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Juniors/Players Playing For Different Clubs In Different Leagues

  • Thread starter Thread starter The Omega Man
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The Omega Man

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I was wondering what people's thoughts are on junior cricketers or I guess any crickcter playing for different clubs in different leagues? Is there a specific rule about what you can and cannot do?

Its a general question really not related to any specific player but surely if say juniors were able to play for say a team in the Durham Cricket Leagues and another one in the Tyneside Cricket Leagues then there might not be so many clubs folding their junior teams/sections or conceding games due to the lack of players.

The Tyneside and Durham Leagues play their U11, U13 cricket for example on different days.

Thoughts?
 

Greavsie said:
No idea of rules but am sure that burnmoor have a junior who plays his senior cricket at east rainton
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Aye there seems to be a few lads who play junior cricket for one club and senior cricket for another. However I dont know of any junior players who play junior cricket for say a Durham League team and junior cricket for a Tyneside League team. Never heard of it happening in all honesty.
 
I know of last season players playing u11 and 13 for one club and u15 for there own club as they didnt have u11 and 13 teams, that was in same league
 
Burmoor and Philadelphia Under 13s were struggling for a team at the start of the season so decided to join together. So Philadelphia players are now playing for Burmoor at just Under 13s level. They play Under 15s cricket and Sunday 3rds cricket at Philadelphia.
 
I could be wrong! But I'm sure I heard somewhere that if the club you are playing for does not have a team at your age group you can play else where as well. Not sure about playing at a higher age group at another club.
 
Sacriston have an Under 15 lad who plays 2nd team at Kimblesworth. I believe this helps the person and Kimblesworth as the lad probably wouldn't get the chance to play 2s at Sacriston at the moment but it gives him the opportunity to play senior cricket.
 
Whatever the solution may or may not be, it's a big problem that will catch up with clubs in the next five to ten years.

Our u18 team were supposed to be at Hylton tonight but they have dropped out of the league - I believe that leaves them with no junior teams at any age group, which is pretty shit to be honest (particularly for a club that has produced first class players for Durham in the past). That's not to say it's not happening in other places - there are a few clubs now with no junior teams.
 
Sweeper said:
Whatever the solution may or may not be, it's a big problem that will catch up with clubs in the next five to ten years.

Our u18 team were supposed to be at Hylton tonight but they have dropped out of the league - I believe that leaves them with no junior teams at any age group, which is pretty shit to be honest (particularly for a club that has produced first class players for Durham in the past). That's not to say it's not happening in other places - there are a few clubs now with no junior teams.
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I think it has got progressively harder for clubs to run junior sections over the years.

The days when a couple of blokes could hoy some leaflets into a school and kids just turn up are long gone. Obviously there is a lot of red tape to get through with setting up a junior section, some of it absolutely necessary for safeguarding purposes and some if it just a pain in the arse. Some schools can be very cagey about letting you in to coach / distribute leaflets etc as well which is a bit of a battle. You also have to compete with technology and the beast of football (which seems to run and run nowadays).

All that said, it can be done but real dedication and time is required by the people running it to make it work and be sustainable.

As an aside, I find it a bit disturbing that some clubs are in a position to field more than one side in each age group when plenty of clubs are struggling to field one. In my opinion, those clubs with substantial numbers should be recommending other clubs to parents to take their kids to in order to keep junior cricket healthy across the board. Im sure many will disagree with me on that though.
 
The Sheepfolds End said:
I think it has got progressively harder for clubs to run junior sections over the years.

The days when a couple of blokes could hoy some leaflets into a school and kids just turn up are long gone. Obviously there is a lot of red tape to get through with setting up a junior section, some of it absolutely necessary for safeguarding purposes and some if it just a pain in the arse. Some schools can be very cagey about letting you in to coach / distribute leaflets etc as well which is a bit of a battle. You also have to compete with technology and the beast of football (which seems to run and run nowadays).

