The start of the Manx cricket season is not far off and there is already plenty of activity at the island’s clubs, while the Isle of Man Cricket Association has many exciting plans for the coming year.
Special camps for youngsters are to be held. These are for those wishing to develop their skills or beginners interested in playing the sport.
The camps will be held at King William’s College between April 5-8. To apply for a place or get further details contact the island cricket development officer Greg Wright at iomcricket@hotmail.com
The IoMCA has initiatives ready for schools and the community to develop participation. These include an offer all primary schools of a day’s coaching for their pupils at no cost. In addition free equipment will be available for people to use at home, on the street or anywhere there is the chance to play.
There are going to be courses in March and April for both scorers and umpires. Introductory sessions for each skill lasting just two to three hours are ideal for people wishing to know more on these subjects.
Also the more advanced level one courses will be run. ‘Club Scorer’ takes place over a day and a half and leads to professional assessment and a certificate.
The level one umpires course is over two days with an exam at the end. This would be held over either two Saturdays or two Sundays. For further details on these courses and to apply for a place, please contact David Kenworthy at dkenworthy@mcb.net
l The annual general meeting of the IoMCA is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 23 and it will be an important meeting with proposals for clubs to relax certain rules and restrictions. These should lead to people getting more games. The AGM takes place at the Sports Institute at the NSC, starting at 6pm.
l The Isle of Man national squad is already in training with the T20 side off to Sweden in August to play in Europe Division Two of the ICC World Cricket League.
It is a very strong division with Germany, Gibraltar, Israel, Spain and hosts Sweden. The games take place from August 17-20.