Your Committee has met on nine occasions during 2007 and this report summarises the main highlights of the season which followed on from the very successful 150th Anniversary year.

Performances on the cricket field were rather mixed which also reflected the variable weather during the season - the 1st XI, under Luke Jackson's captaincy, were in the top two or three for much of the season until a late season slump saw the team drop to 4th from bottom in the Thames Valley League (TVL) Div 1 and, at the time of writing, it is not clear whether or not we remain in TVL Div 1 for next season. Paul Weston resigned from captaining the 2nd XI early in the season due to various other commitments and Rich Stephenson kindly took over for the rest of the season, just missing out on promotion to TVL Div 2 by a mere seven points. The 3rd XI, under Huw Thomas's continuing leadership, came 5th in the TVL Div 7 - again a season reflecting the curate's egg.

The Sunday XI under Chris Owen with help from David Atkinson, Dan Colquhoun and Luke Jackson had another good season, winning most games and blooding lots of youngsters. In order to seek to strengthen its Sunday cricket the Club has entered the Thames and Chilterns League next season which will involve some 10-12 matches which will be in addition to its traditional Sunday fixtures. The Sunday 2nd XI played a few games and it is hoped to extend this next year, particularly on Sundays when the 1st XI is away. Our overseas player, Matt Crawley, fitted very well into the Club and combined a number of good bowling and batting performances with coaching help to the older Colts - he won both the Batting and Bowling Awards with 942 runs and 48 wickets.

The Colts section also had another very good season with numbers up over 30% to nearly 160 and over 90 matches organised. Despite a number of poor Monday evenings, training sessions were well attended and well organised with lots of consistent help from a large number of people. We ran seven teams this year in the Bucks competitions and four in the Middlesex League - a very demanding challenge for the Colts Secretary, Philip Ketteringham, who again managed to find time for many excellent BBQs on Monday coaching evenings. We were competitive in all age groups, and despite coming close in a number of leagues and cups, silverware eluded us this year.

Your Committee and many other helpers behind the scenes have continued to work hard to keep the Club running smoothly and they are all due our considerable thanks. The ground has consistently looked a picture all year and our teas remain amongst the best in the TVL thanks to the excellent work of Margaret and Melanie.

Our two main social events, the Annual Dinner and the Summer Ball, were both excellent and very well attended. There were about one hundred guests at Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Club in February to hear excellent speeches from Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Terry Jenner. Mel Weston and her two new helpers, Dan Colquhoun and Tom Dixon, beautifully organised a superb Summer Ball in early July with an 007 theme which was immensely enjoyed by nearly 200 guests.

Ken Ward has continued to expertly manage the Club's finances which have shown a modest surplus of £3.4k prior to depreciation costs. The principal one-off investments this year have been the refurbishment of the net surfaces and further windows/doors replacements. The ground equipment has suffered from very heavy use over recent years and a number of items need to be replaced or refurbished and so, under Philip Ketteringham's auspices, the Club has launched an Equipment Fund, initially to Colts parents, but also included with this pack - any support that you can offer will be much appreciated.

The Annual Dinner will be on Friday 8th February 2008 at Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Club and Roger Dakin, ex England Hockey goalkeeper and expert after-dinner speaker, has already been confirmed as one of our speakers. Please complete the reservation form in this pack asap.

Huw Thomas is stepping down as 3rd XI captain after many years and I would particularly like to thank him for all his hard work and persistence with lots of good days on the field and, of course, a few disappointments. Paul Weston and Chris Richards are both stepping down this year too as 2nd XI captain and Fixture Secretary respectively and I would like to thank them both for their valuable contributions to the Club. This will be my last year of chairmanship having served ten years over two stints of three and seven years respectively. Philip Ketteringham will be taking over and, under his leadership, I am sure that the Club will continue to prosper and develop.