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Statement – Charles Johnston
Dear Members. Please consider me for the role of Member’s Director for our wonderful cricket club. I’m someone who is honest, approachable and would put the club’s future at the heart of my service. My priority would be to ensure that Somerset continues to dine at the top table of English cricket. This includes regular meetings with members, providing suggestions to improve revenue streams, finding the next generation of Somerset members and being part of strategic conversations that can affect SCCC’s future.
The next two to three years will be vitally important for our cricket club. Off the back of the High-Performance Review, the ECB will be looking at the men’s domestic structure in 2024. It will be imperative that the members and board work together to put our points across to the ECB.
As part of the drive for the next generation of members, I’d like to work with various community groups and schools to get children from all backgrounds into cricket at a young age. This could potentially include multiple open days, visits into schools and providing free/discounted tickets where possible.
It would be a pleasure and privilege to represent our members at this great club.
Blackbird!
Statement – Christine Brewer
Hello, my name is Chrissy Brewer and along with my husband Chris I am a long-standing member of SCCC. As current Member Director, I have demonstrated proactive, effective and constructive engagement. I demonstrate clear views and vision; I have not shied away from difficult decisions and have challenged the Board when I felt it to be in the best interests of the Club. I ensure I am visible and often walk around the ground and look to engage all members and act as a conduit between club and members. If elected my role would continue to be that of acting with an informed, balanced, logical and common-sense approach. SCCC is more than a past time for me, I value its history, culture and atmosphere and admire those who have made it such an iconic Club. On a personal level I am a retired Nurse/Nurse Manager and am now an Area Manager for a Somerset charity. I am actively involved in local club cricket where I am the Safeguarding Officer and Wellbeing Champion for a local cricket club.
Statement – Francis Clark
As a Member Director I will do all I can to support Somerset so that it continues to be a successful and welcoming Cricket Club. On the field I want our teams to be the best possible performers, and off the field for the County Ground to offer the best possible facilities for members and spectators. I believe I can help achieve this, building on Taunton’s reputation as a friendly place where it is a pleasure to watch cricket.
Somerset serves its members throughout the South West and it is important to attract players and supporters from the wider community, not only existing cricket lovers but also those who are not currently engaged with the sport.
Somerset cricket has strong grassroots and a loyal fan base built up over many years; people who have travelled and paid to watch Gimblett, Botham, Richards, Caddick and Trescothick. With dedication, enthusiasm and hard work, and using the skills I have acquired in my working career, I want to build on this legacy to ensure that Taunton continues to be a place where ALL members and spectators feel valued and welcome.
Statement – Michael Speed
I have lived in Taunton since 1998 and been a member of Somerset CCC since 1999. A lifelong lover of the game of cricket, I played at club level in the UK for Loughborough Town (back in the day!) and also abroad where I was president of an expat team in Malaysia.
Having now semi-retired I would like to ‘put back’ something into the game that has provided me with years of pleasure, and I’d like to do that with Somerset CCC. It would be an honour and a privilege to represent the members on the Board which I would do enthusiastically, diligently and without favour or prejudice.
Married to Carole for 36 years and a father of 3, I currently run my own business and have held various positions up to board level in both the manufacturing and financial services industries and I believe this diverse level of experience, my passion for the game and my personal approach to dealing with people, will allow me to represent the interest of the members and contribute significantly to the future of Somerset CCC.
Statement – Peter January
I feel strongly that the prime focus of the Membership Directors should be the interests and concerns of the membership. To this end, I should continue to watch cricket from the non-exclusive parts of the ground (usually Gimblett Hill), so as to be easily available to meet members and discuss issues which matter to them and need to be raised at the highest level.
My commitment to the Club is longstanding. I have been a regular watcher since 1963, and a member since 1972. I chaired the Taunton area commitee for fourteen years, and am now Chairman of the Museum Trustees.
I have significant management experience, having headed an embassy and two Foreign Office departments. In two foreign postings, I had a role in budgetary supervision. Having served in Whitehall and represented the UK in international meetings, I am not afraid to play the devil’ s advocate or to voice and defend minority or uncomfortable views.
As Chairmen of the Trustees, I believe I could play an important bridging role between the Museum and the Club Directorate in the run-up to the Club’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2025.
Statement – Richard Brice
As a lifelong Somerset fan, supporting my sons through their youth involvement, I first got involved at the Club when I successfully ran Keith Parsons’ Benefit Season. I was involved in 6 more until 2017 where I ran Hildy’s testimonial. Throughout these years, I worked alongside the area committees to host fundraising events and liaise with members.
