The Hertfordshire Charley Cricket Programme for U10 - U12 Age Groups runs throughout the Winter. This programme is open to all players who have experienced (or are at least ready for) hard ball cricket and there is no requirement for a Club nomination or trial.
WINTER PROGRAMME (Runs from October to March)
The winter programme for U10 -U12 is designed to teach the basics of cricket to anyone and everyone who wants to play.
These are namely:
For the U10 Age Group
Stepping into ball
Understanding importance of strong hitting base
Picking the toe of the bat high in back lift (Ricky Ponting was big on this in his recent masterclass on Sky Sports)
Hitting high and low to leg and off and children understanding different hitting areas to do this and how hands, control and position of, are vital
Spin - constant movement ( back or forth) from crease
Bowling - hitting areas on mat which will change so children learn control of length
Target foam on stump to hit
All encouraged to experiment with spin and or action - whatever it takes for the team to achieve the goal so coaches can see what does and does not work for each individual
For U11 and U12 it will be similar but done at a greatly increased pace.
AIM - we are trying to develop multi skilled players who have worked on aggressive cricket as batters, bowlers and fielders.
Currently young players tend to concentrate on a skill too often. We want to make them good across the whole game and via the 9 a side matches in the summer make them aware of challenges when both batting and bowling.
The shorter pitch will also make the game seem much quicker than currently.
The plan is for those players to grow up with a much quicker game so when they are youths and adults the ball is never quick to them so they can play higher standards of cricket. One of the biggest obstacles to players as they go through the age groups to senior cricket is how they play the quicker ball.
One of the reasons for having Charley Cricket at U10 - U12 is the shorter pitch ( 16 or 17 yds) it will mean the bowlers can dig it in at batsmen who will need to pull, hook and cut to score. These shots are desperately needed if a player is going to be much better when older.
The fewer fielders will also encourage shot making, especially crucial for youngsters to learn against spin.
SUMMER PROGRAMME
All players involved in the Charley Cricket Winter Programme are eligible to take part in the Summer Programme of inter County Charley Cricket Festivals as well as Festival Days against other neighbouring Counties.
CHARLEY CRICKET - MATCH FORMAT
9 a side, 16 overs or less
16 yards pitch up to U10
17 yards for U11
18 yards for U12
2 bowlers bowling at one end (3 balls each) to speed game up. Non bowler walks back to mark and is a non fielder.
Of 6 outfielders 1 must always be slip. Rest are 2 on boundary and 3 in circle
Bowlers use ball appropriate for size of hand ( so spinners can grip ball )
Bowlers have limit of overs ( depending on length of match)
Batmen get 2 lives (U10/11 and 1 life for U12s) unless they reach 50 and then if out they are dismissed.
A maiden is a loss of wicket for the facing batman.
2 coaches umpire but idea is for children to self-learn.
BENEFITS:
In a day children get much more cricket than usual and all are constantly involved.
Batting order is done on a rota during a days cricket. Children learn about hard running, rotating strike, backing up via situations during game.
Shorter pitch makes game pacier (children all enjoyed that) and more realistic.
Few fielders and a life means batters are keen to play attacking shots.
Iain Fletcher
Director of Performance Cricket
Hertfordshire Cricket Limited
If you require further information about Charley Cricket then please email: CharleyCricket@hertscricket.org
