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The Staffordshire Cricket Newsletter www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk December 2011

Sandwell Cricket League Goes From Strength To Strength

In 2005 Omar Chaudhrey took on the position of league secretary for the Sandwell Cricket League. The league, which has now served grassroots cricket in the Sandwell and surrounding areas for over 28 years, consisted of 6 teams with around 60 players in total playing competitive cricket in parks and public spaces. By 2011 the league had blossomed to 26 teams with over 350 players playing in a number of competitive formats. When I got involved in 2005, we only had few teams, mainly because of the standard of the pitches we played on. We met with the local council and the parks and countryside management team and the pitch quality has improved massively, and with it the number of players, teams and competitions. said league secretary, Chaudhrey. The league caters for a more informal approach to the game, outside the traditional club cricket, but has a very professional approach which has seen its numbers grow and plans for even more formats to satisfy demand, and whilst the majority of cricket to date has been played on parks grounds the league have established close links with local clubs to use their facilities for its top flight games.

Inside this issue:

Kate Dicken Social Media District Under 13, 14 and 15 Trials STAG 2 3 4 5

Disability Cricket In 6 Staffordshire One to One Coach- 7 ing Now Available Andy Grice Leaves Full Time Role SASSOT Courses 8

Diary and Contacts 10

Chaudhrey, who is a level 2 coach, continued, The league is developing at an alarming rate; the interest in parks cricket is phenomenal, in the last year we have branched out to Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton and have teams joining from these areas. I think this is fantastic for cricket and for all the areas involved. The next step is to work closer with Staffordshire Cricket and local clubs to ensure cricket is enjoyed and played wherever and as much as possible (much like the game pictured below) Currently 4 divisions strong, the league runs 40-over league, cup and shield competitions along with a T20 format, and earlier this year took a team on tour to Mallorca. The league is now planning to branch out even further through closer working with the County Board. The Sandwell League is providing fantastic playing opportunities for a growing number of people in its community said Jason Britton, the countys cricket development manager. There are increasing demands on peoples time and finding a format of the game which fits is crucial and the Sandwell Cricket League is clearly providing a popular solution. We are working with the league to grow areas like works cricket where employees can take a bat and ball and play at lunchtime in the car park maybe even against a neighbouring company. Weve provided some Urban Cricket kit to Omar and are hopeful of helping to provide an artificial pitch to counteract our summer weather! continued Britton. Plans for the future include an indoor league, a womens and girls league and coaching provision in the local schools as well as training Cricket Activators to help take informal cricket formats, such as Easy Cricket, to the community via a wide-range of local partners and local businesses. Chaudhrey stated Were really excited about working with Staffordshire Cricket to further develop our league. Who knows we could have the next Nasser Hussain or Botham even a Tendulkar, in our midst - that would be a massive victory for grass roots cricket. For more information, contact any member of the development team staff or visit http://www.sandwellcricket.co.uk/

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Kate Entertained At Lords Dinner

Staffordshire Young Coach of the Year 2011 Kate Dicken
Kate was nominated for the Sky Sports Young Coach of the Year award as she is making great strides with putting new impetus into the coaching world in her locality and in the County of Staffordshire. Kate undertook her UKCC1 qualification in January 2010 after having coached at her club informally for about 18 months, and her Tutors identified that there was more to Kate and fast tracked her onto UKCC2 in March 2010, where she coped admirably with her peer group and the demands of the course. Following gaining her UKCC 2 qualification in the Summer of 2010 she has taken on the role of Head of the Youth Section at her local Cricket Club and put new energy and enthusiasm back into the Club. She has also ignited interest from other potential female coaches, some of which have already followed Kate onto UKCC 1 and UKCC2 coaching courses. Kate has also gone onto Tutor training and is the latest recruit to the Staffordshire Coach Education team. Kate represents Womens and Girls Cricket on the Staffordshire Coaches Association Management Board and has brought new life to the County in spreading the word to other fellow female colleagues. She is also involved with the Countys Womens and Girls representative sides as a player and as Captain. As a qualified physiotherapist Kate has added value to the County by writing papers on aspects related to the game to assist coaches, and where one of the papers focussed on the topic of Over bowling youngsters and the effects of doing so. The award provided Kate with a prize of attending a day at Englands Centre of Cricket Excellence venue at Loughborough, where she was royally entertained being shown a variety of training sessions. Kate was then put forward by the National selection panel to the Regional nominations, which culminated with a trip to Lords and Dinner in the hallowed Long Room with the guest speaker on the night Nasser Hussain. Although Kate did not pick up an award she was recognised on the evening by her peers, and had a fantastic experience, which she will remember for years to come. Well done Kate Ghazi Zaki, Chairman, Staffordshire Coaches Association.

