Cricket club celebrates major milestone in youth engagement

A cricket club is celebrating a major milestone in youth engagement.

Northallerton Town Cricket Club now has 100 young players in its junior section, marking a doubling of membership over the past three years.

The club says this growth has been supported by a £500 grant from the Broadacres Community Development Fund.

Vicky Bramma, a coach at the club, said: “The biggest growth area has been at under-9s as that’s where children develop a real passion for the game.

“That applies as much to girls as boys – with girls now taking part at every age group.

“Attracting children to the sport is great but finding the funding to support the expansion can be difficult so this grant is very welcome.”

A particularly challenging transition occurs as players move from under-nine to under-11 cricket.

This stage involves switching from a softball to a hard ball, and learning to run in pads and adapt to new fielding positions.

Junior coaching sessions are held every Friday from 5.30pm to 8pm at the club’s Farndale Avenue ground.

Parents are welcome to stay and enjoy the evening, with a bar and barbecue available.

For more information, visit the club’s Facebook page.