2024 Junior season opens 19th April at 6pm
Newcomers welcome.
You can register and pay subs in advance online for Junior Academy here,
We are very much looking forward to welcoming all the players and parents back to Bledlow Ridge Cricket Club from Friday 19th of April for a jam-packed summer of cricket and socialising. We have so much going on, here are some highlights:
· 7 mixed and 2 girls teams entered into Bucks league and cup competitions
· Over 115 matches with 60 games at Meadow Styles Playing Field
· ECB Level 3 qualified Chris Rowley has been appointed as Junior Head Coach, leading the coaching for all age groups
· An extended BBQ menu every Friday night providing a more substantial food offering for hungry kids and parents
· The bar will be back to its pre-COVID best.
2024 BRCC Junior Membership
Details for Bledlow Ridge Club Juniors registration will be published here soon. Due to the growing popularity of the junior section, numbers are limited; priority will be given to paid-up members from the 2023 season.
Register now at https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/417837
Please DONT register if you are interested in younger players programmes; for All-Stars and Dynamos, see below.
Training starts on Friday 19th April and runs through the school summer term to Friday 19th July. Following that, every Friday over the summer holidays there will be social events such as parents v kids matches and friendly matches v local groups.
What you get:
· 13 ECB Qualified Coach led training sessions
· Bledlow Ridge Cricket Club Junior teams play in league and cup fixtures in the Buckinghamshire County leagues and cups. Over 130 games over the summer.
· Older and more capable players are invited to play for the new Bledlow RIdge Senior Development Programme and into the senior squad.
· New junior focussed cricket training equipment at the club.
· Regular BBQ on Friday evenings, weather permitting.
· The clubhouse bar is open to all our members when a senior match is on and Friday evening
· Use of the nets at Bledlow Ridge Cricket Club when there is no game or senior training
|
Age |
Group |
Timing |
|
All-Stars Y1 to Y3 |
Mixed |
5 - 6pm from 10th May |
|
Dynamos Y4 to Y6 |
Mixed |
5 - 6pm from 10th May |
|
U10/Y5 |
Mixed |
6 - 7.30pm |
|
U11/Y6 |
Mixed |
6 - 7.30pm |
|
U12/Y7 |
Boys |
6.15 - 7.45pm |
|
U13/Y8 |
Boys |
6.30 - 8.00pm |
|
U12/Y7 & U13/Y8 |
Girls |
6.15 to 7.45pm |
|
U14/Y9 & U15/Y10 |
Girls |
6.30 to 8.00pm |
2024 Membership Fees
· All Stars £50 - register direct on the ECB website https://www.ecb.co.uk/play/all-stars
· Dynamos £50 - this programme is full
· All other juniors - £90, 2nd child discounted to £70, 3rd child discounted to £50.
Parents of registered children will receive a free social membership giving access to the bar and BBQ.
We also offer discrete membership assistance; please get in touch via email.
Junior Kit
We will continue with coloured playing kit for 2023 for all teams.
Kit can be ordered from https://www.hawkinsport.co.uk/clubs/cricket-clubs/bledlow-ridge-cc Hawkins Sport will attend the first training session of the season on Friday 19th April. If you order kit before that date they can bring it along that night.
Girl's cricket is one of the fastest growing sports in England, and the Ridge is no exception with over 30 girls taking part last year.
We made our first forray into League cricket in 2021 and continued in 2022 with teams in the U13 and U11s Bucks girls' League.
For 2024 we will be running U15 hardball and U11 windball teams and weather permitting, will have over 15 fixtures. U13 girls will join the mixed team competing in the Bucks League.
We are always looking for willing helpers and are particularly in need of adult women who wouldn't mind at the very least, doing a DBS check and being present as a responsible adult. If you would like to help, mail Oli by clicking here.
Representing the County
Over the last 5 or so years the club has have proposed almost a hundred youngsters, boys and girls, across a range of age groups into the Buckinghamshire youth county trials process. We are delighted and very proud of the fact that many of them have gone on to be selected to represent Buckinghamshire, including 12 of this year's cohort.
A Typical Friday night at the Ridge
The Bowling Machine
Youngsters typically progress faster with their batting than bowling (hitting things is much easier than putting them where they're meant to be!) and once we're confident that they can take care of themselves at the crease, the bowling machine allows the coaches to precisely control the length, line and pace of the delivery.
The nets are often the first experience the kids have of suiting up in pads, gloves and helmets (don't worry if you don't have all that yet, we have loads of kit) and facing a hard ball (net balls are not as hard as real cricket balls, but you wouldn't want to get a smack without pads on), and is a great place to build confidence
We gradually increase the difficulty and learning capacity in a safe and controlled environment. It's only when one of the kids asks what it's like to face a hundred mile an hour delivery that you'll hear Pam (our Safeguarding Officer) come running across the outfield screaming Nooooo!
Training Exercises
This might look like the start of a fun assault course to you, but actually it's a method of improving pedal dexterity and developing speed, agility and concentration
But if your 7, it's still a fun assault course!
Catching and throwing practice with soft and semi hard balls helps to increase the kids' hand/eye coordination and confidence.
And when it's played as a game of catch/volley ball, it's fun!
On the Pitch
Once the kids have learnt the basic skills to a level where they can play meaningfully and safely, it's time to don the pads, gloves and helmets and get out onto a pitch to play real cricket.
As well as experiencing the wonders of a real pitch, this gives the coaches (liberally sprinkled around the outfield) the chance to bring the kids game awareness up to speed in areas like calling for runs, backing up and sharpness in the field.
It also ensures that the groundsmen are kept busy