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Staffordshire Cricket @ The Forefront Of Social Media

A study on the use of websites and social media in county cricket boards has shown Staffordshire to be right at the forefront of this area of the marketing media. The report, undertaken by Gary Stephens of Adminsport, ex director of community cricket at Kent Cricket Board, is based upon desk research into each of the county cricket boards and their utilisation of current social media networks as part of their communications strategies. Staffordshire Crickets website www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk was identified to have a very recognisable URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and was ranked highest in its SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) by Google. In addition, Staffordshire Crickets Facebook and Twitter pages were one of only 6 and 10 respectively in terms having over 100 followers. In fact, Staffordshire Crickets Twitter account (@staffscricket) had the second highest number of followers of all county cricket boards, closely behind Essex County Board and our Facebook page likes accounted for over one third of all people following county cricket boards in England and Wales. Communication is a key part of our Strategic Plan, said Jason Britton (pictured right), Cricket Development Manager for Staffordshire Cricket, and we have tried to embrace as wide a range of media as possible. Our website has served us well over the past three or four years now but we intend to completely review it in the near future. We have also ventured into the world of Facebook and Twitter to broaden the reach of our messages and with mobile phone technology now playing a huge part in many peoples everyday lives; we see this as a massive part of our communication strategy. For more information and links to our Facebook and Twitter accounts please visit our website homepage.

Nominations For The NatWest Staffordshire Cricket OSCAs Will Be Open From March 2012 Please Think Of Nominating A Fantastic Volunteer From Your Club Or Group To Reward Their Commitment

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District Under 13, 14 and 15 Squad Trials

Staffordshire Young Cricketers Player Pathway District Programme for U13, U14 and U15 Age Groups. Introduction - Following the introduction of this programme last season as a further enhancement to the Staffordshire Cricket - Player Development Pathway, this programme will commence in January 2012. This format offers a District programme at u13,u14 and u15s to run parallel to the County Age Groups and aims to provide a better test for players because it is a level above club cricket. The major aims of this programme are to: Identify potential talent for County Age Group teams for inclusion in 2011/12 Winter Squads, Identify late developers, Broaden the opportunity for players at this age range to experience and compete in the longer game (40 overs), Provide an opportunity for ECBCA Qualified Coaches to coach Representative Teams. Programme -The programme involves Talent Identification, Talent Selection, Talent development and Confirmation. Talent Identification Players nominated by clubs for the Age group trails in Sept/Oct 2011 and did not make the County Age group winter squads will be offered the opportunity to be assessed as to their potential for being a member of the District Squad. Plus Club Coaches can nominate players who they believe will benefit from developing and competing in the District programmes. Typically this would be players who are not yet proficient to challenge for a County place but by taking part in the District Programme they would be able to develop to possibly challenge for a County Age group squad in the coming seasons. Talent Selection 4 hour assessment session from which a squad of up to 15 players will be selected Talent Development and Confirmation - there will be 4 x 2 hour Development Squad sessions followed by 2 Outdoor/middle practises during May. This will be followed by 3 matches to be played during the Whit Week holiday and a further 3 matches played during the School Summer holidays, Following this programme those players identified as the best performers will be given the opportunity to play in two matches against the current u13, u14 & u15 County Age squad players. These games will be used as Performance based trial matches for talent selection for next seasons County Age group winter squads. Eligibility - This programme is aimed at the current seasons under 13s (school year 8) and u14s (School year 9) and u15 (School Year 10) but County Age Group Players are ineligible. Programme Schedule The trials will not commence until January 2012 this is an early announcement to raise awareness of the programme. The nomination process for the trials will be started in early December and will be announced via communications from the Junior Leagues, Cricket Development Groups and the Website. Please note the closing dates for the Nominations on the information below. Those players previously nominated for County Age group Trials will be contact during December to advise on the trial details. U13 District Trial Sessions (Closing Date 2nd Jan 2012) Date Sat 7th Jan 2012 Sat 7th Jan 2012 Sat 7th Jan 2012 Sat 7th Jan 2012 District North Central South East Venue James Brindley Stafford Grammar School Wolverhampton Grammar School Rawlett Community College Time 12.30pm to 4.30pm 1.30pm to 5.30pm 12.30pm to 4.30pm 12noon to 4pm

