It might be cold and damp outside, but Retford Cricket Club has already started playing cricket! Early January saw the younger Junior teams embark on their indoor tournaments of six-a-side kwik cricket. A fast-paced game in which every player bowls, bats and fields. Fear not, they use light plastic bats and a soft ball!
Meanwhile the slightly older Junior teams began taking part in a similar ‘Tapeball’ game; the ball is a tape covered tennis ball. The key difference is they use normal wooden bats and cricket gloves. This forms a great natural next step in their development in the game.
Both tournaments are arranged by Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club at Worksop College Sports Hall on a Saturday afternoon and are open to mixed teams from the north of the county.
This year has seen the first all-girls Junior tournaments. While numbers of girl players are still growing, there is a U13 softball tournament and U16 Tapeball matches.
All these tournaments have demonstrated some fabulous cricket in an inclusive setting as the youngsters ready themselves for the outdoor season which begins in April. As ever, this only works because of the volunteers who help officiate the matches and provide other support.
Retford Cricket Club is extremely keen to embrace opportunities in women’s cricket. Women’s indoor cricket started in the mid-January. The Club had high hopes of fielding an eight-strong team but struggled to raise enough players. This offers a fabulous opportunity, and the Club would welcome any women who would like to play; they provide training as well. It is a simple game in a wonderfully friendly atmosphere, taking place at Ranby House School Sports Hall on Friday evenings.
Interested?
Interested? The welcome any enquiries about the opportunities they offer, either by email to enquiries.retfordcricketclub@gmail.com, or via https://retford.play-cricket.com/Aboutus.