MY previous end of season Sandford Cricket Club reports have featured around the performances of our senior teams that play in the Devon League, and the Development XI, which is run by Jon James.

Jon is one of the many volunteers that help to run the Club. However, he prefers to use his skills in coaching some of the youngsters.

As well as running the Development XI, he is also the chief co-ordinator for the Club’s Friday night youth training sessions, as well as integrating the youngsters who show a lot of cricketing potential into the world of senior cricket.

Friday nights at Sandford Cricket Club is a sight to behold with over 100 9-14 year old boys and girls in attendance each week.

For eight weeks of the season, we also welcome the 5-8 year olds for “All Stars” cricket. This gives them an introduction into how cricket is played and teaching them the basic skills, and this year the Club had 80 youngsters signed up. The most for any club in Devon.

All Stars runs between 5pm and 6pm on designated nights, with the other groups running from 6.30pm to 8pm, so you can imagine how busy things are.

Thankfully this has also become a really sociable evening with most of the parents staying to enjoy watching their children participate in training. Some even partake in the odd beverage or two. Quite remarkable!

At this stage it is important to thank all the parents for encouraging their children to not only take part, but also thanking them for the support they’ve given the Club at the Friday night BBQs.

As I’m sure you can imagine, parking at the Club can be a bit of a problem, but the parents have become very diligent around this issue.

Which then brings me on to thank Barney and Marie Butterfield for the loan of their field nearby to allow us to park everyone safely, and to Darren Finning for assisting me in ensuring parking is conducted safely and in an organised manner.

Regarding the various youth teams themselves, each team is coached by a volunteer with the U9’s under the tutorship of Chris Blake.

Blakey also took on the role of Chairman of Youth Cricket this year, for which the Club is very grateful to him, following Matt Theedom’s resignation from this role last year.

The U10’s have Stuart Moss in charge; U11’s Nathan Bray, U12’s Dan Snell and Dan Harding; U13’s Jason Matten (who is also Vice Chairman of Youth), and Keith Hopkins; U14’s Andrew Pennington, U15’s Danny Knight - who managed to get all of his main team playing senior cricket this year – a truly great achievement; Girls U11’s/U13’s Emily Wilson, Ian Theedom (who took on the role for organising all the Youth fixtures) and Chris Blake again.

To all of them a very big thank you from the Club for the tremendous work they do each Friday night and on match days.

Not to mention also the many other coaches (too many to name individually, but many of whom have come through the coaching programs themselves over many years past) who help keep things running along smoothly for the kids involved.

As a result of the coaching at the Club, Sandford has seen many of its youngsters representing Devon at County level, which is a great honour not only for them, but also for the Club.

This year Joe Hopkins who has become a regular in the Second team, and played a few times in the Firsts this year, including a match-winning performance, as well as a century for the 2s, played for Devon U’16’s where he was given their Batsman of the Year award, which also included a century in one of their games earlier in the season.

Others with Devon honours were Ollie Knight and Ben Handley – both U15’s and regular Second teamers who have both recently experienced being picked for the Devon U15’s tour to South Africa, Alfie Butterfield U14’s, Ellie Knight U13 Girls, Will Matten U12’s, Lily Matten U15 Girls Development and Will Hopkins U13’s Development. Congratulations to all of them.

I’d also like to pass on a big vote of thanks to Keith Conder and Cat Stevenson for acting as Secretary and Membership Secretary respectively in the new Youth set-up. Without any of these volunteers the youth section at Sandford Cricket Club could not function as efficiently as it does. Thanks one and all.

Phil Matten