Put simply, our juniors are our future! That’s why we have invested heavily in our coaching programmes and spent a great deal of time and effort providing them with playing opportunities throughout the year i.e. seasonal outdoor and indoor games.
Our juniors start at the age of eight and play until they are 18. However, we responsibly start introducing our younger members to senior games from the age of 13.
Currently we have around 120 juniors (boys and girls) and we are immensely proud of all their achievements, having recently won:
We currently have 11 boys and 2 girls who have successfully trialled for and received places on the County’s pathway development squads. We are looking forward to seeing how many of these players will become future Sussex players!
On this page you can find information on our training sessions, contact details of our managers (for each age group), fixtures, squad numbers, news, what other details you might need to know, as well as how we and the ECB expect our juniors to play the game.
From April through to July, all junior members are invited to take part in weekly training sessions at our home base, the Manor Ground, run by our qualified coaching team.
Group | Type | Day | Dates | Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Juniors - Girls of all ages | Summer Outdoor | Mondays | 15th April 2024, through to mid July 2024 | Time 18:00 to 19:30 | Manor Ground |
Juniors - Boys U11s to U13s | Summer Outdoor | Mondays | 15th April 2024, through to mid July 2024 | Time 18:00 to 19:30 | Manor Ground |
Juniors - Mixed Under 10s | Summer Outdoor | Mondays | 22nd April 2024, through to mid July 2024 | Time 18:00 to 19:30 | Manor Ground |
Juniors - Boys U14s to U16s, plus older Girls (playing Mixed Cricket) | Summer Outdoor | Wednesdays | 17th April 2024, through to mid July 2024 | Time 18:00 to 19:30 | Manor Ground |
During the winter months we actively encourage our Juniors to attend our “Winter Indoor Cricket Academy”. This is run by Rebbetts Sports Camps and GMB Coaching in association with Worthing Cricket Club, providing continuity and consistency of coaching through the winter months, while of course nurturing their love of the game. We find that most of our Juniors do attend these indoor training sessions and report back that the additional training and game time is exceedingly beneficial in preparation for the start of the outdoor cricket season.
Backed by the Sussex Cricket Foundation, the Worthing Area Women & Girls Winter Cricket Academy offers a series of indoor hardball sessions to provide continuity and development for female cricketers of all abilities – beginners through to experienced players. Lead by Sussex Community Coach Lara Johnson and our Girls’ coach Michelle Payne, these sessions aim to provide a platform for the Sussex Foundation and all Worthing clubs to increase interest and participation in the sport, for women and girls.
Also included within our Academies is a summer programme which provides an introduction to cricket for children aged 5-8 years old. This is a short course that runs for 8 weeks, sponsored by the ECB. As it is targeted for juniors who are new to the game, it is very affordable coaching and includes free merchandise to inspire/help them practice at home. For more details, please visit Worthing CC’s All Stars.
Team | Manager / Coach | Matchday |
---|---|---|
Under 10s | TBC | Saturday mornings |
Under 11s | Martyn Stevens | Sunday mornings |
Under 12s | Helena Bird | Friday evenings |
Under 13s | Ben Harrex | Sunday mornings |
Girls Under 13s | John Kaye | Tuesday Evenings |
Under 14s | Raj Anumula | Sunday mornings |
Under 16s | Dominic Clapp | Sunday mornings |
Girls Under 17s | John Kaye | Thursday Evenings |
All matches and additional training sessions (over and above the set weekly sessions) will be communicated through our communication system “Teamer”. You may find it helpful to download the app, as this keeps a record of anything new your child may be invited to. Although, an email will also be sent to you when your child is required to attend something. All matches for a particular age group, can be found on our sister site – Worthing Play Cricket fixtures page. Please note that this will only list when a fixture is happening and not whether your child has been invited to play that day, as that is communicated through “Teamer”.
Below is a list of JUNIOR FESTIVAL weeks, which are held throughout the Summer Holidays. The teams will play on four days in the one week (a mix of home and away games), with a chance of making the final (hence the reference to this in the table below). Please be aware that your child may not play in every match, due to the need to rotate some players. We will advise you of selection closer to the time and aim to give you as much notice as possible.
Date Information | Age Group | Finals' Information |
---|---|---|
Festival Games w/c 29th July 2024 | Under 12's Mixed | Final to be held on Sunday 4th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 29th July 2024 | Under 17-18's Mixed | Final to be held on Sunday 4th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 5th Aug 2024 | Under 11's Girls | Final to be held on Sunday 11th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 5th Aug 2024 | Under 14's Mixed | Final to be held on Sunday 11th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 12th August 2024 | Under 13's Mixed | Final to be held on Sunday 18th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 12th August 2024 | Under 17's Girls | Final to be held on Sunday 18th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 19th August 2024 | Under 13's Girls | Final to be held on Sunday 25th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 19th August 2024 | Under 16's Mixed | Final to be held on Sunday 25th Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 26th August 2024 | Under 11's Mixed | Final to be held on Sunday 31st Aug. Location and time TBC. |
Festival Games w/c 26th August 2024 | Under 15's Girls | Final to be held on Sunday 31st Aug. Location and time TBC. |
When a child begins any new sport, we know parents will naturally have lots of questions on “how it all works”. So we have put together the following guide which we hope will answer many of your queries, as well as being a useful reference for our existing parents.
