thrilling day/night encounter off the last ball.

In the home fixture against the Steelbacks, Dimi Mascarenhas bowled his nine overs for just 22 runs, taking 4 wickets to set up a 54-run victory and, in the next game, we entertained the Saltires in a very entertaining contest. Crawley (83 not out) and Francis (62 not out) took us through to a 7-wicket victory which we followed up with another fine win at Hove. Once again, Mascarenhas was the hero with the ball taking 4-24 off 8 overs.

We then enjoyed a run feast at Taunton, recording 335 runs off our 45 overs Katich again scoring a hundred. Crawley also got into the 90's and the home side then could not keep up with the rate. Some excellent catching helped us to a 116 run victory and, on our return to The Rose Bowl, we had an emphatic win over the Derbyshire Scorpions.

At this stage, we needed to win just one of our last four games to guarantee promotion but we were simply "blown away" at Durham and could not get in the hunt in our home fixture against Lancashire. We then lost a very high scoring game at Lords after Katich (yet again) with 106 and Pothas (78) had got us all off to a great start and, finally, we were found wanting at Derbyshire. Fortunately for us Middlesex Sabres lost their last game of the season at Durham and we claimed the third promotion position to establish ourselves in the First Division next season.

Our early exit from the C & G Cup was heartbreaking having controlled the game against Sussex until the last three overs. Chris Adams unleashed a merciless attack on our "death" bowlers to recover the initiative and secure a place for Sussex in the fourth round.

A magnificent night in June provided the stage for nearly 9,000 (together with a massive television audience) to enjoy the launch of this exciting new competition. Hampshire exacted revenge over Sussex for the C & G defeat in the debut game but were plundered in the next game as a result of some awesome batting by Andrew Symonds who scored 96 runs off just 45 balls. We then struggled at home to Essex despite a-run-a-ball 59 from Katich and were easily beaten at Uxbridge by Middlesex. Finally, were undone in the home fixture against Surrey by Adam Hollioake who took 5-21 off his 3 overs.

Despite our poor showing in this competition, we can take heart from the fact that it was a steep learning curve for all. However, more than anything we must celebrate the success of this competition, particularly amongst the young. The competition was borne out of definitive market research and, clearly, it worked.

From The Rose Bowl's point of view, it was a privilege to be selected as the chosen venue to launch Twenty20 and the crowd of 8,687 witnessed a night to remember. Given that this attendance was significantly greater than any previous experiences at our ground, the support staff excelled themselves, once again, in their response to the additional demands.

Once again the sun shone on us! Despite the fact that the outcome of the fixture had no relevance to the Natwest Triangular Series, over 7,000 filled The Rose Bowl on 10th July. The ground looked truly magnificent with Ian Botham declaring on Sky Television that the scene and atmosphere tempted him, for the first time since his retirement, "to put his whites back on and join in". Indeed, Simon Briggs of the Daily Telegraph described the view from the media centre at the North End of the ground as "probably the finest in the Country".

The game itself was a bit of an anti-climax but nothing will detract from the overall success of the day to which all staff played their part.

I have made the point before that all Internationals of whatever description are, effectively, an audition at our stage of ground development. We can proudly conclude from our debut that we passed the audition with flying colours.

Next summer we have been granted the fixture between New Zealand and West Indies on 8th July 2004. Given the fact that, at the time of writing, only one point separates these two Countries and England in the One Day World order, we can expect a very important and exciting match.

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A surprising number of retirements this year saw Wasim Akram call it a day during the season due to illness. Obviously this was both a great surprise and a massive blow to us but I should like to point out that Wasim's reasons for his retirement were entirely legitimate and he behaved impeccably throughout. His record will be undoubtedly referred to elsewhere but I am very pleased that we had the opportunity to see one of the true greats. As a man he is a real gentleman and we all wish him a long and healthy retirement.

Also calling it a day during the season was Ed Giddins who had joined us during the winter from Surrey. Having picked up an injury early in the summer, Ed was frustrated by his inability to return rapidly to the high standards he had set himself and decided to move on. Once again, we wish Ed well in his future ventures.

