So what’s the format for the summer?  

Coaching Plan    

Due to our big growth in numbers we will, with some regret, have to split up the age groups this year so that we can continue to provide high quality coaching at every level.   The centrepiece of the week will still be the Sunday morning session which will be for Under 7 to Under 11 ONLY (current school years 2 to 6).  Under 12 through Under 15 sessions will be held on weekday evenings and we will also provide an opportunity for selected boys/girls to attend an Academy session on Thursday evenings.   We have set aside Tuesday evenings to provide individual chargeable tuition.   Coaching will run from April 20^th to August 31^st inclusive.  So for clarity:-

            Sunday            10am to 12 Noon                    Under 7 to Under 11 (Yr 2 to 6)

            Monday           6pm to 8pm                             Under 12/13 (Yr 7 & 8)

            Tuesday          6pm to 8pm                             Individual Coaching 30 mins/1 hour

            Wednesday     6pm to 8pm                            Senior Section - no Colts

            Thursday         6pm to 8pm                             Academy Night

            Friday              6pm to 8pm                             U14/U15 (Yr 9 & 10) 

Please note:     We cannot take boys/girls below current School Year 2

important - Older children must not attend nets before 12 Noon on Sundays as this could be dangerous to younger children. 

2008 Fees

As ever we endeavour to keep our fees as low as possible.  Please be reassured that all the money we raise is used to provide equipment and coaching for the colts, to pay league registration fees and to assist with the maintenance of the clubhouse and grounds.   Our fees comprise a cricket club fee and a family sports club fee of £25.  

As a consequence:

            1^st Child Fee                              £65* 

            2^nd and each subsequent child    £40

*For any family that has already paid the sports club fee through Berkhamsted Raiders or as an Adult member of the Cricket Club, the 1^st Child fee is £40

Should your child be selected to represent Berkhamsted in a competitive or friendly match there is no extra match fee to be paid.  New colts joining us for the first time are allowed 1 try-out session before having to pay a sub.

As most of our expenditure is at the beginning of the season it would be greatly appreciated if we could receive all fees before the end of April.   Any payments made after 15^th May 2008 will incur a late payment penalty of £10.

Academy sessions and individual coaching will be subject to additional charges to be notified at the time. 

Our Cricket Weeks in the summer holidays are also subject to a separate charge.  We plan to run at least 3 cricket weeks this year and Julian Dent will be taking advance bookings at the Colts Registration Night. Priority for bookings will be given to paid-up Colts and Cricket Club members until the end of April. After that, the Cricket Weeks will be advertised outside the club. Last year demand significantly exceeded supply, so don’t miss out by leaving it too late.

Matches and Selection Policy    

We have entered 11 teams this year into the Herts West League.   Whilst our policy is to try and provide games for as many colts as possible we also try to promote excellence and competitive play (after all we want to beat the Aussies again one day).   So where possible we have an A and B team, with the A team being selected on ability and merit and the B team being an opportunity for inexperienced or improving players to develop their skills.  We also organise friendly matches which also provides an opportunity for managers to give more players a chance.

 Each team is organised by a VOLUNTEER parent (or parents) who is responsible for picking the team and over-seeing the game on the day.   There is no limit on the number of teams we can enter (other than the fact we only have 2 pitches) but without the support of parents these games simply cannot take place.  We are currently 2 managers short for this coming season.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MANAGING A TEAM OR HELPING WITH SCORING OR UMPIRING – OR EVEN GOING ON A COACHING COURSE THEN PLEASE CONTACT MARK LEWARNE BY E-MAIL OR PHONE.    THE CLUB IS WILLING TO PAY FOR ANY PARENT WISHING TO TAKE A COACHING COURSE AND WILL HELP TO TEACH THE BASICS ABOUT SCORING AND UMPIRING.   

PLEASE NOTE A COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF CRICKET IS NOT ESSENTIAL – WE NEED ENTHUSIASM AND ORGANISATION SKILLS!           

The following teams will play this summer:-

UNDER 9 A & B                        Managers:         Required!!

