2007/8 starts here

It's October, the evenings are drawing in, City are starting their long struggle against relegation (oops, got that one wrong) and we're ready to launch our campaign to knock the Girls off their perch.

The fixtures start next Wednesday, October 10th - and are now up on the site.

(Please note that since the original publication of the fixtures page I have juggled some fixtures to avoid the Albert Club being faced with 3 home matches on the same night)

Some points to note about the new season:

• We have 11 teams this season with The Men They Couldn't Hang (The Men TCH for website purposes) joining us.  Their home venue is The Parrs Wood Hotel at the intersection of School Lane and Parrs Wood Road in Didsbury.

• 2 FCEKs have changed their name to Charabancs of Fire.

• The Electric Pigs have changed their home venue to The Albert Club (giving the Club the grand total of 3 home teams this year!!).

• The Wednesday before Christmas (19/12) and the Wednesday after Easter (26/03) have been reserved for a knockout competition between the top 4 teams from our league (as at the end of last season) and the top 4 teams from our neighbours, The Stockport League.  The final for this competition will be scheduled after our cup competition.  More details nearer the time.

• Neither Gary nor I have been able to devise a fixture list in which the setting team is different for the equivalent fixtures in each half of the season (despite our resolution to make this change at the end of last season).  It can be done when there are an even number of teams with a 'sit out' team each week but (as far as we can work out) not otherwise.  Sorry!!

Both Gary and I agree that, with the Albert Club becoming an increasingly frequent venue for Wednesday evenings, it is only fair if visiting teams offer to join the Club as social members, either individually, or at least as a team.  The Club needs all the income it can get to stay afloat right now.  Could each team think about this?  The social membership rate is going to be £30 for 2008 and joining now would give membership through to the end of 2008.

You will note that the Opsimaths have copped the setting duties for next Wednesday so I will be off to the Albert Club this evening to sit down with Alice, Colin, Brian and Howell to compile the most devilish paper you have ever seen.  Now what was it that Kieran, Michael, Barry and Martin know absolutely nothing about...............?