Well, that’s it for another year….well….nearly! The Garstang Junior Cricket Award’s Evening will be held at the club on Friday 15 September, starting at 7.00pm. Each age-group (Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15) will be awarding a batter, bowler, and fielder of the season, along with a Manager’s Award. We would love to see as many players and parents attend as possible to share and enjoy individual and club achievements. We are really starting to see a ‘club community’ being developed and it would be brilliant to see this continue at the end of the season and get us excited for next season! The bar will be open throughout and we will be putting on the normal food at the end of the presentation.

Thank you to all the coaches and managers who have played such a vital role in the excellent delivery throughout the year; Ray Riley and his All Star Coaches, Neil Ball, Mark Pearson and Tom Winstanley with the Under 11s, Mike Woodruff and Steve Dunn with the Under 13s, and Charlie Collinson and Jas Singh with the Under 15s. Your dedication and commitment to the club and your young players hasn’t gone unnoticed as I regularly receive excellent feedback from both players and parents, so thank you.

Also, thank you to each and every person that has provided transport, financial aid, emotional support, encouragement, or a shoulder to cry on throughout the season. You are all a vital part of what we are attempting to create within the club – a friendly and supportive environment in which young players can enjoy their cricket and push themselves to achieve their best performances. Please continue to support your children and their coaches in any way possible.

As I have spoken about several times, parental involvement and support is vital for the ongoing development of the junior section. A key element of that is having enough qualified coaches within the club to be able to deliver training to the increasing number of young players. Lancashire have one of the biggest and most respected Coach Education departments in the country and there are several Coach Education courses that you are able to attend if you wish to gain a qualification – please see the following link for courses http://www.lancashirecricket.co.uk/lcb/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id=66&Itemid=334. To show our support, we will repay 50% of any course fee upon successful completion of the course.

Thank you again, and I hope to see you at the presentation evening. I will be in contact again to let you know the dates of our indoor training at Myerscough College prior to the 2018 season!

Yours in cricket,

Andy