The Organisation of Youth Cricket in Wales

Overall responsibility for youth cricket in Wales rests with Cricket Wales, recently formed from the merger of the Cricket Board of Wales and the Welsh Cricket Association, in partnership with Glamorgan County Cricket Club and  Sports Council Wales (SCW).  It is now the single governing body for the junior and senior recreational game in Wales.

The overall development of youth cricket is overseen by the Director of Cricket, Peter Hybart, and administered by nine regional committees. The committee relevant to our part of Wales covers the unitary authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen. It is responsible for drawing up a programme of coaching, coach education and competition opportunities (ie leagues, cups, county fixtures) and seeking grant-aid funding and sponsorship to help support these activities and ensuring they are run successfully.

This role is carried out by the Gwent Association of Cricket Coaches (GACC) which consists of a number of qualified coaches who devote much of their leisure time to the development of our young cricketers.  Gwent Young Cricketers is the name under which  our county  teams  play  and  our competitions  are  organised.  The officers of the GACC are: Graham Burgess (Chairman), Andrew Van de Weyer (Secretary) and Ted Tipper (Treasurer).  Ted also acts as the Coaching Organiser , League/Shield Organiser and Gwent Young Cricketers Fixture Secretary and Paul Morgan is the Child Welfare Officer.  Steve Watkins is the Region’s Cricket Development Officer employed by the Cricket Wales.

How Youth Cricket is financed

It costs around £60,000 per year to fund all the youth cricket activities run in Gwent of which around 25% is funded by grants, from Cricket Wales and SCW, and sponsorship while the remaining 75% comes from parental and club contributions. An indication of the sort of costs involved can be seen in our county match programme. In 2010, it cost around £22,500 out of which the parental contribution was £11,000 and we received grant-funding of about £8,600.  This left a shortfall of just under £3,000 which was made up from our own fund-raising and reserves built up over many years for just such an occasion. The problem is we only get grant aid for seven matches per age group, of which five must be played against other Welsh Regions, so that we make a deficit of approximately £120 on any games over this limit. The irony is that one of the reasons we are so successful in producing so many players who play for Wales and Glamorgan CC (see below) is that we have an established fixture list with English counties who are much stronger than most of the other Welsh Regions.

After this year's radical changes, which saw support for the U11, U13 and U15 age groups cease,  our grant-aid funding has fallen to £12,200 - 50% of the amount received just five years ago.  We have, however, committed ourselves to continue with these age groups albeit at a reduced level.

How Youth Coaching is organised in Gwent

Every August the youth organisers of clubs are asked to nominate players who will be interested in attending coaching sessions the following January-March.  The Coaching Organiser then has to carry out a complicated logistical exercise to try to ensure each of the fifteen sessions at different age groups are equally supported and that individuals do not have too far to travel to a nominated centre (Ebbw Vale, Caerleon or Newport). Each year over 300 invitations are sent out. Experience has shown us that only about two-thirds reply but it is impossible to predict who they will be and which venue they will wish to go to. Further adjustments may then have to be carried out and coaches booked on the approximate ratio of one coach for every six/eight players.   In 2011 we coached around 200 players in our winter coaching sessions.

The boys sessions are divided up into four age-group ‘main’ squads (Under 12,13,14,15) plus four ‘support’ squad sessions (at Under 12/13 and Under 14/15). The four main squads consist of players who performed well the previous year but members of the support squads can be promoted at any time if they show the appropriate level of skill and commitment.

The Under 11’s are treated rather differently. All those who have played hardball cricket the previous summer are invited to one of two non-selective sessions; the selection of a main county squad is not made until Easter. The same happens with our Under 10’s although selection is made much harder as we haven’t had the opportunity to see most of them play outside.

There are also sessions specifically for girls at Under 11 and U13.

The coaching sessions are held at centres in Ebbw Vale, Newport and Caerleon.

Competitions

 These consist of the following:-

• The Monmouthshire Building Society Youth Cricket League which consists of eleven divisions at three age-groups (U11, U13, U15) and is open to clubs throughout the Region.  In 2011, there are 93 teams from 28 clubs.  At Under 11, there is a Premier Division fed by two regionalised First Divisions and a Reserve Division consisting of clubs’ B teams.  They all play the ‘Pairs’ form of the game.  At Under 13, clubs have the option to enter teams under the Pairs or 20-over formats.  The former consists of First and Reserve Divisions while the latter takes place in two regionalised First Divisions.  At Under 15, there is a Premier Division fed by two regionalised First Divisions.

• The Monmouthshire Building Society Youth Cricket Shield which is a knockout competition at the same age groups. All age-groups play the same 20-over game and the finals are held consecutively on the same day on the same ground at the end of August or beginning of September.  This year they will take place at Rogerstone on 4th September.

• The ECB Under 13 and Under 15 Club Championships for which clubs who are affiliated to Cricket Wales are entitled to enter. Gwent has had the following Welsh champions :-

  Under 13 - Newport (1980, 1983, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010)

  Under 15 - Blackwood (2005), Ebbw Vale (1989), Newport (1982, 2006, 2007), Sudbrook (1992, 1999)

  Newport were the UK National U13 Champions in 2005 and 2010 and U15 Runners-up in 2007.