At Winsley, we are trying to encourage young cricket players to enjoy playing the game and develop their all-around skills so that they can all contribute meaningfully when they are given the opportunity to play.

So, on the U11 Boys team: we have created a Development Pathway that encourages the development of all players in all areas of the game with meaningful opportunities to participate in the games in which they play. The plan encourages everyone to enjoy their cricket and also prepares them to participate in Representative Cricket at the District and County levels.

Please find below an outline of the Development Pathway:

Playing Style

Cricket can be a rather isloating game if one deosn't feel they contribute to the outcome. At a young age, especially, it can make it unenjoyable. So, we have tried to make some adjustments to how we play our matches to make it more engaging and meaninful.

Rather than dividing the team up into batters and bowlers, we create meaningful chances for them to perform all of their skills in match situations by making a few adjustments to the way we play the game:

Everyone Bowls

Rather than have only a select number of bowlers bowl, we give everyone 2 overs to bowl (wicketkeepers migth only get 1 if they want to switch after 10 overs). The idea is that practice only becomes meaningful if it leads to a definite opportunity to perform that skill in matches.

Yes, it means that they don't really get into a rhythm. Yes, it also means that some bowlers will be bowling a lot of wides and might have a lot of runs scored.

However, it also means that everyone can work on improving their bowling - as they know they have to do it. It also means that when in the field, players are more switched on and playing for each other, as they understand that they are the ones that can turn a boundary into a single for their teammate.

Everybody Bats

In the premiere league side, we change the priority of batting so that everyone has a chance to bat. We change the order from week to week so that those who may have batted at the end have a chance to bat higher up the order. We try to mix experienced and developing batsmen throughout the order.

We try to give each batsman about 4 overs. It's not an exact science, but that gives everyone a chance to bat and either score runs, support the other batsman or defend their wicket. After that amount of time, they can retire and return at the end, if needed.

We retire batsmen at between 20-25 runs. If they can score that many runs in 4 overs then they can also probably score 50 in double that amount...but nobody else will get to bat. So, we give them the chance to score for the team and then give them the confidence to go and perform at District or County level - making way for other developing players to also get their confidence in a match.

The team spirit is very high and they all play for each other as a group, which is great to see.

Opportunities to Compete

Each players needs a different challenge to develop at their own pace and feel confident as the improve. Many players are moving up to hardball cricket and need a transition phase to get used to the pace and differences between the two formats. Other players need opportunities to work on certain skills and develop leadership and captaincy skills in match situations.

So we have a blended approach for team selection that allows for the development of players at all levels and an opportunity to perform at the highest level as well.

We will be organising a premiership league team of U11s, a Pairs league team of 8-a-side (which will be shared with the U13 girls team), a Cup team - and organising friendlies and entering festivals. So, there is plenty of opportunity for everyone to get a game at the appropriate level to challenge them in different ways.

I’ve included a graphic that I hope goes some way to illustrating the pathway.

From left to right:

Friendlies and Festivals

We would like to enable developing players to play a form of cricket that allows them to feel confident and enables them to develop their hardball skills, as many of them will be coming up from Quick-Cricket and need the time to develop their skills and confidence. We would expect that the players on these teams will largely be made up of non-representative players, or at best including U10 District level players. This is a lot of fun - and we wish there was more cricket like this regularly.

Winsley Wolves

This team will be competing every Monday in an 8-a-side pairs cricket league. We will be sharing this side with the U13 girls team to ensure that we can always field a full team. The point of this team is for players to feel free to play the game without too much pressure. It is an enjoyable form of the game and we would hope that many of the players will use the opportunity to explore new aspects of their game to give them the confidence to use those skills in the traditional format of the game. This team will have some district and county level players selected for it so that those players have a chance to lead the younger players and practice their captaincy and leadership skills.

Selection for this team is based on a combination of ability and attendance during training.

Winsley Wizards

Selection for this team is based primarily on attendance at training: if your child shows up regularly, they will be picked regularly, regardless of ability. It is an opportunity to put into practice the skills your child is learning as part of a way of playing. We will do our best to ensure that if they train often and well - that they get a chance to play on this team.

To re-affirm the overall objective: this team is the one where we hope everyone has a chance to contribute, develop and play the proper format of the game. We are not looking to win the league: we are looking to help all of the players enjoy the game and develop all of their skills.

As it turns out in most years, we compete at the top end of the league and provide a large number of players for the District and County squads. Most importantly: all the players enjoy their cricket and want to play more and more.

Cup Competition

This is a knockout competition. This year, we have decided that this should be a competition where selection is based on ability. We found that last year when we used the same selection criteria for the Wizards league team: the opposition came with a far stronger team than they would have in the league. So, this year: we will try to select the strongest side available for the match.

District Mid-Wiltshire U10 and U11

We have had great success over the last few years at providing a number of players to play representational District level cricket for what is now Mid-Wilsthire. We feel that for those players who wish to practice hard, they will develop to a standard that allows them to be put forward for a trial at the beginning and end of the season.

If successful, there is a winter training programme and a summer festival, training and match programme that can further develop and extend their skills. We are happy to support their development aiming at this level.

County U10 and U11

These teams and training are selected from the District level trials and training programmes. We are fortunate to regularly develop players who have been selected for the U10 and U11 programmes and following on at the U12 and U13 level.

Summary

We hope that this pathway allows every young player to learn to develop their skills and a life-long love of the game of cricket. At the same time, we believe it also prepares performance players to acheive their potential and represent their club at District and County level.

If you have any other questions about the pathway, please contact the coach to discuss them.