It has been another positive season for the Terrigal Matcham Cricket Club, and the future of the Bellbirds is looking strong!
Firstly, I would like to thank all our hard-working committee members who have contributed their time and effort over the past twelve months to provide cricket opportunities to males and females of all ages. A special mention to Scott Cameron and John Toohey who have advised that they will be stepping back from committee duties next season. Scott and John have both made significant contributions to the Club and we greatly appreciate the positive impact that they have made.
To our junior coaches, managers, and senior captains; thank you for providing a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere for all our members. In the junior space, a caring and committed coach and manager make a huge difference in the experiences of our young players and families and keeps them coming back summer after summer. Our senior captains do a wonderful job of corralling the troops each week for a game on Saturday afternoon and ensure that team and individual goals are addressed throughout the year. Thank you.
I would also like to acknowledge our Club Sponsors. From our Major Sponsor, Breakers, all the way through to our Bronze Level Sponsors, your generosity and commitment to community sport allows us to provide quality cricketing experiences to our members, and beyond that, create a space where individuals and families can find a place of belonging amongst a membership base who love their community and the greatest game of all, cricket.
Our Woolworth’s Blast cricket program was again highly successful with 65 registered participants across 2025/26. Thank you to Monty for stepping in to the Blasters Coordinator role which was vacated by Chris Cashman. Monty, aided by our fantastic young coaches, did a great job over the summer in introducing many more young players to the game and teaching them the basic skills which will see them progress into Stage 1 and 2 cricket over the coming years. Blasters truly is the grassroots of the sport and our Club, so seeing this program run so successfully should buoy all within the Club.
Once again, our junior teams experienced great success in 2025/26, and we won all three Grand Finals that we participated in. Well done to the Male Youth League, Girls U17 Stage 2, and Boys U15B Premiers! Winning a Grand Final is an excellent achievement which many who play the game never get to experience. To our other 14 teams, which very much includes our growing girl’s cricket program, who participated in competitions from U9 – U17 this season, I hope that you experienced the full enjoyment that cricket can provide and made some lasting memories. We look forward to seeing you all return in 2026/27 to continue developing skills, friendships, and character that will benefit you for years to come.
There was not the Grand Final success that we had hoped for in senior cricket this season, but nonetheless, there are many positives to be taken from the past 12 months. We have again seen growth in our women’s program, and I look forward to seeing the Club develop greater sustainability and depth in the women’s game as we continue to recruit new players and bring through some of the junior girls as they develop into senior cricketers. In men’s cricket we welcomed many new players this season and also had the opportunity to develop some of our younger cricketers through our admission into the 3rd Grade turf competition. As seems to always be the case, 2nd Grade had another strong year and again developed a bunch of young cricketers who will no doubt harbor 1st Grade aspirations either this summer or next. Thank you to Lloyd, Brock, Benjamin, Andrew, Jason, Karl, Emily, and Kelly for captaining our senior teams.
Special mention to Harry Brien and Jack Day who both brought up 300 Games for the Bellbirds in 2025/26. This is a fantastic achievement.
In my time as President a major focus has been on the financial stability of the Club and continually seeking new streams of revenue, and savings, to fund our cricket programs, minimise registration fees, and ensure the long-term viability of the Club.
We have achieved stability in this space, and I encourage members to view the financial reports to gain an insight into the expenditure demands that we face each year. Encouragingly, there are already several fundraising ideas coming forward for next season and if we can continue to grow in this space it will allow us to provide more to our members and ensure that training and match facilities are of the best possible standard.
I would also like to see all members of the Club take an interest in our junior retention rates into senior cricket, along with recruitment in the senior space. These two things would be a consequence of an ever-developing club culture which will maximise our participant numbers which generally leads to greater long-term health and success of the Club.
I look forward to another huge season for the Bellbirds in 2026/27!
Warwick Whitmore – President