To my Calmore Sports family,

I honestly don’t know where to start.  The past 10 days are all a bit of a blur but one thing for certain is it was, for me and my family, the scariest 10 days of our lives.

I want to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for the love and support you have shown me and my family.  We would not of got through this without you.

Last Wednesday morning was the hardest thing I had ever had to go through.  I was in an isolated room with my only form of human contact allowed being doctors and nurses in full hazmat suits coming around like I was a bomb that was about to explode.  The attempt to repair the lung had only been partially successful and, with the threat of Covid in my system, I had honestly started to come to terms with the fact I may not leave the hospital.

It was that morning that two things happened.  I was completely paralysed in pain so my nurse put my phone where I could see it having updated Mark, Ben and Luke of the situation.  The skipper then put the call into the Calmore group and the response was overwhelming, the messages I received that day and throughout my time in hospital were incredible and all of a sudden, the room that had been empty was slowly filling with people and before I knew it I was back at Loperwood with a clubhouse full of people and four wins in the bag!  It was an incredibly powerful feeling and one I can’t really describe.

It was a great call from the captain and I can now forgive him for hooking me after 9 overs to make sure he got his 10 in a few years back!

I think we maybe take for granted sometimes the amazing support network we have at Calmore Cricket Club and especially at these times it’s important we stick together.  As the past week shows we can get through anything together!

I also want to say thank you to everyone at Southampton General Hospital and the NHS.  For those of you who have family and friends who work in the NHS, you know the sacrifice they put in everyday to help others but I think until you have seen it first hand you can’t really appreciate how inspiring it is and I will forever be in their debt.

I can’t wait to see everyone again and will be really bending my back this year for everyone at the club, who knows, we might sneak into the 40+mph if I try hard enough!

Thank you all so much
DC x