2022 Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023

(Subject to confirmation)

CHAIR

Fanos Hira FCA

VICE-CHAIR

Paul Pridgeon

COMPANY SECRETARY

Sarah Gluyas

ELECTED NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Paul Pridgeon*

Richard Law

David Baker

Emma Hallam

David Manning

ADDITIONAL NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Fanos Hira

Tom Scott

*Former player

OFFICIALS OF WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB

PRESIDENT

Cynthia Crawford MBE PATRONS

Viscount Cobham

The Rt Rev’d John Inge, Bishop of Worcester

The Very Rev’d Peter Atkinson, Dean of Worcester

Baron King of Lothbury, KG, GBE

MEN’S HEAD COACH

Alan Richardson

CAPTAINS

Brett D’Oliveira

Jake Libby

Chloe Hill

2023

HONORARY LIFE VICE-PRESIDENTS

John Chadd

John Elliott

David Exall

Duncan Fearnley

Jack Randall

Peter Seward FCA

Doug Slade

Peter Radburn

Dave Broughall

Martyn Price

Norman Gifford MBE

Tim Curtis

Stephen Taylor

Vanburn Holder

HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS

Graeme Hick MBE

Phil Neale OBE

Rev’d Michael Vockins OBE

Meriel Harris

Dear Member,

The Annual General Meeting of the Club will be held on Tuesday 11th April 2023 at 7.00pm in the Graeme Hick Pavilion at New Road. Members will also be able to join he meeting online via Zoom. Registration for online access is available via wccc.co.uk

Free car parking is available at the Graeme Hick Pavilion side of New Road.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2023

PART A

1. Apologies for absence.

2. To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 23 March 2022.

3. President’s Address.

4. To receive the Annual Report on behalf of the Board and the Statement of Accounts that accompany this notice:

a. Chairs Report

Mr Fanos Hira FCA

b.Finance Report

Mrs Sarah Gluyas

5. To seek the approval of the meeting for the re-election of Mrs Emma Hallam & Mr David Manning as an Elected Director for a period of three years in accordance with present rule 17.2.

7. To seek the approval of the meeting for the re-appointment of Mr Fanos Hira as an Additional Non-Executive Director for 2022/23 (in accordance with existing rule 17.4).

8. To seek the approval of the meeting for the appointment of Mr Tom Scott as an Additional Non-Executive Director for 2022/23 (in accordance with existing rule 17.4).

9. To receive any other business of which the Chair of the meeting has received notice of and is to be raised and discussed (in accordance with present rule 27.5).

PART B

Panel Q&A with Men’s Head Coach Alan Richardson, Men’s Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira and Men’s One Day Cup Captain Jake Libby.

2022 CHAIR’S REPORT

I would like to start by thanking our members, sponsors, employees, and board for all their support in 2022. A challenging year for Worcestershire County Cricket Club, both on and off the pitch.

Off the pitch, in the near term, we need to focus laser-like on tight cost control whilst maximising commercial opportunities. Sarah Gluyas, our Head of Finance and Company Secretary, elaborates further on this in her report. All against a difficult backdrop of high inflation in food costs, wages, and utility prices, putting pressure on discretionary spend. The economic impacts post the pandemic continue to reverberate across sport and the wider community.

At Worcestershire, whilst historic debt levels have dramatically reduced over the years, we continue to believe we need to reduce this further in the coming years. On an underlying basis - earnings before interest tax, and depreciation (EBITDA) - we made a profit, however, there’s no escaping in the last five years we have paid over half a million pounds in interest charges alone. This legacy we must continue to address. We are confident that we will.

Everyone at our Club is hungry,

focussed and determined to improve whilst making New Road and cricket across the county a welcoming place for all.

Our aim remains to win trophies, compete, entertain, and to do this sustainably. At the elite level, we didn’t get what we had hoped for in 2022. Despite this, there were many collective and individual successes for us as Club this year.

My personal highlights include the following;

1) The continuing development of Women’s Cricket. Our Women’s Rapids team won their T20 Cup competition in May and were runners-up in West Midlands Regional Cup with some impressive personal milestones. Georgie Macey was the second leading run scorer in the ECB County Cup, and Flora Bertwistle the leading wicket-taker. Clare Boycott remarkably played in her 200th game for Worcestershire in the season. Sarah Glenn and Emily Arlott were selected for England’s senior squads, and Charis Pavely and Ellie Anderson were selected in the England U19s. We are delighted that the fastpaced development of Central Sparks, in partnership with our colleagues, Warwickshire, is continuing to inspire women

and girls to play professional cricket in the West Midlands and beyond.

2) England Disability Game/ T20 Vitality Blast Double Header – this was a first in cricket, and the whole day was a chance to see New Road at its best. In the morning, 150 SEND school children were playing on the outfield and met the England physical disability team – they were in awe of them, illustrating to us all the power of sport – to inspire people and demonstrate how cricket can be inclusive and a game for all. It was so pleasing that Worcestershire County Cricket Club was at the heart of this day, which was down to the brilliant work of Craig Oakley and his team at Worcestershire Cricket Board.

