Welcome to the 2025 Season

For the last few years, I have introduced these pre-season notes by highlighting our two overriding objectives in the Youth Section. Firstly, to ensure that all players enjoy playing the game and secondly that all players finish the summer a better player than they started the summer. This year I’m going to add a third objective which has a longer-term theme, which is to provide our Senior Teams with a sustainable stream of capable players who can both support their targets and are equipped to get the maximum pleasure out of playing our summer game for their club.

Over the winter we have been bolstering the number of our coaches and their qualifications.
We are therefore pleased to welcome Chris Jordan and Kevin Clue, who along with Paul Rider and Tom Pollard have passed their ECB Coaching Qualifications.


Let start with the key information by age group.


All Stars/Dynamos

After the success of moving the sessions to Friday evenings last year we are copying the approach again for this year. Starting from Friday 9th May and running for 10 weeks, the sessions start at 6pm with the Bar and the Pizza Oven/BBQ open. Aaron Lee, Nathan Harris & Elliot Graham will be leading these evenings, with plenty of Duke of Edinburgh students supporting.

U11

Having gone through the age groups with our sons in the last few years, John Manning and I are going back the start in 2025, and will lead the U11’s. Training will be on Monday evenings from 6:15pm with matches on Sunday mornings.

U13

This year we are going to run two U13 league teams based on the number of players that we were likely to have train and play for us this year and the coaches wanted to provide good match playing opportunities for everyone. So, it’s two league teams and then a single team in the Knockout Cup and the Hundred Competition which follows later in the summer. The U13’s will be managed by Chris Jordan and the coaches will be Paul Ridler and Marc Summers. David Zollo and Alfie Zollo will be supporting them as well. Training is on Wednesday evening from 7pm with matches on Thursday evenings.

U15
After the success of last years U15’s, this year’s squad is a younger one, but watching them train over the winter they look like a very capable bunch. They should be a great watch and will be led by Kevin Clue and Tom Pollard. Training is also on Wednesday evenings, with matches on Monday evenings from 6pm
 
U17

This was a new age group from last year, and the action starts at the end of the exam period with four matches. John Manning will lead a team full of capable young adults who will train with the Seniors on Tuesday evenings.

U19

After fielding a young but competitive U19 team last year, we are looking forward to 2025. Charlie Driver will ‘oversee’ them again this summer. Matches will be on Monday evenings from early July.

Youth & Senior Team Alignment

The Youth Coaches and Senior Team Captain work closely together to insure both sides benefit. The Youth Coaches make recommendations which players would benefit from playing as part of the Senior Teams, which considers both the safety of the player and them being able to make a contribution. Who is selected is solely at the discretion of the Senior Captains.


With all the Youth and Senior training and matches taking place MLCC becomes a seven day a week operation for the summer. Most of the time we will be at Wash Meadow but as per last year we will be utilising our second pitch at Brize Meadow on a frequent basis and may even look to move some of our training sessions there to give players experience of a wicket that has different characteristics.

Keep a close eye on Spond over the summer as times and dates do change.


Two important changes for 2025

Groundsman - After many years of fine service Rob Dick is stepping back from Groundsman duties and we are currently seeking an experienced groundsman to takeover from him,

Brize Norton Recreation Ground - Over the winter we have been engaged with Brize Norton Parish Council. The task from both sides was to get a more formal agreement on our use of the space and facilities at Brize Norton. This has been successfully concluded, and we have agreed a single fee for summers use of the pitch and a further cost per game for use of the changing rooms. Part of the discussion was gaining an understanding of what their longer-term plan was the Pavilion, which we recognise as falling behind what we expect for a modern sporting facility. The Parish Council are planning for a new building around 2028, funded via monies from the housing development that is taking place nearby. We will be working with them to get the best facility we can.

 
Membership

Having made the leap online in 2024, we are sticking with it in 2025. Here is the link that take you directly to the form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbDcN-yDXwCrV1PWBRxaKR7nNydYj8F8WCh3FGoT35n4W-aA/viewform

First player fee is £60 and then, recognising how many brothers/sisters we have playing for the club, a further Youth Players from the same family will be £30. The club makes every effort to make playing the sport financially accessible as possible, whilst maintain our sustainability.

Match fees will remain at £3 per match. These will be collected online, which we will do midway and at the end of the season. No cash is therefore needed on match days, allowing the Coaches to focus on the game.

Please share any medical/behaviour information on the membership form. Be assured that they will only be shared with the applicable coaches.


Safeguarding/Behaviour expectations

Over the winter the Committee, led by our wonderful Safeguarding Officer Rachel Beynon, have reviewed, revised and bolstered our rules not only to ensure that that we operate in a compliant fashion, but we are clear what we expect of our players, guardians and everyone associated with the club. The membership form asks explicitly to tick that you understand and that you adhere to them. You must take 5 minutes to read them, before you confirm your adherence.

Team Clothing and Equipment

There are no changes to our match shirts and sponsor for this year. It’s not mandatory to play in the official team shirt but the team does looks coherent if we all are. It also demonstrates to our generous sponsors who are on the match shirts that we appreciate them!

The shirts wear and wash well and your player is more likely to grow out of them than wear them out. If you have a shirt that is now too small, please look to hand it on to a new owner.

Link to the club kit on Serious Cricket:
https://www.serioussport.co.uk/teamstores/minster-lovell-cricket-club

Link to the team shirt:
https://www.serioussport.co.uk/teamstores/minster-lovell-cricket-club/product/sc-performance-cricket-match-shirt-maroon-trim

 
You can spend as little or as much as you want on equipment but just make sure the player is comfortable and protected. Also feel free to bring equipment or clothing that has been grown out of, including surplus kit to a training day to pass on to another player (but only cricket helmets with impact free history please).

For players, I would strongly recommend cricket shoes for support, traction and protection. My guidance is that the ones with ‘astro’ soles will get more use as we may end up playing on artificial strips over the season.


A New Website

We have a new website!

https://minsterlovellcricket.co.uk

It’s still a work in progress but it’s coming along nicely. The ‘Play Cricket’ website will run in parallel, and it will link to the new site, but it’s primary function will be to record fixtures and results. It follows a ridged template and gives us very limited canvas to promote the club and our sponsors, hence the need for a new one.

Finally………how we play the game:
• We are good hosts
• We play fairly, understand and adhere to the rules, respect the umpires and the spirit of the game
• We clap new batsmen onto the pitch and clap them off when they retire on a maximum score
• We are silent when the bowler is running in
• We play for our Captain
• We don’t respond to any verbal provocation from the opposition
• We celebrate individuals’ success
• We support teammates when it’s not gone to plan
• We are tough competitors – whether batting or fielding, every ball matters-from the first to the last
• We smile…a lot!



Chris Jones
MLCC Youth Cricket Coordinator, Youth Coaches and the MLCC Committee