IN THIS ISSuE Glamorgan Gloucestershire Harrogate ... - Cricket Club

Spondon | Locko Road
sPondon
locko road
144 Locko Road, Spondon, Derby DE21 7AR
T: 01332 676658 E: info@spondoncricketclub.co.uk W: www.spondoncricketclub.co.uk
Derbyshire club
Spondon which was
formed in 1883 benefits
from having some of the
best views of any club in
the county and two
magnificent pitches. The
club also has a purpose
built two-storey pavilion
and excellent training
facilities.
Cricket Club Magazine
spoke to their Chairman
Neil Kellogg earlier in the
season. He originally
started at the club as a 13
year old and got involved
again when his 10 year old
son Thom joined junior
practice sessions in 1980.
Community and Youth...
“As well as local school
connections, we have links
with the City Council who
hold activities at the ground
during school holidays.
District and County
representative matches are
also held at our ground,
and there is a strong
connection with the
Spondon Neighbourhood
Board which is a volunteer
organisation that seeks to
improve all areas of village
life in Spondon. Our ground
will also be the 1st point of
call when the village is
judged in the ‘Britain in
Bloom’ competition.
Youth cricket is vital to our
progress. Running 5 senior
teams (4 on Saturdays and 1
on Sundays) provides us
with the opportunity to
develop young players first
through the Sunday league
team and then into the 4th
team who in the Derbyshire
County league. Hopefully
they will then make the 1st
team who compete in the
Derbyshire Premier league.
Encouragingly, many of our
1st team players have come
through the Spondon youth
system
Our junior section is
‘Headed’ by Sarah Bunting
but we have a large group
of volunteer coaches and
team managers who get
involved in coaching and
running teams in league
cricket. Wednesday
evenings is a sight to be
seen with up to 150
children attending cricket
practice from as young as 5
through to 15 year olds.
We also run 2 kwik cricket
teams (1 x girls and 1 x
boys), 2 under 11 hardball
teams (1 x girls and 1 x
boys), 2 under 13 teams, 1
under 15 team and an under
17 team. We aim to run an
under 13’s girls team next
season to help the girls
continue with their cricket
development. Our under 15
boys’ team has recently
become County
champions.”
Facility…
“Our Locko Road ground is
only 5 years old and was
purpose built by a local
building contractor who
bought the old ground as a
re-development site.
It’s located on the edge of
the village with marvellous
views across the rural
countryside to the west.
The 1st floor clubroom has
a balcony for spectators to
watch matches, many of
which conclude with the
setting sun in the distance.
The site also has two
adjacent playing areas and
the clubhouse has 5
dressing rooms, which
caters for 2 games to take
place at the same time.
We’ve also an additional
dressing room for mixed
sex cricket teams when
necessary.”
Ladies and girls
cricket…
“About 40 girls attend our
Wednesday night practice
sessions. It provides a base
to run a girl’s kwik cricket
team in a league which is
made up predominantly of
all boys’ teams. Helpfully,
our coaches/team
managers Sarah Fisher and
Jane Frost are also involved
with the development of
girl’s cricket at a district
level.
18 years old Leah Kellogg
has progressed through our
junior section and plays in
the men’s 3rd/4th team
each week-end in the
Derbyshire County league.
She also plays senior
county woman’s cricket for
Derbyshire.”
Talent...
“We currently have 2
young players playing
County junior cricket for
Derbyshire - Charlie
Fern-Wright at under 13
and Nick Rigg at under 15.
The club has produced
many excellent local
cricketers over the years.
Indeed, there are many
players across the county
who have started the
playing days at Spondon
including Jonny Owen. He
went onto play County
Championship cricket for
Derbyshire in the mid 80’s.”
Ambitions…
“To be successful on the
field and at the same time
remain a community club
that holds a special place in
the lives of many people in
the village of Spondon.
Success on the field can
be measured in many ways
but having tasted the
success of winning the
Premier league 3 years ago
that for me remains the
‘’prize’’ and one that I
personally would regard as
showing that we have a
successful playing set up.
This is to be achieved with
a background of being a
CASC club (Community
Amateur Sports Club). We
do not pay players to play
whereas most teams in the
Derbyshire Premier league
have.”
Images courtesy of Spondon
Cymru Alliance Champions Images courtesy of St James Montefi ore
Clubhouse
Sovereign
Window Systems Ltd
Are Proud to be the Main Sponsors of
Spondon
Cricket Club
st James montefiore
st James main ground
Keymer Road, Ditchling, East Sussex BN6 8RE
E: info@stjamescricket.com W: www.stjamescricket.com
It sounds an
extravagant name but
East Sussex club St James’s
Montefiore actually has a
fairly humble early history.
Founded in 1898, it takes
its name from St James’s
Street, off the Old Steine, in
Brighton which was the
location of the first
recorded meeting of the
Club. The Montefiore
element comes from a
recent amalgamation with
Hove Montefiore Cricket
Club.
The club is located about
six miles north of Brighton
and currently compete in
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the Sussex County League
Division 2 in which they
have just finished 5th in
the table. Cricket Club
Magazine spoke to their
Secretary Roger Green
during the season when
they were well placed in
3rd place. He first played
for the club at twenty one
and has been involved for
over forty years.
“In 1982 we got our
own facility… which has
now expanded into two
adjacent grounds. We’ve
also have a very large
youth section which has
expanded the playing
membership. We knew
that if we were to make
real progress,’ growing
our own’ talent was the way
forward.”
“The Sussex Cricket
Board is very helpful…
and keeps us up to date
with what is required and
the latest issues. Its good
practice and we have to do
it to retain our status as a
Clubmark and Focus club,
which is very important.
We are open to everybody
and take people in from the
surrounding the area,
although we don’t have a
town we identify with
particularly.”
“We are not a wealthy
club… but always try to
St James Montefi ore | St James Main Ground
improve. We are working
with the ECB for example
towards a possible
expansion of our facility
and will look to improve
our nets. Our main focus is
on the main eleven, but we
manage to have a range of
teams. In the near future
we hope to get into the 1st
Division and we will
continue to expand on our
youth section.”
Lewis Hatchett who plays
for Sussex is a recent
product of the clubs
impressive youth section.
28 29
THE
WHITE
HORSE
DITCHLING
Images courtesy of St James Montefi ore
Pitch
e The White Horse Horse Ditchling Ditchling is proud is proud to be suporting to be supporting St James’s this Monteore year’s Cricket village Club fair
With a delightful open bar area offering local including a unique private dining area.
real ales and fresh seasonal produce all locally
sourced.
Our accommodation offers not only en-suite
facilities but wonderful views either over the
In contrast to the bar area we also offer an South Downs or views North over St Margaret’s
intimate restaurant that has over 30 covers Church dating back to 12th Century.
www.whitehorseditchling.com
16 West Street Ditchling BN6 8TS. 01273 842 006
Images courtesy of St James Montefi ore
Roger Green
Images courtesy of St James Montefi ore
Match
Cricket needs
brightening up
a bit. My
solution is to let
the players
drink at the
beginning of
the game, not
after. It always
works in our
picnic matches.
Paul Hogan