We were all disappointed to hear the news of Charlie Van Der Gucht's decision to retire. We are well aware of Charlie's disastrous road accident in 2001 and of his incredible courage thereafter. He showed fantastic bravery and determination in coming back to full fitness from his devastating injuries and was a real inspiration to all those who know him. Sadly, he felt that his bowling was simply not coming up to the standard of his fitness and has opted for a career away from cricket. Whatever Charlie does, I am convinced that his commitment and determination will ensure success and I know of few people who are more deserving.

Of course the most significant retirement of the year was that of Robin Smith after 23 years at the Club. It is my view that Robin is probably the most important player in the history of Hampshire Cricket. His ability to consistently score runs on the big occasions set him apart from other batsmen and his loyalty, a characteristic which is regularly challenged by avarice these days, set him apart from other men.

Apart from his vast batting ability, "the Judge" had the habit of making friends wherever he went; on the field or off it. His retirement will create a void that simply cannot be filled by just one player and he leaves a legacy of respect and friendship throughout the County and beyond.

We sincerely hope, however, that Robin's retirement as a player will not mean the end of his close association with Hampshire Cricket.

Several of our young players will continue their development this winter in Australia. James Bruce, Tom Burrows and Lawrence Prittipaul will be joining Paul Terry in Perth whilst Chris Tremlett will continue his post-operative rehabilitation with Patrick Farhart in Sydney. James Hamblin will spend a short period in Sydney and will complete his winter in Perth. James Adams, Chris Benham and James Tomlinson are all back at their universities whilst new boys Greg Lamb and Kevin Latouf will be coaching and attending Barton Peverill College respectively. Also back in Perth, Alan Mullally is to undergo surgery on his troublesome ankle and Dimi Mascaranhas continues his grade cricket with Melville Cricket Club.

John Crawley will be continuing his business studies whilst working in the Club's Marketing Department and new-signing Billy Taylor will be keeping himself fit whilst pursuing his "off-field" career as a tree surgeon. Shaun Udal is progressing well after his shoulder operation and will be working for his printing company during the winter months. Will Kendall is currently backpacking in South America and Nic Pothas will be attending to his family's numerous business affairs in South Africa.

Nigel Gray and his entire team worked tirelessly throughout the year to ensure that our pitches continued to show annual improvement and they did not disappoint.

There was no repeat of the notorious events of the previous year as we predicted and we are confident of yet further improvement for next summer.

I should like to congratulate Nigel and all the groundstaff on achieving their much-deserved International status.

We have continued with our ground development programme as far as possible this year with improvements to the surface of the berm and the new fencing.

No plans for further developments have been shelved but we need to take account of the considerable pressure on budgets. As ever, we continue to seek further funding from a variety of sources in order to realise our commitment to provide you with the best cricket environment in the Country.

As you may recall, there have been certain legal issues with regard to our plans to develop the golf driving range. However, these legal claims have now been settled and we are on the point of commencing work on our new golf centre to be opened in November 2004.

Whilst these delays have been frustrating, we remain confident that our new 60-bay site will offer a prestigious environment for all golf enthusiasts in the area.

It should be noted that our Landlords, The Queen's College, Oxford, have been very helpful in enabling is to find a viable solution to the commercial difficulties previously encountered with this proposed development and we are deeply grateful to them for their co-operation and support.

I should like to acknowledge also the work of Allan Spencer and his team in the continued management of the existing golf course. No doubt they, like the golf members, are all excited about the prospect of the new Golf Centre.

Despite some significant local planning and licensing issues, our debut Outdoor Concerts went ahead over the weekend of 30th and 31st August.

On the Saturday night, chart-toppers Blue entertained 10,000 young people supported by a number of acts such Darius, Sinead Quinn, D-Side and, notably, The Drifters. The following evening, The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra put on a rousing display, augmented by fireworks, to complete a wonderful and entertaining weekend.

