Summer term training

Cancellation of outdoor training due to rain / wet ground

In summer, outdoor training is cancelled when it is not possible to enjoyably and safely train on grass - i.e. due to rain/high winds/lightning and/or the ground is wet and slippery. We aim to let you know as quickly as possible when we know that training needs to be cancelled. We use Whatsapp groups as our primary means of communicating this to you. In the summer, there will be a Whatsapp group for parents in each squad.

Equipment to bring

• Players must bring their own balls and cricket equipment.

  • Girls/boys in Reception & Year 1: Wind ball and plastic bat (All Stars bat or kwik cricket, probably bat size 0 or possibly size 2)

  • Girls/boys in Year 2: Wind ball or incrediball and plastic bat (probably size 2)

  • Girls/boys in years 3-4: incrediball and plastic or wooden bat (probably around size 1 or 2)

  • Girls/boys in years 5-9: 4¾ oz junior leather cricket ball + full hard ball kit (see below)

  • Boys in year 10+: 5½ oz men's senior leather cricket ball + full hard ball kit (see below)

  • Girls in year 10+: 5 oz women's senior leather cricket ball + full hard ball kit (see below)

• Hard-ball kit = pads, batting gloves, abdo-guard or 'box' (boys) and helmet.

• For training, cricket clothing is not required; any clothing suitable for sport is fine. Club shirts, trousers and caps will be on sale from an online shop. 

• See our section on Equipment for further information, buying tips and links to online and local retailers.

What would a typical training session be like normally?

Training sessions generally follow the ECB’s recommended best practice, for example for U6-U8s, a session might look like this:

1. Short, highly active warm-up (e.g. a team-based throwing/catching game)

2. Focused demonstration and practice on learning and practising 1-2 particular skills (e.g. driving at a ball placed on a tee)

3. Using the skill in a more varied, more game-like, but still controlled practice activity (e.g. players work in pairs; one feeds the ball for the other to practice driving)

4. Match-like activity (e.g. two teams playing competitive ‘tip and run’ cricket with bonus runs for hitting the ball straight - i.e. driving)

5. Cool-down and recap/evaluation talk from coach

However, sessions tend to be tailored to the needs of the players attending, and will be varied to keep them interesting.

What skills will players learn at outdoor training?

Outdoor training in the summer tends to have more focus on developing players' understanding of how to play the game as a team - the rules,  calling and running between the wickets, working as a team in the field and tactics and decision-making depending on the match situation. 

Indoor training over the winter and spring tends to have a bit more focus on developing individual players' skills - bowling, batting, catching, throwing and keeping wicket. 

However, both indoor and outdoor training will cover core all skills and will incorporate game-based practice.

Even in the youngest age groups, we aim to teach all of the players a full range of cricket skills. By the end of a full course, new players are typically able to play a recognisable game of cricket in which they are bowling, batting, calling, running, keeping wicket and fielding. 

Coaching best practice is to focus on just one or two key skills per session, gradually covering a full range of skills over the course. This means you might, for example, see coaches seeming to ignore that a player is throwing rather than bowling with a straight arm. This is likely because bowling technique is not the focus of the session.

New players also pick up much of their understanding of the game by watching and copying their more experienced squad-mates. Of course, the more cricket that players play, the more skilled they will become. Cricket is a fairly easy game to learn, but a difficult game to truly master, which is partly what makes it so much fun.

Parking

We have a relatively small car park with a narrow entrance/exit. Please walk or cycle if possible. Please be considerate of other car park users if you need to drive. Do not at any time park on the emergency vehicle access route marked in yellow paint on the ground. Do not block other cars in the car park. Consider dropping off and picking up near the club rather than using the car park. 

Please note the crossing by the club lacks pedestrian crossing lights. We will continue to lobby Transport for London to introduce them. 

Rules for parents/guardians

• As with all of our coached training sessions, parents may leave children with the coaches for the specified time of the training session only. Before and after the session, your child is entirely your responsibility. Do not drop off early. Ensure you pick up on time. Older children (in line with most schools, we expect children to be in year 6 or above) may travel to and from the club on their own with parental consent. 

• Siblings are welcome and we have plenty of green space for them to play in. Please be advised that we cannot guarantee that the grounds of the club will be completely free from dangerous objects. Children who are not in a coached training session are your responsibility to supervise. Please keep them within your sight.

• Ensure children do not take any food or drink onto the pitches. Ensure all litter is put in bins and all glasses etc are returned to the bar at the end of your training session.