Worthing Cricket Club provides the opportunity for young people of all abilities, to learn, develop and play cricket under the guidance of qualified coaches in a safe and friendly environment. Although centered the club is in Worthing, many of our Juniors live in the surrounding area from as far afield as Littlehampton, Rustington and Shoreham.
Worthing CC Juniors is run by Worthing Cricket Club. We are an accredited ‘Clubmark’ organisation and members of the Sussex Cricket Board who are, in turn, affiliated to the ECB.
Worthing Juniors are based at the Manor Sports (Cricket) Ground (aka ‘the MCG’), Georgia Avenue, Broadwater; home of Worthing CC. All Junior home matches and summer coaching takes place here.
We provide regular Junior coaching sessions during the winter and summer together with competitive cricket matches against other clubs in local league and festival tournaments.
Junior age groups are based on the age of the child on the 1st September of the previous year. Young players are split into their natural age groups for both coaching and matches. Any player who shows potential may be promoted into a higher age group.
The make-up of the age groups for each evening varies from season to season so please check the Worthing CC Juniors’ section here on our website for training and fixture details. There are normally several club officials present during these sessions, so if you are new to the club this is an ideal opportunity to become acquainted.
Young players who show potential will be put forward for assessment at area level, offering the chance to be coached and play under the ‘Pathway’ scheme run by Sussex Cricket. From here players may be given the opportunity to trial for the county.
Training sessions are of course subject to weather and parents may need to be flexible should these be called off at short notice.
Worthing CC runs 3 distinct schemes for Juniors to suit all tastes and levels of interest:
Introductory Schemes (Sponsored by the ECB)
Worthing CC runs (ECB sponsored) introductory schemes for Juniors during the summer months. There are two separate schemes: ‘All Stars’ for 5 to 8-year olds and ‘Dynamos’ for 8 to 11-year olds, each running across an eight-week period on a Saturday morning. Parents make a single payment to the appropriate ECB scheme (links available from our ‘Join Us’ page on our website) and turn up on the day.
The ECB schemes provide a good way for young players new to the game to get into cricket but are also open to our existing junior members as well. The sessions are run by our regular junior coaching team.
Junior Membership
Junior Membership is for boys and girls who are in the U9 to U16 age groups (equivalent to School Years 4 to 11 inclusive) who wish to take part in our full summer coaching programme and play in competitive matches.
Membership is through seasonal subscription which is a one-off yearly payment. On-line registration forms can be found on the Club website’s ‘Join Us’ page.
Membership covers Club summer coaching, Club match fees and use of Club equipment and facilities. Players must be registered as a Club Member in order to be eligible to represent the Worthing CC in league matches and festivals.
Summer coaching is aligned to the school summer term; mid-April to around the end of July. Operating during the week (Monday to Friday according to age group) the sessions run from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. If attending, please make sure your child is there no earlier than the start time and is collected promptly at the scheduled finish time.
Winter Indoor Academy
The Winter Indoor Academy is operated in association with Worthing CC providing weekly winter training sessions for different age groups from September through until around Easter.
Numbers are strictly limited so booking normally operates on a first come, first served basis. The scheme is funded by a separate one-off payment and is open to all participants not just our Junior Members.
Junior inter-club matches are organised by the Area and County Associations for all age groups from U10s to U16s inclusive. The club will try and enter as many teams across the age groups as possible. There are principally three summer competitions that Worthing Juniors take part – the West Sussex Area Junior Leagues, the Sussex Cricket Foundation T20 League for Girls and the Sussex Junior Cricket Festival. Each competition is organised for different age groups.
Matches are of course subject to weather and parents may need to be flexible should these be called off at short notice. Matches may subsequently be re-arranged on dates outside of the published match days.
For child protection reasons, the club is unable to provide transport for players travelling to away fixtures. Parents are expected to provide or organise transport for their children to all games.
Area Junior Leagues
Area Junior League cricket takes place during the summer term, running roughly from the end of April to the middle of July. The county is split into four areas; Geographically, Worthing CC sits in the West so generally we enter leagues run by the West Area Junior League (WAJL). However, being situated close to the boundary, we also occasionally (depending on interest and numbers) enter the South Area equivalent SAJL.
Each area runs a number of leagues arranged by age group with matches scheduled for a nominated time and day of the week. Fixtures can be subject to change so please check the website for details of teams and up to date fixture schedules.
Sussex Cricket Foundation (SCF) for Girls
The SCF runs a series of regionally-based T20 leagues during the summer term exclusively for girls. Similar to the Area leagues, the groups are organised by region and age group with the matches taking place in the evening on a designated day of the week.
The number of girls taking an active part in cricket at Worthing CC has recently allowed us to enter two teams at different age groups and we hope to build on this as the number of female participants joining the club continues to grow.
