Opportunities for young cricketers at Avoncroft

Junior cricket will be returning to Avoncroft in April and, for the first time, Croft have entered girls sides into both under nine and under 11 county competitions.

With the success of the All Stars cricket programme, which helps both boys and girls experience their first taste of cricket, the number of girls joining the sport has grown massively over the last three years and Avoncroft are excited to be extending our offer for girls cricket this year.

In addition to our girls programme, Croft will continue to offer mixed cricket for all ages from five to 15. All Stars cricket returns for its fourth season, targeted at five to eight year olds looking to learn and develop some basic cricket skills.

The programme is administered nationally, with a number of local clubs offering sessions. For more information, and to book onto the sessions that start in early May, search for All Stars cricket on the internet.

Avoncroft also offers its own softball coaching for under nines, building upon the basic skills developed in All Stars, before transitioning on to hardball cricket from under tens (year ten onwards).

All training takes place on a Friday evening, with the first session planned for April 21st. Training is open to both current and new members – for more information and to register, please contact Paul Athey at paul.athey@nhs.net

We’re particularly interest in hearing from girls who want to try cricket for the first time – no previous experience is required.

On the adult side of things, the First XI kick off their Division Three campaign against local rivals Himbleton at Croft’s Stoke Heath ground on April 15th, with the Second and Third XI starting two weeks later.

If you have an hour or two to spare on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon over the course of the summer, anyone is welcome to pop by, soak up the sun (hopefully) and enjoy a perfect example of English village cricket right on our doorstep.

by Paul Athey

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