As a director of Somerset County Sports, I have supported the members, the players and local cricket teams. We have supported many young players to reach their potential in both the men’s and women’s game including: Anya Shrubsole; James Rew, George Thomas and Sophie Luff.
During my 5 years on the general committee, I have held the role of Vice Chairman and following the sad death of chairman Charles Clark, I took on the role of Chairman until Gordon Baird was appointed. During this time, I showed that I was not afraid to take tough decisions to move the club forward.
Having spent many years in Senior Management and running my own companies, I feel I have the skills and drive to fulfil the Member Director Role. I feel that my overall knowledge of the game at all levels, knowledge of construction and finance and experience in many senior management roles will bring a good level of support to the board. I will endeavour to keep the member’s interests at the heart of all decisions I am involved in.
Statement – Stephen Southwell
I have been a member since the late eighties & later I became a member of the Weston Area Committee, which I now chair. Over the years this has given me an understanding over our club & also the passion which is held within the Membership. As an Area, we have looked into promoting & forming links, from going out with fixture posters to building relationships with colleges and business alike. This has been both enjoyable & interesting as its equally important to look for new avenues as it is to look after what we already have, and that’s a strong support base, which Somerset has.
Away from cricket, I am a Director in an Engineering Company, I have served as Royal British Legion Branch treasurer and in the ACF, which has given me a grounding in other areas.
I have been working with the new Board, which has given me an insight to what is needed.
It is important that we as Members do have a voice, as its important to appreciate how a modern cricket club has to operate. Being a director on any Board, brings a high level of responsibility, which I am prepared to take on, on your behalf.
Statement – Caroline Willis
Having worked in Sales and Marketing for almost 40 years (and run my own business for the last 20) I am now looking to focus more on my love of cricket.
Somerset (and Devon) born and bred; I have been a passionate Somerset CCC supporter since 1979. I believe now is the time to give something back.
During my early years I campaigned for the then 3 day championship game to revert back to 4 days, with an article published in the Cricketer International magazine, and over my decades of club membership I have been an ordinary member, member of The Business Club, Long Room and am currently an 1875 Club member.
I am a very positive person, empathetic and committed, professional yet approachable and with my membership experience I can appreciate both the members/supporters position alongside the commercial aspects of running a successful organisation.
I have some new and exciting ideas for the club and I would be honored to represent you as a Member Director; working with you to champion the progression of the club; seeing it continue to develop from grass roots through to first class level, whilst providing an international cricket venue for the West Country.
Statement – Richard Hatcher
Why am I standing
I believe that County Cricket in this country is at a crossroads and we should do all we can to safeguard the amount of cricket being played in Somerset and the place that the county has at the heart of cricket in England. As a Member Director I would represent the interests of the membership and ensure that this was clearly communicated with the board.
I was born in Taunton and been an avid supporter of Somerset since as a boy I went to see them beat Australia in 1977. In addition it cemented a desire to play cricket as much as possible, playing school and club cricket in Bath, university cricket and when I started work, club cricket in the West Somerset league.
What do I bring to the role
My career with Lloyds Banking Group in a variety of senior leadership roles has given me board level experience, planning, strategy development and communication skills. Having recently retired I am able to commit the time required in order to support the club to successfully face the challenges/opportunities in the coming years.
Statement – Geoff Vian
I care passionately about Somerset as a Member’s Club and would continue to do all I can to ensure that Members’ views are represented to the Board whilst keeping Members informed of Board decisions; running the North Somerset bookstall and attending all Members’ Forums and most matches, home and away, help with this. Two way communication is paramount as we move forward. I have considerable experience of various committees, both as chair and member, a working knowledge of the catering trade and I am Treasurer of Portishead Lifeboat and a Community Café. My television career, latterly mainly on cricket coverage, gave me insight into cricket administration both here and overseas and I gained respect throughout the cricketing world. I’ve put my expertise to use on Somerset’s award-winning Streaming. I feel that all this experience, together with having frequent conversations with Members, ideally qualifies me to continue as a Member Director.
As a child, I spent many days sitting watching Somerset with my Grandfather. Now, as a Grandfather myself with a cricket-mad seven year old grandson, I want to play my part in ensuring that there will be successful Somerset cricket sides for him to watch when he reaches my age.