Most importantly, our concerts conformed entirely with the standards required by Local Authorities for such events and we will certainly be staging similar shows in 2004. It is also to the great credit of our Health and Safety Officer, John Bishop, that both evenings went ahead safely and without adverse event to the praise of the local police.

This was yet another new challenge for our support staff who, as ever, accepted it with confidence and determination.

This has been a very busy year for our catering business with conference and banqueting activities providing us with significant income from meetings, seminars and product launches. The range of private functions is very broad and we currently have over 30 couples waiting for next season's fixture list before confirming their bookings for weddings! Corporate hospitality provided over 3,000 meals throughout the season.

Wise Catering, the outside catering division, relocated to The Rose Bowl and have provided quality catering at such diverse venues as Twickenham, The Paris Air Show, Ocean Village, Wincanton Race Course and the Southampton Boat Show.

Our thanks go to Derek Bennett, Keith McRae and Julie Way and the entire catering staff - both front-of-house and kitchen staff. They have all risen to every challenge this year and the consistent stream of compliments confirms the quality of their work.

With effect from 1st November 2003 Hampshire County Cricket Club Limited will formally change its name to Hampshire Cricket Limited.

Since we have effectively been playing and trading under the latter title over the past year or so, this change of name will have no effect on our supporters and customers. There will be no change to the services provided by the Company which remains a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rose Bowl plc.

As a consequence of this your Members Club will also change its name in due course to reflect the corporate name. This will, in fact, be called Hampshire Cricket Members Club.

In a year where so much progress has been made, it is important to recognise the contributions of our staff and management. However, one event during last summer transcends all operational, financial or performance achievements and puts things back into a proper perspective. When a spectator was suddenly taken very ill on a match day, Daryll Bishop called upon all his training and quick thinking to save this man's life. Whatever else any of us have achieved, this act has earned our profound and enduring respect. Typically, Daryll (who also works as a fireman) regards it modestly as "simply doing his job". I hope he's around when I need him!

Daryll's father, John Bishop, has also had a challenging year but, together with his excellent team of stewards, has consistently risen to these new challenges earning praise both internally and from the local police force.

Geoff Cox, Special Projects Manager, is charged with the responsibility of managing all planning issues which, this year, embraced the licensing for our Outdoor Concerts as well as construction issues. I should like to thank Geoff for the endless hours he has put into the planning and organisation of the ODI, Twenty20 Launch, the Concerts and the continuing ground developments.

To Vic Isaacs and Tony Weld, our scorers and, Jim Lark, scoreboard operator, we convey our thanks as we do to Richard Binns and his tremendous team who run the County Shop with such diligence.

Major events, such as the ODI and Twenty20 have placed a considerable load on our box office but the fantastic response from Jill Smithers and Katy Johnson, ably assisted by Claire Miller and Gemma Smith has ensured that - by hook or by crook - we coped. Thank you also to Jill for her overwhelming commitment to our ticketing and membership function and to Katy and her team for looking after "the books".

We should acknowledge the host if coaches, many unpaid, who assist the full-time coaching staff of Paul Terry, Tony Middleton, Giles White and Raj Maru.

Our Marketing Team, John, Gemma, Katie and Alexis, led by Sam White have ensured the commercial success of the ODI and Twenty20 as well as making the conference and banqueting business at The Rose Bowl the success it is today. We still have mountains to climb but we have an enthusiastic and dynamic group capable of achieving these tough objectives.

Thanks also to Bob Beattie and his team at Connor's and our support and administration staff including Alison Wilcocks and my assistant, Collette Timson.

Our President, Colin Ingleby-MacKenzie, who is such an inspiration to us all and our Patron, Wilfrid Weld, we thank them for their continued support, and the Members Committee, particularly Roger Treherne and David Robinson, who represent our members with such diligence.

Finally, I should like to thank the Board of Directors for its support and enthusiasm. Having been through difficult times I look forward to sharing in the future successes with them. None more so than Nick Pike, Managing Director, without whom much of the above simply could not have happened.