U14 District Trial Sessions (Closing Date 9th Jan 2012) Date Sat 14th Jan 2012 Sat 21st Jan 2012 Sat14 Jan 2012 Sat 14th Jan 2012
th

District North Central South East

Venue James Brindley Stafford Grammar School Wolverhampton Grammar School Rawlett Community College

Time 12.30pm to 4.30pm 1.30pm to 5.30pm 12.30pm to 4.30pm 12noon to 4pm

U15 District Trial Sessions (Closing Date 16th Jan 2012) Date Sat 21st Jan 2012 Sat 28th Jan 2012 Sat 21st Jan 2012 Sat 21st Jan 2012 District North Central South East Venue James Brindley Stafford Grammar School Wolverhampton Grammar School Rawlett Community College Time 12.30pm to 4.30pm 1.30pm to 5.30pm 9.30am to 1.30pm 12noon to 4pm

Should you require any further information please contact Bob Askey on email bob.askey@ecb.co.uk.

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STAG (Staffordshire Association of Groundsmen)

URGENT - ECB Pitch Adviser Application Required
A key programme being supported and promoted by the ECB and the IOG is the PQS programme. PQS (Performance Quality Standard) is aimed at assessing cricket pitches and providing advice and guidance on how pitches can be improved. The role of the ECB Pitch Adviser is an important role for the carrying out the assessments and reporting and supporting clubs with the resulting advice and guidance. This role will be one of two advisers working across the County. At this point we are looking for expressions of interest, so if you are interested and meet the requirements detailed below, then please email Bob Askey on bob.askey@ecb.co.uk giving a reason why you would be interested in taking on the role of ECB Pitch Adviser for Staffordshire. This is a paid role and more detail will be made available once expressions of interest have been received. Please email Bob with your interest.

Roles of a Pitch Adviser

To advise on the quality performance of specific pitches / squares and produce recommendations (where necessary) for any improvements, which may include grant aid schemes (Prioritised Detailed Assessment). To monitor the developments of any facilities on which recommendations are being implemented. Available, if required, to assess pitches / squares in respect of various league criteria. Create a response team for basic assessments (perhaps annual). Help to continue the development of role and objectives of STAG.

Adviser Selection Criteria

The individual selected to the appointment of County Pitch Adviser should meet the following criteria: A minimum of 10 years experience preferably as a full time head groundsman and it is desirable but not essential to have attained at least Level 3 standard or industry equivalent qualification. Be confident and with good communication skills (especially report writing). Be available to the county for a minimum of the next 5 years, with employers agreement. Happy to take up the appointment in the pursuance of cricket excellence.

Courses:
To become a Pitch Adviser the candidate must be nominated to the ECB by the CCB. Once nominated, the candidate must be available to attend a week long residential course, the next course is planned around March 2012.

January Maintenance
Cricket Square Continue to check for disease activity and if identified, spray with a propriety fungicide. Continue to brush as regular as possible to allow sward to remain upright and to remove excess moisture/dew, and if any earthworm activity is noticed try not to smear the casts. If possible aerate using solid tines to a depth of 125mm. If climatic and ground conditions allow mow sward by topping off. Outfield Continue to check for damage especially if used for winter sports. If climatic and ground conditions allow mow sward by topping off. If possible aerate outfield to 125mm As all clubs will probably soon start thinking about the ground and facility preparation (if you havent already!!) remember to use the NatWest CricketForce weekend to generate the support and resources to get the jobs you want doing. Clubs are able to register NOW and as an added benefit on the NatWest CricketForce website there is a new Pitch Doctor, Sign up to the NatWest Cricket Club and watch the new Pitch Doctor series visit www.natwest.com/cricket.

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DISABILITY CRICKET IN STAFFORDSHIRE