All that said, it can be done but real dedication and time is required by the people running it to make it work and be sustainable.

As an aside, I find it a bit disturbing that some clubs are in a position to field more than one side in each age group when plenty of clubs are struggling to field one. In my opinion, those clubs with substantial numbers should be recommending other clubs to parents to take their kids to in order to keep junior cricket healthy across the board. Im sure many will disagree with me on that though.
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Agree with all of that - another unhelpful trend has been all of these summer football leagues, meaning that a lot of the kids now play football all year round.
 
Sweeper said:
Agree with all of that - another unhelpful trend has been all of these summer football leagues, meaning that a lot of the kids now play football all year round.
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The football situation irks me. Dont get me wrong, I love my football but it is not our summer sport. Kids are going to end up being very one dimensional when it comes to sport if all they have is football all year round. Cricket teaches some important skills and helps you become a bit more rounded I think (may be getting a bit deep here). The nature of the game means you learn to respect authority, be patient (waiting for turn to bat / bowl) and helps with concentration. Football is a fast, all action game with very little respect for officials and if thats all kids are getting 52 weeks a year then they are missing out in a big way. Other sports will also suffer from this of course, not just cricket.

Another issue is TV. There is no live cricket broadcasted on free to view television other than IPL tucked away on ITV 8 or something. As much as Sky will defend their record of assisting grass roots cricket, there is no substitute for watching the game on TV. The Ashes in 2005 should have cemented its place on free to view tele (wey, license fee aside) but sadly it didnt.

Anyway, gone a bit off topic. Back to OP, I see no problem with junior players going elsewhere to play their senior cricket if their opportunities are limited at their own club and nor do I see a problem with a junior going to play under 18s elsewhere if their parent club doesnt have representation at that age group. The game needs players playing cricket. Politics, pettiness and club rivalries should be put aside in order to let that happen IMO.
 
I agree with most of this but there are clubs who get it so right, without having to completely bust a gut.

There are 3 things which are crucial in my opinion:

1. A strong relationship with the local school(s)
2. A set night allocated to junior training all year round
3. Involvement of senior cricketers within the club in the training

The local school is a great starting point. Get the school playing games on the club ground where possible, get posters up, get existing players spreading the word.

A set night is massive, as it eliminates any confusion as to whether practice is on or not. Some decent social media is a godsend too when the weather is a bit iffy.

Finally, the kids get so much out of seeing 2 or 3 first teamers there at training. They don't have to be wonder-coaches, just being there is a major boost for the kids. I really think it is the responsibility of senior players in the club to give some time back and help with running junior sections.
 
Dont want to sound like an old fart but the standard of junior cricket often seems weaker than what it was 15-20 yrs ago apart from kids at 3 or 4 clubs. Participation levels? Less coaches? Rose tinted glasses?
 
@HettonLyonsCC: Highest ever number of juniors at coaching tonight...86!! Hopefully keep rising.

And yet clubs junior sections are folding. Confused
 
Greavsie said:
@HettonLyonsCC: Highest ever number of juniors at coaching tonight...86!! Hopefully keep rising.

And yet clubs junior sections are folding. Confused
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U11s to u18s, that's only 4 teams. 44 players to play, with nearly the same left out.

Surely these kids would be better at teams they're going to play? I know I've improved as a player (not by much mind) by playing week in week out rather than the odd game where I played in the loosest way possible (batting 11 and fielding fine leg both ends). And I'm 27, so amazing to think how these kids would improve.

Another side is the financial side. Say the club charge 3 quid a head for coaching - that's nearly 300 quid they've made tonight. That would pay 3/5ths of our pitch rent to the committee. Mental.
 
See that exactly the reason I haven't taken my boy to Hetton, despite being sorely tempted too. There is no doubt that Hetton have a fantastic youth set up but if he's not playing regular cricket on a weekend then what is the point?

