Dear members,

The below is from the MCC Club Sport team and seeks Expression of Interest (EOI) from members of the MCC Sports Section in relation to a possible tour in August 2025. Your EOI at this point is to gauge overall interest and if there is sufficient interest, further details will be communicated. At this stage, could I please request a response by 5pm on Thursday 1st August.

If you are interested after reading the below, please complete your EOI on the google form attached.

Western Province Cricket Club 2025 Tour EOI
The MCC Sporting Sections have a focus on reconnecting and reinvigorating touring life and have been actively engaging with our reciprocal partners to map our future tours schedule. Touring is an important element of club life and sporting interactions with our reciprocal partner clubs are met with excitement by our members and sporting sections alike, as a club we are keen to significantly grow our program and build on our global relationships.

Not too dissimilar to our most recent tour of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, our records indicate that the club struck a reciprocal relationship with the Western Province Cricket Club (W.P.C.C.) located in Cape Town South Africa, during 2017, however due to the global pandemic we have been unable to formally recognise this milestone. The W.P.C.C. are the managers of the members pavilion at the famous Newlands Cricket Ground and have a social club and several world class sporting facilities located only a short distance from Newlands.
The purpose of this email is to explore the possibility of a multi-sport tour during August 2025 with the intention of engaging in sporting competition and cement the relationship between our two clubs. To that end, initial conversations have been had with W.P.C.C. and have so far been very promising with the club expressing a keen desire to host us during this time.

Compatible sports between the two clubs include the following:
1. Cricket
2. Bowls
3. Hockey
4. Golf
5. Squash
6. Tennis

The club has also indicated that they would be able to secure local opposition for the following sports to participate in any future tour:
1. Baseball
2. Croquet
3. Netball
4. Target Shooting

Unfortunately due to sporting landscape in South Africa and more specifically Cape Town, Football, Lacrosse and Real Tennis are not actively played and the club cannot help us to find local opposition.

Unlike our closer Asian partners, we understand that a trip to South Africa would be more time consuming as well as costly in terms of flights, so at this stage we are simply asking for your interest via return email – Would a tour to W.P.C.C. be something the bowls section is both interested in and would attract enough numbers for, to engage in sporting competition? Upon determining this we will work with travel partners to provide further detail including extended stay options and more accurate costings.

We are also working closely with the Hong Kong Cricket Club and Singapore Cricket Club to explore opportunities to host them in Melbourne during late January and early February 2025, coinciding with the historic women’s ashes test at the MCG.

Click below to access the form.

EOI Form 

MCC BOWLS SECTION

Members and their partners are invited to our

Annual Dinner / Presentation Night

on

Friday 31 May 2024,

6.00pm for 6.30pm

Canapes on arrival

in the

Committee Room at the MCG

Two-course Dinner

Beer, Wine & Soft drink included

$105pp (club subsidised)

Dress: Jacket and tie

Bookings Close: Wednesday 15 May, 2024 at 5pm (Limited Numbers)

Parking is available via Gate A, Brunton Avenue

If making payment by EFT:

BSB: 083184 A/c: 036472704

Quoting “Dinner – (Your Name)”

And advise Secretary via email of your payment

& any dietary requirements

Email address: secretary@mccbowls.org

Booking not confirmed until payment is received.

If “Dinner – (Your Name)” is not shown it makes it very difficult for Treasurer and function organisers.

Please note: Cancellations for this function will only be accepted prior to 5.00pm on MONDAY 27 May, 2024 and can be done so by contacting the Secretary (secretary@mccbowls.org). Unfortunately, refunds cannot be given for cancellations after this time or non-attendance on the day.

Congratulations to St Kevins Old Collegians for winning the APS Annual Bowls Tournament

The Best winning team for St Kevins from MCC

Owen Murray, Manny Galanos and John Kaloger