3) Our Academy continues to thrive, going unbeaten to win the ECB County U18 County Championship and reaching the quarter of the ECB 50-over cup. They also pleasingly got to the final of the Graham Williamson Trophy Final held here at New Road – another first – ending up as runnersup to a strong Birmingham league side Smethwick – with Kadeer Ali leading the way. The future looks very bright, and it is pleasing that three Academy players have joined our professional staff for the

Our aim remains to win trophies, compete, and do this sustainably. At the elite level, we didn’t get what we had hoped for in 2022. Despite this, there were plentiful collective and individual successes for us as Club this year.

HIRA

FANOS

coming season in Henry Cullen, Olly Cox and Rehaan Edavalath – all with potential. We wish them all well.

4) Further improving opportunities for all. We held Open Trials at New Road in September, with more than 100 people participating, with further open sessions planned for men and women in the coming months. We were also the first county to play against the South Asian Cricket Academy (‘SACA’), a brilliant initiative led by Dr Tom Brown.

At these games, our coaching team observed the considerable talents of Kashif Ali, who became the first SACA graduate to sign for a first class county when he signed a professional contract with us and has already made a great early impression.

5) Our work in the community/helping others. It’s been great for us all to learn about the humbling work of the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, which became our third charity partner in 2022, following on from Acorns in 2020 and St Richards Hospice in 2021. We’ve raised much-needed funds and hopefully increased their profile for what is an incredible charity. We also hosted a Six-aSide tournament for Martin Watts (expertly organised by Paul Pridgeon and John Elliott). Martin was a long-standing member of staff who had to retire due to ill health, and we were so pleased with the generosity of donations to assist him.

Sport is about making memories, and it was great to see some exceptional individual performances, too, all of which bode well for the coming season. Brett D’Oliveira scoring a century in his first game as Club captain against Leicestershire, Azhar Ali’s Double Century - 225* - straight off the field to greet children after batting all day – what a great memory that was captured in a brilliant photo, Joe Leach with career-best figures of 6/44, Gareth Roderick’s amazingly resilient second half of the season, seeing Josh Tongue playing again was a delight, Jack Haynes and Josh Tongue getting England Lions call ups, Dillon Pennington in the wickets, and the further development of plentiful young talent in our squad.

We welcome back Azhar Ali, and in addition, the winter signings of Adam Hose and Matthew Waite, alongside Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner for the Vitality Blast, will add proven quality to an already exciting and youthful men’s squad.

Since the close of last season, we have made changes and have established a new senior men’s coaching group, and we are confident they will drive on-field progress. We have a rich mix of talent, not least in the coaching staff. Alan Richardson, Kadeer Ali and new hire Richard Jones are extremely competent and care - two of the key qualities needed to drive our talented players forward in the years ahead. I look forward to members getting to see this first-hand in the coming seasons –they are all personable, kind, and impressive. They will be ably supported further when we have identified the right person, who is available, to assist cricket development at our club.

We welcome Worcester Foodbank as our official charity partner for 2023. Having recently attended their distribution centre in Worcester, I was taken aback at the scale of the operation, the vast numbers of people they feed, and, therefore, the real and vital difference they are making to the community. In the last twelve months, they have provided a staggering 190,000 meals indicating the pressures those in the wider community face. We hope to do all we can to assist them over the coming year.

Thank you to everyone in the community in which we operate. I hope you have an enjoyable Spring and Summer. I look forward to seeing you at our ground in the coming season.

Fanos Hira FCA Chair

We should believe in how talented we are and how good a side we can be and should take great heart from that.

ALAN RICHARDSON

MEN’S FIRST XI REPORT

The 2023 season is on the horizon, and we can take great encouragement from our performances in last summer’s LV=Insurance County Championship heading into the new campaign.

It was a frustrating season in some respects because we had opportunities to win some games of cricket, which I think would have got us promoted to Division One.

We have to take great heart from putting ourselves in those positions, but we also have to be honest about trying to make sure that when we are in those situations, we are a bit more ruthless.

The games that stand out are the home matches with Glamorgan and Derbyshire when we had some real opportunities but didn’t get over the line. Leicestershire away was also frustrating when the last pair batted out 20 odd overs.

The way we played our cricket was really solid. We drew some games we probably would have lost in previous years, so that’s encouraging. In that last four games, we played some really good cricket, and the balance of the side was excellent.

We put ourselves in excellent

positions in weather-affected matches against Glamorgan and Sussex, and we beat Nottinghamshire here, sides that all finished above us.

We should believe in how talented we are and how good a side we can be and should take great heart from that performance against the eventual Division Two champions.

There are 14 games and some vast swings that can happen, and in one game, you can play well against strong opposition, and the following week probably play someone not quite as strong and not quite get it right.

But it certainly should be a benchmark about how well we can play our four-day cricket.

On the batting side, we scored 16 centuries, our best tally in a season for 16 years, and did not rely on one or two players for runs.

That was really impressive. The boys certainly took on a lot of responsibility. To win games of cricket, we need to take 20 wickets and score enough runs.

For the guys to take on that responsibility and convert a lot of starts into big innings was fantastic. That sets you a solid base to give you a chance

to win games of cricket. It always works hand in hand. It’s about batting in a manner that puts the opposition under pressure when we bowl and vice versa.

Ed Pollock scored his maiden hundred in red-ball cricket; Jack Haynes did the same and had some fantastic partnerships with Azhar Ali, taking the wind out of the opposition’s sails.