Sussex Junior Cricket Festival
Festival matches are run during the summer holiday season through the month of August. This is a county wide tournament with each age group playing all their matches in one nominated week (Mon-Fri). Round-robin matches take place each afternoon, finishing by early evening. The best two teams of the week across all of the pools meet in a final on the Sunday.
The home club is requested by the organisers to provide a tea for the two teams. This cost is normally covered by a small charge per player (currently £3), made on the day of the match.
Other
U13 and U15 National Cup competitions provide further opportunities for match experience, although this is at the discretion of the Managers.
The U9s normally take part in softball festivals involving several teams on a dedicated Saturday in May or June.
Friendly matches may be arranged during the season if the schedule permits.
If a player reaches a suitable standard, he or she will be invited to represent Worthing CC in matches against other clubs. The coaches and managers will try to give all junior members the opportunity to play competitive cricket during the season, however this must be balanced against the child’s ability and the needs of the team.
Open Age Cricket
With four senior teams playing at Worthing CC, there is ample opportunity for young players coming up through the Junior section to further their cricketing ambitions. Club coaches are keen to foster a strong relationship between Senior and Junior cricket and encourage youngsters to move into senior cricket when they are ready.
In accordance with ECB guidelines, Juniors from U13’s upwards (and U12 county players) are eligible to play Open Age (Senior) Cricket. Junior players who wish to play in this category of cricket must have parental permission, satisfied by completion of our online form.
For coaching sessions, players are expected to come suitably attired as they would for any sports related activity (sports top, shorts/track suit, trainers, etc.).
At U11s and above, if a young person begins to take part regularly in club matches, he or she will be expected to wear whites (shirt and trousers) on match day. Standard attire can be purchased from outlets such as Broadwater Sports, but Worthing CC encourages all Juniors to play in a club shirt which can be ordered (for a modest price) from the club website in association with Broadwater Sports.
At U11s and above, cricket is played with a hard ball. In accordance with ECB regulations, all players are required to wear full protective gear, including a helmet.
For training, the club can provide most equipment, including bats, helmets, pads and gloves. This is so that all our young players are able to take full part in coaching and training sessions, although parents are requested to provide all boys with their own personal protector (box) once they start playing hard ball cricket.
Over time, most Juniors (parents) purchase their own equipment to suit their own tastes. Worthing CC is happy to recommend Broadwater Sports for general cricket equipment and the Newbery Shop at the County Ground, Hove for quality bats.
There are also plenty of sites on the internet that supply specialist cricket equipment for youngsters. All club coaches and managers are happy to advise parents on the purchase of cricket equipment.
As much as possible, the Club will post match reports and pictures on our website as well as make submissions to the local press for publication. As part of the registration process, parents are asked to fill out a consent agreement when registering their child. This grants permission for the Club to publish photographic images of players on social media and with the press.
At the end of each season (around the end of August/early September), the Club organises a Family Day for the Juniors. The day includes some fun activities for both Juniors and Parents, Bar and BBQ, concluding with the presentation of individual and team awards for each age group.
The Club endeavours to organise several events and activities during the season to engage with the wider club community. Worthing CC takes part in the National Cricket Force weekend in April, holds fund raising schemes, BBQs, special event evenings and of course, the prerequisite
end-of-season (awards) dinner.
Parents automatically become Social Members, when they register their child, which grants them use of our bar facilities.
Parents are encouraged to help-out at the Club in any number of ways, no matter how small. Coaching (training course provided), scoring (training course provided), helping out with drinks & teas, setting up and clearing away before and after games, are all examples of how parental support can make a difference; please don’t be shy in coming forward. All junior activities at the club need your help in order to run smoothly.
Our website is an excellent source of information on coaching, upcoming fixtures, etc. Contact details for the principal Junior Club officials are also available here. We also have active social media accounts for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram which can be accessed from the links provided at the top of each web page.
Worthing CC keep an active e-mail list to communicate with their Junior Members on a regular basis, so please ensure your e-mail address is kept up to date with us once you’ve registered.
Juniors from U11s upwards may adopt a squad number that they can wear on the back of their 'white' matchday shirt, together with their surname. If you've yet to choose a No., please pick one not in use from the list below and make a request via the form that is directly below the list of numbers. Please do not order your shirt with your preferred number until you have received an email with confirmation that it has been allocated to your child.
All Juniors wear red numbers until they reach age 16. Our older children should use their junior shirt (and number) for both Junior and Senior matches (if applicable). However, from Under 15s onwards, you have the choice to choose a No. from our Senior list and relinquish the Junior No. accordingly. Our senior players have a separate squad number allocation and use black print for their shirts.
If your name does not appear on either the Senior or Junior Squad Numbers list, then you do not have a current No. and you must request one via this form. Please ensure that you have received an email confirmation that your chosen No. has been allocated to you, ahead of placing a shirt order with Broadwater Sports.
With the Summer not too far away, our newsletters will inform you of what is happening for Juniors at Worthing CC. Please regularly check the "News" section of our site.