New Clubs in the Region

[NorthCountryBoy]

The trend is for smaller clubs to go to the wall these days but which are the newest clubs in the NE? Aren't Washington relatively recent?

I met a couple of lads tonight who are starting Fenham CC. Basically a few lads who have played a bit have hired a sports hall over the winter and took kids who've had no exposure to cricket and taught them the basics. They'll be borrowing a ground this season and play their first Hetton Lyons Sunday League Div 2 game this April. Great story.

 

[eddyfinn]

Good luck to them hopefully they have a few senior players to help being them along and compete. Club Cricket is still alive we just need to fight/work abit harder for it

 

[NorthCountryBoy]

Good luck to them hopefully they have a few senior players to help being them along and compete. Club Cricket is still alive we just need to fight/work abit harder for it

They are bringing kids in who otherwise would have no exposure to cricket, it's brilliant. Hopefully they can win a few games to keep the interest up.

 

[Dave Smith]

Senior players guiding and coaching younger players is a massive issue.

When I first played up there, 20 odd years ago, although the club had senior players, few actually coached the younger lads.

Remember one Saturday playing sacriston, Jackie wrightson (thanks Jackie) coaching me during tea, and we were playing against eachother.

There were exception
s of course. Thanks trott, kenny, crawf, Scotty and rocky.

 

[The Voice Of Reason]

Cricket is not encouraged enough in schools. Most kids get interested because they live near a ground or their dad takes them. The more small local village cricket clubs the better.

 

[Dave Smith]

Cricket was hugely encouraged at my school by rob Winn ( greatest pe teacher in the land imho) and Jack Chapman ( blaydon).

Thanks fellas.

 

[Aleem Dar]

Cricket is not encouraged enough in schools. Most kids get interested because they live near a ground or their dad takes them. The more small local village cricket clubs the better.

The first line is interesting here. My exposure at school was 2 lessons from memory. Still played 2 games - against Southmoor at Southmoor and against a South African touring school at Silky. Beaten out of sight in both games. Only really got into cricket due to mates who played it. Played a few games for Whitburn U18s as a result then nothing until the SMB cc started up. Wonder how many potentially decent players aren't playing te game as it isn't encouraged at school.

 

[The Voice Of Reason]

The first line is interesting here. My exposure at school was 2 lessons from memory. Still played 2 games - against Southmoor at Southmoor and against a South African touring school at Silky. Beaten out of sight in both games. Only really got into cricket due to mates who played it. Played a few games for Whitburn U18s as a result then nothing until the SMB cc started up. Wonder how many potentially decent players aren't playing te game as it isn't encouraged at school.

I do an after school coaching club it's fantastic to see kids that don't really understand the game getting into it

 

[king of the road]

The trend is for smaller clubs to go to the wall these days but which are the newest clubs in the NE? Aren't Washington relatively recent?I met a couple of lads tonight who are starting Fenham CC. Basically a few lads who have played a bit have hired a sports hall over the winter and took kids who've had no exposure to cricket and taught them the basics. They'll be borrowing a ground this season and play their first Hetton Lyons Sunday League Div 2 game this April. Great story.

Formed 1890 mate...like most of Durham was originally a Colliery Welfare team

At present ground since mid 70s I think

 

[The Colonel]

Cricket is not encouraged enough in schools. Most kids get interested because they live near a ground or their dad takes them. The more small local village cricket clubs the better.

Agreed. Unless you go to a public school you barely get cricket at school nowadays.

 

[Live In Hope]

The first line is interesting here. My exposure at school was 2 lessons from memory. Still played 2 games - against Southmoor at Southmoor and against a South African touring school at Silky. Beaten out of sight in both games. Only really got into cricket due to mates who played it. Played a few games for Whitburn U18s as a result then nothing until the SMB cc started up. Wonder how many potentially decent players aren't playing te game as it isn't encouraged at school.

This

I had literally one lesson of cricket throughout my years of school. The thing is everyone loved it and would have definitely played more if given the chance.

 

[Mackem DJ]

Thread on the SMB last week about PE lessons at school.

Wish I had a tenner for every poster who said they never played cricket at school virtually EVER. Such a shame really!

 

[SAFC2403]

I was encouraged to play cricket at both primary and secondary school. I suppose it helped that the teachers that were pushing it were cricketers themselves.

The onus now is for clubs to get partnerships set up with schools to encourage the kids down to clubs to play.