Azhar’s influence has been tremendous in and around the group. Gareth Roderick, towards the back end of the season, did very well. His innings here against Nottinghamshire was fantastic, and he played very well at Glamorgan as well.

When we signed him, we knew what he could do, and it has been a frustrating time for him, and he showed some of his qualities in the second half of the season.

Brett D’Oliveira has his first season as Club Captain, and it has been quite a journey for him throughout his cricket and life. He is a wonderful captain, has the players’ respect, and does it his own way.

He shows great positivity, which I’m a huge believer in, and it was fabulous to watch him. He knows how to manage people, how to push people,

MEN’S FIRST XI REPORT

how to behave with people, knowing people’s personalities and how to treat them.

On the bowling side, Dillon Pennington statistically had his best season, and we saw some really good signs from him with his consistency.

Joe Leach was as effective as ever and had his career-best bowling figures. Ben Gibbon settled himself in nicely, and hopefully, we will see more to come.

There were some really good performances from Josh Baker in his first full season. He played a lot of cricket, and we put him in a lot of interesting situations where he was our premier spinner, fielding in the slips, batting at eight at times, and he acquitted himself brilliantly well.

The return of Josh Tongue was like having a new signing for me and was fabulous to see. He is a very popular member of the changing room, and it was fantastic to see him back.

In general, it was hard for teams to take wickets last summer. We communicate with our opposition, and the general feeling was the balls were not quite up to standard of previously, and the ability to get the ball off straight in overs 50-60 wasn’t there.

It probably reflected more international cricket in that it was harder to take 20 wickets, and most sides are now learning how to do that. Sides struggled to take 20

wickets at times, and we were part of that, but we acquitted ourselves brilliantly well for most of it.

In the Vitality Blast, I hear people saying our first four games were away and that we were without Moeen Ali and Dwayne Bravo for those matches as reasons for how the season panned out. I’m not having that. I just don’t think we acquitted ourselves. We had some challenges which we didn’t acquit ourselves well enough to overcome.

I don’t think they were out of the ordinary compared to other sides, if I’m being honest. I think we would be naïve to hide behind those.

Other sides didn’t have their overseas players or their centrally contracted players. When we come up against challenges like that again, we have to make sure we are far better equipped to deal with it as a squad.

We ended up with three captains, and it wasn’t easy with continuity not there, and we struggled to get any momentum.

It was nowhere near a representation of what we’ve got in the squad. I don’t think it is a sign of where the squad is at in white-ball cricket.

We’ve got some lessons to learn, and we’ve got to keep getting better because everyone else is doing that.

We had some challenges we

didn’t equip ourselves very well for, so we have to make sure we are better at tackling those during the coming season.

We should be really excited moving forward, but we have to make sure we are a bit more resilient in terms of what is put in front of us and the experience and quality Adam Hose, Matthew Waite alongside Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner for the T20 should help.

With the One-Day Cup, we always go into that competition looking to win it, but things get put into place which potentially changes the focus a little bit as you go along.

At no stage could we put out our strongest team. Just like in T20 cricket, we have to acquit ourselves better where we have those periods where things might go against us.

That happens everywhere else as well, so we have to make sure we are more resilient with that. What was really exciting for me was Kashif Ali coming into the side and playing really well. Certainly, his innings against Kent here was one to remember.

We saw some excellent cricket. We were always in games; what was disappointing was that we didn’t do enough, but again that’s another huge learning for us.

Some guys had their first taste of white ball cricket. Ben

We should be really excited moving forward, but we have to make sure we are a bit more resilient in terms of what is put in front of us.

ALAN RICHARDSON

MEN’S FIRST XI REPORT Continued...

Gibbon, and Henry Cullen came in, Taylor Cornall learnt a hell of a lot during that period and Jake Libby got a chance to captain quite a bit as well.

We are trying to develop the squad as much as possible and want as many people as possible who are comfortable being leaders. For Jake to have that opportunity, he will learn a lot from that period as well.

Results-wise, it was disappointing, so we have to learn from that, but we have to try and take as many positives as we can as well, and there were certainly plenty in that tournament as well.

We did have a few late call-ups for The Hundred, which was tremendous for Pat Brown, Jack Haynes, Mitchell Stanley and Brett D’Oliveira.

The more players we can get playing in the Hundred, the better it is for me because that means we are doing well as a white ball team, and players are developing. That is what we should be aiming for.

I’ve enjoyed my first winter as Head Coach and I’ve been learning all the time. The support staff have been amazing, and the players

have been so supportive. It is an opportunity to help Brett mould the side going forward, and I can’t wait for the season.

Richard Jones has come in and been a breath of fresh air, how he looks about and goes about his cricket.

What is also very important is making sure the members enjoy their cricket.

That is a huge part for us, and we want to link up with the members as much as possible, and the community and all of the staff at Worcestershire really understand the importance of that.

We want to go out and perform as well as we can for the members but also make them feel really part of the club as well.

Alan Richardson Men’s Head Coach

WOMEN’S 1ST XI REPORT

It has been a memorable 12-month period for Worcestershire Women’s Rapids players, as a team and on an individual basis.

