Friday night fun on cricket field

FRIDAY night means fun at Kidmore End Cricket Club.

The club has restarted its weekly summer evening events for locals to relax and socialise while their children practise the game for pleasure.

Catering vans visit the club’s ground off The Hamlet in Gallowstree Common and there is an outdoor bar.

The children, who range in age from five to 15, are taught skills with bat and ball as well as the importance of teamwork by volunteers. The idea is to grow their interest in the game.

The volunteers range from parents to players with the club’s first team and there are up to 30 who help run the evenings. Freya Cook, who runs the club’s women’s team said: “I started at Kidmore End when I was eight and played for the girls’ team, which I built up with my mother over the years.

“Being introduced to the male-dominated sport in this club has always been a positive, welcoming experience.

“It is so useful becoming a coach for my chosen career path as I want to do sports coaching at university.”

Claire Dyer, whose son plays cricket, said: “This a lovely place to come. We’ve lived here for a couple of years and the club is a two-minute walk away, so it’s convenient.”

Fellow parent Nick Ager described the event as “the best pub garden in the world”.

He said: “When the weather is like this, it is perfect. We have been residents for four years and members of the cricket club for three.

“Once our local pub, the Reformation, shut, we all looked forward to these Friday nights.

“Now they’re back, the kids are looked after and us parents can socialise.

“I don’t know any other club that caters for the little ones so well and cricket is a fantastic team sport for personal development.

“My son has come through the ranks. All through the winter he was asking when it would be set up again. His only experience prior has been at school but the set-up here is so much better to develop skills.

“This really is for everyone and a model that others should try.”

Volunteer Will Nassau-Lake said he had played cricket since he was a child and enjoyed helping another generation to follow suit.

“I’ve assumed the role of trying to organise the children into age groups,” he said.

“I love it and watching the kids come through the ranks. It is important to get our children into adult games, which is really the end plan.

“The appeal of cricket is that it’s for everyone — you do not have to be overly athletic. We do need the kids to come through and this club is intentionally accessible.”

Mabel Felwick, 10, said: “I’ve recently started going to girls’ cricket. We like it because we get to see each other and we like playing with each other. We don’t see each other all week as we go to different schools.

“Our brothers play cricket and we stay the whole time catching up from the week.”

The Kidmore End Cricket Club Friday night events will continue until mid-September. They are free to attend but there is a fee for children who want to take part in the training.

For more information, visit www.kidmoreendcc.co.uk