Overview and Future Objectives Disability Cricket, what does it actually mean? What does Staffordshire Cricket offer, and what opportunities are open to children who show a passion and desire to play cricket?
First of all we are very lucky that the Chance To Shine (Cricket Foundation) heavily support the development of cricket throughout schools. With this in mind we have been able to put a development plan in place to structure disability cricket throughout the county and develop ourselves to become the best county in the country when it comes to disability cricket. Currently at the moment we have a Chance To Shine project focusing on offering kwik cricket to special schools in the North of the county. This has been in place for a number of years now and the schools involved are extremely pleased with the benefits of the project. With this in mind we are looking to replicate the same project but in the East and South of the county, to maximise our delivery to children who are disabled. The delivery involves curriculum and after school sessions focussing on skill development, working towards a competition at the end of the summer. Previously Hem Heath CC have kindly donated their facilities to stage this competition which has been a success in previous England LD Squad After Being Crowned Tri Series Champions years. As always, we are looking to improve the competition to offer a better day to all cricketers involved, both boys and girls. Our future target regarding disability kwik cricket tournaments are to stage area based competitions in the North, South and East of the county - with the winners/qualifiers attending a county based final, potentially filtering in to a regional/national organised competition by the ECB. We are also looking to drive Table Cricket throughout the county, which is a new, up and coming disability sport. Delivery is currently being offered to specific special schools from all around the county, offering sessions to keen young cricketers who are not able to participate with kwik cricket due to their severe disabilities. Nationally, table cricket is growing rapidly and we aim to support this game by developing it throughout the county. A county based table cricket competition is an objective in 2013, with the winners progressing forwards to the regional competitions and the national final held at Lords. Jim Dawson Disability Cricket Co-ordinator 07929 744597 jamesawdawson@hotmail.co.uk

Obituary - Tony Giles 1928-2011

We have received the sad news that Tony Giles passed away at home on the 8 th December. Tony was a great sportsman and he and his family got a great times at Milford Hall CC where he played his club cricket. He was also member of Swynnerton Cricket club for 20 years. Tony was a right hand bat/wicketkeeper who represented Staffordshire County Club during the 1956 and 57 seasons in the Minor Counties competitions. He also played for the Midlands Club Cricket Conference sides. Tony a great cricket lover was often seen watching the cricket from his car at both Milford and Stone cricket clubs. Our condolences go out to his family at this sad time.

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ONE TO ONE COACHING NOW AVAILABLE

One to One coaching is a great way to receive additional coaching that is aimed around the players own targeted improvement areas. All of our coaches aim to make the sessions enjoyable as well as offering the opportunity to develop the player in all aspects of cricket. It is a fantastic way to gain confidence as well as improving specific cricket skills. Aimed at players of all ages and abilities Led by Level 3 coaches, who currently work with our county representative squads at all ages including both boys and girls. Video analysis is available with certain coaches The 4 session programme consists of 4 x 1hr One to One sessions, with the cost of the programme being 120. Below are the dates for our January 2012 programme at Clayton sports centre.

CLAYTON SPORTS CENTRE NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME Jan 2011 Possible Times Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Tuesdays 3.45pm or 4.45pm 10 January 17th January 24th January 31st January STAFFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL Nov/Dec 2011 Possible Times Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Mondays 5.00pm or 6.00pm 9th January 16th January 23rd January 30th January
th

Wednesdays 4.00pm or 5.00pm 11th January 18th January 25th January 1st February

FURTHER COURSES IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH

FURTHER COURSES PLANNED FOR FEBRUARY

Girls Only Development Sessions

Open to all ages and abilities Stafford Grammar School 5.30pm till 7.30pm Level 2 and 3 coaches used coach ratio 1:6 Sessions cover all skills using nets, games and drills. Post Xmas Course 14th January 21st January 28th January 4th February 11th February 18th February 35 all inclusive If interested, please contact Jim Dawson to book your place on the one to one coaching courses or if you require additional information.

j.dawson@staffordshirecricket.co.uk

07929 744597

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Andy Grice Moves On From Full Time Role

Andy Grice will leave his role as volunteer co-ordinator and club programmes officer at the end of this month to take up a role in the hospitality industry. Grice, will continue to assist Staffordshire in a coaching capacity and also as a nominated officer for the countys Clubmark programme. The county under 16 coach joined Staffordshire as a full time employee in February 2008 and served the county first as a marketing and funding officer before taking on his current role. The near four year stint has seen a number of improvements including the introduction of a website and a more structured kit deal for SYC. Big areas for Andys work over the four years have been in NatWest CricketForce and the NatWest OSCAs. During the last three years the county have introduced a NatWest CricketForce county showcase club and with experienced help from the county officer, Staffordshire has seen Cheadle, Uttoxeter and Whittington all finish runners up at the national awards for their projects. NatWest OSCAs has seen two national winners in the last two years as Grice devoted his time to organising a more structured rewards programme for volunteers in conjunction with a Staffordshire CCC game. Grice said of his departure from the full time development team I have thoroughly enjoyed my full time role in cricket and it was a dream to be offered full time work in a sport I love so much, Staffordshire Cricket has developed a lot in the last four years. Grice added I have spent some great times with people and clubs in the county, I wish everyone well and look forward to seeing Staffordshire Cricket thrive even further in the next few years both on and off the field. I will continue to live in the county and play any cricket my job allows with my many friends at Kidsgrove C.C.

