
Chulmleigh and Mid Devon CC have leveraged the ECB's national programmes to help restart the club's junior cricket section.
Having seen their junior setup fade away during the pandemic, the club is now welcoming local children back to the sport with help from the Devon Cricket Foundation's North Devon Community Cricket Coach, Martin Brice, who has played a key role in the revival effort.
Rodney Davies, Chairman of Chulmleigh CC, explained how the club had been thriving with junior teams before the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt:
"Pre-Covid, we used to run Junior Cricket, but it all fizzled out. A few of us decided we wanted to get it going again, and it just so happened that Martin Brice reached out to us around the same time. Martin's support has been truly invaluable."
Martin has helped guide Chulmleigh through the process of relaunching their junior programme, including conducting school visits and generating enthusiasm for cricket among the younger population. Rodney praised the work Martin has done, adding: "he’s been instrumental in encouraging volunteers and helping us navigate the ECB's systems. We can’t sing his praises highly enough."
The club's decision to reintroduce junior cricket has been well received, with All Stars and Dynamos programmes proving popular among local children. David Pannett, who plays for Chulmleigh CC and is an Activator on their Dynamos programme, shared his excitement about the progress being made, noting that the initiative has brought together local primary schools and provided a platform for children to engage with the sport again.
"Going back 10 years, we had a thriving junior setup, but Covid took that away. The plan was to bring it back for local kids, and we saw that All Stars had worked well elsewhere, so we thought, 'Why not here?' It's brilliant to see it all coming back together."
David, whose daughter is also participating in the programme, highlighted how important the initiative has been for the community. "We did a couple of taster sessions during half-term and Easter, and the response was amazing. To have 28 children sign up for the first official session was more than we expected, and it gives us a solid foundation to build on for next year.
Chulmleigh’s long-term plan is to expand the junior programme further in 2025, with Dave saying: "We're aiming to grow that number to 40 or 50."
Rodney is aligned in his thinking, hoping to see multiple age groups progressing from softball to hardball cricket, and even looking to set up a women's team in the future.
"We'd love to start a women's team, but for now, we’re focusing on building up the juniors. It’s like a snowball, once it gets going, we hope it will keep building momentum."
The eight-week summer programme culminated in late July, when the club hosted a series of Parent vs Children mini-matches which saw over 60 people participating and was followed by a picnic lunch and an adults match in the afternoon.
The success of the restart is already evident and, with the help of volunteers like David and the support of Martin Brice, Chulmleigh CC are on a promising path to restoring their junior cricket programme.