 

[eddyfinn]

I was very lucky in primary school we played both a hard ball and soft ball competitions getting to the final of both and winning the
Proper ball game. We then went to the regional finals and finished third narrowly missing out on the nationals. IMO it seemed very organised by the local league and Lancashire cricket board. that is what the local leagues should be setting up along with Durham county board so teachers just have to organise kids turning up to grounds to play these games and local coaches going into schools to do some sessions before hand.

 

[The Colonel]

I was very lucky in primary school we played both a hard ball and soft ball competitions getting to the final of both and winning the
Proper ball game. We then went to the regional finals and finished third narrowly missing out on the nationals. IMO it seemed very organised by the local league and Lancashire cricket board. that is what the local leagues should be setting up along with Durham county board so teachers just have to organise kids turning up to grounds to play these games and local coaches going into schools to do some sessions before hand.

Great idea but my experience is that local clubs just arent geared up to do this. They either dont have the time or arent willing enough.

Frankly I've been astonished at how little effort some of the clubs put into their junior setups. Some clubs have lived for years of sufficient numbers turning up without the clubs themselves having to go on any sort of recruitment drives.

I still think that it really is very amateurish.

If a club could get themselves organised and find some people who were willing enough to really make a push they could clean up all the local talent if they wanted to.

Some of the clubs dont even keep averages at junior level and go weeks without knowing what the league tables are at junior level.

 

[Harry Lime]

Great idea but my experience is that local clubs just arent geared up to do this. They either dont have the time or arent willing enough.

Frankly I've been astonished at how little effort some of the clubs put into their junior setups. Some clubs have lived for years of sufficient numbers turning up without the clubs themselves having to go on any sort of recruitment drives.

I still think that it really is very amateurish.

If a club could get themselves organised and find some people who were willing enough to really make a push they could clean up all the local talent if they wanted to.

Some of the clubs dont even keep averages at junior level and go weeks without knowing what the league tables are at junior level.

One local club has done just that yet some have questioned their intent.

What's it to be, recruit, but only poor players, or recruit the best you can?

 

[The Colonel]

One local club has done just that yet some have questioned their intent. What's it to be, recruit, but only poor players, or recruit the best you can?

Harry I think youre getting the two issues mixed up. We have 2 issues here:

1. Recruitment, and
2. Poaching

There is a clear distinction.

My point is that I do not think that local cricket clubs are pro active enough in recruiting junior players ie volume of players to their clubs. The problem is though that all of the people at the local clubs are volunteers therefore there is a limit as to how much they can and will do, which is understandable.

What I have also said in relation to the discussion about Washington, which TBH I thought had moved on, is fair play to Washington. If they have identified that other clubs are not really very good at keeping their better junior players then why not "recruit" them from other junior sides.

TBH I'd do the same.

Washington (insert club name here) will clearly end up with the best junior sides and the other clubs will have stood still and let them do this.

I said to a few people when the DCL was created that local cricket will get much more competitive now, especially at a junior level and I stand by that.

 

[Harry Lime]

Harry I think youre getting the two issues mixed up. We have 2 issues here:

1. Recruitment, and
2. Poaching

There is a clear distinction.

My point is that I do not think that local cricket clubs are pro active enough in recruiting junior players ie volume of players to their clubs. The problem is though that all of the people at the local clubs are volunteers therefore there is a limit as to how much they can and will do, which is understandable.

What I have also said in relation to the discussion about Washington, which TBH I thought had moved on, is fair play to Washington. If they have identified that other clubs are not really very good at keeping their better junior players then why not "recruit" them from other junior sides.

TBH I'd do the same.

Washington (insert club name here) will clearly end up with the best junior sides and the other clubs will have stood still and let them do this.

I said to a few people when the DCL was created that local cricket will get much more competitive now, especially at a junior level and I stand by that.

It's not me that's got the two issues mixed up, you've contradicted yourself so many times in your posts on the matter.

The club you've mentioned are either poaching youngsters or they have a good recruitment policy, which one is it?

 

[The Colonel]

It's not me that's got the two issues mixed up, you've contradicted yourself so many times in your posts on the matter.

The club you've mentioned are either poaching youngsters or they have a good recruitment policy, which one is it?

Recruitment obviously relates to novice players and poaching relates to the "better" players.

There is a clear difference.

I have no idea what the recruitment policy at "the club youve mentioned" is as I have no idea how pro active "the club youve mentioned" are at forging relationships with local schools, recruiting from the local community etc.

 

[Harry Lime]

Recruitment obviously relates to novice players and poaching relates to the "better" players.

There is a clear difference.

I have no idea what the recruitment policy at "the club youve mentioned" is as I have no idea how pro active "the club youve mentioned" are at forging relationships with local schools, recruiting from the local community etc.

Then why imply that they poached two young players when you started this debate?