Firstly I would like to thank Graham for his dedication and hard work over the past nine years which has seen the Club progress both in its playing strength with the juniors coming through the ranks and significant improvements to the ground and infrastructure. Graham has set very high standards and I am committed to maintaining these standards and building on the legacy that Graham has left the club.

I have a huge amount of pride in holding this position especially having played for Blagdon over 20 years having started way back in the 1988. This season, like 2011, is going to be a challenging one if we are to progress on and off the field.

The Club intends to maintain the strategy to promote from within the ranks ensuring more of the Clubs promising juniors get the opportunity to play senior cricket.

The investment we have made with the junior teams keeps on paying dividends as this thriving section continues to produce new talent giving us high expectations for the coming years.

Key to the strategy will be the development of the infrastructure to support the investment made in the junior and senior teams and to ensure we retain our "home grown" talent.

We have ambitious plans to extend and modernise the pavilion, construct a new storage facility for the outfield and square equipment and develop the practise wickets and nets.

These projects will require considerable investment and we have started this process by applying for funding for the pavilion redevelopment and we expect to hear that our application has been successful in December. The Club is also required to provide financial support which will require us to look at innovative ways of raising funds for next year.

We have a dedicated and committed committee and I look forward to working with them to deliver these plans however it will take a huge effort from all our members to meet these challenges and secure the future of the Club. I would ask you all for your continued support in what will be an exciting few years.

I'm proud to be part of a progressive and open cricket club which is always looking to improve both on and off the field. We have come a long way in the last 10 years and as you have seen we have ambitious plans for the future, and to make these plans possible will require the continuing tremendous commitment from all of the members.

Mike Leveratt

18th November 2011