THE sound of balls being hit for six and bails knocked off wickets is echoing across Doug Dean Reserve as eager kids take to the cricket pitch on Thursday evenings.<\/p>\n
As part of Woolworth\u2019s Cricket Blast, Delacombe Cricket Club is hosting a Master Blasters cricket program from 4.30pm every Thursday until 17 March.<\/p>\n
The afternoons see an enthusiastic group of children taking turns batting and bowling, encouraged by senior club members Ben Tuovinen and Caleb Smith.<\/p>\n
Club president Thomas Nichols said that although the program\u2019s announcement was short notice, the turnouts were a success.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got there in the end. All we want is for the kids to get out there and get involved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The program\u2019s hour-and-a-half routine consists of 20 minutes of skills practice followed by a modified cricket match.<\/p>\n
Nichols said he hopes the sessions will drive the recruitment process for their younger teams and spark a passion for the sport among its participants.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is how we start our junior programs a lot by having our kids leapfrog from this into our junior levels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe only have one side for this season so for the next one we\u2019re aiming to fill our under 11s right through to 17s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although geared towards ages seven to 11, the program is inclusive of younger children willing to give the sport a try.<\/p>\n
Delacombe resident Rohan Jackson stood at the sidelines ready to toss back stray balls in support of his five-year-old son Jasper.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got way too much energy to be in the house so this\u2019ll definitely help that,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re all putting in which is awesome, that\u2019s what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nichols said he looks forward to the program\u2019s continuation, and sees it as the first step in rekindling a sense of community for the club following the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy aim is to put the club on the map, to get more kids and families down here, and to sort of centralise VRI as the main summer sport here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The entry cost for the program is $85, and people can visit the Club\u2019s Facebook page to find out how to register.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE sound of balls being hit for six and bails knocked off wickets is echoing across Doug Dean Reserve as eager kids take to the cricket pitch on Thursday evenings. As part of Woolworth\u2019s Cricket Blast, Delacombe Cricket Club is hosting a Master Blasters cricket program from 4.30pm every Thursday until 17 March. The afternoons […]<\/p>\n