Leadership change at TCA as cricket celebrates another successful year

Taranaki Cricket has a new Board Chair with Russell Dempster elected to the position following TCA’s 129th AGM this week (Monday, October 21).
Dempster, the chief executive of Energy City Motors replaces the outgoing John McElroy who stepped down after eight years on the board, including six as Chair.
McElroy departs having overseen significant organisational change including the move to a governance-focussed board structure and the transition to a new management team and organisational structure.
Dempster said he was pleased and honoured to become the Board Chair.
“Taranaki cricket has been a big part of my life as a player and at administration level, so it’s nice to keep giving back to the game and keep the game of cricket strong in the regions,” he said.
“I would also like to recognise the contribution John McElroy has made to Taranaki Cricket over the last eight years.
“The behind the scenes stuff John did for Taranaki Cricket has been a real strength and part of a massive contribution he has made.”
At the AGM, General Manager Ryan Evans said McElroy would leave a big pair of shoes to fill.
“John has been a huge contributor to Taranaki Cricket and has put a lot of time and passion into the game in our district,” he said.
“Now I’m looking forward to working more closely with Russell, who has a huge knowledge of the game and is well-respected within the Taranaki, Central Districts and national cricket communities.”
Dempster played 59 matches as a spin bowler for Taranaki between 1992 and 1999 and was part of the highly successful sides that won and held the Hawke Cup in 1992/93 and again in 1994/95.
Dempster has served as TCA Chair previously, from 2006/07 before transferring to Central Hawkes Bay with work and also as a director on the CD Cricket board from 2009/2016.
Meanwhile the association posted an operating surplus of $4,956 for the year, which Evans said was a very pleasing result considering the high inflation environment and recessionary conditions.
It came on the back of a big boost in revenue, which Evans put down to a more strategic and targeted focus on income streams, and which allowed the organisation to both absorb increased costs and invest more in its cricket programmes.
The organisation’s overall financial position remained stable, with assets of $306,000 including cash and investments of $283,000.
Highlights of the season included the unprecedented efforts of the boys’ junior representative teams, with both the Year 9/10 boys and 11/12 boys CD trophies secured for the first time ever in the same year.
Evans also noted the performance of Dean Robinson, who surpassed Brian Richards to became Taranaki’s leading all time run scorer and the first to reach the 5000-run milestone, finishing the season on 5108 runs.
The NPDC decision to not fund a revamped Pukekura Park pavilion, and the subsequent loss of Super Smash matches for the coming season was the biggest disappointment of the year, Evans said.
“We’re lucky that Central Districts remain committed to bringing the Stags and Hinds to Taranaki, and with seven games scheduled this year, that will help us offset the loss of the Super Smash games.
“But we can’t take the continued scheduling of these games at Pukekura park for granted. The ground still has a number of challenges which we need to keep working hard to overcome to continue bringing top domestic teams here each summer.”
Evans said it was back to the drawing board in terms of future options for the Bellringer Pavilion, but Taranaki Cricket was continuing to work on what the next steps might look like and remained committed to restoring the park’s status as one of the world’s best boutique cricket venues.
Former Taranaki centurion and Hawke Cup-winning captain Ian Snook was given life membership of the organisation for his contribution as a player, coach, administrator and volunteer.