General News
27 November, 2024
Cricket crazy kids can play at home
By CHRIS EARL CRICKET crazy Loddon youngsters are staying on home turf for the first time for professional clinics. Parents who had been taking children to Bendigo for their cricket fix have rushed to be part of the six-week series that will wrap up...
By CHRIS EARL
CRICKET crazy Loddon youngsters are staying on home turf for the first time for professional clinics.
Parents who had been taking children to Bendigo for their cricket fix have rushed to be part of the six-week series that will wrap up in Bridgewater next week.
The first five weeks have seen an average 60 youngsters turn up for sessions for Central Victoria Academy professional coach Brenton Jones.
Last week, Victorian women’s player and Renegades all-rounder Jas Nevins added her support to the free clinics.
According to organiser Prue Milgate, the clinics are filling a void between the Cricket Blast program aimed at children aimed between five and 10 and the Upper Loddon under 18 competition.
And helping make the sport accessible has been sponsorship from Inglewood and District Community Bank and Inglewood real estate agents FP Nevins.
“We’ve been able to put on the six-week clinic at no cost to parents. Being part of junior sport can be costly for parents and that’s before even thinking about the drive into Bendigo that many had been doing,” Prue said.
“There were about eight doing the local Cricket Blast program last year. Now it’s 60 or so every week ... we picked up younger siblings who have their own little group and the Bridgewater under 18s are also joining in - children aged from three to 15.”
Prue said all schools in the southern Loddon area had been contacted about the clinic that had seen enrolments from Bridgewater, Inglewood and Serpentine.
“This is about the community coming together for something big - affordable sport for our kids,” she said.
“We’re showing that there’s the interest among local children to be taking up sport. They are mad keen about their cricket and who knows, perhaps that can translate into other sports as well.
“Bridgewater Cricket Club backed my idea. They’ve been so supportive and we’re making it happen for sports crazy kids.”