OUR COACHING PHILOSOPHY

We follow the Auckland Cricket Association’s Coaching Philosophy which has an athlete centred approach.

‘As coaches, we are there for our players. We strive to take an athlete-centered approach to coaching where the needs of each athlete come first. As such the environment we create:

• Is challenging and fun
• Is safe and encourages a sense of belonging
• Encourages excellence in performance
• Fosters participation, skill development and teamwork
• Develops well-rounded individuals who are confident, creative, accountable, set personal goals and are good decision-makers
• Emphasises fair play and upholds the ‘Spirit of Cricket’

The Spirit of Cricket represents the positive benefits of playing by the rules, using common sense and respecting fellow players, coaches, umpires, opponents and supporters.’

Girls can either join the Ellerslie Cricket Club individually or as part of a school team. We operate a School Programme for Girls and any school wishing to formalise a cricket programme under their banner should contact our Club Manager, Hollie Leona manager@ellersliecricket.co.nz.

PLAYING PATHWAY

Junior Skills Programme Year 0 – 2

Girls from Year 0 to 2 can join our Junior Skills Programme which is run on a Friday night at Michaels Avenue Reserve from 5.00pm to 6:30pm. The emphasis for this age group is fun activity in a controlled environment. This Grade is run as a skills session for the first hour where the players rotate between skills stations. At each station, players learn different aspects of the game from qualified coaches/senior players – batting, bowling and fielding techniques. During the second hour they play modified games sessions.

All equipment is provided by the Club. The skills sessions and games are played with a soft ball, plastic bats and plastic wickets. Pads are not required.

The season runs from Friday 12th November, taking a break over the summer holidays and then continuing through to the end of March. Our Junior Skills Programme subscription is just $100 for the full season,  with family discounts offered.

UNDER 11 SOFTBALL AND HARDBALL

Under 11 Hardball (T20 Smash)

Season Dates: Saturday 29th October – Saturday 17th December & Saturday 14th February – Saturday 25th March

• 20 Overs, 8-a-side
• Saturday mornings
• Kookaburra White Commander 142g ball

Under 11 Softball

Season Dates: Saturday 29th October – Saturday 17th December & Saturday 14th February – Saturday 25th March

• 12 Overs, 6-a-side
• Saturday mornings 8am and run until approx. 9:20am
• Kookaburra Star Junior 142g Soft Ball
• A great introduction to cricket for those new to the sport

UNDER 13S

Saturday U13 Hardball (T20 Smash)

Season Dates: Saturday 29th October – Saturday 17th December & Saturday 14th February – Saturday 25th March

• 20 Overs, 9-a-side
• Saturday mornings
• Kookaburra Pink Crown WR 142g ball

Midweek U13 Hardball (T20 Smash)

Season Dates: Thursday 10th November – Thursday 15th December & 16th February – TBC

• 20 Overs, 9-a-side
• Thursday evenings
• Kookaburra Pink Crown WR 142g ball

Players are expected to practice once a week at Michael’s Ave, with specific training days and times to be later advised.

CANCELLATIONS & FIXTURE CHANGES

• Double-checking your fixture on PlayHQ (below) on a Friday evening to make sure there have been no changes made to times or venues is a good habit we recommend.
• For wet weather cancellations, please check the Auckland Cricket website (below) first. Cancellations will be posted by 7am on Saturday mornings.
• Coaches/managers if you are unsure if the game is on, we encourage you to use the contact list we will provide you, to call the opposition team coach/manager to discuss this. If a mutual agreement cannot be made, the home team manager has final say on pitch condition and playability.  If a game is abandoned, the home team coach/manager must enter the game as abandoned on PlayHQ immediately.
• For grade-wide cancellations or a Michaels Ave field closure, an email will be sent out to all team members and a text will be sent to coaches/managers. Make sure to follow our Facebook page (below) as we will post cancellation updates where we can.
• If a specific team is cancelled or game is changed Friday evening onwards, we will send a text to the coaches and managers.

In the future the Ellerslie Cricket Club hopes to be able to offer teams in the Under 16, Women’s Open and Women’s Premier grades. A full run down of the grades offered by ACA for Women and Girls can be found (below).

The season runs from late October, through to the end of March. Our Junior Girls subscription is just $155 for the season with family discounts available. There is a Junior Prizegiving ceremony at the end of the season where children also receive an official team photo.

For more information please contact our Junior Club President Shane Wilson or our Club Manager Hamish Dickason