Bedfordshire Ltd driving and inspiring cricket

NOVEMBER 2014 Andy Watts wins Funding awarded to national OSCA Bedfordshire clubs Bedford Cricket Club is the latest club to benefi t from Sport England funding. The £75k award will be used to improve the pavilion, including repairs to the roof and upgrading the plumbing and toilet facilities. The work is required to ensure that the club can meet the increasing demand from the local community to use the facilities for both cricket and non-cricket activities. Lutonian Cricket Club has also been awarded a grant through Sport England to purchase an auto- roller.

A host of current and former England cricketers including , Kate Cross, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn and Michael Vaughan, recently recognised the e orts of grass-roots volunteers at the NatWest Outstanding Service to Cricket Awards (OSCAs). The October event, which was staged at Lord’s and hosted by BBC Radio’s commentator Jonathan Agnew, brought The clubhouse at Bedford CC together 400 people from across the recreational game to celebrate achievements in volunteering roles in eight di erent categories. Bedfordshire’s Andy Watts won the national OSCA in the category of Leagues and Boards. Renowned for his innovative thinking, Andy has changed the format of competitions to improve player retention and increase the number of teams in the Bedfordshire County League. Andy also introduced a women’s team to the men’s league – the fi rst in the country to play regularly alongside their male colleagues at this level. Collecting his award from England and Middlesex fast bowler , Andy thanked his Lutonian groundsman Asif Khan on the new roller Committee for all their hard work.

NatWest Bedfordshire CricketForce top talents 2015 recruited by NatWest CricketForce is a self-help programme for a liated cricket clubs encouraging them to Northamptonshire bring together players, members, supporters and Bedfordshire Young Cricketers Jack Kildu the local community to get the ground ready for and Emilio Gay have been recruited onto the new season. The 2015 event will take place Northamptonshire County Cricket Club’s Jack Kildu over the weekend of 27-29 March. For details on Emerging Player Programme (EPP). how to register and to start planning, please go to: Following three years on the Bedfordshire http://www.ecb.co.uk/development/ EPP, the boys have gained the attention of facilities-funding/self-build-and-self- our fi rst class neighbours. The two boys help/natwest-cricketforce/. featured in last month’s newsletter following their attendance on the England Development Talent Tests. Since then, Northamptonshire New U19s T20 for clubs have asked to take them on their EPP, which is a programme designed to prepare players in 2015 for fi rst-class academy and professional Emilio Gay The ECB have launched a new, vibrant national cricket. Good luck to both Emilio and Jack in competition that focuses on player retention. If this exciting period of their cricket careers. your club would benefi t from more players, more volunteers and more income, then go to: http:// www.ecb.co.uk/news/non-fi rst-class/ Bedfordshire Emerging Player natwest-u19-club-t20 for more information and register your club’s interest in being involved Programme links with Essex in 2015. County Cricket Club More exciting news for Bedfordshire talent! New cross-county developments will see Bedfordshire’s Emerging Player Programme join forces with Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Su olk, all supported by Essex County Cricket Club. This winter will see Bedfordshire Emerging Players Rahul Sheemar (Bedford CC) and Fayaz Ahmed (Luton Town & Indians CC) work together with the best talent in the region. Support from Essex CCC will come in the form Davidstow Village Cup of funding, professional sports science support and coaching from 2015 the county’s fi rst-class coaching sta . This exciting development will 2014 saw 320 clubs take part in the open further opportunities for Bedfordshire cricketers to be seen and Davidstow Village Cup, making it the noticed by fi rst-class counties. world’s biggest grass roots cricket competition. The summer-long knockout tournament o ers a showpiece fi nal at Lord’s, a stay in England’s Cricket brings communities team hotel and tailor-made cup fi nal suits. With the aim of growing grass roots participation closer together and community interaction, the National Village Cup remains amateur cricket’s most viable and vibrant touchstone. To sign up for entry in 2015 please go to: http://www.thecricketer. com/ before the December 1 deadline.

Train to be a cricket o cial The Bedfordshire Association of Cricket O cials is planning to run the following courses in the New Year, designed specifi cally for players who wish to know more about the Laws of Cricket and for those who wish to be involved with the game. Please An indoor cricket tournament was held at Inspire: Luton Sport note that many Leagues now insist that clubs Village as part of a project which uses sport to engage, empower and have a qualifi ed umpire to supply to their panels. improve the lives of disadvantaged young men. Active Luton teamed For more details email paul.barnes780@ up with a number of local organisations, including Bedfordshire ntlworld.com. Cricket, to deliver the project which aims to improve community Level 1 Beginners Umpire course integration in the Marsh Farm, Lewsey and Farley Hill areas. The at Bedford College, 21 January-25 tournament brought together over 50 participants aged 14-19 years March (evenings) from the three communities. A special workshop was held before the tournament to warn the young men of the consequences of getting Scorer course at Flitwick CC, involved in crime and to encourage them to grasp the opportunities 12 January-2 March (evenings) available to them through education. Helen Barnett, Chief Executive of Active Luton, said: “This brilliant Club A liation for cricket tournament has been hugely successful in turning around the lives of a number of disadvantaged young men. The sport and 2015 season education aspects are equally as e ective in positively engaging Clubs please note – if you have not submitted with these young people who were previously disengaged within your a liation forms and payment to Bedfordshire their communities. It really has brought them together.” Cricket for 2014/15, the reduction on the a liation fee is no longer available (the deadline was 31st October 2014). The fees are now: Bronze Level £50, Get involved in cricket Silver Level £90, Gold Level £130 and Associate Level £40. In order for your club to continue to coaching enjoy the benefi ts of a liation including a free Bedfordshire Cricket is running the following coaching courses: Play-Cricket website, please ensure that the required forms and the correct fee are returned as ECB COACH SUPPORT WORKER COURSES soon as possible. For details please go to: http:// For Women & Girls – 9 November (at Bedford College) www.bedscricket.co.uk/page/clubs/ and 6 December (at Cambourne Village College) (run by a liation/a liation-2998/. Beds Cricket, in association with Hertfordshire Cricket and the Cambridgeshire Cricket Board) Club Welfare O cer Open to all – 20/24 January 2015 at Bedford College (run by Bedfordshire Cricket) training COACHING CHILDREN’S CRICKET Is your Club Welfare O cer’s training up to CPD WORKSHOPS date for the 2015 season? The next Safe Hands For existing Level 2 coaches starting February 2015 Workshop is running on 18th March 2015 6.30- 9.30pm at Bedford College. In addition to the Safe Please note that the ECB Certifi cate in Coaching Hands Workshop, the Club Welfare O cer must Children’s Cricket (UKCC Level 2) starting January 2015 complete a Safeguarding & Protecting Children is now full. Please email brad.matthews@bedscricket. Certifi cate and a cricket-specifi c DBS check. All co.uk to register your interest as we may be able to o er an training and the DBS are valid for three years. additional course, subject to demand or signpost you to another Further details at www.bedscricket.co.uk/ county. Further details at http://www.bedscricket. safeguarding or email sally.church@ co.uk/page/coaching/coach-education/coach- bedscricket.co.uk. education-2676/

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Sally Church, Editor Martin Darlow, Chief Executive The Mansion House, Old Warden Park, Bedfordshire SG18 9DX Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01767 626223 • Email: [email protected] • www.bedscricket.co.uk Mobile: 07760 171467