As a team, the Rapids showed their all-round quality in winning one trophy and coming runners-up in another tournament and much praise must go to Women’s Head Coach Gareth Davies for the work he’s put in to help with progress.

But there were also many individual achievements to celebrate, including international recognition for several players.

It was a day to remember when the Rapids won the ECB T20 County Cup Group Two on finals day at Falkland Cricket Club in early May.

Ami Campbell scored 70 not out in the semi-final win over Shropshire and then followed that with 80 in the final versus Staffordshire.

Sarah Glenn also picked up five wickets in the final, and we wish her well with England and on her return to Derbyshire after four years with Worcestershire.

Georgina Macey was a model of consistency with the bat with three half-centuries in the competition and was our leading run-scorer of the summer across all cricket.

I also have to make a special mention of Clare Boycott. She reached 200 appearances for Worcestershire in a group game against Shropshire at Bromsgrove.

It’s no wonder our captain, Chloe Hill, described her as “Mrs Consistency”. A fantastic player for the County over many years.

It was a wonderful team effort, and the success in the T20 competition so early in the season gave the players a lot of confidence to take into the remainder of 2022.

The team again performed excellently in the West Midlands Regional Cup to reach the final.

It was just unfortunate that five of our senior players were absent because of other cricketing commitments for the final when Cricket Wales edged us out at Moseley Cricket Club.

But there were again many highlights, with spinner Flora Bertwhistle, registering two excellent five-wicket hauls and finishing as the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 13 at six runs apiece.

Our young new ball bowler, Amy Maund, also confirmed her promise in her first season of senior cricket.

Clare Boycott’s 83 not out against Warwickshire was the Rapids’ highest individual score of 2022.

The Rapids also topped their group in the ECB Girls Under-18 County One-Day Cup before losing to North East Warriors in the national quarter-finals.

In terms of individual recognition, it was tremendous to see pace bowler Emily Arlott, named in the PCA Women’s Team Of The Year for the second year running.

She played a full role in the T20 Cup success before enjoying further success with Central Sparks and Birmingham Phoenix.

Our captain and keeper-batter, Chloe Hill, went on loan to Southern Vipers and played a

full role in helping them qualify for the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

She came so close to lifting the trophy before the Vipers were edged out by two runs by Northern Diamonds in the final at Lord’s

The year ended with Ellie Anderson and Charis Pavely being selected in the England Under-19 squad for the ICC Women’s Under-19 Cup in South Africa.

We’ve seen them develop and come through the ranks with the Rapids during the past couple of years, and to help England qualify for and to play in a World Cup final is an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Ellie, in particular, had a memorable time with the new ball and was selected in the ICC Team Of The Tournament with her 5-12 against the West Indies, the best bowling analysis of the tournament.

The achievements of Ellie and Charis can only act as an inspiration for the players on the pathway as to what can be achieved, and we are all hoping 2023 will be another successful year.

Ryan D’Oliveira Assistant Coach

Clare Boycott played her 200th Worcestershire game in 2022.

MEN’S 2ND XI REPORT

There was a lot to take encouragement from in Worcestershire’s Second Eleven Cricket last summer, and it should serve as an example to the current crop of up-and-coming youngsters as to what may lie just around the corner.

Pace bowler Ben Gibbon and batters Taylor Cornall and Kashif Ali were all newcomers to New Road last summer and began the early part of the campaign in the Second Eleven.

As a club, we were delighted to make history with Kashif becoming the first product of the newly founded South Asian Cricket Academy to sign a contract with a firstclass county.

All three of them made their mark with a series of outstanding performances.

Two centuries spanning 12 hours against Glamorgan at Newport opened the first team door for Taylor Cornall, and Ben Gibbon earned his opportunity with the help of taking 12 wickets against Somerset Seconds at Stourport.

Kashif strung together an incredible sequence of scores for the Seconds, a double century, two hundreds and four fifties in successive innings to be awarded his chance at first-team level.

Although not a newcomer, Gareth Roderick also showed what could be achieved by get-

ting his head down and performing in the Seconds, and he was a big success at first team level during the second half of the summer.

He was also an excellent example to the younger professionals.

The point is that if you perform, and have that hunger to succeed, then you will get noticed, and all of the above went on to feature in sizable chunks of first-team cricket.

I keep saying to the lads, ‘if you get into the second team, make it count.’

Those young players in contention to start next season with the Seconds, the likes of Rehaan Edavalath, Henry Cullen and Olly Cox, should only take inspiration from such examples. It could be then making the step up in 2023 if they produce the goods.

Rehaan Edavalath certainly already looked the part when given opportunities with the Seconds on either side of his school exams in 2022, averaging over 60 in eight red ball games.

He has taken the opportunity to further enhance his cricket knowledge by spending three months in India this winter.

Keeper-batter Henry Cullen showed his potential, and he will want to push to add to his three first-team appearances in the One Day Cup after a successful winter playing grade cricket in Australia.

Olly Cox looked to broaden his cricketing knowledge after a promising taste of Seconds cricket via the International Cricket Programme in Sydney.

Rehaan, Henry and Olly are all benefiting from day-to-day training as rookie professionals after signing their first contracts with the club.

Worcestershire played a lot of good cricket in finishing in the top half of the Second Eleven Championship, much of it under the kind of pressure situations that will stand players in good stead when making the step up.

