MAN WITH A VISION
Profile of Chairman John Moors
by Chris Knowles

Recently I spoke to Clarence chairman John Moors about his cricketing vision, the future of the club and seafood…

John has been involved with Emley since his sons began their cricketing careers in the junior set-up at Upper Lane. Initially a spectator, John soon found himself filling in the gaps in Emley’s 2nd team; John describes himself as an ‘enthusiastic fielder’ and explained to me that was about as far as it went!

Nevertheless, as he got to know his fellow teammates and his association with the club intensified, many thought that he had new ideas which could drive Emley - who at the time were highly motivated but lacking in direction - forward towards a bright future. John explained, ‘The club was there primarily to let the people of the village play cricket. It wasn’t really going anywhere but it was fulfilling the basics, so people were relatively happy. The young lads who were involved were very ambitious and wanted to move the club onwards.’

It wasn’t long before the man from Stretford, Manchester, was approached by the club president, Mick Onions, and offered the role of chairman, something which he gladly accepted. John told me, ‘The people at the club thought I could contribute to the cause. My children were doing well and were enjoying their cricket so I was happy to oblige.’

I asked John about his role as chairman and he explained, ‘A chairman has to be a visionary. Although you’re a figurehead, you try and bring business principles into the framework and have somewhere to work towards. I’m not a cricketer but I know what I want and what I can offer the club. The potential to go on is very important. I like to think that the club has put in the necessary stages for development in order to improve what we’ve got.’

John’s point is evident through the excellent junior set-up at Emley, which helps the club maintain their flow of players through the ranks and also build for the future by supplying a steady stream of income. Indeed, Emley’s strengths far outweigh their weaknesses at present but John says there is still work to be done. ‘The clubhouse is the single biggest aspect of improvement because we’ve done so well on the field and we’ve had to plough a lot of money in, sustaining our league positions. I had a five-year plan and I’m three years into that. I won’t be continuing after that time because I believe it’s time for new ideas and a fresh vision; I’ve served my time. But by 2010 it would be wonderful to think that we had managed to develop those facilities while maintaining that local cricketing basis.’

Emley are certainly heading in the right direction, with planning permission for the new clubhouse obtained, an exciting new season just on the horizon, and a man with a clear vision in charge.

JOHN MOORS – TOP TRIVIA

Favourite music:
‘Well I like to think I’m kept up-to-date because of my kids, so I like a lot of things, but I’ll say REM!’

Favourite food:
‘Seafood.’

Cricket or football?
‘To play, football.’

Night out or night in?
‘Night in with a bottle of wine, good food – I’d cook.’

Bitter or lager?
‘Bitter definitely, especially real ale.’

Blonde or brunette?
(Long, long pause)…‘Both!’

And finally, Emley to win the league or Man United to win the Champions League?
(Even longer pause…) ‘United!’
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