SHINFIELD Cricket Club celebrated the accomplishments of their junior members this summer at an event on Sunday, September 4.
Players and their families negotiated the stop-start rain to complete the awards ceremony, with all enjoying pizza at the end.
The club’s chairman, David Hare, was full of praise for the youngsters’ efforts. He said: “Every junior player received a medal for their contributions to the team’s season.
“Mini Shins (aged between 5-7) were awarded with medals, all the other groups also got trophies for individual excellence in batting, bowling, fielding or as an all-rounder.
“It was also great to acknowledge that some of the juniors played for the age-group above their age. Some of the older kids also played appropriate skillset adult cricket.”
Mr Hare also thanked the voluntary work of the coaches and parents involved in the junior set-up.
The club boasts over 100 junior members, who played a total of 70 league and friendly matches over the summer.
Shashank Garg, club secretary, said: “Our 2022 season is officially over now however, due to overwhelming demand from colts, we have booked pre-season indoor nets before Christmas.
“We encourage the local community to take up the sport and have fun. We also partnered with local academies and provided professional group coaching to our members.
The club has expressed its pride in its growing girls and under 6s sections, with the former now assigned a dedicated coach.
Organisers plan to continue strengthening the team in years to come.
Semeena Senan, girls coach, said: “Our under 11 girls played three tournaments this season, winning two and losing one.
“They also played a match against Hurst in August and a total blast, which they won by 90 runs. Such a great season. Congrats to all the girls.”
Led by coach Rippon Pawa, the Under 9s section was so popular the club had to field two separate teams: Shinfield Warriors and Shinfield Knights.
Both sides enjoyed similarly dominant campaigns with the former winning eight and drawing one of their 12 matches and the latter winning eight of their 11 fixtures.
The Under 13 and 15 groups also enjoyed strong seasons. Their coach, Arun Kumar, who is also the junior secretary, was delighted to see some of his players gain experience at both senior and county level.
