Junior training will start on Thursday 25th April and run through to the end of the summer holidays depending on weather and coach availability in the holidays. The wet weather we are having may delay the start past this date but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some warmer weather in April.

Training times will be:
Thursday 17:30 to 18:30
Saturday 9:30 to 11:00

Membership
We feel that the combination of junior membership as well as the Allstars and Dynamos programs is confusing for everyone and increases the administration for us. This year the ECB is having to greatly reduce the amount of kit that they will supply as part of these programs following the discovery of chemicals which have the potential to cause harm and are delaying the start of them (England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - The Official Website of the ECB).
We have decided that we will not run the Allstars and Dynamos programs this year. This will make no difference to the cricket coaching which will run through the summer again. For 2024 junior membership will be £50 per child for the year.
It is preferred for payment to be made directly to the club account, please add your kid’s name as a reference so we can identify the payments.
Account Number – 60135727
Sort Code – 82-61-00
Account Name: Banchory CC
As a club we have started using Pitchero to manage the club, availability, selection etc. Please can you sign your children up to Pitchero as soon as possible. There is a mobile phone app or you can access through the website as well. Please let me know if you have any problems or need any help.

Training
The good news is we now have more than doubled the number of qualified coaches at the club. Training will continue to be on Thursday and Saturday. Based on the player numbers from last year we are planning on splitting junior training into 3 groups which will be based on a mixture of ability and age.
• Hardball – this will be most of the older children who had started playing hardball cricket last year.
• Transition to hardball – a combination of softball skills and games as well as getting the juniors familiarized with harder cricket balls.
• Softball – learning how to play in a fun and safe environment.
We are keen to get the older kids involved in the 2nd team this year. If any of the older kids would like to stay on after coaching on a Thursday evening, they are very welcome. Senior training runs from 18:30.

Matches
Junior cricket in Aberdeenshire is growing again with 2 new clubs starting junior teams this season. The increase in clubs will give us more opportunities for the kids to play competitive games.
There will potentially be four clubs with U15/14 teams playing hardball cricket this year, including Banchory. The other three are all based in Aberdeen. Anthony McKenna, the Cricket Scotland Development Office, is also planning on running some longer format games (40 overs) during the summer holidays, possibly on Tuesdays. I expect they will be played in Aberdeen and teams will be selected from the available children in Aberdeenshire and City.
Softball tournaments will be like last year and will probably run every three weeks to get them all in during the season. Again, they will have a range of ages and abilities and be about getting kids playing cricket.
There are a few clubs with children progressing to hardball cricket this season and we might try to organize some hardball games later in the season.

Equipment
We now have an online club shop which has a wide range of training and playing clothing, everything from bobble hats to shorts. This is the link to the club shop:
https://www.serioussport.co.uk/teamstores/banchory-cc
We will continue have playing equipment available to use, pads, helmets, bats etc.
For hardball cricket the ECB recommends “All young players should regard a helmet with a faceguard as a normal item of protective equipment when batting, together with pads, gloves and, for boys, an abdominal protector (box). All young wicketkeepers should regard a helmet with a faceguard or a face protector as a normal part of their protective equipment together with pads, gloves and, for boys, an abdominal protector (box).”
We do have some abdominal guards (box) but I would recommend that all the boys to get their own and to wear appropriate underwear; they fall out of boxer shorts!

Sam Rotheram
Junior Coach