Follow snapshots of news on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ Staffordshirecricket You can find results, fixtures and updates of all things Staffordshire Cricket here. Also find the time to add us on Twitter @staffscricket will keep you updated on all our recent happenings

Dont Forget To Nominate Fantastic Volunteers From YOUR Club For The 2012 NatWest Staffordshire OSCAs
Youre the Umpire (Sent by a reader)
Often umpiring for a short spell while our side is batting. Recently I got very confused with

overthrows. The batsman hit the ball and ran. He completed the first run, and had crossed with his partner on the second, when the ball was hurled in to the keeper, who missed it. By the time it went over the boundary, the batsmen had completed their third run. I thought all this should total seven runs. Was I right?"

What Do You Do ?

Answer on Back Page

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SASSOT WORKSHOPS UPDATE

Workshops 2011 Date

TIME
6.30pm9.30pm 6.30pm9.30pm 6.30pm9.30pm 6.30pm9.30pm 6.30pm9.30pm

Cost

VENUE
Stafford Sports College - Stafford Newcastle Borough Council Possibly Stafford TBC Newcastle Borough Council Newcastle Borough Council

Sports Makers

Wednesday 18 Jan 2012 Thursday 24 Jan 2012 February 2012 TBA Tuesday 6 March 2012 Tuesday 27 March 2012

FREE 25.0 0 TBA 25.0 0 25.0 0

Reflect and Practice Safeguard 2 How to Coach Disabled Performers Equity In Your Coaching Safeguard and Protecting Children

Note: Dates are continually being updated For more information on Education and Training and how to book please click here, or if you require any further information on other dates or workshops please call me. Single and group bookings can be taken, as well as planning a Closed event for your club members only. First Aid Courses available please ring Kam below. Kam Webster Tel: 01785 619695 Email: kwebster@staffordbc.gov.uk

CAN WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY FROM THE DIRECTORS AND DEVELOPMENT STAFF TO WISH ALL OF OUR READERS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS 2012

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Team Contacts
Jason BrittonCricket Development Manager 07827 307745 jason.britton@ecb.co.uk Jimmy DawsonDisability Cricket Co-Ordinator & Community Coach 07929 744597 jamesawdawson@hotmail.co.uk Bob AskeyCricket Development Officer, Clubs & Performance 07939 716884 bob.askey@ecb.co.uk Chris Guest Community and Club Development Officer 07969 364241 c.guest@staffordshirecricket.co.uk Steve Walker Finance & Administration Officer 01902 897659 Stephen.walker@ecb.co.uk Alan HillHead Coach, Emerging Player Programme 07816 966939 a.hill@staffordshirecricket.co.uk

January Diary Dates

5th January 6th January 10th January 10th January 10th January 18th January 20th January 25th January 25th January 26th January

If you have any dates of interest in the upcoming monthse.g. fund raising events, beer festivals, club anniversaries, charity games etc. please contact any member of the team and well try to include them in the newsletter. For details of any of the events listed checkout the calendar section of the website or contact any member of the team. Black Country NGB Forum At Deckhouse 10.30am Staffordshire Cricket Development Team Meeting at Himley C.C. 10.00am Staffordshire Cricket Directors Meeting at Himley C.C. 10.30am Newcastle Cricket Development Group at Bignall End C.C 7.15pm SYC Executive Meeting at AREVA Sports and Social Club, Stafford 7.15pm Stoke Cricket Development Group at Longton C.C 7.15pm School Games Local Organising Committee Meeting at Keele University 10.00am Black Country CSP Board Meeting, at Deckhouse 2.00pm Staffs Moorlands Cricket Development Group Meeting (Chance To Shine) at Moorlands House 7.15pm Stafford Cricket Development Group at Barlaston C.C 7.30pm

Please Go to www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk and choose the calendar tab for more events.

Youre The Umpire Answer :

No. The correct answer here is six runs. In this situation, the overthrows are calculated from the moment the fielder throws the ball, not the moment it crosses the boundary. At the instant of the throw, having crossed on their second run, they score two. Add four for the overthrow to the boundary: Total six.

Staffordshire Cricket is striving to provide all of the countys cricket playing public with as much relevant and up-to-date cricket related information as possible. We rely on you to help to provide that information. If you think your particular area of interest in the game or even your area of the county is under-represented, then why not submit an article? Well be more than happy to try and include it.

www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk
Staffordshire Cricket c/o Himley CC Stourbridge Road Himley Staffordshire DY3 4LB 01902 897659