I agree with Aleem, surely game time is critical for player development and to miss out on this can restrict any progress. I know they field 2 U11's team each week but they still have far more players wanting a game than 2 teams can accommodate
 
How can it be right that one club can have 86 juniors and other clubs are folding their junior setups. Surely the best thing for all parties is to loan out those players who dont get a game to other clubs in other leagues? When will this issue be seriously broached? If Hetton Lyons had loaned a few of their players to say Tantobie (pick your defunct junior setup club) then they may well still be in existence and playing cricket matches. Instead we have lads at Hetton not playing regularly and clubs folding junior setups. absolutely mental.

BigCheese said:
See that exactly the reason I haven't taken my boy to Hetton, despite being sorely tempted too. There is no doubt that Hetton have a fantastic youth set up but if he's not playing regular cricket on a weekend then what is the point?

I agree with Aleem, surely game time is critical for player development and to miss out on this can restrict any progress. I know they field 2 U11's team each week but they still have far more players wanting a game than 2 teams can accommodate
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There is no point. You need to find a smaller club perhaps in the NTSCL who do not have as many junior players. He would play every week - probably not only at his age group but perhaps at a higher age group than Hetton Lyons could offer.

Aleem Dar said:
U11s to u18s, that's only 4 teams. 44 players to play, with nearly the same left out.

Surely these kids would be better at teams they're going to play? I know I've improved as a player (not by much mind) by playing week in week out rather than the odd game where I played in the loosest way possible (batting 11 and fielding fine leg both ends). And I'm 27, so amazing to think how these kids would improve.

Another side is the financial side. Say the club charge 3 quid a head for coaching - that's nearly 300 quid they've made tonight. That would pay 3/5ths of our pitch rent to the committee. Mental.
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Remember Under 11's only have 8 players in the team IIRC so the situation is even more pronounced than you indicated.
 
The Omega Man said:
How can it be right that one club can have 86 juniors and other clubs are folding their junior setups. Surely the best thing for all parties is to loan out those players who dont get a game to other clubs in other leagues? When will this issue be seriously broached? If Hetton Lyons had loaned a few of their players to say Tantobie (pick your defunct junior setup club) then they may well still be in existence and playing cricket matches. Instead we have lads at Hetton not playing regularly and clubs folding junior setups. absolutely mental.


There is no point. You need to find a smaller club perhaps in the NTSCL who do not have as many junior players. He would play every week - probably not only at his age group but perhaps at a higher age group than Hetton Lyons could offer.


Remember Under 11's only have 8 players in the team IIRC so the situation is even more pronounced than you indicated.
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All very good points.

86 junior players at one club appears (and probably is) very healthy for that individual club but it is far from healthy for local junior cricket IMO. There is simply no need for a club to have so many players (with the intention of having even more).

One possible solution is that DCCC intervene and place a cap on junior numbers at any one club. If clubs have reached their limit then refer any new interested players to DCCC who will be able to signpost them to cricket clubs who have qualified Level 2 coaches and level 1 / assistant coaches on their books. That way it ensures that no club has a monopoly on youth and kids get a reasonable chance to participate.

Whether that is a feasible way of doing things I dont know but given the amount of clubs that have folded or have struggled in recent years with their junior sections something is clearly required to be done.
 
The Sheepfolds End said:
All very good points.

86 junior players at one club appears (and probably is) very healthy for that individual club but it is far from healthy for local junior cricket IMO. There is simply no need for a club to have so many players (with the intention of having even more).

One possible solution is that DCCC intervene and place a cap on junior numbers at any one club. If clubs have reached their limit then refer any new interested players to DCCC who will be able to signpost them to cricket clubs who have qualified Level 2 coaches and level 1 / assistant coaches on their books. That way it ensures that no club has a monopoly on youth and kids get a reasonable chance to participate.

Whether that is a feasible way of doing things I dont know but given the amount of clubs that have folded or have struggled in recent years with their junior sections something is clearly required to be done.
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Actually that is a really good idea of having the Durham Cricket Board involved. Whether they would have the resources to do this I dont know.
 
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