Hawks and Raptors in search of new managers

Mike Cresswell and Matt Jackson will be stepping down as managers of the Herts Hawks and Herts Raptors, respectively. They informed their squads about their decisions a few weeks ago.

The club will now be looking to fill those vacant managerial positions at its annual general meeting next month. They served in their managerial roles for two seasons, both having been appointed at the start of the 2018 season.

Hawks and Raptors at their 2016 playoff game

Under Cresswell, the Hawks reached the 2018 postseason, eliminating the Bournemouth Bears which took them to the semi-final where they were knocked out by the eventual champions, the East London Latin Boys.

In 2019 the Hawks were one of the pace-setters  in the first half of the season winning 7 of their first 8 games, but their form took a downward turn and they just missed out on the postseason.

Matt Jackson had the task of building a team made up of predominantly rookie players in 2018 and he exceeded expectations with a .500 winning average in his first season. They just missed out on the playoffs.

In 2019 his task was made even more difficult as the club grew by 54.7% and expanded from three to five league teams, which meant that most of the Raptors from 2018 were promoted to Herts teams in the higher leagues. That didn’t faze him and 2019 saw a brand new generation come through to make their senior league debuts and that group of players is expected to be making the headlines in the coming years.

Don’t worry, though — Cresswell and Jackson are not going anywhere.  They will be very much in the thick of things in 2020 looking to focus on their playing careers with the Herts teams in the BBF leagues.

In addition to these two positions, the club is now inviting candidates for the following board positions:

♦ President
♦ Secretary
♦ Facilities Manager Grovehill Ballpark
♦ Facilities Manager Basing Hill Ballpark
♦ Manager NBL
♦ Manager Triple-A
♦ Manager Double-A
♦ Manager Single-A
♦ Manager Single-A
♦ Head of U17 Baseball
♦ Head of U15 Baseball
♦ Head of U13 Baseball
♦ Head of U11 Baseball
♦ Head of U8 Baseball
♦ Head of Softball

Those interested to put their name forward can contact the club for more details.

The AGM will be held just a few minutes away from Grovehill Ballpark, at Gadebridge Community Centre.

DATE: Sunday, 5 January 2020

TIME: 12:00pm (registration starts at 11:45am, AGM expected to end at around 4:00pm)

VENUE: Annex Main Hall, Gadebridge Community Centre, The Nokes, Rossgate, Gadebridge, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3LF (Directions and Map)

FOOD & DRINK: Refreshments and snacks will be served during the AGM.