MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
Profile of Club Treasurer Craig Stratford
by Chris Knowles

Craig Stratford is another of Emley’s current crop of talent to have progressed through their impressive junior set-up from a very young age.

Having started playing cricket at 10 years old, Craig tackled the under-13s, 15s and 17s to eventually turn out for the 2nd XI at only 16 years old. He tells me that further progress was quickly on the horizon, ‘My first season in the 1st XI was 2000; I’d just turned 18 years old. This was on a regular basis, I’d filled in a bit a couple of years before that for the odd game but started consistently in 2000.’

Craig has proven himself a 1st XI mainstay and currently bats middle-order for Clarence. However, he reveals batting had not always been his cricketing forte. He says, ‘When I was younger I used to be a bowler. When I grew up and didn’t end up bowling as much my batting came along and I switched round.’ He adds, ‘I tend to bat anywhere in the middle really, sometimes a bit lower down if I fancy a smash at the end!’

When he’s finished hitting them for six, the Emley batsman also assumes the role of club treasurer, a position which he has held since January 2007. Craig explains the reasoning behind his appointment. ‘I’m an accountant by trade so I got it because I’m qualified to do it. I don’t think anyone else wanted the job!’ He continues, ‘I’d say I was selected rather than volunteering for the post, but I could hardly argue!’

I wanted to identify the role and duties of the club treasurer, especially in close-season, so once Craig had pardoned my ignorance, he explained. ‘It’s done on a week-by-week basis, especially during the season. It’s my job to make sure I’ve got all the money from the games because there are situations where I can’t always collect, such as from the 2nd XI. I also ensure all the relevant people get paid and the direct debits are handled.’

Although Craig admits he doesn’t have a direct role in the sponsorship and funding department, he tells me that aspect of the club’s business is handled by a separate sub-committee which report the relevant information to the necessary people. ‘I tend to deal with those issues once they’ve been finalised and I just check the information I’m given,’ he says.

As a prerequisite of being treasurer, Craig finds himself part of the main committee at Emley, but reveals he has had previous experience before his appointment last year. ‘I was on the committee to begin with a few years ago but when I was doing my accountancy exams I found I didn’t have the necessary time to attend the meetings. Obviously when I became treasurer that is part of the role and I think it’s great to be involved and good to know what’s going on!’

I also probed Craig for his thoughts on the prospects for the forthcoming season. He told me, ‘Hopefully I can spend a lot more time in the crease! We should avoid relegation and I think we can push on if everyone plays to their ability. We’ll have to see, won’t we?’
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