Montgomery Cricket Club - Youth Section

Membership - 

In 2002 Montgomery Cricket Club made a conscious decision to promote a policy of youth development and has been operating a youth section for 7 years; we now have over 80 registered young members of 15 years old and younger. The club strongly believes that all youngsters should be given the chance to play cricket in a supportive and friendly environment and in providing this, the club will ensure that the future of the club and cricket in general, will be secured. The club operates four youth teams including Under 9 years old, Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15. This year it is hoped, also, to develop a girls team (covering a mixed age group from 9 to 14). We would encourage children of all ages to attend although, as a guideline, children under the age of 7 may struggle with the length and structure of the sessions.

The annual subscription for youth members is £10 per annum and this allows for each youth member to attend any or all of the Thursday evening coaching sessions taken by our qualified coaching team, for use of club kit and, if appropriate, to qualify to play for one of the youth teams. The subscriptions are kept deliberately low to encourage younger members to attend and therefore to promote cricket in the local community.

The parent/carer of each youth member is required to complete a Membership Form for the individual, with key personal details, at the first coaching session that they attend. The annual subscription may also be paid at this time.

Queries regarding membership arrangements may be addressed to Keith or Anne Griffiths (01686 630404).

2010 Round-up - 

The Junior Section had a remarkable season with all three age groups reaching the Shropshire finals of their respective age groups. The Under 11s won their competition by beating Ellesmere by 25 runs in the final, and if a couple of catches had been held the Under 13s would also have triumphed. The Under 15s lost to a very strong Frankton side including a number of county players, but Charlie Clinton’s 50 not out was the outstanding performance of the day. The club has also continued to promote the sport in local schools, with training sessions held at Montgomery Primary School, Abermule Primary School and Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd.

At the Junior Awards Evening the Performance of the Year Award was won by Ieuan Griffiths for his three wickets for no runs against Welshpool, and Alex Haycock was recognised as the most improved player.

2009 Round-up - 

Once again Montgomery has been home to a very successful youth section, and this year the senior teams have begun reaping the benefits of the policy that began in 2002. Current and former youth players are now playing in both the first XI and second XI, most notably Gareth Griffiths, Steve Gibbs, Jakob Sharman and Jack Williams. This has seen a reduction in the average age of the senior teams for the first time in many years, and demonstrates the success of the club’s structure, coaching and planning. It was fitting that our accreditation award was made by the England and Wales Cricket Board on a youth coaching evening. It was a great night for the club and all the players benefitted from coaching by Glamorgan stars Adam Shantry and Chris Ashling

Within the age groups there have been many players whose skills and knowledge of the game have steadily improved through the season, none more so than Eoin Jones, who took the inaugural ‘Most Improved Youth Player of the Season’ award sponsored by Keith Griffiths. Other senior members and Vice Presidents have recognised the importance of the youth work by sponsoring a series of other awards to record the achievements of our young players, and the winners for each group are noted below. Beyond the club, six of our players have represented mid-Wales in their age groups and twelve have been put forward for regional winter training sessions beginning in November.

Under 9's - Unfortunately the planned Under 9s Festival fell victim to the weather this season so we weren’t able to repeat one of the most successful events of last year. We’re looking forward to a similar event in 2010 though!

Under 11's The Under 11s include a number of promising players and they ended the season as joint winners of their section of the league alongside Bishops Castle. Unfortunately the other section of the league failed to fulfill their fixtures so the team was denied the climax to the season they deserved.
Awards
Batting (sponsored by Andrew Black) James Corfield
Bowling (sponsored by John Jones) Patrick Fletcher

Under 13's The Under 13s have made great progress this year and deserved their mid-table finish. The most notable win was by three wickets against a strong Bishops Castle side.
Awards
Batting (sponsored by Stan Davies) Harry Wilkinson
Bowling (sponsored by Neil Tuffin) Alec Jones

Under 15's The Montgomery side was the outstanding one in the region, winning their section of the league unbeaten. The other section of the league failed to fulfill their fixtures so, like the Under 11s, they were denied the chance to challenge for the overall Shropshire title.
Awards
Batting (sponsored by Steve Clinton) Jack Williams
Bowling (sponsored by Jonathan Williams) Rupert Sheppard

Youth Outstanding Performance It’s been a while since a Montgomery bowler has celebrated a hat trick, but this year Ethan Lewis achieved this rare feat on his way to taking five wickets in two overs against Bishops Castle for the Under 11s.

News from 2008 - 

Under 9's - We held a very successful under 9's festival this year which Alberbury attended as a guest side. Montgomery fielded 3 teams consisting of 23 players. It was soft ball cricket which enable all to enjoy a taste of the game in safety. The weather was good for us all day. A big thanks goes to Andrew Black for organising the festival and the Montgomery "Tea Team" for helping with food and drink, assisted by many of the players parents. This is something that we will look to do again in the future.

Under 11's - Our under 11's attended a regional festival in Brecon in May, playing sides from across Mid Wales. They won one match and narrowly lost the other. In the local Powys League we played against Welshpool on three occasions, winning 1 and loosing two games. However, Welshpool fielded 5 Mid Wales players, we fielded 5, 9 year olds and still competed well. The future looks bright. James Corfield and Harry Wilkinson both represented Mid Wales. Thanks must go to Andrew Black and Phil Betts who coached the side this year.

Under 13's - Our under 13's played in the Shropshire League and Powys League. In Shropshire they competed very well with some strong sides coming third. In Powys we proved far to strong for the other local sides and were made Mid Wales under 13's Champions. Charlie Clinton, captain, collected the trophy on behalf of the team. Charlie & Rhys Roberts both represented Mid Wales. Thanks goes to Richard Blayney, Andrew Black and Keith Griffiths for coaching the side.

Under 15's - Again the side played in Shropshire & Powys leagues. In Shropshire we finished third, and played some very strong sides acquiting ourselves very well. In Powys, we were able to pass on the experiences and beat the local Newtown & Welshpool teams comfortably and were made Mid Wales champions. Gareth Griffiths collected the trophy on behalf of his team. Gareth represented Mid Wales at under 15's level, with Jack Williams, Jacob Langton and Rupert Shepherd representing the under 14's at a festival in Cardiff, as did Charlie Clinton from our under 13's. Thanks goes to Jonathan Williams and Keith Griffiths for coaching the side.

Coaching - 

Part of the policy of MCC in developing Youth cricket is to ensure that the club trains and provides qualified coaches to support the development and safety of younger members. To this end the club have financed seven members to qualify as ECB Level 1 cricket coaches and the youth section is managed by Keith Griffiths, who is a Level 2 coach (currently undergoing training for his Level 3 qualification); Keith also manages the Mid Wales Under 15 squad.

Youth Committee - 

Code of Conduct - 

Teams and Leagues-