Junior Cricket

Junior Cricket at Lilleshall

Junior cricket is a very important part of our club with approaching 70 junior players attending weekly coaching sessions during the season.  To help you get the most from the game and our club we have published an on line handbook for junior members.  Please take some time to refer to the contents and coaches will also refer you to it during the season.

The handbook has been praised by both our ClubMark Assessor and the County Development Manager, Chris Dirkin.

Junior Handbook

Now available on line with lots of new skill drills and additional information for juniors and parents, so please make use of this resource.

Practice

We run four junior teams at under 10, under 11, under 13 and under 15.  Under 10s, 11s and 13s practice is on Monday nights at Lilleshall and u15s practice on a Tuesday (which allows more space on the ground).

Age Ranges

We usually start coaching children from the age of 8.

  • Under 10s are classed as up to and including primary school years 4 and 5
  • Under 11s are primary school year 6s (but may include year 5s)
  • Under 13s are secondary school years 7 and 8
  • Under 15s are secondary school years 9 to 11.
  • After this, players will become part of the senior squad.  Girls are allowed to play one year beyond the boys (so year 7 girls can still play at u11 and year 9 girls can play at u13).

What We Do At Practice

Practice starts with registration at 6:15pm (all players must sign in before going on to the field) ready for a 6:30pm start.  We aim to fnish by 8:00pm, although we may need a little additional time to arrange team selection.

  • Practice will usually start with any one of a number of warm up exercises that incorporate a cricketing skill (such as catching, target bowling and fielding).
  • We will then follow a preset coaching plan that covers all aspects of the game.
  • We will make reference to the Junior Handbook as we progress through the season and may ask juniors to read up on certain skills for the following week.
  • Practice will include the use of hard cricket balls and practice windballs depending upon the activity, we will also allow time for short timed games (such as kwik cricket), match practice and some net practice where appropriate.
  • Children are encouraged to try new skills, participate fully and ask questions.

Full details on the code of conduct, coaching and expected behaviours are published in the online Junior Handbook.

Team Selection

We have a written selection policy that we applied for the 2010 season, this may be revised for 2011 depending on the junior leagues are structured for 2011.

Cancellations Due To Bad Weather

As we know all too well, poor weather can play havoc with the fixtures!  When poor weather forces us to change our plans this website and Twitter feed will be the primary means of letting you know about any changes to either coaching or match nights.

It is important therefore that you check it for the latest information as we will not routinely send SMS and email messages to advise of cancellations; unless this is a last minute decision (in which case we will use every means at our disposal to let you know).

However, when we know some time in advance that we will have to cancel training or a match, it makes far more sense to update eveyone via the website in one hit where we can and we will post details on the home page of this site as well as the Twitter feed.

Matches

  • Under 10s play matches on Sunday mornings
  • Under 11 and under 13 matches are on Wednesday evenings and alternate between home and away
  • Under 15 games are played on Sunday afternoons.

We are happy for parents to transport children direct to games but please let one of the coaches know if you are intending to do this and make sure you know where the venue is.