Drawn games with Glamorgan, Leicestershire and Warwickshire demonstrated the kind of resilience, discipline, and character needed higher up the cricketing ladder. They put a high price on their wickets.

Playing four-day rather than three-day Championship matches also allows players to bat for longer periods and have to show the extra concentration and mental stamina required.

We tried to play games in the right way and always look to win. Whether we had a big score to chase or whatever, we were always looking to be positive.

Thirteen hundreds were scored in the Seconds last season, and the increase from eight to 10 Championship matches gave the right bal-

ance of red ball cricket.

Although results did not go our way, there were also encouraging individual performances in the SET20 competition.

Jacques Banton did well with bat and ball, and we wish him well in his future career after leaving New Road at the end of the season.

Taylor Cornall also made a sizable chunk of runs, and there were wickets for Mitchell Stanley, who tasted first-team experience in the Vitality Blast and then in The Hundred.

I can honestly say I really enjoyed my three years as Seconds coach, and the experience has stood me in great stead for the next chapter in my career as Assistant Head Coach.

I think the biggest thing for me has been having Kevin Sharp with me, someone with so much experience, playing and coaching for 40-plus years.

Having had him next to me, bouncing ideas off, and having loads of conversations about how to deal with certain situations has been excellent.

It has been tremendous for me, and I’ve absolutely loved it, and I’m ready now for the next step.

Kadeer Ali Assistant Head Coach Henry Cullen was one of three players to graduate from the Academy in 2022.

ACADEMY & CTP REPORT

The 2022 season was a memorable one for the Worcestershire Academy (Under-18) side in winning one competition and finishing runners-up in a major final.

The campaign began impressively by reaching the final of the Birmingham and District Premier League (BDPCL) Graham Williamson Trophy.

The Under-18s faced three BDPCL sides in Halesowen, competition holders Barnt Green and Ombersley – all away from home – and triumphed on each occasion.

It provided our youngsters with some serious challenges, sometimes against experienced players, including former Worcestershire all-rounder Gareth Andrew, and current staff members such as Ed Pollock, and they were up to the task.

There were many highlights, but Ollie Walker’s 132 not out against Halesowen at Seth Somers Park deserves a special mention.

A reward for reaching the final was to then play Smethwick, captained by Worcestershire’s Assistant Head Coach, Kadeer Ali, at New Road.

It was a soggy day, and in the end, Smethwick and Kadeer came out on top, but it was another part of the learning curve for the Under-18s, and some of them will hope one day to be playing first-team cricket at the same venue.

After that success in the 40-over white ball competition, the Under-18s showed their quality and potential in the ECB three-day Under-18 County Championship.

They topped Group Two with an unbeaten record, winning

three and drawing two of their five games, and there were again many performances to savour.

But the competition was particularly memorable for Rehaan Edavalath, who hit 172 not out against Northamptonshire and an unbeaten 233 versus Somerset to underline his potential.

He went on to earn his first professional rookie contract with Worcestershire along with Oliver Cox and Henry Cullen, who made his senior debut in the Royal London Cup.

It’s also really pleasing to see another academy product, in Zain Ul-Hassan, awarded his first professional contract at Glamorgan.

Playing in three-day cricket would have presented new challenges for many of the

The Boys U13 team were victorious at the Taunton Festival

players used to just playing league cricket at weekends and one-day or T20 cricket with the Academy, and they coped admirably.

In recent years the Academy has provided a whole host of players who have been selected for either the Bunburys (Under-15s) and-or Super Fours (Under-17s) tournaments.

In 2022 all-rounders Reeve Evitts, Academy captain Joe Stanley, and batter Ollie Walker were chosen for the Midlands side at the Super Fours at Loughborough.

A fourth Academy player in pace bowler Cameron Jones was also selected but was ruled out through injury.

Another 2021-2022 Academy player in pace bowler Ben

Parker was named in the England Under-19 squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Chelmsford after impressing in a warm-up game against Ireland Academy. The Worcestershire pathway has helped to produce a conveyor belt of talent for many years, and a look at the current first team squad will confirm how productive this route has been.

Josh Tongue, for example, first played for Worcestershire at Under-10 level when aged just six, and now many years later it was fantastic to see him and another Academy product in Jack Haynes make their England Lions debut this winter.

It is encouraging to report that the current pathway consists of over 300 youngsters spanning more than 120 schools

from across the region. A word also about the contribution of Kevin Sharp, who, at the end of last season, announced he was standing down from his full-time role with Worcestershire.

Kevin has often spoken about his passion for identifying and developing young talent. Players and families will be eternally grateful for how he supports and works with budding talent during his time with Worcestershire.

It’s good to know he will continue to pass on his knowledge and wisdom on a part-time basis during 2023, and a big thank you for his continued support.

Elliot Wilson Academy Coach

Ellie Anderson (L) and Charis Pavely (R) featured in the U19 World Cup in South Africa

Mens Open Trials took place in September with over 100 taking part.

EDI REPORT

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Plan aims to drive change throughout the county to ensure Worcestershire Cricket belongs to everyone and across our areas of focus:

Education and Nurture

In the past year, the Club has provided extensive training to all its staff and board members on various aspects of EDI. This included 1-1 whistleblowing discussions, training on understanding barriers in cricket pathways and the impact of unconscious bias, training for stewards on detecting and enforcing abusive crowd behaviour, and anti-discrimination training for all staff.

