CRICKET: Lutters Lines (August 13)

I HAVE been umpiring some under-14 games this week as it's been what is known as their "festival week".

The Sussex Junior Cricket Festival has been going for what seems like eons (I played in it for crying out loud!) and introduces the young cricketers to longer games, that aren't limited overs.

In fact, they are slightly shorter versions of the Sussex Cricket League games.

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It is very tough to win these competitions '“ there are two at each age group, one for strong teams and one for developing or less experienced teams.

Worthing have a team in both, purely because we have quite a few under-14s and some under-13s and under-12s, who are capable of playing up a level.

It's a totally different game, allowing them to play themselves in without the pressure of there not being many overs left.

I know it's a clich but the kids are the future of the game. They must learn how to play games that don't limit overs on each bowler (although ECB directives do actually limit bowlers in the festival), but when they progress into adult cricket, you could get a bowler from one end for an entire innings and you must develop strategies to score off them, no matter how well they are bowling.

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The good thing about the festival games is the spirit that most are played in (not all, I hasten to add, as some coaches are quite competitive, shall we say).

The result is generally a bonus, as long as most of the players get a fair crack of the whip. It's always nice to win of course, but as long as the team have done themselves and their ability justice, one can't really complain.

The trouble with being a "win at all costs" side is that different players develop at different rates, or some have played the game for a longer period than others.

Therefore, in most clubs, each junior team will have four or five players who are the best bowlers and batsmen '“ teams who have what the commentators call "a balanced side" in their junior sections are very lucky indeed.

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So, if you have a "win at all costs" attitude, only four or five players will get a decent game, but the game requires 11. The six or seven who just field will naturally be turned off the game and eventually you won't have enough for the four or five to play.

It's a philosophy that I know most clubs have, that everyone gets a fair go, and finding a balance between everyone getting a go and success is the Holy Grail for cricket coaches at a junior level.

At the end of the day, these people have joined a cricket club to play the game and hopefully improve. Unless they get a chance to bat or bowl, how are they going to improve?

Often the best results come out of experiments, the "suck it and see" or "you've got to buy a ticket to win the raffle" philosophy.

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Cricket is a growing sport, and careful management by those in charge is key to the enjoyment and continual growth of the game.

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