Mike Pratt and John Stones discuss the recent claim of Menston Cricket Club
Menston Cricket Club is a local amateur club which sits boldly on the side of the A65 in West Yorkshire. Nestled between the towns of Guiseley, Burley in Wharfedale and Otley, the club has strong ties to the community. They compete within the Airedale and Wharfedale Senior Cricket League, hosting multiple senior and junior teams. Visible from Ilkley Moor, the cricket club is well-loved, popular and hides a storied history.
Run by dedicated volunteers, the club features a fully licensed bar, state-of-the-art cricket nets, and a refurbished pavilion. A true community hub, many touring teams from Australia and the Caribbean visit the little town of Menston because of their longstanding connections.
Menston Cricket Club recently made a claim with Club Insure for a significant break in and theft of their groundskeeping equipment. We joined a visitation of Menston alongside Club Insure Schemes Manager Mark Dearden, and Senior Claims Handler Lewis Jackson, who were meeting the club’s senior committee members. Mike Pratt, President, and John Stones, Chairman, wanted to share with us their experiences of running a local club as well as the pressures of ensuring the organisation is financially sustainable.
Tell us about your recent claim?
John walked us over to the site of the break in. “It all started because the rail company were deforesting the railway line, and they cleared the trees covering the back of the groundsman’s garage. The woodland was providing natural security. Intruders vaulted the now exposed fence and broke into outbuilding.”
The thieves severely damaged the garage door and made off with three lawnmowers and associated cassettes. The value of the stolen equipment was £19,000.
John continued: “Why would someone steal lawnmowers? These are specialises pitch mowers, and so of no use to the ordinary man. Even selling the parts, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble of stealing. Pitchmowers last a cricket club a lifetime, so to lose three was significant.”
The club contacted our Club Insure claims department to pursue a claim on their Club Insure policy for the cost of the replacement mowers and a new garage door which was beyond repair.
What security features and risk management procedures have you installed at Menston cricket club?
Mike explains: “We’ve got security fencing, security lighting, we’ve upgraded our CCTV system and are installing a louder alarm system. The problem is that we don’t want to fence the whole way around the facility. The cricket club is part of the community, we want people to see it and feel welcome.”
Mark Dearden, Club Insure Schemes Manager who attended the club, notes: “It’s important for clubs to think about the most effective methods of deterring crime. These are specific to each premise’s needs. It’s all well and good to have the products in place to catch criminals, such as SMARTWATER, however we want to deter crime before it happens. Alarms and signage are the best way to put off intruders.”
What services do Menston cricket club provide?
John quickly lists all the teams the club supports and the services the club provides: “We have 250 members at the club, 50 are social members. We have 5 men’s senior teams and a ladies senior team. We have a fantastic junior membership, hosting over 130 junior members. Our junior project is something we’ve been really investing in and working on these past few years.
Mike discusses the club’s premises: “A local cricket club folded just up the road. They demolished their pavilion, but we’ve been using the grounds for additional games. Currently we’re having to use a portacabin for changing rooms, however we’ve petitioned for new facilities. Leeds City Council won’t provide us a grant next year so we are exploring options on how to fund it.”
Who are the champions behind Menston cricket club?
Sat down in Menston’s new patio area, an extension to the renovated clubhouse, Mike and John discuss the other champions who are influential to the success of the club. “Many of our key members have families, children, who are also members. Ben our secretary, his three boys play who are very good cricketers – Ben is essential to the running of the club.”
“Dave Holder has been our junior coach, but he’ll be leaving the role because his sons are now seniors. Dave also organises many of our social events, including golf days, club dinners and our quiz nights.”
John then indicates to Mike, “I’d say Mike is our club champion. The President would typically play a ceremonial role, presenting prizes and speaking at dinners, but Mike has really got involved in the club. He shoulders much of the admin for the club including managing our finances and the insurance.”
Mike then interrupts; “We have many champions at the club, but in the past couple years we’ve seen quite a bit of turnover. A difficulty we are having is recruiting new volunteers to help manage the club, as I imagine is a common struggle for many clubs of our size.”
Have Menston Cricket club had a financially successful season?
“We’ve seen a significant rise in costs for both operating the club and putting on games.” said John. “Electrical costs have gone up, as has everything else. We also recently taken out a loan with the ECB so we are paying that off each month. We are having to manage our money carefully, and are planning the next fundraiser.”
“But yes we’ve had a good season this year. We have a funday around Easter before the season starts which sets us on our way. This year we saw 700 to 800 people turn out and enjoy the fair. This helps pay for grounds maintenance; we usually pay for a groundsman to work 2 to 3 times a week.”
Mike says: “Our success can vary on the weather. The cost to put on a game is around £180, that includes umpire costs and teas, and we have multiple games on a weekend. We pay scorers £40, and a new ball can be £35. Revenue at the bar on a Saturday can be anywhere from £250 if it’s raining to £2000 if its sunny.”
John claims: “We’ve now got the best beer garden in Menston, with the refurbishment. Drinks here are cheaper than the local pub, however we’ve found our members want premium drink, such as a cask ale or craft beer, so that’s what we source. The membership card offers 10% off.”
“There’s no better beer garden than at a cricket club”
What’s your advice to other cricket clubs?
John notes: “Do what works for your club in order to sustain success. Menston has a history as one of the top clubs in the league, but we have never paid a lot of money to players. Some clubs have had wealthy benefactors butas soon as they left it would suck the progress and motivation out of the teams. My focus was to build a friendly atmosphere where everyone is rooting for each other. Our Firsts got promoted this year and everybody came out to see the win; there was a real buzz.”
Mike said: “We are having to review all expenditure. We need to recruit more volunteers, similar to all clubs. Investing in our juniors has been our focus, hoping they stay with us and benefit our men’s teams. We’ve installed new state-of-the-art outdoor batting nets, and we often play promising juniors in our senior teams, showing a positive example.”
John continues, “We know where we are as a club – and that’s my advice to other cricket clubs. Ensure you’ve got a strong foundation, a good groundworks team, and put in the hardwork. Our missions we’ve set out are to support our junior, see succession and give players a chance. We are a community club after all; I sometimes have to remind players – this is village cricket.”
“Thankfully, because of Club Insure, the claims process was smooth and the incident this year won’t affect us. I’m looking forward to our future projects, and with our First’s promotion, I can proudly say: Menston cricket club is coming back!”
“If the worst should happen, Club Insure are here to help, and your dedicated claims handler will liaise with your insurer to get you back up and running as quickly as possible. That is what we’re all about.”
Lewis Jackson, Senior Claims Handler at Club Insure