The Club aims to make EDI a primary aim of the whole business in 2023. Eight senior staff have been identified as EDI Leaders in the organisation and will participate in an Inclusive Leadership Program throughout the year. The rollout of the Club’s Severn Way Values will also take place.

Building Diverse Teams

An EDI working group has been established, which meets regularly during the year with representatives from across the Club to broaden further and deepen the EDI agenda across the Club and community.

The Club also achieved Worcestershire Works Well accreditation through the

Hereford & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce. Anonymised recruitment for all senior posts was implemented, and job roles were advertised in new areas to ensure transparency and inclusivity.

Environment

At New Road, work has been undertaken to improve facilities to make them more accessible and inclusive for everyone. Accessible toilets were refurbished, and the food and beverage menu was redesigned to include vegan, halal, gluten-free, non-alcohol, and low-alcohol options. A hearing loop was purchased, and a defibrillator was installed in the main reception area. The Club also increased the number of blue-badged parking spaces and allocated a steward to look after guests with accessibility needs. Evac chairs were installed around New Road, and staff were trained on how to use them.

A changing places room, with fully accessible toilets and shower areas, will be built at New Road. The Club plans to expand the open trial process across senior cricket and fully include women’s players. Disability etiquette training will be given to customer-facing staff across all departments, and dementia friends training will be given to a core group of staff.

Pathways

The Club implemented various initiatives to improve

pathways and opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. The Jean Price bursary for financial assistance for pathway participants was increased and extended. Open trials for over 100 19-24-year-olds were conducted at New Road, and 16 participants were selected for further involvement in the pathway and senior groups. Walking cricket was showcased during County Championship fixture intervals.

A T20 doubleheader will again showcase disability cricket in 2023, with further activation with local groups.

The Academy and Pathway coaching staff have also communicated the selection process and criteria for the pathway to be even more transparent. Training tops and shorts have also been provided to all boys and girls currently on the pathway.

The Club has made significant progress in promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in the past year. The organisation’s efforts to provide training, improve facilities, and create pathways for individuals from diverse backgrounds are commendable. The future plans outlined in this report demonstrate the Club’s commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

Emma Hallam Board Director

Josh Tongue & Jack Haynes made their England Lions debut in the winter

CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS FOR

THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022

The consolidated accounts for the year ending 31st December 2022 are extracted from the audited accounts of Worcestershire County Cricket Club Limited and Worcestershire County Cricket Trading Limited.

The accounts for both of these entities were prepared and audited by Bishop Fleming LLP. Copies of the full signed audited accounts are held at the Club’s offices and are available for inspection throughout the year.

ACCOUNTS COMMENTARY

The Club began 2022 with commercial optimism for the coming season with no more Covid-19 restrictions on what could be offered to spectators and customers. But that postpandemic bounce was not as high as we had hoped, and costs increased more than was appropriate for the subdued growth. It is disappointing to report a financial loss of £203,287 for 2022.

The number of members increased to 2,459 resulting in the income from subscriptions increasing in 2022 by 20%. A significant proportion of the increase was returning members who had lapsed their membership during the Covid-19 restrictions.

The income received from match tickets of £287,816, catering of £956,213, and sponsorship and advertising of £310,975 have significantly increased in 2022. We have not bounced back to the levels recorded in 2019 yet.

Good growth has been seen in the income from the pay & display car park, up 23% and the sale of merchandise in the shop, up 35%. The music concert was a financially successful evening, and two concerts are planned in 2023.

Income from the England & Wales Cricket Board remains the backbone of the Club’s finances. The Club received all funding in accordance with the distribution agreement totalling £3,604,295

in 2022. Reliance on the ECB remains stubbornly high, with 60% of all income from this source.

The expenditure on cricket has increased in 2022 by £205,506 to £3,227,499. The playing squad size has increased; additional support staff, ground staff and match day stewards were engaged.

Price rise pressure from suppliers has been relentless with UK inflation at record high levels, particularly for food ingredients. Utility costs increased 49% to £118,663 despite a long-term electric contract sheltering the Club from the extreme volatility of the energy market. Regulatory requirements continue to strengthen, for example upgraded CCTV, fire and intruder alarms cost £33,435. The requirement for additional stewarding and first aid provision on match days increased costs by 60% to £134,124.

Wages made up 54% of all expenditure to the Club in 2022 and it continues to be a challenge to balance fairly remunerating dedicated employees with containing costs.

It remains a priority to ensure all resources - people, facilities, purchasing - are utilised to optimum productivity.

Total debt was reduced by £173,891 in 2022, with all loan repayments paid when due.

The plans for 2023 are laserfocused on tight cost control whilst maximising all commercial opportunities to increase profitability. The long-term future of the Club relies on financial sustainability. The continued reduction in debt and a return to profitable trading will keep the Club on the right path for a sound future.

Sarah Gluyas Head of Finance & Company Secretary

Kashif Ali became the first player to graduate from SACA to a first class county

WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB LTD COSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the year ended 31st December 2022

WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB LTD

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2022

WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

Year to 31st December 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following principal accounting policies have been applied:

BASIS OF PREPARATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention unless otherwise specified and in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 102.