UNDER 10 A & B                      Managers:         Dave Lewis & John Lupton

UNDER 11 A & B                      Managers:         Stephen Shelley, Elaine Fong, Chris Mack

UNDER 12 A & B                      Managers:         Mark Lewarne, Simon Roberts & Adrian Handley

UNDER 13                                Managers:         Simon Roberts & Mark Lewarne  

UNDER 14                                Managers:         Mark Barnett & Paul Beard

UNDER 15                                Managers:         Andy Chambers & Paul Beard

We will also try to organise/participate in 1 or 2 festival days with nearby clubs for the Under 7/8 age group. 

Keep up with results and league tables at

http://www.hertscricket.org/

Keep up with BCC news including statistics on every Berkhamsted team and player on the clubs website http://berkhamsted.play-cricket.com/  or http://www.berkhamstedcc.com . 

 IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Parental Consent Forms

The vast majority of parents have completed these forms.  If not please see us on Colts Registration Night.   Also if any details have changed – e.g. e-mail or mobile number – please let us know so that we don’t miss you out on important announcements. 

 Code of Conduct

BCC believe strongly in upholding the Spirit of Cricket and this applies equally to both players and spectators.  We have attached our Code of Conduct to the back of this newsletter.  Please do take the time to read it and try to ensure your children have also read and understood it. 

Health & Safety

We need to know whether your child has a medical condition – this sometimes appears on the Parental Consent Form but not always.  If the condition is a severe one please mention it to the coaches at the start of the season so that we can handle the situation in the correct way. 

Drinks.  We train for 2 hour sessions so make sure your child always has a drink – no matter what the weather. 

Suncream/hats.   Believe it or not it can get very hot in the summer and we are not allowed to provide or apply suncream so please ensure your child is adequately protected.  We recommend a cap or hat on really sunny days. 

Box Pants & Box.   From under 11 onwards the boys will be practicing and playing matches with a hardball – and when batting a box is compulsory to protect the abdominal area.  However, we often find the box ends up protecting the child’s knee due

to inappropriate underwear.   We recommend you buy a pair of box pants which are reasonably cheap and can be purchased from Simon Roberts or from most sports shops. 

Nets.   We have 2 nets at the cricket club which are for the use of BCC members only.   We are happy for the children to use the nets outside of our supervision but please be aware this is entirely at your own risk.  We recommend that if using a hard ball then they MUST wear helmet, box, pads and gloves.   NEVER allow young children (especially toddlers) to walk around cricket nets – a hard ball can cause serious injury and everyone should pay careful attention when walking near to the nets.

No spikes are allowed in the nets. 

Pick Up & Drop Off

We always welcome parents who bring along a chair, get a coffee and a newspaper and enjoy watching the cricket.   Equally if you want to drop off your child we will take good care of them for the duration of the session, HOWEVER…….

(1)                 If it rains during the session please return to the club as soon as possible – we do not have enough room in the clubhouse to keep the children occupied

(2)                 Please do not return late to the club at pick-up time.  At the end of a coaching session it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure the collection of your child. 

Group Mobile Text Alert

If we call off a session we will try to give as much notice as possible and the quickest way to do this is by Bulk Text SMS.  So if it’s raining on a Sunday morning or on a practice afternoon check your mobiles for updates.  If you don’t hear from us, it’s probably on. 

Clothing Policy

For training sessions it is not absolutely compulsory for children to wear whites but we would prefer it.  We have discovered that the children really enjoy wearing whites and it is compulsory if selected to represent the club in a league match.   Simon Roberts is happy to provide advice on the type of kit to buy.   

Finally, AN APPEAL TO PARENTS 

We have managed to create a thriving cricket club for the town.  I am sure we all agree the clubhouse needed a facelift and with the help of a loan from Berkhamsted Raiders that’s exactly what it got!    Please come down and support the club in any way you can – use the clubhouse and facilities – it’s yours!   

Please also help organize the games, with scoring, umpiring or just providing lifts to away games – anything you can do will be greatly appreciated by the managers.

We want to create a centre of excellence for cricket following the great example set by Raiders who have achieved Charter standard – please help us to make this possible. 

Look forward to seeing you all during the forthcoming warm and sunny summer!! 

Mark Lewarne

Colts Manager