Junior Cricket

Our Youth Development Programme has cricketers as young as 5 years old and junior teams play in the West Surrey Youth Cricket League. Matches normally take place on Sunday mornings with the occasional midweek game required to avoid fixture congestion.

Each age group has a dedicated manager who handles all aspects of running the team from planning coaching sessions on a Friday night, selecting the squad for the matches, running the team on match day and communicating with players and parents.

We want our junior cricketers to have a wonderful social and sporting experience and we aim to achieve this by giving every player:

• A clear route through the age groups and into senior cricket
• Varied and fun coaching to develop cricket skills and understanding
• The feeling of being part of a fun and family orientated club

Our Junor Cricket Director, Martin Keay, is at the club on most Friday evenings to oversee the junior coaching sessions. Please do feel free to grab Martin for a chat or get in touch at any time.”

Junior Cricket Philosophy

In the Junior Section at Effingham Cricket Club, our aim is ensure an enjoyable and collaborative spirit where the emphasis is on sportsmanship, equal participation, skill development and celebrating the success of individuals, team and club. The Club is a strong supporter of the ECB Codes of Behaviour. Emphasis is placed on safety and showing respect towards teammates, club officials, umpires and opponents.

1. Learning sportsmanship is the guiding principle for all junior cricket teams. The Spirit of the Game should be embraced by players and coaches.  Sportsmanship should always prevail over winning.
2. Encouraging participation is key.  This is fundamental to all of our teams from U5s up to Under 16 level.  It is everyone’s responsibility to encourage all players, to ensure the team operates as a team of equals and that we are inclusive.
3. Skill Development.  All players should be given the opportunity to receive quality advice and compete at an appropriate level to enhance their skill development.
4. Celebrate Success.  Success comes in all different forms in cricket – from a half-century to a first catch. There is no better way to build a team and club than to celebrate the achievements of all players (including the opposition).

Junior Teams in 2017

The following are the teams that we will be running in 2017 and an introduction to their individual age group managers:

Mini Cricketers

The U5 – 8 group is a fantastic hotbed of future club players, made up of a broad mix of boys and girls, with or without any cricket experience.

The group is coached by Nick Procter, a leading senior player from the first X1, whose daughter and son are both in the group.

The main aim is to foster a long term love for cricket, providing early guidance on how the game should be played and in what spirit and giving all children a sense of belonging at their first cricket club.

The group trains on Friday evenings from 5.30 – 6.30, a very popular evening when all parents can gather, enjoy warm summer evenings, a BBQ and the convivial surroundings of the club, whilst being able to watch their children have a great time – a true family night.

We are always looking for more like minded kids and parents to join us and get involved with the club. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email.

A very special place

I began playing junior club cricket aged 11 for Beverley/Canterbury Pilgrims CC, and was lucky enough to be involved in the Sunday 1st X1 senior team the same year. The team was filled with experienced and very competent club cricketers who immediately gave me an opportunity to open the batting, rather than “graze in the outfield”, despite having more experienced players that could fill the position. Their support and encouragement gave me a fabulous start, a tangible sense of belonging to a great club and some life affirming memories.

We want the ECC Junior section to be a very special place to begin playing cricket. To that end, we are blessed to have a club that is brimful of like minded people that are determined to make sure that cricket is absolutely for the many, not just the naturally gifted (of which we have plenty). Personally, I believe Junior cricket is a space where we have an opportunity to nuture a life long passion for the game, played in the right spirit and in the right way. The aim is to guide our players to achieve their absolute best, to understand how they contribute to their team and respect the contribution made by others in the team. As junior cricketers follow the Effingham CC pathway leading ultimately to Senior cricket, these principles will be with them all of the way.