BASIS OF CONSOLIDATION

The consolidated financial statements present the results of the Group and its own subsidiaries (“the group”) as they formed a single entity. Intercompany transactions and balances between group companies are therefore eliminated in full.

TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

All plant and machinery over £500 are capitalised and are held at cost, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment. Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method. Plant and machinery depreciation is provided at 20%, freehold property at 2% and freehold land is not depreciated.

STOCK

Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Group only enters into basic financial instruments transactions that result in the recognition of financial assets and liabilities like trade and other debtors and creditors, loans from banks and other third parties, loans to related parties and investments in non-puttable ordinary shares.

PENSIONS

The Group operates a defined contribution plan for its employees. A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which the Group pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. Once the contributions have been paid the Group has no further payment obligations.

DEFERRED TAXATION

Deferred tax balances are recognised in respect of all timing differences that have originated but not reversed by the Statement of Financial Position date.

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS, NOT FORMING PART OF THE AUDITED ACCOUNTS

2022 PLAYER AVERAGES & TABLES

Worcestershire Senior Men & Women

Jack Haynes enjoyed a breakthrough season in which he scored his maiden first class century and amassed more than 800 runs.

The duo featured in a series of massive partnerships, with Haynes going on to hit two more hundreds.

Azhar was the model overseas player, and one of the iconic images of the summer was him stopping and signing autographs to a group of youngsters after scoring a double century against Leicestershire.

He topped the Worcestershire averages and was fifth placed in the entire of Division Two at 74.50, in addition to keeping wicket smoothly in red ball cricket.

The Worcester-born player reached three figures for the first time in helping to save the game with Durham at New Road on the final day.

Fittingly, Haynes was in partnership for the majority of that innings with Azhar Ali, from whom he admitted to learning a great deal on and off the field.

Gareth Roderick showed the ability that had led to Worcestershire signing him from Gloucestershire at the end of the 2020 season after a challenging first campaign at New Road.

He came into the side for the second half of the season and did not look back, scoring a career-best 172 against Glamorgan at Cardiff and a superb century against Nottinghamshire at New Road.

Brett D’Oliveira, in his first season as Club Captain, also played some crucial knocks and led by example. Ed Pollock, in his first full year of redball cricket, and Jake Libby also made some crucial contributions.

Pollock’s superb hundred against Middlesex at Merchant Taylor’s School on a difficult pitch against an international attack was arguably the innings of the summer.

Ed Barnard was again a model of consistency and finished as highest run scorer before moving to Warwickshire.

The total of 16 hundreds was Worcestershire’s highest in a season since 2006.

Dillon Pennington enjoyed his most productive season with the ball to finish as Worcestershire’s leading wicket-taker in the LV=Insurance County Championship.

ing he was relinquishing the club captaincy at the end of the 2021 season.

He suffered a mid-season back problem before the encounter with Derbyshire at Derby but still finished as second highest wicket-taker.

Leach produced a career-best performance of 6-44 against Glamorgan at New Road and went past 400 first class career wickets on the opening day against Sussex at Hove.

ten Championship games before suffering a stress reaction to a lower back problem.

He missed the season’s final two months but has made good progress with his recovery programme during the winter and returned to bowling in the New Year.

Charlie Morris plugged away in typically hard-working fashion before a knee injury curtailed his campaign in mid-July.

The 24-year-old displayed greater consistency throughout the summer and constantly asked questions of opposition batters.

Joe Leach continued the form he had shown during the previous September after announc-

Ben Gibbon showed great promise, added variety to the attack as a left armer and was delighted to play seven matches in his first season as a professional cricketer.

Spinner Josh Baker also confirmed the potential shown in 2021 and continued to be a regular member of the side, playing

Matthew Waite showed his ability during two loan spells from Yorkshire, and he finished top of the bowling averages and went on to sign a three-year contract with Worcestershire.

Sides, in general, found it a tough challenge to bowl teams out twice with the hot weather and dissatisfaction with the condition of the match balls.

Brett D’Oliveira retained the T20 Player Of The Year award after another excellent season in the Vitality Blast.

On the batting front, Worcestershire’s Club captain was second highest scorer with 315 runs with two half centuries.

He achieved his T20 best score of 71 in the superb victory over local rivals Birmingham Bears at New Road.

D’Oliveira’s other fifty came in another home fixture versus Derbyshire Falcons. Colin Munro returned to New Road for a third spell as an overseas player and finished as the leading run-scorer.

His 323 runs contained two fifties in successive matches against Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge and Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford. The New Zealander was also one of three captains used by the Rapids in the competition, along with Moeen Ali and Ben Cox.

Jack Haynes (235) was the other main contributor with the bat after missing most of the 2021 T20 campaign through injury.

The Rapids only scored six half-centuries in the competition and found it challenging to post or chase demanding targets. Their highest score was 217-5 in the home win over Birmingham bears, and their lowest was 84 all out in the return fixture.

of T20 wicket-takers with 71. Only Moeen Ali (82), Jack Shantry (92) and Daryl Mitchell (101) are ahead of him.

Brown’s best return in 2022 was 3-35 against Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford, and he went on to play for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.

Brett D’Oliveira’s added to his fine form with the bat in the Blast by picking up 12 wickets, and he was the most economical of the regular bowlers.

