After four weeks of practice, I thought it was worth providing an update for parents.
I want to thank you all for the great turnouts we have been having each Friday, a lot of new children have joined which is great to see. It is probably worth giving you a bit more detail on how we operate the junior section.
We have a number of volunteer coaches [England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Levels 1 and 2] and coach support workers who try to cover the various age groups. The main aims of each session are to try and develop basic cricketing skills in a fun format, appropriate for each individual player.
Like any activity, children develop at different rates. We try to make the activities appropriate for the level of aptitude rather than by age. I know this can be confusing for some children who see peers practicing with older children [and vice versa], however there are a few factors we have to consider:-
- Safety – the number one priority. The children have to have a general awareness and be able to concentrate in cricket, possibly more than most sports. As they progress to wooden bats and leather balls, it can hurt!
- Competence – the hit and run cricket we play on Fridays allow us to assess coordination. Aligned to safety, we need to ensure the children can progress safely to a harder ball, both for their safety and others;
- Concentration – Cricket can be slow! The nature of the game means there are periods where the children are not 100% involved. At practice we try and keep them occupied to the maximum, but again, we have to assess whether they can concentrate sufficiently;
The U11s and U13s play in the Northants Cricket League. Both age groups use normal cricket equipment with the U11s playing on a 20-yard pitch and the U13s a 21-yard pitch. The U9s play the occasional friendly match and tournaments based on Kwik cricket rules, using the ‘soft’ ball and plastic bats. Their pitch is 16 yards long.
As you can appreciate, for a child to be selected to represent the club in matches, we try to ensure that they are capable of bowling the majority of their deliveries the required length of pitch in a straight line. We also have to be reasonably content that they won’t be scared of the ball and can concentrate for the duration of the match. Once the coaches assess this, the children will be considered for the representative games.
If any parent would like to discuss additional activities to practice themselves with their child, please contact one of the coaches who will be pleased to offer support. The weekly session at the club can be supplemented by practice in the garden, park etc as it all helps!
I am on holiday this week, but practice will be on as usual, please check Twitter [CogenhoeCCjrs] and Facebook for updates on the weather.
Matt