All ready to roll
MACCLESFIELD Cricket Club Academy is gearing up for another exciting season.
The Academy provides high-quality cricket coaching for children from the ages of seven to 18, with 140 members last season across the age groups. Teams compete in leagues in the Cheshire County League, Cheshire and Derbyshire High Peak League, and North Cheshire Junior Cricket Association.
The 2016 season has arrived and all age groups are looking forward to some competitive cricket in the months ahead.
The Under 7s have rapidly grown into a strong squad of 20 players. The players are still developing their basic skills, but are developing very fast. The club is hoping to test a few of the players in one or two under 9s Sixers competitions this summer, as well as hopefully entering one or two teams in this year’s under 8s Festival at Macclesfield CC.
The under 8s have a strong squad of 26. This will be their first fully competitive year of cricket, with two teams entered into the High Peak League. They will compete at numerous local under 9s Sixers com- petitions as well this year, testing their skills against other strong teams and older players and will host the Under 8 Macclesfield Festival later this year.
After a busy winter nets, the under 9s coaches are all excited about the prospects of the talented children within the section at MCCA. Due to the large number in the U9s, the club will enter four competitive teams in both the High Peak Cricket League and Cheshire County Cricket League. There are competitive games, tournaments and regular practice sessions at the club every Friday. The club is supported by our numerous level 2 ECB qualified coaches to help the children progress their cricketing skills.
The U7-U9 squads are looking forward to a big Coaching session on Friday at the club.
There will be multiple coaching stations, one of which will be run by the club pro, Nick Bertus.
There is a social event afterwards when the raffle will be drawn. The youngsters have been busy fund raising for the all-weather nets fund and the purchase of an exciting bowling machine. Their fundraising target is £1,000.
Meanwhile, the under 11s have a squad of 27, the majority of who have moved up from the under 9s and will be playing hard ball cricket for the first time.
They have entered both the Cheshire County League and the Cheshire and High Peak Junior Cricket League. The intention is to play the strongest side each week in the County League and to use the High Peak League to ensure all squad members get regular competitive cricket.
Macclesfield under 13s start the season with a number of friendlies against Poynton, Buxton and Kings. First matches for the County and High Peak teams are next week. The club is looking for a couple of additional players to complete the squad, so come along to our outdoor training sessions at Kings Westminster Road from 6pm on Fridays for a try-out.
The under 15s are looking to build on a solid 2015 season, when they finished in the middle group of the county league. The depth of the squad means the team is fighting on two fronts, having also entered the North Cheshire League. A busy summer awaits.
The under 18s pre-season indoor training has gone well. Players and coaches are now looking forward to the season.
This starts on 13th May with a trip to Davenham in the East and South league of the Mid Cheshire Youth Cricket Association. The other three teams in this league are Congleton, Haslington and Northwich; Macc play each opponent twice – home and away – with the top teams progressing to a knockout stage against the winners of the North and West leagues.
For more information on the Academy contact head coach Stewart Garnett on stewart.garnett@ ntlworld.com