The leg-spinner conceded only 7.41 runs per over.

In addition, D’Oliveira achieved his career-best bowling figures in the tournament with 4-20 in the win over Lancashire Lightning at New Road.

Pat Brown finished as Worcestershire Rapids’ leading wicket-taker in the Vitality Blast for the third time in the last five seasons.

Brown had been a key figure in the Rapids 2018 title triumph with 31 victims and a further 17 in 2019 when finishing runners-up.

He did not bowl a ball in the competition in 2021 because of injury, but his 14 scalps last summer lifted him to fourth spot in Worcestershire’s list

Overseas signing, Dwayne Bravo, failed to make the hoped-for impact and also missed the opening four games after deciding to rest up after the IPL.

But young pace bowler Mitchell Stanley showed encouraging signs with the new ball after being handed his opportunity.

He had an ability to take wickets in the powerplay and showed enough promise to be called up by Manchester Originals as an injury replacement for The Hundred.

Jake Libby thrived on the responsibility of being captain for the Royal London One Day Cup campaign and finished as Worcestershire Rapids leading run-scorer.

Libby stepped into the leadership role after Brett D’Oliveira’s call-up for The Hundred, and he scored his maiden List A century against Derbyshire Falcons at New Road.

He also made fifties against Yorkshire at Scarborough and in the home fixture with Glamorgan.

Taylor Cornall’s first full season as a professional brought him three One Day Cup half-centuries, and he gradually came to terms with the pace of 50 over cricket.

After a fifty without a boundary against Lancashire at Old Trafford, Cornall batted superbly to come within three runs of a maiden century for the County in the win over visiting Essex.

He put on 158 for the second wicket with Gareth Roderick and two days earlier shared in an opening stand of 138 with Azhar Ali, whose 130, the latter part of it with a leg injury, was Worcestershire’s highest individual score of the 2022 tournament.

Ben Cox successfully returned to action after taking a break from the game with three half-centuries to top the averages.

An encouraging sign for the future was Kashif Ali’s fine century on his List A debut in the high-scoring game against Kent at New Road, and there were other promising knocks before a broken thumb curtailed his season.

But he returned to pick up ten wickets, including three in an innings on two occasions against Essex and Derbyshire, both at New Road.

Joe Leach produced Worcestershire’s best bowling analysis in the 2022 RLC with his 3-41 versus Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

Adam Finch was second to Pennington in terms of wickets, and his 3-54 against Derbyshire was his competition best.

Left armer Ben Gibbon also showed more signs of the promise evident in the red ball format.

But the most encouraging sign was the return of Josh Tongue after 14 months out of action with a shoulder problem.

His 2-41 against Essex was a heartening sight for players, coaches and supporters after such a lengthy battle to regain fitness.

Dillon

The pace bowler had been unavailable for the 2021 competition after his selection for The Hundred with Birmingham Phoenix.

Pennington finished as Worcestershire Rapids leading wicket-taker in the Royal London Cup.

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP - DIVISION TWO

VITALITY BLAST - NORTH GROUP

ROYAL LONDON CUP - GROUP B

Georgina Macey and Flora Bertwhistle finished as Worcestershire Women’s Rapids leading run-scorer and wicket-taker, respectively, during a highly successful 2022 campaign.

Opener Macey played a major role in the Rapids winning the ECB Women’s T20 Group Two competition with 295 runs, including three half-centuries.

She struck 70 in the semi-final win over Shropshire on finals day at Falkland CC to follow on from 55 against the same opponents and 51 versus Berkshire during the group stages.

Macey’s superb efforts meant she finished as the second-highest scorer in the entire tournament, in which 32 teams participated.

Only Lancashire’s Georgie Boyce (306) amassed more runs than Macey in the T20 competition.

Clare Boycott was the next highest run scorer for the

Rapids last summer, with 264 during a year in which she achieved a special milestone.

The all-rounder made her 200th appearance for Worcestershire in a T20 Cup encounter at Bromsgrove.

Boycott also achieved the Rapids highest individual score of 2022 with 83 not out against Warwickshire at Stratford-upon-Avon in the West Midlands Regional Cup.

The Rapids finished runners-up in that competition after being without a quintet of leading players for the final against Cricket Wales at Moseley.

They provided three of the top five run-scorers in the tournament in Boycott (170), Milly Home (151) and Chloe Hill (122).

Hill, the Women’s Rapids captain, also finished with the most dismissals with her five catches and three stumpings.

On the bowling front, spinner Bertwhistle ended with 19 wickets in all cricket at an average of just 8.42.

She particularly excelled in the West Midlands Regional Cup in registering two five-wicket hauls.

Bertwhistle recorded 5-31 against Staffordshire at Halesowen and 5-16 in the final against Cricket Wales.

Her 13 wickets – at six runs apiece - meant she finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.

Ellie Anderson and Charis Pavely both showed promise with bat and ball that would earn them a place in the England Under-19 squad which reached the final of the ICC Women’s T20 Under-19 World Cup.

Anderson was named in the team of the tournament, and her 5-12 against the West Indies was the best individual bowling analysis.

Georgie Macey

Flora Bertwhistle

N.B Averages include both T20 & 50-over competitions in 2022