12th March 2019
Wigton Cricket Club has been offering junior coaching in schools across north and west Cumbria since 2009.
As a result of the £1,700 funding from the Thomas Graham & Sons Grassroots Fund and the Liddle Thompson Community First Fund, the club provided 4 hours of professional cricket coaching in each of the junior schools in the North Allerdale area, with 156 boys and 131 girls from Years 3 to 6 participating.
Additionally, the grant provided 25 one-hour sessions of professional coaching for U10s at the club, including Allstars cricket for U8s.
The project also brings new members and volunteers to the club, boosting finances to continue to provide and maintain high standard sports facilities. These facilities are then available to be used by other local schools and sports groups. Around 40 new juniors signed up to become members, including for first time, 10 girls attending the club coaching sessions.
Children who do not normally enjoy sport find that they can enjoy cricket and are therefore engaged in physical activity and experience teamwork. Talented children are identified by the coach and can then be nurtured via the club and ECB pathways. Teachers, assistants and trainees develop skills and find that these can be used in their school activities. Club coaches develop real life coaching skills. Parents of the children become involved at the club with some graduating onto the committee bringing new ideas and skills into the club.
Christopher Johnson, Club President, said: “A parent subsequently began to help with the junior coaching by collecting subs and keeping attendance records. The parent has since helped to run the U11 team and was awarded this season’s President’s Award for volunteering.”