A Focus On… Mill Hill Village Cricket Club
This week, we spoke to Mill Hill Village CC, a club that has excelled with The Young Officials programme in recent years. The programme is aimed at giving 13-18 year olds the key skills and confidence to umpire and score cricket matches.
All candidates learn more about Umpiring and Scoring so that they are able to volunteer some of their time to help their club. They learn the basics of being an umpire, including the major laws, setting up the game, signals, and game management, as well as how to score using the Play Cricket Scorer App and Countdown Cricket App.
How has the Young Officials programme benefited Mill Hill Village CC?
Many of the older Juniors at the club are now starting to breakthrough and play Adult Cricket regularly, whether that be in the Sunday Development XI, or one of the four Saturday league teams. Whatever the level, it is important that all the Juniors have a good grasp of the fundamentals of the laws of the game and how to officiate the game they are taking part in.
Especially at the lower levels, contributions need to be made off the field as well as on it. Every cricket match played requires umpiring and scoring. Increasing the numbers of members able to contribute to this area is hugely beneficial to the Club and offers the youngsters a skill for life. The Young Officials programme is an excellent enabler to help Juniors aged 13 to 18 to learn these essential skills.
What else happens at Mill Hill Village?
Despite being in the heart of the busy London Borough of Barnet, Mill Hill Village CC is a Club set in beautiful and tranquil country surroundings. A real oasis of calm, free from traffic, noise and the numerous other suburban distractions. The Club welcomes players of all ages, genders, and abilities, from 5 years up. It has embraced the ECB All Stars and Dynamos programmes, and this year alone the Junior section has increased by 80%, with the Club adding a girls section, an U17s team in the Middlesex Youth Cup, and an Adult 4th XI.
Mill Hill Village Sports Club has been providing opportunities for the local community to enjoy amateur sport for 153 years and are keen to continue doing exactly that for many years to come. The Club has some exciting and ambitious development plans that they hope to bring to fruition over the next 5 years and are keen to welcome anyone who would like to join them in supporting the Club’s aims and ambitions both on and off the field.
What next?
For more information about the Young Officials programme in Middlesex, please contact Raj Nath.
We would like to thank the team at Mill Hill Village for their contribution and wish them good luck for the rest of the season. You can find more information about the club by contacting Phil Smith, or by looking on their website.
