IN THE six years since its formation, the junior section at Crossflatts Cricket Club has undergone a meteoric rise to become one of the most popular in the local area.
By 2019, the club had already attracted over 90 children attending its junior nights throughout the week, with the All Stars programme, an initiative led by the ECB and aimed at introducing children aged five to eight to the sport, one of the driving factors.
Roll onto 2022 and they’re now packing a punch, boasting over 150 junior players in their ranks.
This year, the club entered six junior teams – two Under 9s, an Under 11s, Under 13s, Under 15s, and girls Under 11 - into the Upper Airedale Junior Cricket League, as well as a newly-formed women’s team who ply their trade against sides including Menston, Pudsey, and Bradford (Park Avenue) in Division One of the West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League.
And Flatts are reaping the rewards.
Alongside first and second teams in Divisions Two and Three of the Bradford Premier League, the club also fields a third team, who play in the Halifax League, providing a number of their Under 13s and U15s with their first forays into senior cricket.
It’s an achievement that the club is particularly proud of, with their young third XI more than holding their own against more established and experienced opposition.
With lots of clubs losing some of their players and teams due to the pandemic, many are switching their focus to developing a crop of talented youngsters.
Crossflatts are pleased to be ahead of the curve, as head of cricket Dom Bennett explained.
“We really got quite lucky with the ECB launching their All Stars programme,” he said. “It complemented the start that we had made to forming our own junior teams and now provides a natural conveyor belt to our Under 9s teams.
“The numbers coming through the programme means that we’ve entered a second Under 9s this year so that as many children as possible get the opportunity to play.”
It’s also a project that the club’s senior players are keen to be involved in, with many of them using the winter break and opening months of the season to complete an All Stars activators course.
“It great to see the players buying into what we’re trying to achieve,” Bennett added. “Without them, and everybody pulling in the right direction, none of this is possible.”
Undoubtedly the largest development at the club this season has been the introduction of girls and women’s teams, with the club dedicating Wednesday nights to encouraging females to take up the sport.
It’s an initiative that has proved extremely popular, with the women’s side, led by experienced bowler Charlotte Boulton, currently sitting second in their division.
“We tried to get girls’ cricket up and running a couple of years ago but Covid slowed us down in our plans,” Bennett admitted.
“Once restrictions started to ease, we started to hold taster sessions and we were blown away by the number of girls who wanted to play cricket.
“We have around 35 girls of different ages; we're fortunate to have four female coaches who run the sessions and they've been first class.
“We know other clubs are pushing girls’ cricket and we’re really hoping there is an Under 9s league next year too to keep the momentum going.”
One of the biggest challenges that the club has faced in recent years is finding room on the pitch to house their growing number of players.
But the pressure has been eased by the completion of a new, modern £47,000 practice facility. The new training net provides welcome relief to their groundsman, and allows an increased focus on the technical side of cricket and one-to-one coaching.
The club’s committee have worked very hard behind the scenes and have provided financial support to subsidise the coaching sessions, believing that the best coaching should be accessible to each and every player.
They have recruited top coach Scott Kershaw, who will be hosting the one-to-one sessions in one hour slots, costing just £5 per child.
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