2019 SEASON REVIEW Contents Page Introduction 2 Part 1 : U6-U10 3 Part 2 : Women & Girls 5 Part 3 : U11-U13 6 Part 4 : U15-U17 10 Part 5 : U19-U21 14 Part 6 : Senior Cricket 17 1 ​ Introduction Dear Members, Another season has come to a close and what a season it has been. On so many levels the club has continued to thrive and the efforts of all the coaches, administrators, players and parents have been rewarded with a vibrant and youthful looking club. At the outset I think it’s worth remembering where we started from a little over five years ago, and the enormous strides made since then. Growth of Junior Cricket at Harrow Cricket Club 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Junior Players 85 151 158 224 275 314 342 Junior Teams 6 7 9 10 11 16 18 Matches Played 65 75 80 80 109 157 170 Training Sessions 30 34 49 49 56 134 132 Hours Delivered 255 290 335 335 440 645 710 League Titles 0 0 4 2 2 2 5 County & Cups 0 0 0 1 1 3 2 UKCC Coaches 4 7 8 9 12 16 17 I am delighted with the number of our own homegrown players coming through into adult cricket and lest we forget, this is the primary purpose of having a junior section. The growth of the club as a whole has been an enormous undertaking. I would like to thank all the coaching team and executive committee, players and parents. We are very fortunate to have such an impressive body of people who are all brought together by their love of cricket. The reflections that follow for every team are a snapshot of this season, but more importantly should give everyone an insight into the kind of planning and organisation that goes into it. Yvonne Bryant Chairperson November 2019 2 ​ Part 1 U6-U10 The main challenge for the 2019 summer season was in attempting to field four U10 hardball teams, all playing in leagues. We managed, and by the end of the summer over 50 kids had experienced at least 3 matches each of league based cricket. In a nod to no decline in quality, our U10A team went through the league season unbeaten (as they had the previous summer) and missed out narrowly in the county wide Gubby Allen quarter finals. With this commitment to playing more hardball/competitive matches we did not enter teams in the local U8 softball matches, feeling instead that this age group would benefit more from internal competition. Summer 2020 will see a shift toward creating more external ‘friendly’ matches for the U8 age groups. When selecting squads for our U10 teams we tried to find a balance between age, ability and the specific league challenges for each team. Our ‘A’ team (Eagles) would continue to play in the MCA West Group A. Our ‘B’ team (Hawks) would play for the first time in the MCA West Group B. (Group A and B being primarily location sorted, and of equal ability level). Our ‘C’ team (Kites) would join our ‘A’ team in the MCA Group A. Our ‘D’ team (Falcons) would play in a ‘B’ team development league. Our ‘A’ squad was drawn from both U10 and U9 age groups, our ‘B’ squad was drawn just from U10 aged players, our ‘C’ squad was drawn from U9, U8 and U7 aged players, and our ‘D’ squad from U10 and U9 aged players. We do not put too much emphasis on winning matches at U10s level, more to encourage the boys to play without inhibition or fear of failure. Importantly, we put the onus on the boys to make decisions – right or wrong – in the belief that their ability to problem solve will ultimately serve in their best interests. It would be fair to say that a number of games across all U10s matches were lost because opposition coaches were making the majority of decisions for their teams. We are grateful to our parent group for understanding the sacrifice of losing matches for the sake of developing broader and more valuable skills. Although our U8 players did not play external matches the group, as a whole, is rich in promise and exciting times are ahead as this generation proceed to hardball cricket. Many thanks to Graeme, Ravi, Zahir, Vikas and Sai for putting in so many hours across the groups and for buying into the philosophy of this key participation and development stage of club cricket. Doug Steward : Head of U6-U10 Age Groups 3 ​ U10A (League : 1st) Gubby Allen : Quarter Finals The U10A squad proved too strong for all opposition in the group A league stage, with the toughest matches coming from Stanmore A team and our own Kites (C team). As in 2018, the squad were not able to navigate the county quarter finals, losing narrowly to Ealing CC, the eventual winners of the Gubby Allen trophy. However, they played mature and dynamic cricket throughout the season and this bodes well for the future of this generation of talented individuals. U10B (League : 6th) The U10B squad faced the tough challenge of performing in the MCA West group B for the first time. Most of the boys played in the development league (as U9s) last year; however, the cricket this summer represented quite a step up from the development league and the boys perhaps struggled to apply their skills to more competitive match play cricket. As a group the boys will make up the core of our U11A side in 2020 and a winter working hard on core batting and bowling skills should help the group develop into a strong unit. U10C (League : 6th) The U10C squad, made up of U9 players, most of whom, although rich in talent, came into the season with very little hardball playing experience and found the going tough competing with U10 players in group A. However, their progress and development as a group throughout the season was tangible and by the end of the summer they were playing some superb, positive cricket. U10D (League : 9th) The U10D squad (Falcons) featured 20 players rotating through multiple fixtures in the development league. This was the perfect environment - once opposition coaches/umpires grasped that winning games was not the overriding objective – for the boys to have a go at hardball cricket and gain confidence in their own abilities. For all the other U10 squads we operated a policy of rotating captains; however, given the large number of boys playing for the Falcons we decided to have some consistency in the captains role – and were incredibly fortunate to have Shiven to lead the group. His control of the game and increasingly selfless attitude toward participation made for a really positive, self-learning environment for the players. U10 Team Managers: Doug Steward, Ravi Rajapakse, Viaks Puri, Sai Iyer, Zahir Chuadhary , Graeme Calway 4 ​ Part 2 WOMEN & GIRLS No report entered. 5 ​ Part 3 U11-U13 Once again we had a very large pool of players in these age groups. It was a positive year on ​ the whole, as we implemented some changes to all A team cricket. Having one of the biggest numbers at this age group in the borough has been great to see but challenging at times. Maintaining coach-to-child ratios is something we were able to do despite the challenges. Well done to our U11A team for winning the league unbeaten and only lost one game by 1 run in the cup, unfortunately they have not played their finals day yet due to the great English weather! All other teams were competitive which we are really happy with. I want to thank all U11 - U13 coaches for their hard work, time and support. Also thank you for parents, guardians and family support without you players wouldn't get the opportunity to play as much cricket as is being offered. Kevan David-Joseph : Head of U11-U13 Age Groups U11A League : 1st County : Reached finals day but it was washed out Another team that went through the entire league season unbeaten. This squad was a joy to coach, they work so well together and take each challenge in their stride. It has a core of talented players that are level headed, support each other, and enjoy each other’s success. The only game this team lost was in May to Uxbridge in the Cup – a game that they were chasing 88 and were well placed to win but crucial run outs and poor shot selection meant they lost by 1 run. However in my opinion this loss focused the objective to work harder and put the lessons learned into full operation. From then on the standards were set higher so when setting a target they created a buffer in-case things went wrong in the bowling and fielding department. When they were chasing a score – individuals took ownership and batted longer to ensure one of the experienced batters was there at the finish. The fielding from a poor start has improved beyond recognition – they now set high standards and help each other with positive energy. Significant batting performance noted from Rahul, Arun, Suryansh, Zayn and Deepanker. Consistent bowling from Rahul, Suryansh, Ved, Arun, Amar and Salman. We also have probably the most enthusiastic keeper in the league – Prakrith Rao! He is always seeking ways to improve – works hard at his skill set, very smart in absorbing what is being taught a very quick learner. This team has natural leaders in Ved, Suryansh, Zayn and Arun.