Fletching Cricket Club

In preparation for the start of the season we need to arrange a working party to move a few things around and do a few bits and pieces around the Rec. We are therefore getting together on Saturday 5th April at about 9am and hope to see as many of you as possible. The work we have planned should take 2-3 hours depending on numbers.

Membership:

• Family (Two adults and one child) £25
• Additional Children £15

The first level of membership is a Family. Where more than one child is joining, the additional Child charge will apply.

Junior membership numbers are restricted to 120

The minimum age requirement is aged 7 on 1st September 2007

Download the Fletching Falcons Membership Form.

Times:

Cricket night will be Thursday as in previous years. Coaching will start at 6.30 pm and finish at 8.00pm or when the coach declares the session over.

Times and locations of matches will be communicated as appropriate and when known.

Parental Responsibility:

Fletching Cricket Club (FCC) has no responsibility for children outside the times specified above.

It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure that either a parent or nominated guardian is present throughout the session and each child must be aware who is the responsible individual. This is to ensure that in the unlikely event of an accident or illness, somebody is available to assist and make decisions.

FCC has no responsibility for children not participating in cricket coaching who may be in the vicinity of the Fletching Recreation Ground (FRG) or adjoining playground during coaching session or matches.

Matches:

The club will enter leagues at Under 9, Under 11, and Under 13 levels. In addition it is hoped to organise some friendly games, particularly in the second half of the summer once the leagues are complete.

Selection Policy will be at the sole discretion of the coaches. Particular emphasis in junior age groups is to give as many children as possible the opportunity to participate. On occasions consideration may be given to ability and the nature of the fixture.

Facilities and Equipment:

FCC will provide all basic equipment required for the relevant age group. Special thanks should go to Mick Funnell for donating the proceeds of a Rose and Crown quiz night towards new Junior equipment.

Any equipment brought to a session by a child is not the responsibility of the Club. Please ensure that all kit is clearly marked.

Children competing at Under 11 upwards must wear a helmet when batting or keeping wicket.

Please note that studded boots must not be worn in the nets. These cause significant and expensive damage to the matting.

Behaviour

With the large numbers of children involved, there can be a danger that a disruptive minority can spoil opportunities to learn and progress for the majority. Whilst there is no desire to impose a strict disciplinary system, coaches may give consideration to a child’s behaviour, when making selections for matches. The club does reserve the right in cases of serious and persistent disruption to exclude a child from a session or sessions, simply to ensure that coaching for other children is not adversely affected.

Communication

The challenge of communicating with large numbers of parents is considerable. We intend to build future communication around the use of e-mail and the club website.

Parking

With the large number of vehicles involved on a Thursday night, it would be appreciated if drivers could adhere to the following guidelines:

• Park at the opposite end of the field to the pavilion to avoid congestion and loss of playing area.
• When driving on the FRG, stay close to the boundary, thus avoiding damage to the playing area.
• Please note that damage to vehicles from cricket activities remains the responsibility of the vehicle owner.

The new season is fast approaching and the Junior Committee Members are looking forward to building on the successes of last season.

Despite the inclement weather in 2007, the club successfully ran teams at U9, U11, and U13 all of whom played in the Mid Sussex leagues. Highlights of the season included:

• Over 120 children played cricket with the club, the majority representing the club in at least one match.
• U9s qualified to play the final Telecom Sussex U10 Final at Hove.
• Ollie Bradley, Jack Burkill, Jack Meacher and Ben McIntosh were all selected to train with Sussex U9s.
• U11s were second in their league, narrowly losing a nail-biting final match at Ansty.
• U13s won the East Sussex league and played in the final losing by just 7 runs to East Grinstead.
• Toby Pullan was selected and played for Sussex Under 10s having success with both bat and ball.
• Rufus Wilkinson was Sussex Under 11s Player of the Festival.

With the significant increase of Juniors Members playing at the club, particularly on a Thursday night, it is inevitable that with greater numbers and ever more stringent legislation, there is a need for more structure and regulation. We have endeavoured to keep this to a minimum as the principle goal for cricket at Fletching is that it should remain a free and enjoyable experience for all the children.

All those involved in both organisation and coaching do so as volunteers and we would therefore ask that where simple rules and procedures are required, all parents support and help in their implementation.

The coaching resources continue to be stretched and we would genuinely welcome additional volunteers to help. We appreciate you may not be available every week but the greater the ratio of Coaches to Junior Members, the more the children will benefit. Please let any of the coaches know if you are willing to help or email juniorcricket@fletchingcricketclub.co.uk.

We would also like to draw your attention to new information concering the Juniors that covers a number of issues. In many cases these are simply a confirmation of past practices, but there are some new issues that do represent change from previous seasons. Specifically please note the following:

• The number of Junior Cricket members will be restricted to 120.
• The minimum age requirement will be aged 7 on 1st September 2007.
• Priority will be given to those that live within the Parish of Fletching and who were members last year who register before 17th April 2008.

To give your child the best chance to secure membership for 2008, please return the completed form together with a cheque, to the address provided. In addition to securing membership, this will enable us to reduce the administration challenge at the start of the season.

Thank you for your patience and co-operation and we all look forward to another successful and fun cricket season at Fletching!